First time Pimax customer PIREP

[Tshark]

I am a first time Pimax customer with a pretty high end system (see my signature) and I recently upgraded from a Reverb G2 to the Pimax Crystal.  I have had the Crystal for two and a half weeks with approximately 30 hours of usage.  I use VR strictly for DCS.

 

The short story is the Crystal was worth the money for me.  Excellent clarity, better FOV, better sound, and better darks.  Compared to the Reverb G2, this is a definite upgrade to the next generation of VR.

 

Based on all the horror stories I had read, my biggest apprehension was dealing with the Pimax company.  I pre-ordered the Crystal beginning of May and received an e-mail for payment beginning of July.  Two weeks after payment, I received another e-mail telling me there was a delay in shipping.  Pimax apologized for the delay and, as a token of gratitude for my patience, they gave me a $30 credit for their store.  The revised projected shipping date came and went.  A week later I created a support ticket inquiring about the status of shipping.  An hour after submitting the support ticket, a Pimax representative replied back to me that the HMDs were shipping that week.  The next day I got my shipping and tracking number notification.  Less than a week later I had the Crystal in my hands.

 

Set-up of the Crystal went smooth with the exception that the supplied powered USB hub had a loose jack.  I submitted a support ticket and also contacted a Pimax representative on Discord.  Within 24 hours Pimax advised a replacement hub would be sent out ASAP.

 

The biggest issue currently with the Crystal is battery life.  The HMD hardware IS able to keep the battery charged without the use of the supplied powered USB hub or battery hot swapping, but it is hit or miss.  Initially I was able to put 14 ½ hours of DCS play on the battery without needing to change it.  I lost HMD connection due to that defective power hub and after that I could only get 2 hours of play before a battery swap was required.  The battery hot swapping does not work in DCS and requires a restart of DCS.  Changing HMD connections directly to the motherboard without a powered USB hub suddenly brought back the battery charging.  I currently have a little over 10 hours of play without a battery change being required.  There is also a work around utilizing a charging port and additional cable to the HMD that provides unlimited battery life. Pimax is working to resolve this issue.   

 

There are many features of the Crystal that are in beta testing, including wifi, improved controller tracking, improved battery life, eye tracking, auto IPD, and dynamic foveated rendering.  My experience with Pimax has me convinced that these features will become a reality, but if any of these are an IMMEDIATE MUST HAVE for you, then I would recommend waiting to purchase a Crystal.

 

I found Pimax customer service to be good and quite different from the horror stories I have read.  In the short time I have owned the Crystal there have been several updates to the software and firmware.  This shows Pimax is working hard to improve the HMD. 

 

The release of Pimax’s Crystal and its current issues are common with PCVR.  Even the Reverb G2 (which is now considered one of the best “plug and play” VR headsets for the PC) started out with firmware/software problems, cable issues, and even such basic features as an ON/OFF button were missing.

 

I think the Pimax Crystal is the best VR headset for DCS currently.  For the price, performance, and current features it is a good upgrade.  As the new features come online it will only get better.  It is a lot of money, do your research, and I hope this helps.

[Willie Nelson]

Thanks for the objectivity. What are your specs? 

[Tshark]

My specs are in the signature.

 

[Willie Nelson]

19 hours ago, Tshark said:

My specs are in the signature.

 

So you’re still ruining a Pimax Crystal on a 9700 and a 2070….? 

[Tshark]

Sorry, I meant at the bottom of my post:

i9 10900KF 3.70GHz (5.30GHz Turbo), MSI RTX 4090 OC 24GB, ASUS Z590-E GAMING Motherboard, CORSAIR Vengeance 64GB DDR4 3600MHz, 2TB Intel 660P M.2 NVMe SSD, Virpil Alpha Joystick, T-50CM3 Throttle, MFG Xwind rudder pedals, Pimax Crystal VR.