Pimax Update 17/02/2020

[Scope]

When Wireless Solution will come ? No news about this

[NextGenVR]

Probably not for a long time. Wireless still hasn’t been figured out.

[MrScopi]

Wireless is not an 8kX or + so I doubt there are many engineers working on it. Even though @PimaxUSA and @SweViver both said they had a usable model on PD1…

[Marco]

Wireless Is done for 8k+, Is the only reason for take an 8K+ instead 8kx

[PimaxQuorra]

Hello OblibionHase,

Yes indeed. It was estimated on the timeline you mentioned.

Sincerely,
Quorra.Pimax

[PimaxQuorra]

Hello Neelrocker,

@neelrocker

additionnal cost to add index controllers when your KS pledge only contains a HMD

It requires additional $479 with the delivery fee.

@neelrocker

possibly one or more base stations

Will need wait for the SKU.

@neelrocker

Can we use the $100 “coupon” (from 8K>5K+ switch) to reduce that cost ?

Nope. You are not allow to do so.

@neelrocker

Do we keep all our rewards when adding index controllers to a pledge containing no controller at all ? (rewards = MAS, $100 coupon for wireless module, etc)

Yes indeed, the rewards are still with you guys.

Have a nice day.

Sincerely,
Quorra.Pimax

[HollyMolly]

8k+ / Some materials are delayed but next batch back is back production today / February 17th.
Could you please elaborate more? How long will the production take and when will the shipment begin for all who already buy.
Thank you

[Behemothk]

Looks like we will not getting any response about stretch goals.

[ziddan]

@PimaxQuorra

I backed the full 8k package with an added third controller.

Can trade my 8k downgrade to 5k+ 100$ voucher, third controller 110$ added pledge and 5k+ cracked housing 100$ coupon to get index controllers?

Just the downgrade and the extra controller is money you have already gotten from me which more than covers the 179$ for index controllers and the 100$ cracked housing coupon would be an expense you would never incur.

[NoamLoop]

@PimaxQuorra

In the days leading up to the Chinese New Year our resources were more limited and unfortunately the manufacture of the Artisan housings did not use the new automated painting processes instead these unfortunately used an entirely manual process utilizing less experienced staff […] Utilize our highly successful automated fabrication and coating processes we established recent headsets and NOT deviate from it again.

This would be crucial. It is human to make mistakes. But making the same mistakes again and again just costs much needed trust. In some aspects Pimax is really great. In others - I just don’t get it.

[Axacuatl]

@geoffvader

I mean, there’s only 400 of us, so given the per day build rates pimax have shared in the past thats only a few days production, so deliberately slowing the whole process down that way seems mad. Mine has been boxed up ready to go since October, why can’t you guys just give me the label already?

@PimaxQuorra @PimaxUSA

I have to agree with Geoff’s comment here - mildly put, it seems to be a weird approach you are describing.

If Geoff and some others, including me, are offering to expedite the return of the headset to Pimax in order to take away any cause of delay in shipment of our 8KX, then Pimax should at least offer it.

If Pimax are careful because they fear that the 8KX may be delayed even beyond the currently estimated date of delivery, fine, then inform the 400 backers accordingly - but let it be their choice please.

The odd feeling I get is that this approach is driven by either of the follwoing two agenda’s:

1. Either Pimax actually want to build in some kind of kind of delay by design in shipping the 8KX to the 400 backers only once the loaner units have been returned, and by delaying such return have the perfect excuse for not shipping the first batch(es) of the 8KX to the 400 backers but to other customers, e.g. commercial customers.
   Like it or not, but this is the impression such repeated delay of the return of loaner units triggers. And can you just - for a moment - imagine, how the response will be if any single of the 400 backers who offered to send return the loaner unit in good time is told that his 8KX will reach him later than some pre-ordered 8KX shipment to consumer or commercial customer ? You’d get the perfect (sh!t)storm.

2. Or Pimax may have some kind of secret plan on how to motivate the 8KX backers to keep the loaner units against a smallish fee/sacrifice in stretchgoals. While this would be less infuriating, I still hope that Pimax better not try to even just play with the suggestion that due to the late return the backer may actually have to wait longer for his 8KX than if he accepted Pimax offer to buy the loaner unit instead. That again would give a distinct impression of ‘you either buy da thing or we’ll push you to the very end of da line, buddy’.

The problem is, both explanations seem to be based on utilizing the return duty to somehow achieve an undue advantage for Pimax, be it moving the backers to a priority lower than 1, which they always were confirmed to be in terms of order of shipments, or sort of pressurizing the backers to purchase a loaner unit they never asked to purchase.

If you can promise that neither of the two scenario’s are the motivation for the delay of the return process, please let us know why this is being rejected. Pimax will have to deal with the second hand units one day or another, and I have a hard time to believe that Pimax will not be able to store them somewhere even if they currently don’t have the time to look into the selling off of those. So if your sole plan is to motivate us to buy that loaner unit, send us private messages with the offer you are thinking about but be prepared that some might even reject it if Pimax make a really great offer (which the current one wasn’t, to be frank - it wasn’t awful either but 450$ is a lot of money for a device which I wont need once the 8KX arrives and I don’t believe I’d get 450$ for my loaner unit on ebay either)

[Quadrophenia]

Your reply is actually hidden in the backer upgrade program reply. As I have been warning right along, this program has now been extended “until further notice”. Basically indefinitely.

Pimax can’t send stretch goals, lighthouses, or controllers to anyone who has chosen to wait rather than do one of their “upgrades” until the “upgrade program” is over. As long as the program is available, we won’t see a damn thing. And the program is indefinitely long, so the wait for these items will be indefinitely long.

One of the things I weighed when looking over the upgrade programs was knowing that if I did not do an upgrade, I was probably writing off the $500 of lighthouses, controllers and stretch goals. I decided it was worth the probable loss.

[cocorickoo]

I find it a bit worrying that the controllers are not talked about anymore. We are a year after CES2019 where they were shown at first and were told they would be ready soon. I still paid for those.
Is there any refund possibility?

[Heliosurge]

@PimaxQuorra

The Controllers are imho the primary unknown here. Last update on Nonsense Sword was targeting March; the questions on that:

1. Are they still on Target or delayed til maybe April? Or?
2. Sword was Advertised to have removable Battery; last demo of sorts. Is it still going to have removable Battery?

Now onto Sword Sense(The Backer’s Controller):

1. How is this project progressing?
2. At last update it was Targeted for June; is it still on track for this target?

Long ago @PimaxUSA stated design of ring had changed and yet last demo showed nothing changed.

[peteo]

@Quadrophenia

Pimax can’t send stretch goals, lighthouses, or controllers to anyone who has chosen to wait rather than do one of their “upgrades” until the “upgrade program” is over. As long as the program is available, we won’t see a damn thing. And the program is indefinitely long, so the wait for these items will be indefinitely long.

This is easily solved even if the upgrade offer is available forever. Send a kickstarter update saying the stretch goal package is available. Backer clicks on link, logs in. adds the stretch goal package to cart and orders it. They can only order it if they are a backer. At that point pimax sets a flag in the user account to show stretch goals have been ordered. The backer then is not able to order the upgrade packages. Pimax ships stretch goals to those who want it, other backers waiting on reviews of 8K+, 8k X can wait and order the upgrade package later or order stretch goals later.
This is not rocket science

[ziddan]

I highly doubt there will ever be Sense Swords and i think the reason is that developing them has turned out to be far too expensive for what they asked in the kickstarter campaign.

Nonsense are reshaped vive wands, its rejiggering well proven tech into a different shape, far cheaper than developing something novel, i also doubt there will be removable batteries in the end.

Getting backers and preorders to accept paying MORE to get index controller is a huge economical win for Pimax and dragging out the “upgrade program” indefinitely is a ploy to get everyone to buy into it so they will be able to finally put the Sense controllers to rest.

[Heliosurge]

While NonSense is primarily a reskin it does have some nicer improvements. I could see removable battery causing issues of it’s own. But good to poke them on it. As the controller is meant to stay in one’s hands not really a big deal to have a battery bank in a poach on the arm for extended play.

As for Sense? Well they will have to say something soon on it. Even simply putting pressure sensitive buttons like ps3 controllers could work as a compromise.

[ziddan]

Battery bank, got one of those with a hook i made to hang it from the neckline of my t-shirt and then run charging cables down my arms to my vive wands for extended session, works fine because it only needs to be there for a little while until the internal batteries have been topped up.

Nah, they can keep quiet on Sense indefinitely, going to pressure sensitive buttons would not be feature parity even with the early knuckle controllers that were the aim back at the kickstarter.

The bed is properly sharted with Pimax stuck holding their noses and refusing to lift the covers in the hope that they are just having a bad dream.

[Heliosurge]

Really as long as functions map parity will be there. Much like Oculus touch controllers, Razer Hydra as Vive wands.

Better example steamcontroller used as xinput xbox controller.

[ziddan]

Sensitive buttons are digital, either a finger is on it or it isnt which isnt functionally in parity with index controllers that has gradients between the two.

Button placement would also be a huge problem due to one size fits all, not everyones fingers land on the same place when they hold a controllers, sure the trigger, bumpers and face buttons of a gamepad can be sorted but the adjustment is done with the rest of the hand to reach everyting.
Its an impossibility if each fingertip needs to go in a specific place.