Weekly update 29/04/2020 discussion

I am not sure I have ever seen SteamVR update really braking anything for me (they made few questionable updates though), but I have seen Valve pushing regular updates with new SDK each month (or so) with pretty long list of changes, fixes etc. And when they break something seriously, they pretty much fix it right away.

I cannot possibly see how this makes Pimax look awesome. Pimax can’t even be bothered to acknowledge the problems people are reporting for several months (for example with 5k+ 120 Hz mode, stuttering after PiTool v132, or now tracking with Index controllers). Instead they can only release a “beta” version, which is crap even for beta, where they add new things they cannot explain and break half of the old things. Then repeat it again at the next release.

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No real incentive for them to bother. Just not enough Users with Pimaxes and the Fact the Devs don’t even seem to be overly focuses on other VR concerns. Which is unfortunate. VR unfortunately is still not a strong enough driving force yet.

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Valve did on ocasions break controllers like Hotas. But in general usually not too often really terrible. Often they usually release fixes fairly often… Save For those like Hotas that had to change things a fair bit to get them playing nice.

I haven’t myself had big issues in Pitool. But agreed even Labeled Alphas haven’t had new releases and often slow to address issues like Index Tracking.

It doesn’t help that some of there representatives down play issues presented and seem to be unaware of their existence when checking internally unaware that another member has acknowledged the issue weeks ago and is looking into it.

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Sheer luck. SteamVR core functionality has repeatedly broken for me, as I have begun to document. And they have not fixed it right away.

One of the more recent examples is this.

So now, there is no way whatsoever to properly record VR experiences to post on YouTube and such, without any benefit to the VR use cases that were under pressure for performance.

SteamVR is so bad, controllers and base stations have become unusable with Pimax hardware as a result.

Architecturally, SteamVR, by all appearances is an abomination. For starters, the limitations and performance issues imposed on overlay applications work are extreme and totally unnecessary.

But where it really gets unacceptable is that SteamVR, on any given week, could introduce a 30% performance regression, at the same time an app like DCS World introduces a 30% regression. Then it turns out the Beta version also has the same regression. This leaves me… in an unfortunate situation which I don’t have the margins for… upwards of a few weeks.

There is the horrifying prospect that one day, SteamVR will cause a 30% regression to do something the devs think is clever, permanently destroying my VR software stack.

Because of that, it is worth spending $400 on extra disks, connectors, licenses, etc, to have an offline copy.

This is just ridiculous.

EDIT: To top it off, the workaround to force a SteamVR downgrade is to use a program called Cheat Engine to do hex memory editing. Great way to get banned from multiplayer!

EDIT2: By the way, SteamVR hardware, also sucks. The mechanical Lighthouses just aren’t reliable, or scalable, while the Oculus Constellation system was both. Also, the Oculus Constellation system had weeks of battery life, required no radio traffic, and used coded sequences rather than laser pulses that could be fouled up all kinds of ways. I have now had 2 of 4 Lighthouses fail, one within six months, the other DOA and still awaiting RMA.

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You’re right, as much as we take VR so much for granted it won’t be “game-centric mainstream” for who knows how long? What’s wrong with all those flat gamers anyway, slowing down our progress :wink:

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They are just toying around with what they are used to because they are brain dead? :wink:

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28 posts were split to a new topic: OpenXR/OpenVR and VR Platforms

sounds about right, same as voters towards politicians it seems.

Maybe this lengthy discussion is worthy of it’s own thread and perhaps broken into something on it’s own. It’s derailed any discussion about updates.

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wait it says “backers shipment in may” so if i order a pimax 8kx now, it’ll ship this month…?

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Yeah will split it. Though not much to discuss on updates as no new info. Any word on when Pimax Day 3 is happening? Or is that still a mystery?

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Maybe @PimaxUSA has details on if you order an 8kX shipping this month.

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You could encourage more discussion by providing more info lol.

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Praying that we actually have some news and I can actually get my 8KX.

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Isn’t Pimax supposedly working on some sort of announcement video? I vaguely remember reading a mention of that recently.

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That’s the Pimax Day 3 Live event “happening” sometime this month and is why the last couple of weekly updates have been mainly rehashed already released info.

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Can I be a Leader? I’m very active on this forum and there’s so many threads I’ve seen that needed splitting where no one took action.

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I upgraded you to leader.

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No. Backers =/= People Who Preordered. Backers supported the company back in its formation and on kickstarter and whatnot. They have priority as they’ve been waiting on their 8KX’s longer. Then is theres the pre-orders right behind them. I preordered in January and I know there are tons of people that preordered ahead of me. I’m expecting to get mine around mid june. That’s my hope atleast, might be further out than that even, or closer. Nobody knows. But it probably wont be this month. It is VERY UNLIKELY that if you preorder now you’ll get your headset this month as the list ahead of you is immense. So keep that in mind.

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My understanding is that the backers will get their 8KX headsets in 2 groups. Original backers for the 8KX are first in line, which is appropriate, since they’ve been waiting the longest. Then backers like me, who backed a 5/8K headset and who have preordered an 8KX, get theirs’ next. Then non-backer preorders, and finally, everyone else.

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