tl;dr: Overall, I am VERY happy with my decision to back Pimax. It’s not perfect, it takes tweaking and time, but the result is simply the best out there (for me). I’m not envious of any current or upcoming headset -even with the Valve Index on the horizon.
Honestly, I was disappointed when I first got my Pimax 5k+ and put it on. The IPD hurt, I was having performance issues (later discovered to be supersampling related). The cord that came with my headset was defective and even though I could use it, the screen showed pixel ‘snow’. That got resolved with a new cord that was sent to me in about a month’s time (several headsets had this). I went with what felt good for IPD (lower than my Vive) and I’m good now. I use the Vive with Wireless adapter and miss not having wires, but it’s so worth it for the overall experience.
PC: lightly OC’d 4790k + 1080ti
Pros and Cons:
I’ll start with cons:
- Comfort: They really need to get the delux headstrap out. I’ve had to do the Vive DAS hack, 3D printing an adapter to use. That makes it MUCH more comfortable and with that I can wear the 5k+ for hours on end. -More comfortable than my Vive, actually.
- You do have to tweak things and deal with being your own tech support or use these forums. -but totally worth it, imo. It did take me a week or two to get it all dialed in.
- The pads and IPD are too small to work for my small kids (6&7) as they are now. I’m hoping that’ll be fixed with accessories and the headstrap.
Both pro and con?
- Black levels -at first, fine now: I now have them tweaked and working pretty great using the latest PiTool R211
- I never experienced annoyance at the slightly noticeable far edge distortion.
Pros:
- It’s just so dang clear (SDE and sharpness) and beautiful! The Wide FOV is so great.
- Works with my current Vive setup and will with Index Controllers. Even though I did purchase the full package, I hope the Pimax controllers will give Valve a run for their money.
- Brainwarp is awesome.
- What matters: GAMEPLAY. I play Beat Saber and shooters, mostly Onward as well as other shooters and experiences. I really wish Beat Saber developers would fix the parallel projection problems. Playing Onward is AMAZING and such a joy.
- The cable that comes with the HMD is plenty long and I haven’t had problems since having it replaced.
- Support: Shoutout to Pimax for replacing the cable. I know they sent out a lot but I had a good experience with communication. Sure I wish I could have got it quicker, but there was a big demand for cords due to the issue in a few of the first batches.
Honestly, I feel great about Pimax and my future with the headset. Even with little to no information about the Valve Index, I’m not jealous. At all. The wide FOV and clarity simply can’t be beaten! I LOVE my 5k+.
@anon66707699 (for the contest)