Who wants to use such a high-end device without local dimming? lol They should rather add eye-tracking for future-proofing like in the non-Light Crystal version.
@@bastareims5737 They should just make a budget 8.3MP module for the Super. Because thats their next body, and that 8.3MP resolution is valid still for a long time.
Ya, looks like just another Pimax broken promise. With adaptive contrast like the Q3 now has, local dimming isn’t really necessary imho. I have both Q3 and QPro and blacks/contrast now look pretty similar imho.
Yea it’s super ugly and huge with them dated tracking rings still lol. Definitely something I would never get! Cool video though it reminds me of those people that put all those additional parts on the quest headset making it look goofy lol
Wait until you see the Super they finally fixed this. It's like they finally realized that they would sell 2x as many if people weren't revolted by the size. th-cam.com/users/clipUgkx5dpFwov1kNhAEAcjEQv8s0k8sq4EptTJ?si=DT8uoIGt6vYEttyM
Thank you for the video. I had a lot of issues with my Pimax 5k+, but I will probably consider Crystal Super with micro-OLED screens. Pimax is trying hard, but nothing is truly finished on their product.
Great review Tyriel. I feel a bit stuck regarding hardware right now. I'm still rocking a Quest Pro, purchased for £1500 at launch. It has some annoyances, the lack of display port connectivity and a resolution per eye from 2020-21 being the most notable for me. I did buy the Quest 3, but as a PCVR users primarily, I preferred the Pro for colours, contrast and blacks, the open design and tracking and controllers. I don't play mobile games so returned that headset. I really want an upgraded experience for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 but nothing in the current line up has me wanting to open my wallet. I'd love the Crystal Light's displays inside my Pro, but I want nothing else about that headset at all, the bulky design, inferior optics, worse controllers and tracking etc. The same with the Big Screen Beyond. If it has a small sweet spot and glare it's a no go. I'm so gutted Meta pulled the plug on a Quest Pro 2, I feel in a no man's land right now where there is nothing that justifies spending a thousand dollars or more on.
Ya, same here mate. My QPro/rtx4090 with official link cable connected to my z790mb usb3.2 gen2 type-c port at 650mbps encoding bitrate works great with msfs2020. I just wish it had DisplayPort for better performance. I’m going to try the new Vive Focus Vision with its DP option but given its lcd/fresnel screens/lens I don’t have high hopes, lol!
Same with my QPro! I feel like it'll be worth to upgrade maybe in 2-3 years. I just bought a Q3 and honestly, it feels both like a downgrade and an upgrade to the Quest Pro, depending on the area. The problem to me is that the Quest Pro came out at a weird time. I believe they should've waited for Quest 3 to come out because both headsets feel so similar but the lower performance of the Pro shows at that point.
@@Blattie yeah but you get a super thin long cable and the picture quality is simply out of this world. I tried it at Somnium Connect and was blown away. The crystal light didn't impress me after my Varjo Aero
@@guillermogonzalezdiaz9349 It needs the official top strap, which cost about £20 ish, and I think you can even buy them from that well known online shopping place, that starts with the letter A. That solves everything. It removes any weight issues or balance, puts it exactly where you need it. I can wear it comfortably no problem for hours on end without removing it. Without the top strap you will have the same experience as Tyriel. The DMAS earphones are also essential. With those two upgrades you're good to go. A personal preference one is the 15mm face cushion, but that's just because I wear prescription lenses, and it gives me more lens to eye distance. It's a truly great PC VR headset for sim racing or flight sims. The clarity, comfort, and smoothness of set up is exceptional. I hope this helps.
Lucky if it worked mines faulty and they are not helping me at all, im wondering if they are even a succesful company you can rely on in future or the headset will just go dead. Money burned
@@notsure1840 That's an absolute bummer mate. Sorry to read this. I got lucky with their customer service, and they sorted out my initially delivered slightly crushed Crystal Light. Even sent me some extra bits to make up for it, even though it wasn't their fault. They have an escalation system if you're unhappy, but I'm guessing you've exhausted options. I hope you do get it resolved. Like many companies some people have different experiences, it sometimes depends who you get to resolve your problem.
@@lat78610 Not really, they showed a super prototype already in CES 2024. And have showed the new body & panels & optical modules for the LCD version. The oled version i think is something that will or will not happen anytime soon.
The only card that will run this will be the 5090 because it will require dp 2.1 and most graphic intense titles will still not run at full res on that.
2:33 What do you mean the lenses make the image dimmer? Aspheric optics are very light efficient and especially the glass ones on the Crystal let about 200 nits to your eyes, more than double of the beyond for example
@@bastareims5737 Ya, but heavier with less edge to edge clarity. Pancake lens are less light efficient but overall the way to go imho. Pimax def needs a much smaller form factor.
@@bastareims5737 What is this glare you talk about? My Quest Pro is far clearer than the fresnel lenses of the past. I don't see any glare. But then I also use prescription inserts... they have a tiny bit of glare, but that's due to the light from the regular lenses reflecting off the prescription lenses. But even then, it's quite minimal. Comments on Oculus forum suggest it's quality control with the Quest 3, and to contact customer support if your individual headset has issues.
Hi Tyriel, great review. As for your PC screaming, try adding a exception to Windows security pointing to the Pimax Play "Folder", this seems to help the high CPU use when just sitting there not using the PCL but having Pimax Play running. Mine seems to behave with this exception. PC only screams now when in MSFS 2020! LOL 🤪 Also, the new software version has 90hz upscalling mode which seems to be working very well, I use this all the time now, great in MSFS and for sim racing, as far as I'm concerned, works better than DLSS. I'm no fan of Pimax, they have strange ways of doing things but this Crystal Light is impressive for it's price point and yes, I do like the local dimming part, blackest blacks I've seen since older OLED HMDs like the OG Vive, Rift CV1 and the Samsung Odyssey. The colors are also vibrant and beautiful, many people have complained about getting faulty lenses, maybe it's a matter of their eyes just not being able to get use to the aspheric lenses. Luckily, mine has good lenses. 🙂
Can't wait for the Pimax Crystal Super. To have a VR headset with display port, 3840 res per eye, pancake lenses (which are much bigger than the Crystal Light) and OLED is going to be insane!
@@elmaxlife oh yeah no 120hz, 90max for the micro oled. We should be getting software in the next year or two that would significantly boost VR performance while maintaining max quality unless NVIDA decides to bundle it with hardware as well
I returned the headset. It feels so uncomfortable, like it was with the Quest Pro. In my opinion, a modded Quest 3 feels so comfortable that I can do 4-6 hour sessions non-stop in DCS or MSFS.
Hello Tyriel do you think is it possible to put an Audio Headset on the Pimax Crystal Light by unmount the audio speaker or it's just impossible ? (i have an Audeze Maxwell headset) and too can you give the reference of your Pimax controller grip VR cover please ?
Strange, other reviewers have also recommended forgoing the local dimming. I'm guessing the Quest Pro got it down right, as it was a much requested feature when the quest 3 was rumored.
Meta's Reality Labels can afford to haemorrhage money by selling HMDs close to cost as they are bankrolled by the rest of Meta. They are making a bet, that AR is going to be the "next smartphone" in the future, and are trying to build a platform so they can monopolise (or at least be part of a duopoly with Apple) when that day comes. Companies like Pimax have to make decent profits on the hardware they sell you, as they have no other sources of income. When you buy a PCVR HMD, you are going to turn around and buy your games from Steam - the headset manufacture gets no more money from you.
Because people are enough stupid to believe that 1200€ , it's a normal price for two screen (even 2880X2880...)+ lens+ video controller Who dare sell lower resolution in 2024? Meta...owned by a guy who earned 80 billions this year...and who has still need to sell your private data... By the way Pimax is still unable to provide a DP2.1 controller...too expensive for them... Or simply a real foveated rendering at this price which is quite necessary
Very useful video. I am curious how it compares to Reverb G2 since there are some folks who search for a decent priced replacement without losing on quality and convenience.
best headset ive ever owned, and Ive had them all. the best thing really was the software is easy to use and the headset just works . but you need a 5090 to get the most out of it really.
Nah, 4090 is the perfect GPU to pair with this. I think I will actually skip the 5000 series for once , since I have no reason to go higher right now with the Crystal.
Waiting for replacement lenses for mine.. so disappointed. It's like looking through a fish bowl atm and completely unusable!! Fingers crossed the replacement lenses work.
You are sadly going to be even more disappointed. My replacement lenses landed today, and are even worst. Sending HMD back for refund, but god only knows how long that will take.
It's a bit frustrating that it's 2024 and there's so little high quality vr content available. The hardware is a bit odd too: Facebook came out swinging and Valve, others seem to be asleep at the wheel.
Not sure, but I doubt this scaling issue can be blamed on Pimax (never had that with my former 8KX in other games) and it's probably down to Elite Dangerous to fix this or might be SteamVR. But that's the reason those FOV-measurements are often nonsense to compare headsets, because the world-scale probably differs between them. I've noticed that VoodooDE had very different FOV-results between the Pico 4 and Pico 4S, which share the same headstrap, facial interface, optics and panels, so must be a world-scale discrepancy.
As a holdout WMR user, I'm really hoping valve makes that newer/cheaper headset they've been rumoured to be working on. Part of why I went with my WMR headset was for the price, and it feels like unless I go oculus (which I can't because linux support lol) then I can't really get a replacement at the same price. This Pimax headset looks really good it's just outside my price range :(
The fact that it is necessary to reset the roomscale everytime I take it off is absolutely terrible and they need to correct that ASAP ! I'm either below the ground or 5 meters in the air or I feel lile an ant !
The midget thing. I experienced this on every PSVR1 headset I've tried, even at home with perfectly calibrated IPD. My firend's experience was the same. I found it strange no one ever talked about this totally immersion breaking issue with no fix. I never thought it was because of the lenses.
@@adrianstealth340 I bought a Q3, and in the first few days I had some minor-medium eye strain. I never felt that with my Q1, but now, after 2-3 weeks, I totally forgot about it. It is gone, and with the kiwi-design headstrap I lose myself in the immersion and can play or paint for 2-3 hours. This was impossible with my front-brick Q1.
Hi, I have a problem with the delivery of Pimax Light - after more of 40 days of waiting (I also pay preorder fee 5 months ago), the distributor promises delivery for the fifth time but still nothing - what to do?
In my opinion, you need at least a RTX 3080 or 4070 (or better) to use such high res VR headset. In terms of CPU and RAM it depends a lot on the game. A 9900k should work for lighter games but may struggle for heavy simulations like DCS and Flight Simulator.
How is it 2024 and someone who watches tech vids has completely missed the most overdone desk trend on the planet for the last like 7 years lol It’s just ikea Karlby + Alex
I received the PCL 1 month ago, had several issues with the following: - Comfort, the facial interface the device comes with causes actual pain and bruising on the nose. Because of that I need to keep the device loose and the heavy display-port cable made the device tilt. - Lenses: While they have a lot of potential, mine was a defective batch and it's very common, they have serious issues with Quality Control - Screens: No SDE at all, by far the clearest experience I had, but was unusable because of the lenses - Software: Terrible, mine kept going into a Connect/Disconnect feedback loop 5-10 mins in the headset, only after wearing it. I really wanted to love the device but had to send it back for a refund.
@@Tyrielwood Thank you for the reply, I have watched all your reviews on this. I am considering giving them a second chance in the future, when things have settled down a bit. Cheers, thank you for the awesome content !
Same problem. My lenses turned up today, and there even worst than the orginials. Sending the HMD back for a refund. I sooooo wanted to love this headset, the visuals on the screens are AMAZING. But they simply cannot provide usable lenses.
Local dimming is mostly useless. If you play elite dangerous with lots of dark area but bright stars all across the background, you can throw local dimming in the trash. It's a hack. OLED is the only worthwhile path.
@@CognosSquare Nah. Local dimming is garbage. On anything, not just VR. OLED actually fixes the problem that local dimming attempts to fix, but rarely can.
Annoyingly it doesn’t fully shut out the light on the left and right side of my head. I don’t have a small head but still it lets in light. You can get foam solution for it but it hardly ever is on stock…. The fact that it hardly ever is on stock tells me that it is in high demand which means it is just a design flaw. Sucks tbh. Pimax should just either fix it or add thicker foam gaskets in the box.
I use my Quest 3 about 60% for PCVR and 40% standalone and have been in the market for a dedicated PCVR headset, but unfortunately they almost all come with several flaws that put me off. Pimax just seems so bulky, doesn't use pancake lens, somewhat janky software from the many reviews I've watched, and grayscale passthrough to name a few. I'm hoping Valve can come out with a must-buy PCVR headset soon.
Valve is so stupid If they can make an index 2 with very good lenses and pimax Qled they will sell like crazy They would make so much money and people will be happy
@@tkdmp5698the problem with this reasoning is that Valve isn't really in the business of selling VR kit. Valve sells games on Steam, and they produce a few pieces of hardware to facilitate game sales. Valve doesn't need to make a new headset when millions of people are using Quest to play on Steam. If Valve was really interested in VR they would already have new kit announced. I'm not suggesting they'll never release a new headset but it is clearly a low priority for them. Consider this--literally the only thing Meta would need to do to destroy nearly all the competition is to add a Display Port to their next headset.
@@DKStanford This is not reasoning Im just angry that there is not a really good headset out there with no big problems or bad QC That is true though i would probably buy a DP Q3
FYI Pimax sells a ratcheting top strap that works wonders. Also the upcoming Super versions are psvr2 size Here's a clip th-cam.com/users/clipUgkx5dpFwov1kNhAEAcjEQv8s0k8sq4EptTJ?si=DT8uoIGt6vYEttyM
I like how this movie starts so optimistic and then derails into a usual "Pimax is garbage for people that are not fanbois" experience. You have to be a fanboi that plays just one game to buy this eggbox for eyes. Hey Tyrel... you forgot to tell the disclaimer I think... are you paid for the review? etc. Are you allowed to open it up and show it to us so we can laugh?? :D :D
Eye tracking and Lighthouse tracking out-the-box, and they would have been onto a winner. As it is... They should at least sell a package where you get the Lighthouse faceplate bundled instead of the controllers.
@@zig131 OG is worse then the Light only in one way, there is battery in it which ads to the weight and shortens the VR session to battery life. On the other hand the OG is better balanced then the Light due to battery position. Anything else is better on OG Crystal then on Light.
Microsoft didn't stop supporting VR, they stopped supporting Windows Mixed Reality, which was like their own front end for VR, like Steam VR or Oculus. Unfortunately this renders some specific HMDs unusable as they were designed to be used with Windows MR and can't function without it.
If you have the Pimax Crystal Light it's entirely irrelevant as it doesn't use WMR (Windows mixed reality). It is an OpenXR headset, which is what all headsets will be going forward.
they told me this: you need to click the 'Checkout' then fill in the code, it works. (The cache problem caused by the website so that this code display is invalid in the Add to Cart page, after 2 hours or so will be fine)
for hat, it has to release. were waiting for years already and there are just rumors at this point and some of those rumors, sound bad to me, at least in terms of what i want from an index 2. i want a crystal competitor, but rumors suggest a quest 3 competitor
The only value I find in picking Pimax over any competitors at similar price point is their large field of view. My ideal headset is a 120hz, high field of view headset, but preferably one that doesn't cost the price of a new PC for VR. How is the field of view in this one? The no local dimming option seems like it's exactly what I'm looking for despite the sudden lack of availability, but if the field of view is the standard one found in most headsets today then it's not even worth considering anymore for me.
1:55 And there they lost me... Even if you can get the headset to track with basestations it wont do it for the controllers. But I guess there is more things that aren't good enough anyway. *sigh*
Haha you're so right. It's bonkers to me with tech like this that they aren't at least beating out an OG Vive. HTC has release flop after flop since the cosmos and yet Pimax still can't seem to get past their reputation. Pimax could be so much higher ranked if they would design their hardware to be more reasonably sized.
I'll take the next one if it will be on pancakes for simulators - don't like aspherical as well, so this one is not for me as well. Quest 3 has set a really high mark for combination of lenses and comfort for me (not with original strap, of course), so I hope Pimax can compete and provide a good inside-out tracking based PCVR solution with good displays for around ~$1k.
Bro how on earth is it an upgrade. It is a downgrade for a cheaper price which is smart for marketing and getting sales. To say that the same EXACT product but with many more extreme features is meh does not make any sense. The software back then was very buggy before this came out but now it is amazing like the software on this one. So there is nothing meh the OG full speced crystal it is the best vr headset I have ever used with a max speced pc. I am waiting for the Pimax Crystal Super that will be the end of competition until some other business has the balls to invest in this quality of future tech.
sponsored video. I have Pimax Crystal Light, and I can tell you, it is not near as good as youtubers are presenting it. very cheap, bad tracking, motion blur, bad lenses, software is a nightmare...
Pimax aint it chief. Their Quality Control and Customer Service is dogshit. There's a reason their reviews on amazon are in the dumpster. They keep pulling them from the amazon store and trying to relist them... I went through FOUR trying to get a good one, until they got fed up with trying to help me and tried to tell me they didn't want to warranty any more... until I ran a chargeback on my credit card, then all of a sudden it was "Oh, here's a return label so you can send it back". after that I was done. Quest 3 has been treating me well for the most part. Just a shame they didn't offer an option for true PCVR only users to go straight display-port over USB-C.
Bad scaling ? this is a BIG NO NO = pukes posible. 4090 needed ? this HMD is a joke. Another joke from Pimax hahaha. Stund Up comedy hardware xD its always funny to hear about next Pimax beuheuhe ;-) and Price lol ... good joke Pimax :D another ood joke ;-p waiting for the next one ;-)
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Give me back the $699 version!! 😫
Who wants to use such a high-end device without local dimming? lol
They should rather add eye-tracking for future-proofing like in the non-Light Crystal version.
@@bastareims5737Exactly, why pay an extra $200 when you can get a Quest 3 that has its exclusive games, only worth buying with local dimming.
@@bastareims5737 They should just make a budget 8.3MP module for the Super. Because thats their next body, and that 8.3MP resolution is valid still for a long time.
Ya, looks like just another Pimax broken promise. With adaptive contrast like the Q3 now has, local dimming isn’t really necessary imho. I have both Q3 and QPro and blacks/contrast now look pretty similar imho.
@@tomc1380 Ummm... I need to look into this :) The only thing stopping me from getting a Quest 3 was the local dimming on my Quest Pro.
The size kills it for me
Agreed why so big when many claim fov is on par with quest 2 & 3 ?
Only 104 fov on both sides.
Yea it’s super ugly and huge with them dated tracking rings still lol. Definitely something I would never get! Cool video though it reminds me of those people that put all those additional parts on the quest headset making it look goofy lol
Wait until you see the Super they finally fixed this. It's like they finally realized that they would sell 2x as many if people weren't revolted by the size.
th-cam.com/users/clipUgkx5dpFwov1kNhAEAcjEQv8s0k8sq4EptTJ?si=DT8uoIGt6vYEttyM
If it was normal size I would have instantly bought it but I can't get past the 90s sizing for nothing, no large fov. Just sloppy work.
The studioform kit really helps with the comfort, it's comfortable. It could still do with being smaller but this helps a lot!
Thank you for the video. I had a lot of issues with my Pimax 5k+, but I will probably consider Crystal Super with micro-OLED screens. Pimax is trying hard, but nothing is truly finished on their product.
I reserved the super bundle also for pimax
Great review Tyriel. I feel a bit stuck regarding hardware right now. I'm still rocking a Quest Pro, purchased for £1500 at launch. It has some annoyances, the lack of display port connectivity and a resolution per eye from 2020-21 being the most notable for me. I did buy the Quest 3, but as a PCVR users primarily, I preferred the Pro for colours, contrast and blacks, the open design and tracking and controllers. I don't play mobile games so returned that headset.
I really want an upgraded experience for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 but nothing in the current line up has me wanting to open my wallet.
I'd love the Crystal Light's displays inside my Pro, but I want nothing else about that headset at all, the bulky design, inferior optics, worse controllers and tracking etc. The same with the Big Screen Beyond. If it has a small sweet spot and glare it's a no go.
I'm so gutted Meta pulled the plug on a Quest Pro 2, I feel in a no man's land right now where there is nothing that justifies spending a thousand dollars or more on.
Ya, same here mate. My QPro/rtx4090 with official link cable connected to my z790mb usb3.2 gen2 type-c port at 650mbps encoding bitrate works great with msfs2020. I just wish it had DisplayPort for better performance. I’m going to try the new Vive Focus Vision with its DP option but given its lcd/fresnel screens/lens I don’t have high hopes, lol!
Somnium vr1. It's a huge upgrade over the crystal
Same with my QPro! I feel like it'll be worth to upgrade maybe in 2-3 years.
I just bought a Q3 and honestly, it feels both like a downgrade and an upgrade to the Quest Pro, depending on the area.
The problem to me is that the Quest Pro came out at a weird time. I believe they should've waited for Quest 3 to come out because both headsets feel so similar but the lower performance of the Pro shows at that point.
@@x32i77 Ugh it's so expensive and you still need lighthouse tracking, and it's not possible to use it wireless 😢
@@Blattie yeah but you get a super thin long cable and the picture quality is simply out of this world. I tried it at Somnium Connect and was blown away. The crystal light didn't impress me after my Varjo Aero
I ❤ my Crystal Light, and I'm definitely not a Pimax fanboy. It's just a superb PC VR headset for sim racing. Solid review. 👊
Is it confortable? What about the weight for longer races? I'm using a rift S for iRacing and I'm afraid of buying a heavier headset 🤔
@@guillermogonzalezdiaz9349 It needs the official top strap, which cost about £20 ish, and I think you can even buy them from that well known online shopping place, that starts with the letter A. That solves everything. It removes any weight issues or balance, puts it exactly where you need it. I can wear it comfortably no problem for hours on end without removing it. Without the top strap you will have the same experience as Tyriel. The DMAS earphones are also essential. With those two upgrades you're good to go. A personal preference one is the 15mm face cushion, but that's just because I wear prescription lenses, and it gives me more lens to eye distance. It's a truly great PC VR headset for sim racing or flight sims. The clarity, comfort, and smoothness of set up is exceptional. I hope this helps.
Lucky if it worked mines faulty and they are not helping me at all, im wondering if they are even a succesful company you can rely on in future or the headset will just go dead.
Money burned
@@notsure1840 That's an absolute bummer mate. Sorry to read this. I got lucky with their customer service, and they sorted out my initially delivered slightly crushed Crystal Light. Even sent me some extra bits to make up for it, even though it wasn't their fault. They have an escalation system if you're unhappy, but I'm guessing you've exhausted options. I hope you do get it resolved. Like many companies some people have different experiences, it sometimes depends who you get to resolve your problem.
@@guillermogonzalezdiaz9349 Incredibly comfortable, it's really lightweight and well padded.
The Super with 4k per eye sounds heavenly. Over kill for now but I'm glad to see someone making that an option
You mean dual 2k right? The displays haven't got 4 thousand pixels on any axis.
@@AdamMi1 the upcoming Crystal Super that isn't out yet has 3840x3840 per eye.
@@TeabagParty 12k scam all over again
@@lat78610 Not really, they showed a super prototype already in CES 2024. And have showed the new body & panels & optical modules for the LCD version. The oled version i think is something that will or will not happen anytime soon.
The only card that will run this will be the 5090 because it will require dp 2.1 and most graphic intense titles will still not run at full res on that.
Hope they keep at it. 2030-35 should be the year VR becomes very good.
The original cable on the Crystal was fibre optic. For this one, they downgraded it to a heavier and cheaper cable.
After the Reverb G2 I can never go back to a heavy cable, it really ruined the experience compared to lighter cables.
Patiently waiting for a 3S vs 3 vs 2 through the lens comparison. No one else does them as well. :)
Save yourself some time and just go by the Q3. The 2 and 3S have crappy lenses.
you are through the lens king where is the thing :(
2:33 What do you mean the lenses make the image dimmer? Aspheric optics are very light efficient and especially the glass ones on the Crystal let about 200 nits to your eyes, more than double of the beyond for example
Exactly! Aspheric Lenses are very good and bright. Pancake Lenses are pretty uninffective for light output.
@@bastareims5737 Ya, but heavier with less edge to edge clarity. Pancake lens are less light efficient but overall the way to go imho. Pimax def needs a much smaller form factor.
@@tomc1380 don't forget about the annoying glare reflections in "every" pancake based HMD - even Vision Pro and Quest 3.
@@bastareims5737 Sorry but I don’t see that with either my Q3 or QPro. Maybe like everything VR, it’s a bit subjective.
@@bastareims5737 What is this glare you talk about? My Quest Pro is far clearer than the fresnel lenses of the past. I don't see any glare. But then I also use prescription inserts... they have a tiny bit of glare, but that's due to the light from the regular lenses reflecting off the prescription lenses. But even then, it's quite minimal. Comments on Oculus forum suggest it's quality control with the Quest 3, and to contact customer support if your individual headset has issues.
3:28 it would probably help to put the cable in the cable holder...
Considering. But also waiting for a better headset or get the bugs out.
My neck can barely handle the Quest 3 that I went for the Bigscreen Beyond. I cant imagine the neck pain with that behemoth on your head. I'm good.
F1 driver training
I have a damaged neck from car accident and have no issues wearing the pimax crystal for hours.
Gym time i reckon haha
Hi Tyriel, great review.
As for your PC screaming, try adding a exception to Windows security pointing to the Pimax Play "Folder", this seems to help the high CPU use when just sitting there not using the PCL but having Pimax Play running.
Mine seems to behave with this exception.
PC only screams now when in MSFS 2020! LOL 🤪
Also, the new software version has 90hz upscalling mode which seems to be working very well, I use this all the time now, great in MSFS and for sim racing, as far as I'm concerned, works better than DLSS.
I'm no fan of Pimax, they have strange ways of doing things but this Crystal Light is impressive for it's price point and yes, I do like the local dimming part, blackest blacks I've seen since older OLED HMDs like the OG Vive, Rift CV1 and the Samsung Odyssey. The colors are also vibrant and beautiful, many people have complained about getting faulty lenses, maybe it's a matter of their eyes just not being able to get use to the aspheric lenses. Luckily, mine has good lenses. 🙂
Can't wait for the Pimax Crystal Super. To have a VR headset with display port, 3840 res per eye, pancake lenses (which are much bigger than the Crystal Light) and OLED is going to be insane!
Without eye tracking compatible with every game, I've yet to see this work correctly, it would require the power of a RTX 6090 at least otherwise
Same
@@elmaxlifetf you talking about a 4070 can handle it just fine, a 4090 superbly
@@v1nigra3 I meant at full resolution and good framerate
However those VR headset will still be very nice at lower rendered resolution for sure
@@elmaxlife oh yeah no 120hz, 90max for the micro oled. We should be getting software in the next year or two that would significantly boost VR performance while maintaining max quality unless NVIDA decides to bundle it with hardware as well
I returned the headset. It feels so uncomfortable, like it was with the Quest Pro. In my opinion, a modded Quest 3 feels so comfortable that I can do 4-6 hour sessions non-stop in DCS or MSFS.
Great video. One question do you think pancake lenses of the quest 3 are better in terms of clarity and visual confort than aspherical ones?
Will you do the through the lens video with it?
Hello Tyriel do you think is it possible to put an Audio Headset on the Pimax Crystal Light by unmount the audio speaker or it's just impossible ? (i have an Audeze Maxwell headset) and too can you give the reference of your Pimax controller grip VR cover please ?
I'm excited for the Pimax Crystal Super, made my reservation already
Strange, other reviewers have also recommended forgoing the local dimming. I'm guessing the Quest Pro got it down right, as it was a much requested feature when the quest 3 was rumored.
The local dimming is better on the q pro than here for now
Why PC VR cost more than Standalone VR? PC VR doesn't have built in smartphone. So why? I don't get it.
Meta's Reality Labels can afford to haemorrhage money by selling HMDs close to cost as they are bankrolled by the rest of Meta.
They are making a bet, that AR is going to be the "next smartphone" in the future, and are trying to build a platform so they can monopolise (or at least be part of a duopoly with Apple) when that day comes.
Companies like Pimax have to make decent profits on the hardware they sell you, as they have no other sources of income.
When you buy a PCVR HMD, you are going to turn around and buy your games from Steam - the headset manufacture gets no more money from you.
Because it has double the resolution than any standalone headset?
Because people are enough stupid to believe that 1200€ , it's a normal price for two screen (even 2880X2880...)+ lens+ video controller
Who dare sell lower resolution in 2024? Meta...owned by a guy who earned 80 billions this year...and who has still need to sell your private data...
By the way Pimax is still unable to provide a DP2.1 controller...too expensive for them...
Or simply a real foveated rendering at this price which is quite necessary
Other companies are trying to turn a profit and Meta is trying to own the market
Very useful video. I am curious how it compares to Reverb G2 since there are some folks who search for a decent priced replacement without losing on quality and convenience.
@@mihaighita8553 it's heavier and bigger, but the sweet spot is much bigger and well clarity and res are on another planet :)
@@Tyrielwood its also double the price of G2...
best headset ive ever owned, and Ive had them all. the best thing really was the software is easy to use and the headset just works . but you need a 5090 to get the most out of it really.
Nah, 4090 is the perfect GPU to pair with this. I think I will actually skip the 5000 series for once , since I have no reason to go higher right now with the Crystal.
@@antjones2281 Crystal is not Crystal light, foveated rendering helps a lot.
@@antjones2281 agreed 5000 series for 4090 owners is a complete waste.
Waiting for replacement lenses for mine.. so disappointed. It's like looking through a fish bowl atm and completely unusable!! Fingers crossed the replacement lenses work.
You are sadly going to be even more disappointed. My replacement lenses landed today, and are even worst. Sending HMD back for refund, but god only knows how long that will take.
My lenses came back today these are worse than the ones I sent back.
Will be asking for a full refund
I would love to buy it but the company wont send to mexico, not even with private packaging services, too bad
It's a bit frustrating that it's 2024 and there's so little high quality vr content available. The hardware is a bit odd too: Facebook came out swinging and Valve, others seem to be asleep at the wheel.
Really interested in this headset, but I'm worried that my 7700xt and 5800x3d are not going to keep up... Guess I'll stick to my quest pro...😢
Not sure, but I doubt this scaling issue can be blamed on Pimax (never had that with my former 8KX in other games) and it's probably down to Elite Dangerous to fix this or might be SteamVR. But that's the reason those FOV-measurements are often nonsense to compare headsets, because the world-scale probably differs between them. I've noticed that VoodooDE had very different FOV-results between the Pico 4 and Pico 4S, which share the same headstrap, facial interface, optics and panels, so must be a world-scale discrepancy.
As a holdout WMR user, I'm really hoping valve makes that newer/cheaper headset they've been rumoured to be working on. Part of why I went with my WMR headset was for the price, and it feels like unless I go oculus (which I can't because linux support lol) then I can't really get a replacement at the same price. This Pimax headset looks really good it's just outside my price range :(
Why would they make a cheaper headset? They are literally still selling their ancient 2MP headset for almost 1k$.
@@Nobody-Nowhere why would anyone buy their ancient 2MP headset for almost 1kUSD?
The fact that it is necessary to reset the roomscale everytime I take it off is absolutely terrible and they need to correct that ASAP !
I'm either below the ground or 5 meters in the air or I feel lile an ant !
waiting for index 2 my boy; thanks for great vid!
Me too but want direct PCVR no battery
Index 2 = Somnium vr1
@@x32i77 interesting project.. havent seen this one, thx for sharing!
@@x32i77 Somnium=overpriced Czech scam.
The midget thing. I experienced this on every PSVR1 headset I've tried, even at home with perfectly calibrated IPD. My firend's experience was the same. I found it strange no one ever talked about this totally immersion breaking issue with no fix. I never thought it was because of the lenses.
@@Nago15 so I'm not alone
Same. Rift CV1, OG Vive and Index all had the pilot looking a little smaller than expected for me.
I’m wondering if it’s the optics in the quest 3 , gives me eye strain badly , every other headset I’ve had including the trusty quest 2 zero problems
I experienced it aswell. Did you notice it in somnium vr ?@@Tyrielwood
@@adrianstealth340 I bought a Q3, and in the first few days I had some minor-medium eye strain. I never felt that with my Q1, but now, after 2-3 weeks, I totally forgot about it. It is gone, and with the kiwi-design headstrap I lose myself in the immersion and can play or paint for 2-3 hours. This was impossible with my front-brick Q1.
Why did you not try to find the source of the fan noise? Just check task manager and see if CPU or GPU is spiking. It is good content.
@@CognosSquare it starts every time that the Pimax software starts, no cpu or GPU spikes, I'm telling you, it's weird 😂
It’s mining crypto maybe…
@@Tyrielwooddid you have that Pimax experience Home running. Even with the headset off I think it may be auto running.
Worth upgrading from a Varjo Aero?
I use world scale in steamvr and when using the openxr tool kit
Awesome!
Does it still need base stations?
Hi, I have a problem with the delivery of Pimax Light - after more of 40 days of waiting (I also pay preorder fee 5 months ago), the distributor promises delivery for the fifth time but still nothing - what to do?
I have a 9900k and a nvidia GTX card. For hires VR should I rather get a 5090 or should I change the whole platform, the memory and get a small card?
In my opinion, you need at least a RTX 3080 or 4070 (or better) to use such high res VR headset. In terms of CPU and RAM it depends a lot on the game. A 9900k should work for lighter games but may struggle for heavy simulations like DCS and Flight Simulator.
8:42 did you use 2 drawers as desk feet and put a thick wood plank on top of it?
Thats so smart if thats what you did
Is it sturdy?
How is it 2024 and someone who watches tech vids has completely missed the most overdone desk trend on the planet for the last like 7 years lol
It’s just ikea Karlby + Alex
@@nicogentry2 I live under a rock
I did not know that this is so common
I received the PCL 1 month ago, had several issues with the following:
- Comfort, the facial interface the device comes with causes actual pain and bruising on the nose. Because of that I need to keep the device loose and the heavy display-port cable made the device tilt.
- Lenses: While they have a lot of potential, mine was a defective batch and it's very common, they have serious issues with Quality Control
- Screens: No SDE at all, by far the clearest experience I had, but was unusable because of the lenses
- Software: Terrible, mine kept going into a Connect/Disconnect feedback loop 5-10 mins in the headset, only after wearing it.
I really wanted to love the device but had to send it back for a refund.
It sounds like what happened to me with the first crystal, I talked about all that stuff in my old review
@@Tyrielwood Thank you for the reply, I have watched all your reviews on this.
I am considering giving them a second chance in the future, when things have settled down a bit.
Cheers, thank you for the awesome content !
You should try the Somnium vr1 headset then. Quality control and best visuals are number one priority for them
Same problem. My lenses turned up today, and there even worst than the orginials. Sending the HMD back for a refund. I sooooo wanted to love this headset, the visuals on the screens are AMAZING. But they simply cannot provide usable lenses.
@@x32i77 Somnium is a Czech scam company, no thank you....
Not sure what CPU you have, but i would go into Bios and tune Fans..are you ovrrclocking Cpu?
The point is that the headset was turned off yet the software was still using cpu.
I've just bought the Quest 3 because they reduced the price. It's hard to think of the Pimax as being cost competitive against Quest.
😂😂😂
Well they are not the same kind of headset.
@@EnzoBergstrom yes, I'm aware. Its just that when you take all things into consideration Quest 3 is the better choice for most situations,
$699 is nice but local dimming is worth it 100%. You got to have those black areas.
Local dimming is mostly useless. If you play elite dangerous with lots of dark area but bright stars all across the background, you can throw local dimming in the trash.
It's a hack.
OLED is the only worthwhile path.
From experience with local dimming, and what I have heard about the one in the crystal the algorithm seems bad so... Not worthy
@@CognosSquare
Nah. Local dimming is garbage. On anything, not just VR.
OLED actually fixes the problem that local dimming attempts to fix, but rarely can.
@@a5cent OLED is crap, and the black blacks are actually nonsense, human eye cant see black in nature.
Annoyingly it doesn’t fully shut out the light on the left and right side of my head. I don’t have a small head but still it lets in light.
You can get foam solution for it but it hardly ever is on stock….
The fact that it hardly ever is on stock tells me that it is in high demand which means it is just a design flaw. Sucks tbh. Pimax should just either fix it or add thicker foam gaskets in the box.
I use my Quest 3 about 60% for PCVR and 40% standalone and have been in the market for a dedicated PCVR headset, but unfortunately they almost all come with several flaws that put me off. Pimax just seems so bulky, doesn't use pancake lens, somewhat janky software from the many reviews I've watched, and grayscale passthrough to name a few. I'm hoping Valve can come out with a must-buy PCVR headset soon.
Valve is so stupid
If they can make an index 2 with very good lenses and pimax Qled they will sell like crazy
They would make so much money and people will be happy
@@tkdmp5698the problem with this reasoning is that Valve isn't really in the business of selling VR kit. Valve sells games on Steam, and they produce a few pieces of hardware to facilitate game sales. Valve doesn't need to make a new headset when millions of people are using Quest to play on Steam. If Valve was really interested in VR they would already have new kit announced. I'm not suggesting they'll never release a new headset but it is clearly a low priority for them. Consider this--literally the only thing Meta would need to do to destroy nearly all the competition is to add a Display Port to their next headset.
@@DKStanford This is not reasoning
Im just angry that there is not a really good headset out there with no big problems or bad QC
That is true though i would probably buy a DP Q3
FYI Pimax sells a ratcheting top strap that works wonders.
Also the upcoming Super versions are psvr2 size
Here's a clip
th-cam.com/users/clipUgkx5dpFwov1kNhAEAcjEQv8s0k8sq4EptTJ?si=DT8uoIGt6vYEttyM
I like how this movie starts so optimistic and then derails into a usual "Pimax is garbage for people that are not fanbois" experience. You have to be a fanboi that plays just one game to buy this eggbox for eyes. Hey Tyrel... you forgot to tell the disclaimer I think... are you paid for the review? etc. Are you allowed to open it up and show it to us so we can laugh?? :D :D
Eye tracking and Lighthouse tracking out-the-box, and they would have been onto a winner.
As it is...
They should at least sell a package where you get the Lighthouse faceplate bundled instead of the controllers.
You can do that ....
They have that for the Crystal OG that has eye tracking... Pimax Crystal Sim Limited Edtion
@@Nobody-Nowhere As Tyriel points out though, the OG Crystal is significantly more expensive, and in many ways worse than the Crystal Lite.
@@zig131 OG is worse then the Light only in one way, there is battery in it which ads to the weight and shortens the VR session to battery life. On the other hand the OG is better balanced then the Light due to battery position. Anything else is better on OG Crystal then on Light.
Can it play beat saber
is it 3 or 4 KG?
How does it work when you said Microsoft stopped supporting virtual reality for Windows 11?
Microsoft didn't stop supporting VR, they stopped supporting Windows Mixed Reality, which was like their own front end for VR, like Steam VR or Oculus. Unfortunately this renders some specific HMDs unusable as they were designed to be used with Windows MR and can't function without it.
If you have the Pimax Crystal Light it's entirely irrelevant as it doesn't use WMR (Windows mixed reality). It is an OpenXR headset, which is what all headsets will be going forward.
@@neurokinetik actually the WMR is MS backend to VR, not the front end.
Can you tell me is it wide fov
No
if a pimax headset doesnt have a horizontal fov higher than 120 then it doesnt matter.
Discount code doesn't work 😓
let me check
they told me this: you need to click the 'Checkout' then fill in the code, it works. (The cache problem caused by the website so that this code display is invalid in the Add to Cart page, after 2 hours or so will be fine)
Still bigger than my head 🤔
Always feel like Pimax goes half the distance with every iteration. 😂 The next index will be way better by the time they figure this out
I don't know man, their Super lineup looks tight.
for hat, it has to release. were waiting for years already and there are just rumors at this point and some of those rumors, sound bad to me, at least in terms of what i want from an index 2. i want a crystal competitor, but rumors suggest a quest 3 competitor
The only value I find in picking Pimax over any competitors at similar price point is their large field of view. My ideal headset is a 120hz, high field of view headset, but preferably one that doesn't cost the price of a new PC for VR. How is the field of view in this one? The no local dimming option seems like it's exactly what I'm looking for despite the sudden lack of availability, but if the field of view is the standard one found in most headsets today then it's not even worth considering anymore for me.
The Crystal Light has a FOV of 103. Actually a little less than the Quest 3. Pimax isn't doing the wide FOV thing anymore.
@@SargonDragon That's unfortunate and quite the shame.
1:55 And there they lost me... Even if you can get the headset to track with basestations it wont do it for the controllers. But I guess there is more things that aren't good enough anyway. *sigh*
Is it mining in the background? Is that why you PC fans are going nuts?
I get neck fatigue after 2 hours with the quest 3 and psvr2, so no thanks.
The VR headset no Meta content creator dares to talk about 😂
Probably because Pimax own 0.4 percent of the PC market versus Meta's 65 percent. It's not exactly strong competition.
@@kevinbrook7033 nah its because nothing is better than MQ3 standalone apparently and to say so would destroy their world
Haha you're so right. It's bonkers to me with tech like this that they aren't at least beating out an OG Vive.
HTC has release flop after flop since the cosmos and yet Pimax still can't seem to get past their reputation.
Pimax could be so much higher ranked if they would design their hardware to be more reasonably sized.
Aspheric lenses are "dimm"? Compared to what, Fresnel? Pancakes are MUCH dimmer
Yep, so much misinformation.
buying anything above quest 3 is just not worth it
not yet agree.. and just the quality of materials meta provides is out of competition
I'll take the next one if it will be on pancakes for simulators - don't like aspherical as well, so this one is not for me as well. Quest 3 has set a really high mark for combination of lenses and comfort for me (not with original strap, of course), so I hope Pimax can compete and provide a good inside-out tracking based PCVR solution with good displays for around ~$1k.
Bro how on earth is it an upgrade. It is a downgrade for a cheaper price which is smart for marketing and getting sales. To say that the same EXACT product but with many more extreme features is meh does not make any sense. The software back then was very buggy before this came out but now it is amazing like the software on this one. So there is nothing meh the OG full speced crystal it is the best vr headset I have ever used with a max speced pc. I am waiting for the Pimax Crystal Super that will be the end of competition until some other business has the balls to invest in this quality of future tech.
Really don't trust this company...the fact that the standalone is still busted.... 🤦🏾♂️
My mom had made me some Crystal Light and it was way cheaper than this
With the controller, it is over $1000. Already have a Quest 3 so I’ll just pass.
Through the lens, but do it with the quality you used to do them 5 years ago , youre recent ones have been pretty crummy.
You have obviously and pretty clearly not used the latest Pimax software. Lol and ciao.
@@bastareims5737 it's kind of hard to use the headset without it you know 😅
sponsored video. I have Pimax Crystal Light, and I can tell you, it is not near as good as youtubers are presenting it. very cheap, bad tracking, motion blur, bad lenses, software is a nightmare...
Vr only for cinema not for games apple thinks better 🎉
Pimax aint it chief. Their Quality Control and Customer Service is dogshit. There's a reason their reviews on amazon are in the dumpster. They keep pulling them from the amazon store and trying to relist them...
I went through FOUR trying to get a good one, until they got fed up with trying to help me and tried to tell me they didn't want to warranty any more... until I ran a chargeback on my credit card, then all of a sudden it was "Oh, here's a return label so you can send it back". after that I was done.
Quest 3 has been treating me well for the most part. Just a shame they didn't offer an option for true PCVR only users to go straight display-port over USB-C.
To bad they cherry pick review units and the commercial quality product is just trash
Bad scaling ? this is a BIG NO NO = pukes posible. 4090 needed ? this HMD is a joke. Another joke from Pimax hahaha. Stund Up comedy hardware xD its always funny to hear about next Pimax beuheuhe ;-) and Price lol ... good joke Pimax :D another ood joke ;-p waiting for the next one ;-)
so it still the usual pimax garbage, half baked implementation of everything
Lame video