Pimax NOW TLDR Summary
Headset Production Related:
- 8KX Now Shipping, packages include the long awaited SMAS and a new thin facial foam for the comfort kit.
- 76 8kX already shipping and a total of 215 ready to ship. This is over 56% of 8kX backers.
- Pimax Artisan Limited Edition with the Rugged Blue Housing in the Pimax store for $449 only limited quantity of these.
- Pimax 8k+ Now on Amazon in Europe.
Hand, Eye Tracking Modules Related:
4) First 200 Eye Tracking modules to be shipped in just 2 weeks. Backers can buy for $99.
5) Eye Tracking Includes Universal Dynamic Foveated Rendering that impacts all games.
6) Production Eye Tracking now tracks 3X than CES samples shown faster using USB-C 3.0 interface.
7) FPS were shown for 8kX with eye tracking module. Skyrim 55FPS to 75FPS (+36%)
8) First 200 Hand Tracking modules shipping in July. VERY wide FOV over 200 degrees hand detection.
Rigid Audio Strap Related:
9) 3 Modular Audio Straps being produced. SMAS, KDMAS, DMAS. 8K+,8kX compatible with all 3, others only KDMAS
10) SMAS now being produced, DMAS and KDMAS August. DMAS and KDMAS similar audio performance.
11) KDMAS designed for 1 audio jack and lower power output requirement.
Backer Stretch Goal related:
12) Stretch Goal package changed.
12a) New Stretch Goal Package consists of:
(upgrade from SMAS to KDMAS), Vision Comfort Kit, Extra New Thin Foam, Protective Silicon Sleeve, $100 wireless adapter, 2 pieces of content, Option to buy Eye Tracking for $99.
Items removed from package: cooling fan, perscription lens adapter, 1 piece of content
13) All items will be shipped in a single package beginning in August.
14) If Any backer with stretch goals does not receive their tracking number before Oct. 31st, 2020 they can reqeuest a refund of $150 to their Paypal account.
15) PIMAX will pay for shipping, other fees such as VAT or customers fees will be borne by backer.
16) Stretch Goal Tracking System - new webpage where you can see your tracking number, ship date, item list, coupon code for wireless and your 2 game codes in a single location.
New Stretch Goal Opt Out Option:
17) Pimax is reserving 500 8kX for backers that opt-out of their stretch goals. These backers can grab an 8kX headset for $949. $350 off. Deal can’t be combined with any other offer or discount and limited to the first 500 who want this option.
New Optical Cable and Laptop cable coming for 8kX
18) NEW Optical cable. Current 8kX uses 2 USB ports and a DP 1.4 port. NEW cable only requires 1 USB port and can be considerably longer. Cable is currently in testing. One was shown during the Pimax Now event. August.
18a) NEW Laptop cable for 8kX headsets with a mini DP interface. No more requirement to lose signal through a DP adapter for laptops on 8kX.
Pimax Sword and Sword Sense Related:
19) When Pimax put total focus into comleting the MAS, 8kX, hand and eye tracking they had entered into the prototype phase for the Sword and Sword Sense controllers but much testing and potential changes remained. The controllers are now becoming the new primary hardware focus.
20) ANYONE who ordered a Pimax brand controller can request a refund in the amount they paid. All requests will be processed and refund payments will occur towards the end of August. This only applies to Pimax controllers, all base station shipments will continue as normal as we have these in stock.
NEW Pimax Experience and Pitool Related
- Pimax Experience Announcement. Plug & Play setup and config for all Pimax owners. This new environment includes a VR environment that replaces the planetscape that loads when Pitool initializes. Features IPD setup guide, cloud base game profiles that anyone can contribute to and vote on, Pimax News and Updates, Favorite game lists and much more. The environment also automatically optimizes SteamVR for Pimax headsets including the sharpness tweaks for the 8k+ etc.
- We will open source the Pimax Experience later in the year.
- Pimax Experience Beta to be released in July, under development for the last 2 months.
- Pitool Update - roadmap - items such as backlight control, XR black levels, Motion Compensation centering will be implemented in some of the next Pitool releases.
Pimax NOW Q&A Top Questions / June 29th, 2020.
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What is the technical reason the upper USB-C port removed from the 8kX?
New chipset is used that required more space and there was no PCB space where the upper USB port is located.
a. Is there a possibility there can be an adapter that allows hand and eye tracking on an 8kX at the same time?
One solution is add an external USB HUB that allows a separate cable connected directly to the PC or simply run a USB cable directly to the module from the PC. -
Can the eye tracking module using DFR allow an increase of the refresh rate for the 8kX or any headset for that matter?
Not tested yet. We have not tried this yet but our engineers feel the possibility is low that eye tracking will allow increased refresh rates. -
Can you reduce the FOV of the 8kX to increase the refresh rate?
Yes. But it will take time, we attempted to implement higher refresh with lower FOV but this introduced some issues with the image that must be solved. The border area of the field of view has some issues but it will take time to solve and there is NO guarantee this solution will work. -
Is the integrated headset Bluetooth radio the same in the 8kX as previous Pimax headsets?
The 2.4Ghz wireless radio integrated the 8kX is the same chipset but has a new enhanced design. We have made enhancements to the compatibility, signal strength and firmware. -
Are there any electrical or specification differences between Blue Housing Artisan and Black housing Artisan?
No. The blue and black housing Artisan use identical electronics. The FOV should be identical between each headset the difference is only the housing and nothing more. Perhaps some of the reports are related to the foam and plastic thickness of the comfort kit as this can change the FOV. -
Will we implement color controls and re-instate black level control for the Pimax XR headset?
We don’t know why this was removed. We will investigate this removal and look into adding the color controls to the XR.a. Do we have any plans for a new OLED version of the XR?
We have no plans for a new OLED Headset at this time. -
When will Pimax allow customers to track more than 2 tracking pucks?
*We already do. This should already work and many customers have more than 2 pucks, we will investigate why some customers cannot easily add more than 2. -
Why does Pitool 260 have such a low GPU utilization compared to other previous Pitool?
Our engineering team will answer this in a more detailed answer in the days to come along with other data on Pitool.
a. Many features of Pitool are undocumented. Can you please document Pitool and explain EXACTLY what features like the GPU Catalyst do?
YES. We will provide much more detailed documentation for Pitool and this will include GPU Catalyst usage information. -
Did Pimax cancel the version of Brainwarp described in the Kickstarter? The Brainwarp we have now is just motion smoothing not what was illustrated in the Kickstarter.
Yes, this was cancelled. We use new techniques for Brainwarp so the old data is out of date and will not be used. We will continue to improve the current methods for Brainwarp. -
Can Pimax have an “enable beta updates” checkbox in Pitool? So that customers must opt-in to betas.
YES. Customers in the future will be able to “Opt-in” to beta versions of Pitool and we will have a checkbox. -
When will Pitool implement a reset or calibrate button for motion compensation. It needs to be multi-axis compatible to be useful for most customers.
YES. We do plan to implement this in a near future Pitool. -
Will Pimax support the OpenXR Standard and if so when?
YES. We do plan to support OpenXR. No exact timeline at this time. -
Did Pimax completely abandon open source? The open source Pitool was not useful and was missing features that existed at the time it was released.
Not abandoning open source. But we required dedicated resources to properly release open source versions of our software. We plan to add additional resources to dedicate themselves to open source. -
Pimax Live Chat doesn’t work and never seems operational. Do you have plans to implement a good quality live chat to help customers?
The system is stable but only a small team operates the live chat. We will extend the hours this service is available and add more team members in the coming days. We hope to operate this service 20 hours per day. -
Do you feel the language barrier is harming English speaking customers? Many conversations seem to not be understood fully or properly.
This is an issue related to training and we will endeavor to increase the skill of the service team to better serve our customers. -
For customers with cracked housings will Pimax implement an official service where these customers can get their headsets repaired? Can they get repairs without being required to send headset all the way to China?
We are taking a lot of steps to improve the RMA team. One of them is to allow customers to ship their headsets to their local region rather than shipping all the way to China. We already have Level 1 service centers in 6 countries (France, Canada, Australia, Japan, the United States and South Korea) that can replace units but not yet repair.
Step 2 is we are also adding Level 2 service centers who can also repair using replacement parts and enhance the capability of the existing service centers.
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Shipping and Customer Support can be very difficult for some customers, what is Pimax doing to address these complaints?
**Many of the complaints and horror stories revolve around logistics issues and we no longer use ePacket for accessory shipments (items such as silicon sleeves, comfort kit and foams etc.) **
We also have a new vendor is located in Hong Kong and has proven to be much faster and we can fulfill all orders and any new order in only 2 business days. We no longer have any backlog. -
Does Pimax plan to include the VAT in European pricing and show the price in Euros rather than dollars? This would be much simpler and more acceptable for European customers.
Our plans are indeed to show prices for European customers in EUROS and include the VAT within the price. This change should occur in July. -
What will the pricing be for the Pimax Sword and Sword Sense controllers – will it be the same as the Kickstarter pricing?
The Pricing will not be the same as the Kickstarter and both devices will certainly be priced higher than the Kickstarter pricing. -
If I ordered a full Pimax package with Sword controllers and Base Stations when and how will I receive my base stations?
**Three parts to this answer: **
**1) If you have retained your stretch goals then we will include your base stations in your stretch goal package. **
**2) If you ask to refund the sword controller and opted out of the stretch goals then you will be shipped the base stations alone in a separate package. **
3) If you wish to have your base stations shipped early you can request this but you must pay for separate shipping and any other fees. -
If I am a backer and have a long-standing issue or question for Pimax – does Pimax have a new or better method that a backer can use to quickly get my problem resolved?
Any backer who has an issue we want to quickly resolve any and all outstanding issues you may have. Therefore, we have created a “backer-only” email address (backercare@pimax.com) that has dedicated personnel who’s only job is to assist backers and resolve any existing problem. -
What about new programs that might benefit all customers?
For ALL customers one thing we are planning to implement soon is Tech support live chat built-into Pitool so all customers can instantly get help and questions answered without creating a ticket and being required to go through the full ticketing process.