DCS with a Pimax Crystal OMG

[Hotdognz]

 

Just received my Pimax Crystal with glass lens, coming from a G2 3 years, out of the box no DCS settings changed....OMG OMG, clarity and colors and FPS are amazing, the cockpit details I'm now seeing are just incredible in the AH64, F15SE and F16 so far.

 

FYI my PC specs are up there 4090, 13th gen, 64gig, highly optimised PC to get the best out of the G2, this has translated to a very good out of the box experience with the Pimax Crystal

 

From software installation to flying 20 mins max.

 

Sent from my CPH2333 using Tapatalk

 

 

 

Edited July 17, 2023 by Hotdognz

[TED]

Which pimax? 

[Hotdognz]

15 hours ago, TED said:

Which pimax? 

Crystal, original post updated

[metalnwood]

Nice!  Which kiwi group are you flying with?   You are the first I know over here to get one.  I had another friend who got scared off and changed his order to a bsb the chicken as he had already done the 5k and 8k.

[SneakyBastd]

My 2c. I'm trialling a friends crystal while he is away. It is awesome. I'm coming from a vive, then 5k+ (tried a G2 also), and now a vive pro 2 (which is hobbled on 40x0 gpus). The vive console software is horrible (frequent random view stutter/hitching), and steamVR hinders performance. Ditching that for openXR is awesome. My 4090 can stretch its legs now.

Pros:

Visuals are as impressive as you've heard. Clear across almost all the FOV. FOV is about same width as VP2, but clearly more vertically. The panels are higher res, but it is the lens that steal the show. So clear. HLAlyx is seriously impressive. So sharp, so much detail in everything.

Virtual Desktop showing my monitors, is like looking at 1440p monitor for real. Very clear.

DCS runs a bit strangely. I have settings a little lower to hold 90fps. But when it dips below, even slightly, the view stutters when turning the plane. Not sure what is happening there. Lower fps shouldn't stutter like that. I think DCS will need smart smoothing (not working atm) to lock it at 45. Then we can raise details. Still, it's very good even now. Don't need labels anymore for aircraft. Cockpits are clear and easily read without zooming in or leaning forward (finally).

MSFS runs really well. 67fps (feels pretty good, smooth enough) with highish settings native res. Very pretty game in the crystal.

OpenXR doesn't have dynamic eye rendering yet, but it isn't far away from what I hear. That will also be an amazing addition.

I can also use OpenXR Neck Safer now. Just having it installed would stop my VP2 from running DCS for some reason. Another great benefit of using openXR now.

Cons:

The headset is heavy. Not too bad to wear, but definitely some weight to it. Inertia when looking around. Not great for fast pace frantic games, but fine for sims. Batteries last just fine atm. Sound is good, having speakers off the ear is nice. The microphone is non functional atm. Smart smoothing is "coming". Also, the price... ouch.

Can't run some games like Apollo11 VR. Not sure why, don't have time to fight with it. Flight sims are my priority atm.

I have to return it on Saturday, but I'm convinced and ordered one for myself. A worthy upgrade from VP2/G2 class headsets for sure.

Running 12700KF/64GB DDR4 3600/4090.

Edited July 18, 2023 by SneakyBastd

[lax22]

On 7/17/2023 at 1:05 AM, Hotdognz said:

 

Just received my Pimax Crystal with glass lens, coming from a G2 3 years, out of the box no DCS settings changed....OMG OMG, clarity and colors and FPS are amazing, the cockpit details I'm now seeing are just incredible in the AH64, F15SE and F16 so far.

 

FYI my PC specs are up there 4090, 13th gen, 64gig, highly optimised PC to get the best out of the G2, this has translated to a very good out of the box experience with the Pimax Crystal

 

From software installation to flying 20 mins max.

 

Sent from my CPH2333 using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

Thanks for your 1st impressions of the Crystal!

Pimax sent me my Fedex tracking # yesterday so hopefully I have the Crystal by the end of the week.

 

Do you use MSAA when running DCS in the Crystal?

I have seen several Youtube videos where the great fps in DCS was praised but when they showed a screenshot of the settings, MSAA was always off.

I run DCS with 4x MSAA in my current G2 since everything else just has horrible shimmer that I can't stand, not sure if that would be different in the Crystal....

[SneakyBastd]

Fwiw, I still use MSAA 2X. Just to get rid of the worst shimmer. I tried raising render res instead but it didn't fix it. There is still a slight shimmer, but better than what I had on the VP2. The shimmer is now minimal enough that I am not bothered by it anymore.

Edited July 18, 2023 by SneakyBastd

[Willie Nelson]

@SneakyBastd who knows if and when smart smoothing is going to be released by Pimax however you will get very significant performance improvements from “Quad Views Foveated” at least for DCS when @mbucchiareleases his new code, currently awaiting the Pimax Client update. The performance gains from his beta testers in DFR are outstanding through OpenXR.

Im hoping that I will be able to stick to my 3080ti with the Crystal, sounds at least plausible if I dial down the native supersampling. 
 

We’ll see. 

[mbucchia]

I actually released last night! So as soon as Pimax releases their eye tracking to the public, you can jump in:

https://github.com/mbucchia/Quad-Views-Foveated/wiki

 

[Hotdognz]

16 hours ago, metalnwood said:

Nice!  Which kiwi group are you flying with?   You are the first I know over here to get one.  I had another friend who got scared off and changed his order to a bsb the chicken as he had already done the 5k and 8k.

I fly with DCSNZA, you have too at some stage

[Hotdognz]

16 hours ago, SneakyBastd said:

My 2c. I'm trialling a friends crystal while he is away. It is awesome. I'm coming from a vive, then 5k+ (tried a G2 also), and now a vive pro 2 (which is hobbled on 40x0 gpus). The vive console software is horrible (frequent random view stutter/hitching), and steamVR hinders performance. Ditching that for openXR is awesome. My 4090 can stretch its legs now.

Pros:

Visuals are as impressive as you've heard. Clear across almost all the FOV. FOV is about same width as VP2, but clearly more vertically. The panels are higher res, but it is the lens that steal the show. So clear. HLAlyx is seriously impressive. So sharp, so much detail in everything.

Virtual Desktop showing my monitors, is like looking at 1440p monitor for real. Very clear.

DCS runs a bit strangely. I have settings a little lower to hold 90fps. But when it dips below, even slightly, the view stutters when turning the plane. Not sure what is happening there. Lower fps shouldn't stutter like that. I think DCS will need smart smoothing (not working atm) to lock it at 45. Then we can raise details. Still, it's very good even now. Don't need labels anymore for aircraft. Cockpits are clear and easily read without zooming in or leaning forward (finally).

MSFS runs really well. 67fps (feels pretty good, smooth enough) with highish settings native res. Very pretty game in the crystal.

OpenXR doesn't have dynamic eye rendering yet, but it isn't far away from what I hear. That will also be an amazing addition.

I can also use OpenXR Neck Safer now. Just having it installed would stop my VP2 from running DCS for some reason. Another great benefit of using openXR now.

Cons:

The headset is heavy. Not too bad to wear, but definitely some weight to it. Inertia when looking around. Not great for fast pace frantic games, but fine for sims. Batteries last just fine atm. Sound is good, having speakers off the ear is nice. The microphone is non functional atm. Smart smoothing is "coming". Also, the price... ouch.

Can't run some games like Apollo11 VR. Not sure why, don't have time to fight with it. Flight sims are my priority atm.

I have to return it on Saturday, but I'm convinced and ordered one for myself. A worthy upgrade from VP2/G2 class headsets for sure.

Running 12700KF/64GB DDR4 3600/4090.

 

I can concur with @Sneakybastd report except my microphone is working really well and its been reported by my mates on Discord my comms is very clear

I find the headset really well balanced and comfy and can wear it the full use of the batteries if needs 4+ hrs depending on if the USB charging hub is being used.

Im not having any DCS stutter issues though but im happy with less than 90 FPS and dont notice any stutter.

Once I settle on some settings I will post min up.

[muzica9]

16 hours ago, mbucchia said:

I actually released last night! So as soon as Pimax releases their eye tracking to the public, you can jump in:

https://github.com/mbucchia/Quad-Views-Foveated/wiki

 

have any effect at this moment without pimax sofware eye tracking not being ready? 

LE: after testing: have effect, but image quality is bad. so we need to wait for pimax update

Edited July 19, 2023 by muzica9

[dburne]

1 hour ago, muzica9 said:

have any effect at this moment without pimax sofware eye tracking not being ready? 

LE: after testing: have effect, but image quality is bad. so we need to wait for pimax update

 

Just like he said...

[mbucchia]

1 hour ago, muzica9 said:

have any effect at this moment without pimax sofware eye tracking not being ready? 

LE: after testing: have effect, but image quality is bad. so we need to wait for pimax update

 

It will do some sort of fixed foveated rendering when eye tracking is not available, but to be frank I have not tweaked at all the fixed foveated rendering settings so it does probably look bad indeed XD

This is really meant to be used with eye tracking!

[EazyE]

Ok, I must be missing something or doing something wrong. Rtx 4080, 5800 X3D, 32GB ram. Came from a Rift S and am not really blown away by the visuals. Also struggling to get fps out of the 30s. What settings are you running in game, OpenXR, or Pimax client to get the best clarity along with acceptable fps? Anyone else get blurring along the edges?

Edited July 20, 2023 by EazyE

[Hotdognz]

1 hour ago, EazyE said:

Ok, I must be missing something or doing something wrong. Rtx 4080, 5800 X3D, 32GB ram. Came from a Rift S and am not really blown away by the visuals. Also struggling to get fps out of the 30s. What settings are you running in game, OpenXR, or Pimax client to get the best clarity along with acceptable fps? Anyone else get blurring along the edges?

 

Ill put my settings up with this post.

I need to clarify what i consider outstanding clarity and visuals, for me the Pimax has made every helicopter and plane cockpit and model outstanding to look at, I can read all the gauges and MFDs across the whole lens range and they are not blurry compared to the G2 which had a small sweet spot, this is with every module I own, the details in the the latest modules for me the Apache and F15SE, I'm seeing details in the cockpit and external models' didn't see with the G2.

Now to the elephant in the room and that is the DCS maps (terrains), the Pimax made no difference to it, in fact it made me realize how old the terrain engine is is even on new maps, new maps like Syria and Sinai still have low poly models everywhere and blurry ground and model textures and I notice it even more now with a Pimax, the G2 masked it a little as it was always a little blurry out of the sweet spot. There is no fix for this what ever headset we own, the reality is the ED terrain engine is an old and no mater how hi the clarity in the headset it wont fix that, of course the new ground units look great too.

I will also mention I didn't have 2x MSAA on and was getting great FPS in the instant start Apache training grounds live fire range Caucus mission (65-72 FPS), I turned on MSAAx2 to reduce the shimmer the DCS terrain has and my FPS have settled at 45-55 now.

As for your FPS I cant comment they are different specs from mine and I have a very carefully optimized computer set up for just running games

 

[EazyE]

Appreciate all that. What are you running for Pixel density? Yea that MSAA is a b$&!* to fps. I thought I was the only one that noticed the terrain didn't look to great no matter what. In the Rift S the cockpit was already readable and clear for me so I guess that's why I wasn't completely blown away yet. 

[Hotdognz]

2 hours ago, EazyE said:

Appreciate all that. What are you running for Pixel density? Yea that MSAA is a b$&!* to fps. I thought I was the only one that noticed the terrain didn't look to great no matter what. In the Rift S the cockpit was already readable and clear for me so I guess that's why I wasn't completely blown away yet. 

Im running 1.0PD in DCS, I never change it there.

 

 

[Germane]

Am 21.7.2023 um 01:39 schrieb Hotdognz:

Now to the elephant in the room and that is the DCS maps (terrains), the Pimax made no difference to it, in fact it made me realize how old the terrain engine is is even on new maps, new maps like Syria and Sinai still have low poly models everywhere and blurry ground and model textures and I notice it even more now with a Pimax, the G2 masked it a little as it was always a little blurry out of the sweet spot. There is no fix for this what ever headset we own, the reality is the ED terrain engine is an old and no mater how hi the clarity in the headset it wont fix that, of course the new ground units look great too.

 

 

 

 

True words! The planes looks very good but the terrain....

And you notice it even more in VR

[Hippo]

What render resolution are you running?

[Hotdognz]

The headsets default resolution

Sent from my TB350FU using Tapatalk

[Hippo]

3 hours ago, Hotdognz said:

The headsets default resolution

Sent from my TB350FU using Tapatalk
 

IDK what that is, is it 2880 x 2880 per eye?

[Hotdognz]

IDK what that is, is it 2880 x 2880 per eye?

Yes

Sent from my TB350FU using Tapatalk

[ddahlstrom]

Yup, I just got my Crystal a few days ago (former OG Vive. Index, and Vive Pro 2 user). Visuals really are in another league entirely. This is finally what I imagined VR could look like in the future since my first day in this hobby.  All the top pet peeves I've had for years are addressed here.  Blur, gone. Glare, gone. SDE, gone. Washed-out colors, gone. Imagine having 20:20 vision in VR, and that's basically what it is like.  Even sound is great.  And in the areas that are secondary to me, it is fine. Comfort is fine. Weight is fine, FOV is fine (seems between my Index andVP2), software is fine (worked first time out of the box), tracking is fine (and once my lighthouse faceplate comes in it will have both inside-out and LH).  And then there's even more apparently on the way to look forward to: stand-alone mode, wireless PCVR support, eye tracked IPD and foveated rendering, and wider angle lenses.  Yes it is still mortal. It does have a smallish sweetspot of distortion, so you need to be in that for best image quality (though its much easier to do this than find the even smaller zone of clarity on my VP2); there can be a bit of bloom in night scenes due to the local dimming; and it can exhibit some chromatic aberration when looking away from center (though this has been almost unnoticeable when gaming so far).  But yeah.  I'm pretty happy with this thing.

 

Edited August 21, 2023 by ddahlstrom

[TAIPAN_]

8 hours ago, ddahlstrom said:

Yup, I just got my Crystal a few days ago (former OG Vive. Index, and Vive Pro 2 user). Visuals really are in another league entirely. This is finally what I imagined VR could look like in the future since my first day in this hobby.  All the top pet peeves I've had for years are addressed here.  Blur, gone. Glare, gone. SDE, gone. Washed-out colors, gone. Imagine having 20:20 vision in VR, and that's basically what it is like.  Even sound is great.  And in the areas that are secondary to me, it is fine. Comfort is fine. Weight is fine, FOV is fine (seems between my Index andVP2), software is fine (worked first time out of the box), tracking is fine (and once my lighthouse faceplate comes in it will have both inside-out and LH).  And then there's even more apparently on the way to look forward to: stand-alone mode, wireless PCVR support, eye tracked IPD and foveated rendering, and wider angle lenses.  Yes it is still mortal. It does have a smallish sweetspot of distortion, so you need to be in that for best image quality (though its much easier to do this than find the even smaller zone of clarity on my VP2); there can be a bit of bloom in night scenes due to the local dimming; and it can exhibit some chromatic aberration when looking away from center (though this has been almost unnoticeable when gaming so far).  But yeah.  I'm pretty happy with this thing.

 

 

Nice! Mine should arrive in a day or two. Will be my first time at VR in DCS, though I have tried with IL-2 in the past. I gave up VR because of too many compromises in previous headset and the overhype was a let down. I think the Crystal is the turning point where those that won't compromise on clarity like me can get started. 

I've got a 5800x3d CPU and selling my 3090 to get a 4090. With MT I can't be bothered changing CPU for a 5% difference because it requires a whole new build (motherboard, ram etc) but the 4090 will help alot. What FPS do people shoot for to get smooth in the crystal? 

Has anyone posted recommended settings for the crystal with DCS in OpenXR, Nvidia panel, and DCS settings? I'm starting from scratch so would be great to know a good initial setup.