I think some people are missing the point. I am not really talking about Pimax going totally mainstream (a la SONY or Facebook/Oculus) because VR isn’t quite there yet as a whole and I don’t think Pimax can compete with the likes of Quest or Playstation VR for mainstream potential for numerous reasons.
I don’t think it’s just HP Reverb 2 though, I used that as an example because it’s current. Insert Oculus/Valve VR headset and the same issues apply. The bottom line is, even if you ignore the 8KX (because that is not Pimax’s only product) and look at the company’s history in the market. From DAY 1 it has come up against negativity from consumers and media alike. Cast your minds back to how many people got hung-up on the “8K” name alone (and probably still do). Since then it has been an uphill struggle despite some glowing reviews from owners/backers etc.
Fast-forward today and the same issues remain. That’s my point, and my question. How does Pimax deal with the stigma it has? What’s the goal moving forwards? Pimax has been the only company to produce a consumer ready wide FOV headset and yet the unconverted still talk about wishing for greater field of view in VR but choose to ignore the one company addressing that. Why? On a personal level I think the desire for a wider FOV is overblown somewhat, because if it was the number 1 desire it claims to be then more people would give Pimax headsets a chance. It seems other factors are more important at this stage.
I don’t think the issue rests solely on providing “final” review units to media outlets either as a panacea for the problems here. That’s one piece-of-the-puzzle of course, but there is more to it than that. Perhaps then Pimax is playing the waiting game? When they can release a product that is fully feature complete, then they give it a marketing push. That said, I don’t think the 8KX can be the saviour of the company’s perceived image or reputation. It can act as a step in-the-right-direction though if it is well-received.
It’s not fair either to dismiss certain communities as “toxic” when those same communities can actually gush over a product if it’s favoured or liked. I don’t think any responses here have addressed my question fully, and I guess we can only speculate from this side of the armchair. Perhaps Pimax don’t want to openly talk about their plans. I get that. But as someone invested in Pimax, I think it’s interesting to look at the future potential here and where this is all leading.
the problem is with pimax you have a specification like say 200 FOV or “4k rgb panels” and then you fibd out the panels are not RGB or even Pimax employees say “don’t use large because even normal or small are still bigger than any other headset”. Before the launch of the 5k/8k we were told “no one at ces comained about distortion” but then lots of end users did complain. Now we are told “the distortions are much improved and no one at CES saw any distortions”, but withe the 8k+ we are still beinf told “don’t use large fov”.
Specs are one piece of the puzzle, but they are far from being the only important thing.
I’m considering a G2, not because of price, but because I just don’t have any confidence that my 8KX is going to live up to its specs.
What is key is that Pimax needs to concentrate on improving their image. The best way to do that is to ship good products on time and improve customer support and communication.
I thought the opening message from their CEO in the Pimax Now video was a big step forward. I’ve definitely seen improvement over the last year. Pimax just needs to keep it up. If they can do that, eventually their reputation will improve.
We need the products out first, then maybe a campaign can ramp up - but with some known youtubers in here giving it a look, I guess it will get its attention, just no use rushing it or it will be the same story as before all over again.
I rather have them invest in the product then commercials.
It’s a sickness in the industry IMHO if e. G. You spend 50 million on a game and another 200 million just to push that product. Then better make the product 4x as good and in many cases that would already do the advertising for you.
You make it sound like Pimax are quite happy catering to a niche audience within a niche. If that is the company line for the 8KX then I can fully get behind that. The issue I raise here transcends the 8KX though because Pimax as a business presents a variety of headsets across-the-board. The niche within a niche approach can’t be the mantra for things like the Artisan surely? Yet all products fall under the same “Pimax” brand.
Kind of waiting to see what new vr headset is announced before I consider the 8kx. Right now google,apple,htc, and Facebook are making vr headset the size of glasses. Not sure if pimax can even compete with that.
I will say i thought the disclaimer at end of g2 launch video was great. ‘highest resolution on market’ based on companies that have shipped more than 50k headsets.
I think any hype for VR is good because it attracts more people to consider VR. And with more people being interested in VR, Pimax 8KX wil be a bigger succes
While we still do and will be fullfilling the backers and orders for a while, there is a time where you just shouldn’t keep forcing advertisement on people or trying to create a hype. It will just backfire, and thats what it did when I was excited about the 8KX in my videos already back in late 2019. Especially since peope know the device is still not available in stores.
Exhibitions like CES is one thing, but letting YouTubers (just like me) flashing around with a high-end headset which the audience dont have and cant have until months later, creates more frustration than excitement. It has already been proven. And resulted in more negativity than it deserves. Im pretty sure the majority of anti-Pimax campaigns on reddt are born out of the non-aviability, and not their impressions about the device itself.
We are fully aware of the fact that overall reputation needs to improve, and thats what we are working on, by improving support, improving communication - but most importantly - finally bringing out our products to all excited people which trusted in our dream and plan to release a VR headset that stands out from basically anything else on the consumer market.
A proper hype is made from facts, real-life testimonials, mouth-to-mouth of end-users. Not corporate advertisement or paid/encouraged Youtuber’s excitement.
We will get to the point where 8KX is considered the go-to headset for most enthusiasts, no doubts. All it needs is to become available for the masses.
When the time is right, most likely in fall a few months from now, when all current orders are fulfilled, yes we will have a campaign with much bigger impact.
I think a relaunch would be a great starting point. As they say, once everything is in place, let the device speak for itself. I guess they will not divulge their plans in much detail at this point but at least they have a plan that extends beyond user word-of-mouth.
This is a good response. Please try to temper yourself and keep to this type of post. You don’t need to start trying to tell your customers to get off the forum because you happen not to agree with them. I’m sure if I’d had a dozen headsets and a monthly payment from Pimax I would find it much easier to forget a lot of Pimax’s other decisions too.
Concentrate on the positive and try not to get involved in arguments just because someone says something negative, or not even negative but advice on how to do things better next time.
Hype around the G2 is the cost of entry for the supposed improvement you’ll get over G1. If the G2 is plug n play and has refinement in all the areas they were hoping to achieve, then it becomes a cheaper but strong contender to the Index, the other ‘mainstream’ headset. Pimax isn’t in that discussion.
You need to explain what is in place in case there are any 8KX recalls / issues down the line for EU customers , sending it back to China and hoping for the best doesn’t do it for me .
HP reverb had a left screen issues and within 2 weeks I had a replacement
@SweViver@PimaxUSA
I think Pimax should send an 8kx to Chris Roberts. He is a visonary freak, loves crazy things and when he sees the quality I think we have VR in SC also much faster. And SC lives from its grandios look. 100 degrees FOV cannot be used for this.
SC also has a similarly discussed career.
Then Pimax gets the necessary attention without any problems.
This combination would be good for both sides.
I could also imagine Roberts designing a interface that directly communicates with the Pimax to fully exploit the potential.
