Meeting Expectations? Pimax Crystal Light VR Headset | First Hands On Impressions
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 มิ.ย. 2024
- After two hours of use I share my first impressions of the Crystal Light. Sharing many common features with the Pimax Crystal, but considerably less expensive, have Pimax finally got it right? I travelled to London to meet up with the Pimax team and get my hands on the Crystal Light.
Referenced Links
Pimax Crystal Light: pimax.com/pages/crystal-light
Pimax Roadshow: pimax.com/pages/roadshow
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A quick summary of my first impressions. I traveled to London to meet up with the Pimax team. I spent about 2 hours with the headset and didn’t get the chance to performance test the unit. My Crystal Light should be with me in 3-4 weeks and I’ll do a more detailed update with performance results. Prices quoted exclude shipping & VAT
I'm looking forward to your always honest review on these once you get them. Cheers.
I'm pleasantly surprised that these come in at under $1K. Nice!
Hi Mark, very good info, thanks! This is the right product to give VR the push it needs!
I will be ordering soon 😊
It sounds like a very appealing proposition.
I wish it had a slightly wider fov of around 110 though. 103 is about what I used to have with my Valve Index with the lenses close to the eyes.
looks really good
Thanks Mark. Nice video. 👍🇫🇷
Thanks for posting this.... I have been wondering for some time if anyone was going to come out with an affordable, clear, well-performing headset without the screen door effect - or if I was going to be using my G2 forever. While this is still certainly high-priced - it is at least reachable, given some time. Hopefully the price will come down a bit in a year or so, as well. Thanks again - always love your straight up, direct & no BS reviews! You've been largely responsible for guiding me through my MSFS VR journey thusfar. With this - it is likely to continue :)
Those prices are deceiving, here in the UK we have 20% tax added on, plus £38 delivery (!), plus £99 (+VAT) extra if you want the DMAS, and I don't think you get the deluxe head strap either (both of which are in this video). All this came to over £1000 for me when ordering the Crystal Light with Steam faceplate and DMAS. Will pass for now and wait for UK distributors.
I'm disappointed this channel gives out the prices ex VAT. I thought he was better than that. It's a cheap trick to get more affiliate income.
@@dtz1000 Every country has taxes, and retailers also charge you taxes...
@@Dragon-vb4ub Why is it his responsibility to track the taxes YOU have to pay in your country? The price of the unit is the price of the unit. Not everyone incurs the same fess or taxes - should every video include a chart of each countries individual tax rates, a shipping table, and other fees you may have? Do your own homework and take responsibility for knowing your own local fees.
I haven't seen any mention of a 'deluxe headstrap', where did that information come from?
I do like your videos, they are very informative and also have some kind of an ASMR relaxing agreeable tone 🙂
Was thinking about holding on for this as I currently have a Quest 3 with a 3070ti, so was going to upgrade my GPU before getting the Pimax Light. However, with you saying I could probably run 2160x2160 with my existing GPU, it is likely I will be ordering this in the next couple of months, and then saving for the GPU afterwards. Thank you for the video
Hi mark, without faceplate and base stations can you lean right, left, back or forward while you're sitting on chair? That is can you get close to cocpit instruments in msfs?
Bought one yesterday. 6 to 8 week wait.
Im upgrading from a Quest 3. I run 1.4 supersample on the q3, and it gives me 3808 resolution. Its stunning but locked at 36fps. Which is smooooth! I am on a 4090 too.
I hope the pimax is better, should be with DP port.
Do you have it locked at 36fps or is that all you’re getting? I’m using a 4090 as well and I’m getting a solid 90fps (most of the time) in MSFS with with Reverb G2. Which has slightly more pixels than the Quest 3. Im Using OpenXR with FFR on quality with a wide preset.
I also ordered the Crystal Light just recently. 6-8 week wait as well for me. BUT. I saw a Pimax rep on Reddit say they are working on speeding up production and are aiming to lower those wait times. Fingers crossed.
@@Schwing27 I really never seen the point in 90fps in msfs. I am a graphics lover. I want realism of scenery when flying. So I lock down to 36fps with ASW on. That gives me a reprojected 72fps.
With a 1.4 supersample on Q3 it is going to batter any rig. Its supersample in oculus settings is way more potent than the xr toolkit. The visuals are stunning. But that pesky motion repro gives slight distortion, and that's why I went with the pimax. I will run 72hz native, and see what i get.
@@andyakarudolfhessiansack7936 With my Q3/QPro/rtx4090 I've found it best to use 80Hz refresh rate and set ASW to 45fps forced (actually 1/2 your refresh rate, so 40fps for me). If you go to the msfs user forum VR section you can search for my current Q3 and QPro Link setting (indluding Air Link as well).
@@andyakarudolfhessiansack7936 ahhh that makes sense! I’m not too familiar with quest headsets. Would that option also work on the Pimax you think? I’m not sure we will be able to reach 72fps with that headset nativity. Unless we lower the headsets resolution a little. But who knows. We will find out.
@@Schwing27 Yes you raise what i belive to be the most important aspects of VR. Reviews rarely touch this subject, which is odd.
Ii think you are right, even with 4090 in msfs, we will never reach native 72hz/fps. But a pimax light user has told me that the headset works flawlessly at half refresh (45 or 36) locked, no smoothing and no repro. 36 is way more than enough for smooth flight in sums. So all our rig is gotta make is 45 or 36. (Pimax light has no 60hz or 80hz yet, but will soon).
That means with a DP connection we should be able to run 36..... or perhaps even 45 (at a push over towns and cities) at full res.
But at 36, we may be able to push full panel res+ supersampling (either in steamvr or xr toolkit.
I have high hopes.
Thank you for your informative videos! Question: I enthusiastically use Motion Reprojection with my G2 in MSFS - 45 FPS without vs. with Motion Reprojection makes a huge difference for me. What does Pimax offer here? Is there a working solution? I keep reading about Smart Smoothing, but it either doesn't work or creates unsightly artifacts and is actually turned off by everyone. That almost sounds like a dealbreaker to me. How smooth do you perceive the image in MSFS on the Light compared maybe to the G2 with Motion Reprojection?
It should be considered a WIP!
My glasses look about the same as yours (140x40mm Ti rimless frames with fairly thin high index lens). Will these work ok with the Crystal Light or would I need to use a thicker facepad? Thanks mate and cheers.
They will be okay, but I would recommend a thicker face pad to protect scratching the lenses over a period of time.
@@SimHangerFS Thanks, that's what I've always been told mate. However, I've never had any problems wearing my glasses with any VR headset I've owned over the last ~6yrs without eyeglass spacers, including my Q3 with eye relief fully inward. If I order a Crystal Light I'll probably still order it with the optional 15mm face pad (currently out of stock), just in case though. Cheers.
Nice.
Did you use the 11mm face cushion or the 15mm with your glasses Mark?
I think it was the 11mm, but not sure, I’ll need to check.
Its still so damn BIG!
Yes the form factor is a drawback, I guess additional tooling costs for a new housing would have pushed prices higher.
Hi Mark.
I'm still looking to replace my ReverbG2, and was considering the following:
- The Bigscreen Beyond, for the form factor and micro OLED..., but not because of the fixed IPD and the mandatory based station
- The Quest 3, for the price..., but not because of the need for a better headstrap, and because it is not a PCVR (no display port connection)
- The Pimax Crystal light for the visual quality as promised... but unsure due the form factor (big boy)
In your opinion so, is it today the best choice at this level, to replace a Reverb G2? Are you not disturbed too much with this big size ?
I have both the G2 and Quest 3, the quest 3 visually is VERY close to the G2, but I find the clarity just a little better in the G2 (no compression), the big advantage the Quest 3 has is those lenses, being able to look around a bit with your eyes is really nice where as with the G2 and it's small sweet spot, more head movement is required to keep your eyes into that sweet spot. The Quest 3 will more than likely tax your computer more than the G2 due to it needing to encode the video signal to send to the Quest 3. I do have a Crystal Light on order, looking forward to trying it out and seeing how good it really is. :)
Depends on your preference. If you want MR capability and wireless then Q3 all day. For Q3 to get the best out of it - 4080/90 recommended. If you want best display, faster performance with PCVR then Crystal Light is your choice.
@@SimHangerFS Ya, I've always found that dedicated DisplayPort headsets give me about 10% higher fps performance and a bit fewer stutters during fast heli yaw turns. This is because wired DP doesn't need to tax your gpu with streaming encoding requirements and latency is always lower. Like everything VR, always tradeoffs imho.
I bought my Pimax Crystal and DOF 6, but cannot find a case that will fit my Corsair iCUE water cooler., so I haven't had a chance to try either, including my 4090OC.
Im saving up. Still chugging away with my quest 2 with an 88 degree pov lol.
Thanks for the update sir! Little concerned that influencers are getting a hand delivered unit, (with all possible options and not a out of box model with basic features) complete with a Pimax marketer to setup? if I am right, then factory out of box units might not have that better sweet-spot that everyone is boasting about. I'll wait for out of box review when it gets to the public.
Me too
As I mentioned in the video, I have not received my Crystal Light yet. I travelled to London to meet the Pimax reps to test the unit. They are here for the London Roadshow. I used one of the two headsets that they will be using at the roadshow.
@@SimHangerFS Yes, understood that, thanks. Will wait for you and other influencers to receive your retail units. Appreciate these first impressions too as well!
Another thing to keep in mind, as mentioned, the Reverb G2's panel resolution is 2160 x 2160 but SteamVR and in OpenXR, it's bumped up to 3160 x 3092 and shows 100% SteamVR resolution, so the Crystal could well be bumped up to well over 4000's x 5000's in Res by SteamVR or OpenXR, depending on the performance of your PC and the Sims or VR titles you run, then you can adjust this resolution to get decent performance and theoretically still look amazing.
Mark, any word on you getting your Crystal Light?
I have a long wait, looks like week 3 or 4 of August for mine (ordered May 31), so anxious to try this thing out! LOL
Staying with the Quest 3 for now, good that Pimax are upsetting the market, all eyes on Pico 🤔
Yes me too ! The Q3 is a solid device with a good price tag , and it will be fun for a couple years. It’s great to see development is moving forward and competition is growing
I m also staying with my quest 3. I m not able to get on I t s max potential with my 3080 so I don t see the need of a better resolution yet.
@@yannwymann8796 I too have a 3080. Not sure which headset would be better for me (currently have a Q2). The DP of the Pimax has to be taken into consideration I think. Especially for me as I hardly use VR for anything other than (connected) msfs now. People seem to say the DP is vastly superior to the Q3's USB.
@pumpkineater23 yes, I wonder if the headset itself does a lot of computing or not ?
I use Virtual Desktop and there I can tick the option that the quest 3 make a upscale of the resolution of steam Vr . So I run steam at around 2600x2600 and the quest make the rest. I don t no if you use other headset if it just is less latency and sharper image (without compression of VD) or if there is although a computing boost ?
I ❤ my Quest 3. But, I will ❤ My Pimax Crystal Light headset even more. 😉👌
I think I'll wait for the next version of the Crystal Light, since rumor has it local dimming zones will increase by a factor of up to 10.
Everything else sounds great!
Curious where you heard those rumors.. I’ve heard nothing like that.
Not sure that rumour is correct.
New version of Crystal Light? Don't think they are gonna go for a new version of Crystal Light
This would be an instant buy for me if two things were to happen. 1. Pass through was added to the Crystal Light and 2. MS2024 included pass through functionality in the release of the upcoming software. For flight simming VR just doesn't work for me until you can see you hands and control setup. Just watch Russ Barlow's vids to know what you're missing in that regard. Until I have that combo I will stick with big screens so I can use all my sim control functions without stabbing fingers in the dark. I was hoping for pass through to be added to the Light and I think Pimax have missed a big functionality feature which by not including it has limited sales.
So the sound quality is comparable to Valve Index?
I couldn't tell from the video, will there be room for snap in Rx lenses vs wearing glasses?
Yes I believe so. The prescription lenses for the Crystal fit the Light.
…but not the other way around!
I am particularly interested in how prescription glasses fit inside the headset. 2 users in the house with different prescriptions.
Do the glasses fit well inside the headset, do the glasses touch the lenses, do you need the thicker foam insert. Please give as much info as you can for us glasses wearers. Thank you.
The fit wascomfortable for me. Recommend you use the 15mm face foam not the 11mm.
Considering that your measured FOV for this was 102-103, what was your measured FOV in the Index with the eye relief set so the lenses are as close to you as possible?
This is the one area I am most concerned about for moving from Index. I always expected my next HMD to have a much larger FOV and just as good off-ear audio.
Mark, any word on the timing and cost of the faceplate with cameras to support mixed reality?
Not as a separate item at this point.
@@SimHangerFS Pimax noted in this video Pimax Frontier 2024: Crystal Super, Crystal Light & 60G Airlink (at 16:22) that they are working on on a mixed reality ("MR Cover" accessory). Interestingly, it was noted that they went back to the drawing board when the Apple VisionPro came out. No indication of timing, but sounds like it could be a while. Is Pimax behind the curve on the rapid emergence of MR in flight sim VR?
I own a RTX4090 !! Let's go !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am starting to worry what the pimax will be like in msfs with only 45fps and no reprojection! I cannot stand any stutters.
Does the 4060 ti works with that crystal light in msfs or no
I have not tested that GPU. Would suggest possibly at low in-sim settings and reduced resolution, so arguably not worth the investment.
Is this crystal light better than Varjo in terms of of resolution? Is the FOV same as old version lake Pimax 8K?
Better clarity than Aero, smaller FOV compared to 8kx
@@SimHangerFS is it bigger FOV than Varjo?
Hi Mark, I hope you are well.
Thank you for the quick 1st impressions review, after seeing a couple reviews in the last week, I ordered a Crystal Light (May 31), not expecting it for some time unfortunately (late July, early August). I didn't bother ordering the DMAS just yet, in Canada here, they are $130.00 (ouch), so first, I'll make sure I like the HMD and then decide if DMAS will be in my future! LOL
Looking forward to you getting yours so you can do your full review, you have a way of cutting through the BS and putting out reliable reviews which myself and a LOT of people appreciate! for that, Thank You! :)
Take care.
Is Primax Cristal Light compres data like a Cuest 2? And how do you think, it will be work on rtx 4060 ti 16 GB for MSFS?
No compression. It is direct PCVR.
@@SimHangerFS so, I think it will be worki good on my computer in middle resolution.
Do you need the controllers if only using MSFS? I so nearly pressed the buy button on the full crystal, then they announced this!
No you don’t. 😊
Thanks Mark. Will place my order tomorrow then!! Awesome videos as usual Sir.
Is there a benefit to using the base stations?
Not for stationary simming.
a 3080 struggled with my Vive Pro 2 and the Crystal is higher res... I'd honestly recommend you go higher, the Crystal works on a 4090 that will change I'm sure with the next gen GPUs
Hi Mark. Coming from the Quest 3, would this be a good upgrade for flight sims?
Technically the Crystal Light has double the pixel density. However for me trying the regular Crystal, I didn't feel it added much to my experience coming from a Q3 for the price. Didn't feel 2x better for the $1500+ price tag. I returned it and kept my Q3. However this light version I think is the right price. Think of the pros you like of the Q3 and see if the Light will offer those for you. You might find like me that other than the resolution upgrade, you'll be downgrading in other areas. If you're ok with that then this will be a solid headset.
@@Josue_mej one of the many things I love about the Quest is reprojection… how was your Crystal experience with regard to this or is the Crystal so damn good we don’t need it ?
@@MrNeilRoberts I spent most of my time in the Crystal in MSFS and DCS, Xplane wouldn't load correctly with it. Can't say I noticed any issues with reprojection. I'm Running an i9 13900k and an RTX4080. But since the return window is quite short, being 15 days, I did not spend a ton of time troubleshooting or going through the endless forums to make the Crystal "great". I used it as vanilla/out of the box as possible. I just like to fire up my headset and get into the sim in as long as it takes the sim to load. which is why I stuck with my Q3. Sure looks like the Crystal Light might have made connecting and getting into your sim faster which is great! With the Crystal I had to recalibrate every time I turned it on, easily spending 10-20 min just to get it connected and working properly. had I felt the Crystal would really improve my experience, I would have spent the time tweaking and going through all the community forums, but I just didn't think it was a generational leap from the Q3. Which at double the resolution you would think that would blow you away right? maybe if I had come from the Q2, but from the Q3 for me, I was rather disappointed and found enjoyed my Q3 sessions way more.
Yes, if visuals are your number one priority.
@@SimHangerFS Thanks. Yes. I want better visuals. The Quest3 is good but still find it a bit lacking in clarity and also feel the depth of 3D is lacking too. Im 58 so my eyesight isn't as sharp as it used to be and its really important to get a sharp clear image.
Hi Mark, DX11 or 12 with the pimax light?
I was using DX11
@@SimHangerFS has it been tried on 12?
@@daveyoung2056 no didn’t have time.
Hi :), so SimXR definitely wont work on this? Thats a deal breaker for me after I saw SimXR on your channel!
Are prices you gave ex. VAT ?
Yes. It's very deceptive. The real cost in Europe is a lot more than what he said.
Does it really make any sense getting the more expensive pimax if we got only rtx 4090.
Isn’t better to wait till 5090 card comes out , for that amount of power that the pimax crystal super has ??
Depends on your budget and patience 😀
The Crystal however because of eye tracking requires much less GPU power
it has nearly no benefit in msfs2020, it has in dcs but not in msfs.
@@grzegorztomasiak yes I know I own a Crystal . It has no benefit in MSFS as it stands today
Will they develop a decent pass through face plate?
I would like to use an ipad mini with Skydemon and be able to read it.
Have tried the quest 3 and the pass through was just not good enough for me (send it back)
Thanks for the great content Mark!
Ordered mine today, goodbye pico 4😂
ah, i also change it with my pico4 :D
I will be changing from pico 4 to this in a month or so I feel
I wouldn't change my pico 4 for this cupboard over the head unless Pimax give it to me for free and I chop it off how I please with a Dremel. Pimax is among the worst at engineering their headsets and in software department are not much better. They used to be worse also...
@@zaelu Relax ?
@@paularrowsmith6829 You work at Pimax? Tell them to contact me, I can help them with my Dremel. Tell them to contact me officially and send me a unit (can be a defective one I don't care) and I will show them how they can get out of their problem with a simple Dremel. I understand they have bought for 5 cents one hundred thousands of those HMD shells 5 years ago but the world doesn't need to suffer anymore.
Thank you! ;)
♥♥♥♥♥
Hi Mark thanks for a very informative video, what is the best of way of purchasing this headset in the uk?
Amazon UK when in stock.
@@adrenalinejunkie3828 Thanks
You can purchase direct or wait until it arrives on Amazon.
@@SimHangerFS Thanks for that Mark.
I'm sorry but just like the others, no word about the refresh rate wich is gonna drastically impact the performance and the 60 hz native mod simply does not exist compared to the g2 (even if it is mentioned in the technical specifications of that HMD), and finally : the non local dimming version just vanished from their store.
The 60 Hz mode is still unstable and according to Pimax will be added later.
@@guillaume_69 OH I get it ! You are somekind of telepathe and you can hear thoughts and words that are actually not being pronounced by any one (and because there's a mere screenshot about the crystal light specs at 8m56s and you dare telling me that was something the author talked about ? He litterally talked about everything else but that) !
Cause if I don't ask about it the subject is totally ignored !
And now we have a clarification : not ready yet maybe later cause it still do not work and according to what happened to the pimax crystal, the 60 hz native mode is also not available, I have very little trust in Pimax to accomplish that (and the forged quite a bad reputation about those things over years) and they shall remove that specification from their crystal light technical sheet, They are misleading people wich are thinking that refresh mode is available for the light, maybe Chinese law will protect them from being sued and that's why they are doing so ?
Yeah but how did it perform? What resolution did you use? What fps did you get? What was the smoothness like? What about 72, 90 and 120hz modes? What did you use? What game did you try it with?
Surely you could of added a bit more detail on specifics?
I only spent 2 hours with it. I normally get 8-10 hours of testing before I report performance. I was using full native resolution and 90 Hz mode. In Half-Life Alyx for example I recorded an fps average of 86….using a 3080.
@@SimHangerFS Fair enough. Thanks for the video, it is appreciated.
103fov is not good, quest 3 is 105
The question is: buy - or wait for the SUPER...
I suspect you will need a "5090" or its replacement in another 2-3 years, to get the best out of the "super" - or the XR4 for that matter. Not that Nvidia is admitting to the possibility of a 5090 at the moment (during the show currently taking place in Taiwan).
@@user-qi2vl2eg5m so? Even if you drive it with "Chrystal light resolution" until then - you STILL get a better picture if you get the OLED version. Also: for non graphical intense things like virtual movie watching even a 4090 can drive the super at full resolution...
very funny because i couldnt read instruments in crystal in msfs2020 due to CA and no edge-to-edge clarity. Actually I did lots of comparison to Q3 and even though it has lower res but it has true edge-to-edge clarity and I could read way more instruments than in crystal. not gonna buy this pimax shit. And i would be careful to recommend this headset when it's not even released to public yet. We all know how much shit happens with Crystal full of bugs and reddit explosion with chargebacks. For that I stopped watching this idiot VR sim guy because he is full of lies.
The Crystal Light has already started shipping to customers.
Then don’t buy it ! Jerk !