Verdict
If you ’re looking for stunning VR visuals , and have a powerful enough gaming rig to handle it , the Pimax Crystal offers range faithfulness like no other . It also stands out as the only high - end PCVR headset to offer a standalone mode , although it ’s not too telling in that particular field . The bulky pattern and weight of the Crystal will confine its mainstream appeal , but for die - grueling sim racer , it could be just the right thing .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Pimax is a caller have intercourse for its high-pitched - death PCVR headset , and typically , they value visual fidelity above all else . This mean that you sometimes end up with a comically large headset , but with stunning visuals that make all the heft deserving it .
The brand ’s latest headset , the Crystal , is like , but it offers more versatility than ever before with incorporate standalone functionality , inside - out tag controllers and even oculus tracking .
The Pimax Crystal ab initio set up in the summertime of 2023 , and it was a bit of a bouldery start . There were numerous delays in the lead - up , and when it did eventually ship , some of its biggest feature of speech were yet to be enabled , like the standalone style and eye tracking . Now , though , Pimax has delivered on all of its promise , and we ’re testing the Crystal with all of its key features enabled .
The Pimax Crystal retail for £ 1699 / $ 1599 / € 1499 , so it definitely decrease into the agio category , but it justify its price by offering some of the highest - resolution panel usable and unmated versatility . Unlike most of its rivals , it ’s a ended system and does n’t need Vive Base Stations to work , though a lighthouse - compatible face plate is available as an optional accessory .
I was activated to find out how the Crystal compares to the competition , and I really want to know if it ’s deserving over three time as much as theMeta Quest 3 . If you ’re curious , too , then scan on as we explore it all .
Design and fit
There ’s no getting around the fact that the Pimax Crystal is a massive headset . It look like something a mech pilot would bust in an gum anime , and the angular chassis stay put out quite far from your face . It ’s pretty heavy , too , tiptoe the scale at over a kilo when the optional in high spirits - faithfulness earpiece are attach .
Those complaining about the weight of the Apple Vision Pro would be in for a shock with this one , but in fair-mindedness , Pimax has been heedful with its design to take some of the pressure off from your face .
Firstly , there ’s a buttocks - climb battery pack , which acts as a counterbalance , and an elasticated top shoulder strap that helps distribute the exercising weight . lastly , there ’s an optional spare - large foam piece that rests on your forehead and strike some weightiness by from your cheekbones , which I chose to use throughout my testing .
There ’s a rigid charge card halo strap , a bit like the Elite Strap for the Meta Quest 3 , only it ’s turgid to match the considerable cinch of this headset . It tightens with a knob at the prat , and two shoulder strap run from the front to the back , one is made from pliant and the other is rubber . As standard it has cheeseparing - field speakers built into the strap , but my test unit come with the optional DMAS earphone raise , which is a $ 99 add - on .
These headphone can swivel and offer to be positioned next to , but not affecting , your pinna . The system of rules works well , but I ca n’t help but wish they were a little more rigid in their positioning , as I had to align them back into place every time I put the headset on .
The headset is mostly made from matte smutty charge card , with a shiny silver-tongued V - influence embroidery on the front panel , and a matching finish on the buttons . The textile reminds me of a typical gaming laptop from a few class back , before aluminium lids became the standard . It does n’t feel cheap , per se , but it does n’t finger premium , either , and it ’s an absolute fingermark attracter . To me , the Quest 3 looks much more high - end , which is dry , given it retail for about a third of the cost .
The Pimax has standalone functionality , but in monastic order to habituate it with a microcomputer , you ’ll need to be tethered with a cable . There ’s a big proprietary connector next to the left-hand ear , it ’s a little fiddly to touch base , but it ’s a rock - solid connectedness when it ’s in place . On the personal computer side , the Crystal need two USB - A ports and a DisplayPort connecter . However , I found that a high - lineament HDMI to DisplayPort transcriber will work out too , if you want to use the headset with a potent gaming laptop , for instance .
Controllers
The controllers are very similar to those that came with the Quest 2 and have an almost very clitoris layout and conversant trailing rings . They ’re finished in smooth matte black credit card like the headset , which is hunky-dory , but feel very introductory . A minuscule texture would go a long way to making these finger more refined . For instance , the Quest 3 controllers have a kind of ballock - shell feel to them , and it just makes them palpate better in the hand .
The control are functional but unremarkable . The buttons are a little mushy , and the triggers have slightly more electric resistance than I ’m used to , but both work fine and they never held me back in gameplay . All the usual touch / proximity detector are present , too , and 90 % of the time , they ’ll work with Quest push map for PCVR titles .
When I first tried the Crystal , the controller trailing was n’t the most reliable , and it was very noticeable in fast - paced game like Beat Saber . However , after legion firmware updates , things are feeling a stack better . I still think they ’re slenderly less accurate than the Quest controllers , but it ’s closelipped than ever on the current firmware .
Despite these niggles , I am very beaming that the Crystal comes with accountant . It ’s so much easier to get set up than a headset like the Varjo Aero or Bigscreen Beyond , which both require Vive pedestal stations and controllers to function – and if you do n’t already have them , that ’s a important extra cost .
The comptroller have built - in batteries and guardianship via USB - C. I love to see this , as many controller , including the Quest 3 controllers , still use AA batteries . They unquestionably do n’t last as long as my AA battery - power controllers , but I do n’t have to go hunting for batteries when they die , and that ’s a winnings in my book .
Specs and features
One of the most unique aspects of the Pimax Crystal is that it go as both a gamey - remainder PCVR headset and a standalone arrangement . When I first try the headset in the summer of 2023 , the standalone mode had yet to be enabled , and it was taking so long that I began to question if it would ever come to realisation .
for certain enough , it eventually arrived in October 2023 set up with 11 titles in the store , and there are now 12 available , by my numeration . It ’s a very small subroutine library , and it ’s missing most of the game that draw citizenry toward platforms like the Quest 3 andPico 4 . Still , there ’s a fistful of fun games like Hitstream and Pierhead Arcade , as well as X - Fitness and OpenBrush if you ’re seem to get a workout in or make some art .
The Crystal is powered by a Snapdragon XR2 , just like theQuest 2and Pico 4 . It ’s a equal to fleck , but when paired with such high - resolution oculus , you ’ll notice a big dip in caliber equate to using the headset with a PC . Still , the tracking work well , and carrying out in this modality is decent .
Honestly , it ’s just a bit of an rum proposition . I suppose it could be utilitarian if you require to take the Pimax Crystal to a champion ’s house and give them a gustatory perception of VR without needing to lug your gambling rig over , but otherwise , the library is too limited and the headset is too bulky to be considered as a standalone result .
Another standout feature is eye tracking , something that you ’ll only find on high - terminal headset like theMeta Quest Proand Apple Vision Pro . This too was missing at launching , but it get in October alongside the standalone mode . With the latest firmware , every time you put the headset on , it measures your IPD and automatically correct the lenses for perfect clarity , it ’s fairly slick .
For my needs , the chief vantage of eye tracking is that it enables foveated rendering . This is a technique that renders the area of the concealment that you ’re look at in the highest faithfulness while utilise a insidious fuzz to the area in your fringe . I ’m running anRTX 3070 , which is no slouch , but it can struggle with the high resolution of the Pimax Crystal displays . This proficiency takes some load off the GPU , allowing me to delight higher framerates and increase the fidelity of my game . It ’s great .
Of course , center tracking also exercise for societal experiences like VR Chat . Other players will be capable to see your pupils move and your eyes blink , which adds another stratum of reality to your incarnation . This is n’t something that I ’m too conversant with , but for some , it ’s a huge mint . If you ’re interested in this aspect , it ’s worth noting that the Crystal does n’t currently support wink , or close up your optic halfway . Though developers are actively working on a solution .
Image quality
So long as you have a befittingly powerful PC to run it , the Pimax Crystal is capable of allow for astonishing visuals . It ’s one of the high - resolution headsets available today , only outgo by the Apple Vision Pro , and has a similar pixel density to the pricey spatial computer , too .
It uses QLED panel with miniLED backlighting to achieve impeccable black tier . There are over 2000 dimming zones per eye , which is about four times the amount extend by the Meta Quest Pro , meanwhile , the Quest 3 does n’t have local dimming at all .
I tested the Quest 3 and the Pimax Crystal side by side to get a good idea of the difference in quality , and it really is dark and day . I ’ve never had any complaints about the image timbre of the Quest 3 , and it ’s still my go - to headset , but read off the Crystal and put on the Quest is like change over from a 4 honey oil OLED to a 720p LCD .
The Pimax Crystal prioritises simulacrum caliber over everything , and the results are superb . The aspheric lenses have a large perfumed billet , and there ’s fundamentally no glare or god radiate to speak of . The only ocular artifact I noticed was some slight chromatic deviance toward the edges of the display . The aspect gasket completely blocks out ambient light , and it ’s passing immersive .
The Crystal looks so good that it just makes you require to load up every VR statute title in your subroutine library and just gawk at the scenery . Kayak VR and Half - Life : Alyx were the two title that impress me the most , but everything take care telling , even comparatively unsubdivided - looking game like I Expect You To Die have a level of sheen that you ca n’t attain with most other headsets .
The only pocket-sized disappointment for me was the field of force of view . It ’s still dependable , but it ’s a importantly narrower FOV than the Pimax 8KX , and scarce any wider than the Quest 3 . It ’s very easy to forget about it as soon as you ’re immersed in a plot , though , and lenses that sustain a wider FOV should be available as an additional leverage at some point in time in the near future .
Battery life
Since the Pimax Crystal can be used standalone , it needs a bombardment system . However , the thwarting part is that it requires a charged stamp battery to be used as a personal computer VR headset , too . And while some standalone headsets will keep up their burster when tether to a PC , the Pimax Crystal will drain , even if you ’re using a powered USB hub , which now comes include with the kit .
Since I ’ve had my test unit for a while , it did n’t come with this USB hub , and that means I can get about four hours of playtime per battery . With the powered hub attach , that playday is unfold to 6 - 8 hours , but apparently it ’ll have no effect in standalone mode .
Two batteries come in the box , along with an arranger to institutionalise them via USB - C. The headset has a tiny 120mAh barrage built - in , and this allows you to hot - barter between the two battery , if you ’re ready enough . alas , that ’s a big “ if ” , as the shelling pack are incredibly hard to remove .
There are two shaping tabs to lower on either side of the battery , and you have to tug them so hard that it sense like you ’re about to break something . Those with goody finger are go to have a horrific time assay to swop batteries . It ’s the unmarried most frustrating thing about the Crystal . Of course , if you ’re never playing for more than six hour at a time , as most of us are n’t , it might not be something that you ever need to worry about .
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Should you buy it?
Simply put , the Pimax Crystal provide the best image quality of anyVR headsetthat I ’ve flog to my straits . If that ’s what you ’re calculate for , this could be the one for you .
The main thing that finish me from using the Crystal more often is how heavy and bulky it is . It ’s just not practical when you want to have a quick bang on Beat Saber , it ’s more suitable to invest experience like sim racing .
Final Thoughts
I ’m not really the target demographic for the Pimax Crystal ; my favored VR experience are games like Pistol Whip and Beat Saber , which require you to thresh about energetically . The Pimax Crystal , with its size and weight , just is n’t suit to these character of game . Instead , it ’s perfect for flight sim partisan or sim racers , who are normally seated , and just want the best possible visuals to immerse them in the game .
The latter scenario is where the Crystal truly shines . It offers the best figure I have ever go steady through aVR headset , and if that ’s what you ’re after , it ’s unquestionably worth considering .
Now that the Varjo Aero has been discontinue , there ’s not a lot of contest around this Leontyne Price point , either . The upcoming Somnium VR1 will reportedly cost much more with similar specifications , and the Bigscreen Beyond is just the polar opposite in terms of design . Meanwhile , the Vision Pro is in a whole dissimilar price class , and will belike never work with a PC .
candidly , I do n’t think the standalone functionality should factor into the equating . It ’s just too limited in its current state to be of much employment to anyone . So that leaves us with a bulky PCVR headset with stunning visuals , eye tracking and commodious comptroller . Despite some design frustrations , I think it save enough to be deserving its asking price . For me personally , I ’ll be stick to something more svelte , with few wires , like theMeta Quest 3 .
Trusted Score
How we test
When testing a VR headset , we check that to try out out a change of games and apps . We measure various aspects , such as the design , fit , screen timbre , battery life sentence and the feature set .
FAQs
No , the headset and controller both tender inside - out tracking capabilities .
Currently , there are only 12 rubric available on the Pimax Crystal ’s standalone app store .
Full Specs
