Pimax Crystal - status, updates and fixes (Part 2)

Pimax Hardware Pimax Crystal
141

Hi,

The problem with the Varjo Aero is the lack of any built in audio.

And the excessive price tag. Even with the light houses thrown in.

2 Likes
142

You must be playing some low graphics/demanding games.

1 Like
143

Yeah, if PIMAX can REALLY firm up their hand controller tracking even more, then that’s a WIN in my opinion. (but hardware/design may be a blocker)

It doesn’t help to have ‘serious’ Beat Sabre gamers mentioning the tracking isn’t good for all but ‘casual’ Beat Sabre activity.

1 Like
144

Certainly a step in the right direction imo, but lacking the controllers, audio, local dimming of the Crystal whilst still being more expensive. Competition is good :slight_smile:

145

So it’s the end of June another month passes. No sight of the Wide FOV lenses, no spec on FOV, no release date. Just this fluff from Pimax.

IMG_9915
IMG_9915828×423 93.9 KB

2 Likes
146

So I’m confused. Are the lenses in the Crystal box now considered the wide 35PPD FOV lenses? The second pair to come are lower FOV 42PPD???

Lol

Because if the 42PPD lenses are in the box surely they are the first set and can’t be the second.

To me it looks like there are no WIDER lenses to come and 103 FOV is it.

3 Likes
147

It looks like Pimax dangled the carrot to get past the pre order stage and now softly let the cat out the bag hoping people will be happy with the current 103FoV lenses.

1 Like
148

This is why I haven’t gone ahead with my pre-order.

The product is still not finished, features are still not enabled.

Some of the features that are enabled aren’t really working all that well.
We don’t know if they’ll really work well enough.

Q3 is the earliest we’ll see the remaining features, and even so, no guarantee they’ll be in a passable state.

So buying the headset now is simply like paying to beta test.

Sure, the picture is great, and the one use-case (sitting at the PC and flying a sim/racing game) is the best experience so far.

Tracking works, but admittedly not well enough.

I don’t think it’s fair for PIMAX to hold our wallets hostage by dangling a DMAS audio module as a reward for entering their Beta program and having to shell out full price for an incomplete and buggy unit.

At best, if one pre-orders before a certain date, they should have a guarantee for the DMAS no matter when (if ever) they decide to finally purchase the product.

I can’t rightly shell out all that money for the Crystal when it’s in the state it is in.
Nor do I think others doing so now helps send the right message to companies who expect consumers to bend over for incomplete/buggy products.

3 Likes
149

This is why some of us are warning newbies as to what to expect when purchasing a Pimax product. You have to be aware that it is a kind of experimental, incomplete product, and their product specs are more of a best case upside description, not a reflection of what the device performs today.

For some users it still will offer a good experience, no doubt about that, it is just that their marketing and communication are very misleading as they offer it as a normal, commercial product towards which very different expectations will be directed by the purchaser.

We would have much less fuss in this forum about it if they could just adapt their marketing to the reality of their products. They still would have their niche as avantgarde experimental products supplier, would even have some marketing charme to it as it is - buy it now and find out, which of the envisaged specs we might manage to get working over the coming 2-3 years.

4 Likes
150

In the update there is again no mention of the wifi wireless mode, just the wigig module is mentioned.

So I guess the message is, that there will never be a wifi wireless mode.

151

Oh wow, Pimax are really picking up their marketing game :joy:

2 Likes
152

Reading the latest update, I’m thinking the thing could be ready to launch soon :grinning:

2 Likes
153

OMG I can’t believe Pimax just did that lol.

LH high failure rate is part of Pimaxes marketing yet they can’t wait to get the LH face plate out!

They market Crystal with the DMAS even though that offer ended today and you can’t but it separately.

They failed to mention Beyond’s weight at 127g v Crystals neck breaking 1kg.

They state significant FOV advantage for Crystal yet they’re both around the same when measured by third parties.

They state Crystal is modular and Beyond isn’t but you could use a laptop and make Beyond as modular.

3 Likes
154

Haven’t read a lot on BS failures given the size of the LH universe but I find it’s mention ironic given Pimax’s tracking efforts, thus far.
Hope their new found lack of enthusiasm for LH doesn’t result in a crappy module.

3 Likes
155

what does q3 plate demo means?demo for who?joshua?

2 Likes
156

The walnut in my noggin read the above as: “The base station death of the lighthouse universe…” - I guess that would be when the last one stops spinning… :stuck_out_tongue:

157

Definitely interesting. If not mistaken Oled does not need local dimming. lol

And they are not the first to use Aspherical glass lenses in a vr head
set.

Greater FoV? 1° Wider by reports not sure on the vertical.

Notice they didn’t detail Crystal Disadvantages of Weight and requires a battery in tethered mode. ET could be added in a refresh of BigScreen to maybe even an addon. Same with a wireless addon.

2 Likes
158

I would wager if one compared number of pimax hmds sold vs LH v2.0 sold. We would likely see ppm wise that pimax hmds have more defects/failures.

1 Like
159

Yep PC Standalone. Green on Discord has has the 5kS working on a and 6800u with decent results.

2 Likes
160

Reading that blog comparison is kinda funny. For me, as a Crystal owner, Crystal only has five positives over the Beyond:

  1. Brightness.
  2. Resolution.
  3. Foveated rendering.
  4. Refresh rate. (even though Crystal only does 120 Hz and not claimed 160 Hz).
  5. Glare.

Negative vs beyond:

  1. The Crystal literally weighs ten times as much. That’s not an exaggeration. Beyond is going to be WAY more comfortable.
  2. Battery required for tethered is just silly.
  3. Beyond is $600 cheaper. I wager 95% of the people buying a Beyond or Crystal already have lighthouses and controllers.
  4. The Crystal controller tracking is horrid. Base station tracking is an order of magnitude better.
  5. FOV by all accounts is a wash. I am not impressed with the Crystals FOV.
  6. Touting a FALD as better than self emissive pixels is silly. WAY better to have each pixel being its own “dimming” zones with OLED.
  7. To me requiring an XR2 and all the associated stuff is completely worthless to PC VR users. And stand alone doesn’t even work.
  8. Never heard of a high base-station “failure rate”. I’ve had base stations for years and never had a problem.
  9. The face foam on the Crystal is pretty terrible. Ordered leatherette and it’s much better.
  10. Almost certainty that the Beyond will be a “cooler” headset during use. OLED panels vs FALD LCD and the Beyond not having an XR2 and motherboard/RAM producing heat.

I will keep my Crystal and wait for DFR and compare it directly against the Beyond when mine comes in. But that blog post was a bit one sided!

9 Likes