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It's good that taxes were mentioned, because other youtubers are not mentioning them at all. In my country i have to pay £151 extra in taxes plus another £28 for delivery above the advertised price. It was enough to stop me from buying this headset right now.
Great video Voodoo. Thank you for giving us this information! It’s very nice that the software and set up didn’t give you any issues. You not having to change or adjust anything in the Pimax Play software is great. But it’s also nice that Pimax Play gives you dozens of ways to adjust and tweak the HMD for each users wants or needs. It allows users to get the absolute best VR experience. I purchased a Crystal in January and it quickly became my favorite VR HMD. This is after I used the Varjo Aero for over a year and a Quest 3 since its launch. The Crystal visuals are truly next level. Not to mention the software, audio, mic, reliability, comfort and customer service are all above industry standard. Speaking of comfort, after comfort adjustments (all VR HMDs need small tweaks for best comfort), I’m able to live stream PCVR for 4-6 hours straight with no adjustments needed. So I imagine the Crystal Light is very comfortable and no issue for fast movement VR titles. Thanks again voodoo! Cheers!
From a sim racers perspective this is an enticing option, currently use a Q3 and love it but with Crystals display port for low latency, higher resolution and better contrast this is ticking the right boxes
If you have a motion rig the Bigscreen Beyond is the winner. I was racing in my rig pretty comfortably with the Quest 3, but after using the Bigscreen I started noticing how even the Quest 3 was bouncing on my face. The Crystal was a nightmare in this and more regards.
I have posted this in another video, but because a lot of VR enthusiasts watch these videos, maybe I can get someone elses input on this issue here... I have recently received my Pimax crystal light. I am blown away by the clarity and the colors BUT I have an issue that I wanted to ask if anyone else has noticed. Compared to the Reverb G2 -the Pimax feels like it is a lot more distorted and "flatter" when looking at distances. In the reverb G2 I can accurately estimate the dimensions of a box for example, and the virtual world feels like it's measuring up to how I see it for real. With the Pimax however, everything looks flat further away than 5 meters and even though I can make out the depth -it doesn't feel nowhere near as realistic as the reverb G2 in that regard... that is my ONLY complaint about the headset and I wonder if someone else has had that experience. I am in two minds wether I should keep it or not as this really takes the immersion out for me. I have tried adjusting the IPD on the headset as well as shifted it around in the software. It is enough for me to actually enjoy playing with the Reverb G2 more than the Pimax, and I would prefer that not to be the case.
Same problem, too, plus I cannot find a sweetspot. The letter clarity is great, when looking with one eye only, but I cannot get the other eye sharp. But even with the sharp eye, distant objects are blurry.
@@MrPeperoni79 After researching this it seems to be an issue with the lenses on mine. It has an insane amount of distortion and looking off in the distance makes me very cross-eyed. I am in contact with Pimax now using the ticket system. I'm hoping it won't be too much of a hassle getting a replacement. I truly want this headset as an upgrade to my Reverb G2!
@@OhlsonAnimation Could you find a solution? I have the same problem...coming from an index its extremely clear and stuff but like you describe...everything in the distance looks really fucking flat...I'm about to senend back the Headset...spend Hours fiddling around with IPD, software screen offset etc. but i cant get anywear near the immersion i get from the valve index...i am able to unsee the distortion you mentioned, stoped noticing it after some time but esecially when npcs move in front of each other i cant really tell witch one is closer to me...
Thanks for the review, would you recommend it over the big screen beyond even if they were the same price? I'm trying to decide between these two. Thanks
If you want a smaller FOV, glare, but with a plug and play experience get the Bigscreen Beyond. But you will also have to add an audio solution plus base station and controllers ($600.00 additional)
I have the original Crystal and the Bigscreen Beyond (and Quest 3). For me it's not even close. Bigscreen Beyond all the way, yes the lens quality (and therefore image quality) might be worse. But the weight and size are so much better that for me it's Beyond all the way.
Thank you Thomas. What an AWESOME review. Very helpful. Since I do entirely PCVR flight simulation can I forgo the hand controllers and just use my mouse. Also, does the connection need to go through steam VR for DCS.
VoodooDE is my go-to guy for all things VR. All the evidence you need to know that this guy knows what he is talking about is right there behind him! 🤣
As always, very thorough and into all the important details that we VR users need to know. You are always spot on with your information and perhaps ever more importantly, honest. I have been struggling with my Quest 3 lately playing Dirt Rally 2 - it just got so muddy and ugly, and you absolutely sold me on this headset. I just ordered and have one on the way! I can't wait for crystal clear PCVR!!!
how would this with a base station setup and index controllers compare with the index setup? I am wondering if the index still has some better functional features that are hidden in the software or the hardware or both, regarding all sorts of rendering techniques and the likes that just make the VR experience better.
Thank you for the thorough and "to-the-point" review. My reverb G2 has decent FPS in MSFS and DCS with a system with RTX 3080. My big ask for you is: what's the FPS in MSFS and DCS w/ Pimax Light and Reverb G2 with your existing 4090. It would be really nice to get these numbers using RTX 3080. I appreciate your help & understanding.
It's not really a matter of numbers, it's a matter of image quality. Yes you might get a decent frame rate on MSFS with an RTX 3080 and two 3k screens, IF you set image quality accordingly, meaning, at least, DLSS mode Performance. Whether it will worth it, that's the question. And the answer is very subjective. Some people will say it will look good enough, other will say it will look terrible. Also, MSFS2024 is coming. Wait and see.
Super happy that you like it much more than the Quest 3 for PCVR. I got it because I only play PCVR and I wanted to get rid of the compression and latency issues.
@@martales8563 I just watched a youtuber playing pavlov at 90fps on the crystal light with my exact same video card. At full resolution. You are simply just hating for no reason.
Fantastic, I am excited to get mine. I'm curious to see how good it looks from inside of the headset and how much FOV I can get out of it. Thanks, Thomas, for the review. Nice Hair Cut! Oh by the way, 24:22 you said, 85mm lowest IPD but, I know you meant 58mm 🤷🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️☺️👍HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY! 😉👌
Is there a reason those things have to be that gigantic? Also lets be honest just having good lenses and displays doesn't cut it anymore. Anyway, great review.
It uses the same housing as the Crystal. The Crystal was originally intended to serve as a platform from which to develop the necessary components for the 12K. They wanted to save money on having to redesign certain things like tracking (due to differing camera placement). Also they got to re-use faceplates between headsets. The large housing was intended to hold the big FOV lenses of the 12K.
Great review, there's a lot to consider. Very tempted to upgrade from Quest3 but I'm a little disappointed at the FOV, I thought Pimax were much bigger.
Mic quality is WAY worse than regular Crystal: 27:51 vs ua-cam.com/video/qxNYsKz9Huk/v-deo.htmlsi=qD7QhfUeVQger5S0&t=1685 It seems getting rid of the 3th mic was a mistake, and cannot be justified with weight reduction (2 grams?) according to the lost in quality, necessary for multiplayer chat and voice commands. I can't understand why in the world the Super version has too only 2 mics.
@@ChrisM541 It depends which gamers. Not for gamers who want to have a decent multiplayer chat, streaming or voice recognition programs. You said it: functional, when it was already a quality product and my point is that there isn't any apparent reason for the change.
@@buzzow Obviously(!!!) you haven't tried it out therefor your comment is equally obviously premature. They changed things to reduce cost (or maximise profit...they are a business). I'll hold my conclusion till it's tested out in that arena by a number of actual users.
@@ChrisM541 Mate, I don't pretend to "win" the conversation, but try to get my point and read that I wrote, please. It's not a premature comment because the issue is documented here and other reviews, so I don't need to try it to see the issue because it's not anything related to form factor, you just need to have ears, and it's something I already commented on MRTV and VRFlightSimGuy channels: on MRTV review I link too the minute when he tests mic and paste the link with his own regular crystal mic test to make the comparison like here, and the quality downgrade it's really noticeable. On VRFlightSimGuy he not only talks about it, but in the end he attaches a external mic mod because using the headset mic for the review sounds like shit. My point is that such a quality downgrade can't be justified by weight or costs reductions (absurdly minimal on this point), and anyway we're not talking about a 300$ headset to have such a cheap microphone; the thing is even worst when the Crystal Super as I mentioned has same (I guess same) 2 mics: if the mic quality is the same on a high end (and expensive) headset is ridiculous. Maybe this aspect is not important for you, I get that, but it's for others (I'm totally sure not only me); I've played a lot of multiplayer games or just chat while playing, and I know hearing someone with this audio quality for hours ends with "Mate, please, just don't talk". Don't pretend to be rude or make an opinion battle of this, just trying to point a problem that it's there and that it's weird because it has, at least for me, no sense.
The CRYSTAL SUPER they are releasing by Q4 this year is going to be mind-blowing. I wonder if RTX4090 will be enough or we should wait for RTX5090 to ensure a smooth running on games.
@@kiztime1234 too early adopting IMO, i choosed the crystal light that is quite improved now. Maybe i'll get the crystal super later when everything will be fixed. and when the rtx 5000 series will be fixed too.
Hi there, can I just get the base headset and use it's inside out tracking combined with my lighthouses+index controllers or does it jave to be the lighthouse faceplate version?
You need the lighthouse faceplate to use LH tracking. You can get the local dimming version with that plate for $100 off right now, which is how I bought it.
I use the Index knuckles with an HP G2 already, but they pair with the PC through USB dongles (reflashed my 2x steam controller dongles). If I buy this it will be the inside out tracked version, no need for the lighthouse faceplate in this case, but the Index controllers can't pair directly with your PC, they normally go via the Index HMD.
Still using the same brick sized housing baffles me i guess even ultra small m-oled will use the same one do they not have the R&D money for new housing while selling 1k+ headsets... guess ill stick to bigscreen beyond although has pretty atrocious glare issues.
@@gaminginstilllife9429 price is really only $100 different if you already have base stations but yeah glare is a big issue but for pimax id say quality control is an issue so no winners in the end.
Not only is the top headband wider on the Crystal Light, the clip on top of the HMD itself (that holds the top head band) is apparently a lot thicker/sturdier than the original (which was prone to braking). Very glad to see a double improvement there.
Did you remember to put the battery in to the Crystal when measuring it on the scale? Per Pimax's marketing images they claim to have removed 60 grams from the rear by getting rid of the battery. That might explain the difference. Nice review. I agree with you that this, plus eye tracking, is what Pimax should have released as the original Crystal. Also a smaller housing wouldn't hurt. Hopefully the wireless adapter performs well. That plus Pimax getting Almalence or something similar integrated into into their setup would help redeem the original Crystal.
So, I can see you have DMAS, which is £100 odd extra for us in the UK, but does that nice headstrap cost extra too? They seem to be shipping deluxe versions to all the initial reviewers.
Why does Pimax still make the DMAS headphones with the blue plastic parts? The sounds is good but I think that is a quick fix from them to change to black like the strap
I want VR goggles that have absolutely the best clarity, I don't care about anything else. I want to be able to read text sharp and clear without blurring and chromatic issues. What is your recommendation.
@@adrenalinejunkie3828 Not to count those, me of course being one of them, just dropping entirely the purchase. No way I spend EU 980 including VAT for a visor.
Hi Thomas, Thanks for the review, tempting but too expensive after we add dmas, faceplate and 25% extra taxes (here at least). If they made it smaller (instead of exact same shell), included dmas and added fans to stop fogging like Q3 or Pico4 has then would of got one.
If someone is willing to to pay more than double the price of what a G2 typically sold for sure it’ll be a viable replacement. This will run over $900. if you want controllers with the base headset that’s $699. Add DMAS $99 speakers to match up with comparable G2 speakers. Local dimming adds another $100
@@OperatorPuski Yeah but it’s the only affordable native pcvr headset there has been in a while. You don’t really need to buy base stations or expensive index controllers to use it
It sounds like an oxymoron. Foveated means it renders higher where you are looking, but fixed means you are only looking straight ahead. I'm guessing 2.0 just means a version w/o eye tracking.
@@rogerwilcojr thanks but it's not the expedited answer 😅 I know what "fixed foveated rendering" is. We can use it to any headset with OpenXR Toolkit. So I guess "2.0" means an enhanced fixed foveated rendering but what/how?
@@scanx6163 Just trying to help. I wonder if they give you eye drops to paralyze your eye muscles? Actually, this is the first I've heard of FFR and it sounds like a Band-Aid for your HMD.
@@rogerwilcojr I 100% agree. "Fixed Foveated Rendering" is nothing more than braindead marketing for the braindead. All it is, is central sweet spot = high res, with the res lowering as you move to the screen edges. Nothing less, nothing more. It is exactly because of the presence of sweet spots on every HDM that we cannot get true foveated rendering. And because these sweet spots are still shockingly small, any foveated rendering method that claims to use eye tracking is total bullsh#t since it's effects will very quickly be cancelled out by today's lenses. We'll need a few iterations of lens innovation before we, hopefully, have true edge to edge full resolution, that getting what you are paying for. Only then will true foveated rendering have a chance to deliver on it's significant potential.
@@ChrisM541 yes but with the 2.0 maybe there is a better algorithms, a better optimization, something new... Or maybe it's just marketing. If it's marketing it's more like a lie...
Thomas, how good is this compared to Pico4/Quest3 in terms of FOV, my problem is the black ring around my eyes if I move my eyes, and the Pico4, for example, I can notice the black ring on the side, I heard that the Pimax VR headsets as enormous FOV, but is FOV determined by the lens and the black ring around it or is it because we need to be closer to the lenses on our faces?
You guys must have strong necks. My G2 is giving me neckpain after 2 hours of use and it's almost half the weight of Pimax. I'm waiting for 350g max headset with better optics than Big screen before I upgrade.
there won't be such a headset for a long time. I think you better go check up your neck instead of waiting for a lighter headset to come out :) most bicycle helmets are heavier than 400gram
I think the true next generation of VR headsets will in fact be much smaller. Thats the natural cycle of technology. The days of big heavy headsets wont be forever.
What diameter are the lenses? I currently have a Quest 2 which I use for simulators making the Pimax Crystal Light a tempting upgrade. In the Quest 2 I have quite a lot of vision around the lenses, so I would like to know if these lenses are bigger then those on Quest 2, apart from moving 4mm more apart. Thanks for any replies!
Hello, thanks for the review. Does it really make sens to have such resolution when no GPU can drive it properly? I am a MSFS player and it seems to me even 2Kx2K per eye is already a lot for an nvidia gtx 4080, how could any GPU handle twice more pixels? Especially considering the rumors that the next generation of GPU won't be that much better...
I'm a heavy user of a Reverb G2 for DCS, which weighs 550g and it's comfortable. I get that the Crystal Light is a lot lighter than the Crystal, but at 925g it's 375g heavier than the G2 😕. Even so, I have one on pre-order. Am I likely to get neck ache or do I need to start exercising my neck?
@@TomsTech94 I dont actually use thr WMR features. As for the headset I find it nice and sharp for DCS and it performs reasonably (albeit a little lower res) in MSFS2020. I don't use controllers as I'm sitting with joystick and throttle mostly. The only thing I can fault is the relatively low FOV. If the Crystal Lights features slam dunk it and isnt too heavy for me I'll be selling the G2 (and my old odyssey+). It'll have to be pretty awesome to justify the price hike (incl taxes) and almost double weight.
@TomsTech94 at this point I don't think there is. I think every current WMR user is avoiding the 24H2 update and hoping that there is a work around by 2026.
@@UsernameWitheld it's irrelevant whether you "use" WMR features. No WMR, no VR, as simple as that. It seems, while it is still not fully confirmed, that the only options that will remain to use our G2 in a couple of months are rolling back to Windows 10 or blocking all windows updates. And yes it is a complete shame but it is what it is. Your G2 and mine are already totally worthless on the second hand market.
I tried my first VR headset (an Oculus Rift S off ebay) and sold it the next day, it looked terrible, maybe because I need glasses? is it possible to use a VR headset if you need glasses?
@@VoodooDE_VR You replied under the wrong comment but I'll respond here. Thanks for the reply. That's interesting, I wonder if the DMAS speakers are that much heavier than the stock SMAS included? I wouldn't think the comfort facial foam makes much of any difference. Still 925 grams is a definite improvement over the Crystal and closer to the ballpark of an Index. Some people might still want to get the comfort strap with it though.
Watched a video about people having issues with the 'Focus? and they had to return their units. Are you aware of this? The display not focusing properly.
Funny how all the samples being sent out to reviewers have the DMAS speakers attached. For $99 extra you can have them too on your headset. Also, if you want controllers you have to make sure you select the headset that actually includes controllers. You can get this without controllers
@Operatorpuski - what on earth is your point, lol? Pimax is giving those buyers a significant saving if they already have suitable controllers...and many do! Same with the headphones - they're an option(!!). This is how it SHOULD be done...giving buyers a saving on accessories they already have. Are you so insane as not to comprehend this?
this thing has the same or better visuals than 1500 bucks and up headsets. it is an incredible bargain. im looking forward to the super-version, as a 5k and 8k user, i need those 130° fov as absolute minimum.
pimax better fix that roomscale issue cause it's a big deal and very annoying to have to set up again the room setup when it happens according to you 30 to 40% of the time...
Well the PIMAX Crystal Light may be somewhat better, but I will still stick with my Quest 3 for my SIM racing games. Quest 3 is a lighter headset, visual qualities are good enough for me, I don't need allot of extra apps to run the Quest 3, and I can run the Quest 3 wireless if I want to. i only have a RTX-3080TI and it runs the Quest 3 very well. i think with the PIMAX, I would have to turn down some of the resolution settings. I am not about to buy a RTX-4090. i thought one other video said that they are not going to make the Crystal light without dimming. Not sure if that is true. We shall see. Thanks for your video. Take care.
Is there any way to use Pimax with Linux? It seems like many headsets work due to Steam VR, but I was worried due to the Pimax software... and trying to search online didn't answer definitively but doesn't sound very hopeful currently.
I'll ask you a difficult question: if both viewers were new and cost the same price, would you buy a crystal light or a standard crystal? And why? Thank you
The main feature the Crystal has over the Crystal Light is eye tracking. The most noteworthy benefit of this is dynamic foveated rendering (DFR) which provides a performance boost which is nice given how high resolution the displays are. For most games the performance difference is not earth shattering but it helps. The one game where it really makes a difference is DCS using Quad Views so if you're really into that it's worth considering. The Crystal Light provides fixed foveated rendering (FFR) and apparently also is supported by Quad Views. Personally I think FFR kind of negates the benefit of having lenses with good edge to edge clarity as you're forced to look at the center of the display for good visuals. Another feature already mentioned is auto-IPD adjustment which is more of a convenience than anything. Lastly, if you're into social VR stuff like VRChat you can have your eyes tracked on your avatar. There's no face tracking built-in on the Crystal though. Another feature eye tracking enabled that was trialed for a short time but is no longer available is dynamic lens correction using a plugin made by a company called Almalence. This provided optimal image warp profiles for the lens based on where your eye is looking. It helped improve image clarity/sharpness and reduce chromatic aberration (CA). Pimax so far decided against integrating it into their software unfortunately. Between the two currently the Crystal Light is probably the better buy unless you're a big fan of DCS or want to squeeze as much performance as possible out of games with DFR and don't mind the extra weight. Pimax is working on a wireless adapter that will require the use of foveated transport which requires eye tracking so that'll be exclusive to the Crystal. Since that's still in development we don't know how that will perform. Early demos seem promising. Pimax is also working on a mixed reality faceplate which will be compatible with the Crystal and upcoming Crystal Super. I'm not sure if it will work with the Crystal Light. The Crystal also has alternative lenses (42PPD and wide FOV) but reception so far of both is lackluster and there's no further plans that we know of regarding that. The Crystal standalone mode is basically not really worth mentioning.
@@wittyname-sy5je FFR is barely noticeable if done well and it's the reason why Steam Link for the Quest provides a better wireless image than Meta Link. I was watching some Steam Link reviews beforehand and nobody meantioned the FFR-trick, probably because they didn't notice it. Using it for wireless VR is certainly very clever to reduce bandwidth. Even if you notice it, you will completely forget about it while playing. I got new glasses last week, the first time with progressive lenses for better close to mid-range vision, which means I have a tiny sweetspot far worse than FFR I can tell. But within those days I got accustomed to it and automatically move my head more to stay in the sweetspot of sharp vision. DFR would be certainly better, if it would work globally. IMO better to use FFR for FPS, which can be obsolete with upcoming GPUs than sacrificing a proper sweetspot to gain some blurry hFOV, like Bigscreen Beyond did I guess.
Hiya, Time to upgrade my steam index headset, just want to know if my Index controllers and bass stations will work with the Pimax Crystal Light? I'm only 15 minutes into your review so apologise if you have answered my question within the review! P.S. Love your reviews have been subscribed for years!
Exactly, these headsets weight a ton. This is definitely far better than the old Pimax Crystal I had which was heavier and it even had a silly battery.
I love my Quest 3, but I am sick of the muddy quality I get on Dirt Rally 2. I love the game and I love the headset, but they do not go well together and I need a solution for my sim racing needs. It looks like I may have just found it. Now to just hold my breath and pull the trigger on another expensive toy!
@@JasonXBeats I ordered on June 20th and it was set at six to eight weeks at the time. However, shortly after that, orders ramped up so I’ll just have to wait and see if I’m at the earlier end of that or the later end.
I currently have the Quest 3 and enjoy it. Thanks for this review of the Crystal Light. The only possible advantage I see for me with the PIMAX Light is the direct connection to the Display Port. My questions are on Graphics card usage: What graphics limitations do we have since I only have a RTX-3080TI? I know allot of people use the RTX-4090, but I am not about to spend the money for this GFX card when my Quest 3 works just fine. How does the PIMAX Light compare to Quest 3 far as Game visual quality? You say PIMAX has good quality, but how much better than the Quest 3? Is it just a little bit or substantial? Remember I only have a RTX-3080TI GFX card, so graphics resolutions would probably have to be reduced for the PIMAX. I see this headset good for VR sitting games. I do allot of SIM racing with my Quest 3. The games work great with the Quest. So final words, is it even worth buying a PIMAX Light over the Quest 3 since I see no problems with my Quest 3? Plus my Quest 3 is much lighter and is wireless if needed. I usually connect my Quest 3 via USB link cable - no problems. Also I can run allot of my games with the Quest 3 in Oculus mode, not needing Steam VR. Thanks for the extensive video overview of PIMAX Light headset. The price of this headset is much more reasonable than the regular PIMAX Crystal.
Excellent overview of this new HDM, cheers bud. Subscribed. I currently have a Reverb G2, and since Microsoft is, with an upcoming Windows update, about to make this headset non functional, the substantial numbers of G2 users, together with other similar headsets e.g. Vive will be looking at the Pimax Light as a definite upgrade/replacement. So, it's going to be honest "G2 vs Light" comparison videos, in particular, that will be important here in helping us make our minds up. We also have the option of staying on our current Windows builds through a simple Group Policy entry, though that wouldn't be ideal. However, the G2 has been around and we're keen on seeing good 'affordable' upgrade choices. The Light seems tan excellent target here. - With that, can you do an honest 'warts and all' comparison of these 2 headsets? - Any issues using AMD 7900XT/XTX cards? - I, also like many others, came from the Oculus Rift and have extensive Oculus games libraries. For the G2 we use the excellent Revive software to allow us to play those games. Do you know if Revive works with the Pimax Light? That would be really important.
The problem with AMD 7900XT/XTX is only on wireless headsets with encoding/decoding like Quest2/Quest3 because of reasons having to do with Meta/Oculus being Nvidia Biased. Any headset with direct true signal (Displayport) will work flawlessly, better the Nvidia GPUs of the same price. You can check any 4k flat game benchmarks, because that's the equivalent of VR with Displayport.
@@banariecristian3466 Thanks Barnie, I appreciate this. Can you answer a question...what part of the following is "Nvidia biased" ? ... As far as I understand, the Quest 3 uses the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2, a system-on-chip manufactured by Qualcomm and based on their Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 flagship mobile phone SoC, which Meta says as having more than twice the raw graphics (GPU) performance of the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 used by the Quest 2 and other similar standalone headsets. At least, that's my understanding - so no involvement of Nvidia here. Or am I wrong? Additionally, when we talk of dGPU's such as the 7900XT/XTX we're always talking wired. The dGPU equivalent of the Quest 3 would be very significantly below that of the 7900XT.
@@ChrisM541 Yea, I'm talking about using the Oculus connected to a PC, either wired or wireless. The 7000 generation AMD GPUs are not supported officially even 2 years after release, so they will have worse performance, while all nvidia 4000 series GPUs are. Funny enough, Radeon 6000 series is fully supported. META is one if the biggest buyers of Nvidia AI processors, Zuckerberg said it himself, so there is a greater financial interest of them siding with Nvidia instead of AMD.
@@banariecristian3466 Yup, just checked Meta and yup they do say 7000 series not supported...a whole 1 year and 6 months since that series release date. Quite shocking considering the AMD 6000 series is compatible. This, of course, is all down to Nvidia 'sponsoring' Meta to hold back on the AMD side...and Nvidia certainly, today, have the funds to 'purchase' that ;)
@@ChrisM541 It's not a deal breaker in the end, you can use Oculus Q2/Q3 with VIrtual Desktop with AMD cards and it's great, just delete Oculus app from PC, it's useless. And all other headsets which have Displayport like Pimax and (PSVR2 in the near future) work perfectly. Still won't be paying 2000 bucks for a Nvidia gpu.
Recvd my Pimax, and it is VERY uncomfortable. Very wide in the face, and the face foam included is thin. You cannot use this with glasses out of the box because Pimax are too cheap to include a spacer or the thicker foam option. The sound is woeful. The cable is very heavy. The software is not very good. No resolution slider. Currently the software does not tell you what the IPD is, and even after weeks Pimax have not patched this, so good luck finding that tiny sweet spot. The velcro base was not even glued to the headset properly. The headset feel very cheap and plasticcy. So unless you have a fat head, expect an uncomfortable experience unless you pay extra for a bigger foam option. I have a foam face cover in the mail, but it shits me that the company is so cheap they dont make this headset usable out of the box for glasses wearers - over half the population by the way. Shits me that so call 'reviewers' do not mention this.
I disagree with no one needing standalone. The ability to watch movies on a cinema screen in great resolution anywhere without carrying your massive desktop PC is something I value for example. You might say "just bring your laptop together with it", and you may have a point, but the price difference between Crystal and Crystal Light is still less than a decent laptop I think and you also gain eye tracking so I don't know...
Good review. One quick suggestion. Get a calibration weight set for your scale and show a couple seconds of it with the calibration weights and the value shown to prove it's accuracy. It's one way to add credibility. I recently had a question of weight for a headset where someone commented that they believed their scale, so I showed my scale with calibration weights close to that of the headset, and then the weight of the headset in question.
@@RacingPotato12 Not at all. I'm sure his scale is perfectly accurate. All I was saying is that it adds credibility to prove it, that's all. Calibration weights are cheap, so it's not like it is a big deal.
The Q3 in the UK is £458 from Amazon who unlike Pimax have a great returns policy, better quality control, isn't a brick and I can pay in 3 installments....sooo
The quest 3 has a compressed image because it’s over USB C instead of Display Port. So the premium will be worth it depending on how highly you value visual fidelity. Apparently the quest is awesome for casual gamers but for hardcore racing/flight simulators…the couple hundred extra for the crystal is a steal.
@@L33R1C3 im playing dcs only and the quest 3 is more than fine its just that people dont know how to set it up to get the most of it I d rather get compression than chromatic abberations and poor stereoscopy
technical specs say that hmd has a 60 hz refresh rate but it starts at 72 ! native 60 hz was the only hope to run this hmd with uevr or some very badly optimized pcvr games with or without super sampling ! A g2 at 60 hz is struggling really hard with some games (UEVR or PCVR) with a 4090 and with the crystal it has a much higher pixel density and with a minimal 72 hz mode and no foveated rendering, it' a no go !
Agreed, but also not agreed. Software optimisation/GPU power isn't there yet for full resolution in all titles. You're absolutely correct. But well over two thirds of the titles that I ever look at, can easily run on the Crystal even with some supersampling at 90hz. I'm talking racing simulators, elite dangerous, etc. The only two notable ones that I play which would struggle, are MSFS and ACC. And those are not must-have titles. (You can substitute X-Plane 11 and any other racing sim/simcade, respectively.) Realistically, if you kept your Quest 2 as a fall-back until the 5090 or beyond, you'd be able to play the titles you wanna play as you currently play them. But having the increased visuals of the Crystal Light would drive me to simply play other titles. I would also prefer a Quest 2 (I have a Quest 3) for anything roomscale, purely because I think the cable is a bigger nuisance than losing maximum clarity. But it's hard to argue against the Crystal Light if you have the means and cockpit use case.
@@pondracek I was speaking about my reverb g2 not a quest 2, and you can check the benchmarks I made about uevr games since uevr launch to see that most of the games are not running that great or just dying with a 4090. that's why the 60 hz mode was crucial for the crystal light.
@@Nobody-Nowhere running it at 60 for a 120 hz reprojected mode is different than a 60 hz native mode. and no there's no foveated rendering support with uevr
"A g2 at 60 hz is struggling really hard with some games (UEVR or PCVR) with a 4090" - kindly stop talking bullsh#t lol. A 4090 gives you a more than playable G2 experience for almost every title. As with every HDM and user, dialling down the candy helps if needed.
The microphone sounds awful. I'm mystified at you calling it "pretty good" right after playing such an obviously bad sounding sample for your audience. If you consider that good, then I have to wonder how bad the headphones really are, too.
I'm quite sure he's talking about it in relative sense, comparing it to other VR headsets and not a studio mic; for example. To me Pimax Crystal mic sounds better than my Quest 3 but worse than my Pico 4.
@@RacingPotato12 The microphone in the Crystal Light is different than in the original Crystal. The 3 mic array in the original Crystal is quite good. The Crystal Light only has a 2 mic array. Though it's probably not the number of mics making the difference here. The point is it's definitely not the same mic and probably not the same audio processing either. "In a relative sense" doesn't really change things here. Some VR headsets like the Bigscreen Beyond have mics which rival studio mics. Most popular VR headsets have good mics (it's part of why they're popular). And saying it sounds better than the terrible Vive mics is a really low bar. The audio sample sounded to me like it was almost as bad. I was interested in the Crystal Light, but the apparent audio downgrade really gives me pause now. Key questions for me are whether the mic audio can be fixed with 3rd party EQ. And whether the headphone sound quality took a dive, too. The DMAS headphones are capable of sounding very good, but I think the issue is probably the audio processing that's different.
I just got a longer listen of the Crystal Light microphone in another video, and it's even worse than it seemed on the short clip here. It might be even worse than the Vive headset microphones actually. And the way in which it sounds bad is definitely not fixable by EQ.
The Aero is a dead headset. I strongly recommend against anyone buying VR gear which has been dropped by its manufacturer. A lot of people seem to have unrealistic expectations about the continued operation of those headsets.
what are people saying about Prime? $599 up front then $12 per month for 2 years? worth it? or wait to see what the Super reviews come in like? the Super ships in Jan '25 and is $999 then $33 per month for 2 years...
pimax.com/products/pimax-crystal-light?ref=C6eONQg7qDAkA
10$ off coupon code for Crystal Light: Voodoode
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Sold out already?
It's good that taxes were mentioned, because other youtubers are not mentioning them at all.
In my country i have to pay £151 extra in taxes plus another £28 for delivery above the advertised price. It was enough to stop me from buying this headset right now.
Me too now I need to get my £28.80 preorder back.
Other youtubers are paid by pimax
Great video Voodoo. Thank you for giving us this information!
It’s very nice that the software and set up didn’t give you any issues. You not having to change or adjust anything in the Pimax Play software is great. But it’s also nice that Pimax Play gives you dozens of ways to adjust and tweak the HMD for each users wants or needs. It allows users to get the absolute best VR experience.
I purchased a Crystal in January and it quickly became my favorite VR HMD. This is after I used the Varjo Aero for over a year and a Quest 3 since its launch. The Crystal visuals are truly next level. Not to mention the software, audio, mic, reliability, comfort and customer service are all above industry standard.
Speaking of comfort, after comfort adjustments (all VR HMDs need small tweaks for best comfort), I’m able to live stream PCVR for 4-6 hours straight with no adjustments needed. So I imagine the Crystal Light is very comfortable and no issue for fast movement VR titles.
Thanks again voodoo! Cheers!
From a sim racers perspective this is an enticing option, currently use a Q3 and love it but with Crystals display port for low latency, higher resolution and better contrast this is ticking the right boxes
Also, hopefully less chance of disconnection
Great video as always! is it worth upgrading from a Varjo Aero? for sim racing? thx
No, my opinion its a side-grade.
If you have a motion rig the Bigscreen Beyond is the winner. I was racing in my rig pretty comfortably with the Quest 3, but after using the Bigscreen I started noticing how even the Quest 3 was bouncing on my face. The Crystal was a nightmare in this and more regards.
I have posted this in another video, but because a lot of VR enthusiasts watch these videos, maybe I can get someone elses input on this issue here... I have recently received my Pimax crystal light. I am blown away by the clarity and the colors BUT I have an issue that I wanted to ask if anyone else has noticed. Compared to the Reverb G2 -the Pimax feels like it is a lot more distorted and "flatter" when looking at distances. In the reverb G2 I can accurately estimate the dimensions of a box for example, and the virtual world feels like it's measuring up to how I see it for real. With the Pimax however, everything looks flat further away than 5 meters and even though I can make out the depth -it doesn't feel nowhere near as realistic as the reverb G2 in that regard... that is my ONLY complaint about the headset and I wonder if someone else has had that experience. I am in two minds wether I should keep it or not as this really takes the immersion out for me. I have tried adjusting the IPD on the headset as well as shifted it around in the software. It is enough for me to actually enjoy playing with the Reverb G2 more than the Pimax, and I would prefer that not to be the case.
Same problem, too, plus I cannot find a sweetspot. The letter clarity is great, when looking with one eye only, but I cannot get the other eye sharp. But even with the sharp eye, distant objects are blurry.
@@MrPeperoni79 After researching this it seems to be an issue with the lenses on mine. It has an insane amount of distortion and looking off in the distance makes me very cross-eyed. I am in contact with Pimax now using the ticket system. I'm hoping it won't be too much of a hassle getting a replacement. I truly want this headset as an upgrade to my Reverb G2!
@@OhlsonAnimation Could you find a solution? I have the same problem...coming from an index its extremely clear and stuff but like you describe...everything in the distance looks really fucking flat...I'm about to senend back the Headset...spend Hours fiddling around with IPD, software screen offset etc. but i cant get anywear near the immersion i get from the valve index...i am able to unsee the distortion you mentioned, stoped noticing it after some time but esecially when npcs move in front of each other i cant really tell witch one is closer to me...
Thanks for the review, would you recommend it over the big screen beyond even if they were the same price? I'm trying to decide between these two. Thanks
If you want a smaller FOV, glare, but with a plug and play experience get the Bigscreen Beyond. But you will also have to add an audio solution plus base station and controllers ($600.00 additional)
I have the original Crystal and the Bigscreen Beyond (and Quest 3). For me it's not even close. Bigscreen Beyond all the way, yes the lens quality (and therefore image quality) might be worse. But the weight and size are so much better that for me it's Beyond all the way.
Thank you Thomas. What an AWESOME review. Very helpful. Since I do entirely PCVR flight simulation can I forgo the hand controllers and just use my mouse. Also, does the connection need to go through steam VR for DCS.
Is it true no-local dimming version is gone for good? Did you get confirmation from Pimax about it?
Yeah they said it's gone ..
I’m still admiring your shelf. That’s a grown man who likes tech, very envious of that collection. 20k worth of vr headset just sitting there…
VoodooDE is my go-to guy for all things VR. All the evidence you need to know that this guy knows what he is talking about is right there behind him! 🤣
Thank you. Can you apply fixed foveated rendering in the PIMAX software?
Yes
It's built into the Pimax software and apparently is getting a really big upgrade soon to make it even better.
@@l8knight845 Is this restricted to Nvidia cards or does Pimax FFR also work with the 7900XT/XTX ?
@ChrisM541 I think its basically the same as the Open XR tools so any brand should work. I believe it's just the VR1 that uses the Nvidia software.
@@l8knight845 Thanks, that would make very good business sense for Pimax.
How does the local dimming compare to old OLED (as in, not the Bigscreen Beyond, but HTC Vive)?
As always, very thorough and into all the important details that we VR users need to know. You are always spot on with your information and perhaps ever more importantly, honest. I have been struggling with my Quest 3 lately playing Dirt Rally 2 - it just got so muddy and ugly, and you absolutely sold me on this headset. I just ordered and have one on the way! I can't wait for crystal clear PCVR!!!
how would this with a base station setup and index controllers compare with the index setup? I am wondering if the index still has some better functional features that are hidden in the software or the hardware or both, regarding all sorts of rendering techniques and the likes that just make the VR experience better.
Thank you for the thorough and "to-the-point" review. My reverb G2 has decent FPS in MSFS and DCS with a system with RTX 3080. My big ask for you is: what's the FPS in MSFS and DCS w/ Pimax Light and Reverb G2 with your existing 4090. It would be really nice to get these numbers using RTX 3080. I appreciate your help & understanding.
@@iontesu2911 Yeah @voodoo-de please can you comment here? I am in the same situation but with 3090.
It's not really a matter of numbers, it's a matter of image quality. Yes you might get a decent frame rate on MSFS with an RTX 3080 and two 3k screens, IF you set image quality accordingly, meaning, at least, DLSS mode Performance. Whether it will worth it, that's the question. And the answer is very subjective. Some people will say it will look good enough, other will say it will look terrible.
Also, MSFS2024 is coming. Wait and see.
Super happy that you like it much more than the Quest 3 for PCVR. I got it because I only play PCVR and I wanted to get rid of the compression and latency issues.
latency ? there is no eye tracking , you wont get enough fps to start with
@@martales8563 I just watched a youtuber playing pavlov at 90fps on the crystal light with my exact same video card. At full resolution. You are simply just hating for no reason.
So do I need the controllers to setup the room boundaries? I wanted to order it without the controllers since I only use it for flight sims.
I assume either it's done the exact same way or you'd do it through steamvr.
Fantastic, I am excited to get mine. I'm curious to see how good it looks from inside of the headset and how much FOV I can get out of it. Thanks, Thomas, for the review. Nice Hair Cut!
Oh by the way, 24:22 you said, 85mm lowest IPD but, I know you meant 58mm 🤷🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️☺️👍HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY! 😉👌
Is there a reason those things have to be that gigantic?
Also lets be honest just having good lenses and displays doesn't cut it anymore.
Anyway, great review.
It uses the same housing as the Crystal. The Crystal was originally intended to serve as a platform from which to develop the necessary components for the 12K. They wanted to save money on having to redesign certain things like tracking (due to differing camera placement). Also they got to re-use faceplates between headsets. The large housing was intended to hold the big FOV lenses of the 12K.
Great review, there's a lot to consider. Very tempted to upgrade from Quest3 but I'm a little disappointed at the FOV, I thought Pimax were much bigger.
The older Pimax 8KX has a much wider FOV, but the clarity isn't as good.
@@SargonDragon I wonder if a wider FOV is possible with these lenses. I'm hoping we get a better FOV with Quest4 one day instead though.
Mic quality is WAY worse than regular Crystal: 27:51 vs ua-cam.com/video/qxNYsKz9Huk/v-deo.htmlsi=qD7QhfUeVQger5S0&t=1685 It seems getting rid of the 3th mic was a mistake, and cannot be justified with weight reduction (2 grams?) according to the lost in quality, necessary for multiplayer chat and voice commands. I can't understand why in the world the Super version has too only 2 mics.
The mic is PERFECTLY functional for gamers ;)
@@ChrisM541 It depends which gamers. Not for gamers who want to have a decent multiplayer chat, streaming or voice recognition programs. You said it: functional, when it was already a quality product and my point is that there isn't any apparent reason for the change.
@@buzzow Obviously(!!!) you haven't tried it out therefor your comment is equally obviously premature. They changed things to reduce cost (or maximise profit...they are a business).
I'll hold my conclusion till it's tested out in that arena by a number of actual users.
@@ChrisM541 Mate, I don't pretend to "win" the conversation, but try to get my point and read that I wrote, please. It's not a premature comment because the issue is documented here and other reviews, so I don't need to try it to see the issue because it's not anything related to form factor, you just need to have ears, and it's something I already commented on MRTV and VRFlightSimGuy channels: on MRTV review I link too the minute when he tests mic and paste the link with his own regular crystal mic test to make the comparison like here, and the quality downgrade it's really noticeable. On VRFlightSimGuy he not only talks about it, but in the end he attaches a external mic mod because using the headset mic for the review sounds like shit. My point is that such a quality downgrade can't be justified by weight or costs reductions (absurdly minimal on this point), and anyway we're not talking about a 300$ headset to have such a cheap microphone; the thing is even worst when the Crystal Super as I mentioned has same (I guess same) 2 mics: if the mic quality is the same on a high end (and expensive) headset is ridiculous. Maybe this aspect is not important for you, I get that, but it's for others (I'm totally sure not only me); I've played a lot of multiplayer games or just chat while playing, and I know hearing someone with this audio quality for hours ends with "Mate, please, just don't talk". Don't pretend to be rude or make an opinion battle of this, just trying to point a problem that it's there and that it's weird because it has, at least for me, no sense.
The CRYSTAL SUPER they are releasing by Q4 this year is going to be mind-blowing. I wonder if RTX4090 will be enough or we should wait for RTX5090 to ensure a smooth running on games.
They reckon the 5080 will be Q4 this year, personally I plan to wait on this until I can get an RTX 5 series.
@@kiztime1234 too early adopting IMO, i choosed the crystal light that is quite improved now. Maybe i'll get the crystal super later when everything will be fixed. and when the rtx 5000 series will be fixed too.
@@zizarami3270 ha ain't that the truth
I wonder if the Crystal Light works with the Reverb controllers? it would be great
It does not. Only the Pimax controllers or lighthouse controllers if you get the lighthouse faceplate with it.
Hi there, can I just get the base headset and use it's inside out tracking combined with my lighthouses+index controllers or does it jave to be the lighthouse faceplate version?
You need the lighthouse faceplate to use LH tracking. You can get the local dimming version with that plate for $100 off right now, which is how I bought it.
I use the Index knuckles with an HP G2 already, but they pair with the PC through USB dongles (reflashed my 2x steam controller dongles). If I buy this it will be the inside out tracked version, no need for the lighthouse faceplate in this case, but the Index controllers can't pair directly with your PC, they normally go via the Index HMD.
Still using the same brick sized housing baffles me i guess even ultra small m-oled will use the same one do they not have the R&D money for new housing while selling 1k+ headsets... guess ill stick to bigscreen beyond although has pretty atrocious glare issues.
I would rather get a bigger headset and not worry about glare, plus at this price
@@gaminginstilllife9429 price is really only $100 different if you already have base stations but yeah glare is a big issue but for pimax id say quality control is an issue so no winners in the end.
Not only is the top headband wider on the Crystal Light, the clip on top of the HMD itself (that holds the top head band) is apparently a lot thicker/sturdier than the original (which was prone to braking). Very glad to see a double improvement there.
If you buy the version without DMAS Earphones, can you install them later?
Yes.
Did you remember to put the battery in to the Crystal when measuring it on the scale? Per Pimax's marketing images they claim to have removed 60 grams from the rear by getting rid of the battery. That might explain the difference.
Nice review. I agree with you that this, plus eye tracking, is what Pimax should have released as the original Crystal. Also a smaller housing wouldn't hurt. Hopefully the wireless adapter performs well. That plus Pimax getting Almalence or something similar integrated into into their setup would help redeem the original Crystal.
He replied in the wrong place that the battery was included.
@@dtz1000 Thanks.
Battery was included
So, I can see you have DMAS, which is £100 odd extra for us in the UK, but does that nice headstrap cost extra too? They seem to be shipping deluxe versions to all the initial reviewers.
Why does Pimax still make the DMAS headphones with the blue plastic parts? The sounds is good but I think that is a quick fix from them to change to black like the strap
Probably all run from the same batch when they didn't sell enough 8ks
Maybe it helps people be aware of the headphones to not damage them, avoid grabbing there, etc.
Looks odd, but you won't see it in VR😀
@@jonr6472 yes that makes the most sense
The light without local dimming wasn’t a limited edition. It just isn’t available yet.
I want VR goggles that have absolutely the best clarity, I don't care about anything else. I want to be able to read text sharp and clear without blurring and chromatic issues. What is your recommendation.
The PCL would be one of the better ones but otherwise you should wait for PC Super due out later this year.
What's the marketing idea of announcing an US$ 699 version and then it's not available?
Make it look cheaper lol
I was also very surprised...
@@adrenalinejunkie3828 Not to count those, me of course being one of them, just dropping entirely the purchase. No way I spend EU 980 including VAT for a visor.
Great video as always😀. Im considering it but I am not sure if I will take advantage of it with a rtx 4070 ti 12gb?
Hi Thomas,
Thanks for the review, tempting but too expensive after we add dmas, faceplate and 25% extra taxes (here at least).
If they made it smaller (instead of exact same shell), included dmas and added fans to stop fogging like Q3 or Pico4 has then would of got one.
Those taxes really killed it for me too. These dishonest reviewers almost never mention the taxes.
This may be the perfect reverb g2 replacement. Thank you Pimax
If someone is willing to to pay more than double the price of what a G2 typically sold for sure it’ll be a viable replacement. This will run over $900. if you want controllers with the base headset that’s $699. Add DMAS $99 speakers to match up with comparable G2 speakers. Local dimming adds another $100
@@OperatorPuskiand no ASW 😢
Whats that?@@MrNeilRoberts
@@Av8StudiosAsynchronous Space Warp
@@OperatorPuski Yeah but it’s the only affordable native pcvr headset there has been in a while. You don’t really need to buy base stations or expensive index controllers to use it
great thorough review. I picked your review in the list because I see all the headsets in the thumbnail.
Good to know, thank you!
so do you need the base stations for the valve index controllers to work or no
No, but there is an optional lighthouse tracked face plate that will make it work with lighthouses. For me, this is the most exciting feature.
Yes, from what he explained this headset will not be able to track the index controllers directly like it can with it's own controllers
What about the new fixed foveated rendering 2.0?
Why 2.0? Is it good?
It sounds like an oxymoron. Foveated means it renders higher where you are looking, but fixed means you are only looking straight ahead. I'm guessing 2.0 just means a version w/o eye tracking.
@@rogerwilcojr thanks but it's not the expedited answer 😅
I know what "fixed foveated rendering" is. We can use it to any headset with OpenXR Toolkit.
So I guess "2.0" means an enhanced fixed foveated rendering but what/how?
@@scanx6163 Just trying to help. I wonder if they give you eye drops to paralyze your eye muscles? Actually, this is the first I've heard of FFR and it sounds like a Band-Aid for your HMD.
@@rogerwilcojr I 100% agree. "Fixed Foveated Rendering" is nothing more than braindead marketing for the braindead. All it is, is central sweet spot = high res, with the res lowering as you move to the screen edges. Nothing less, nothing more. It is exactly because of the presence of sweet spots on every HDM that we cannot get true foveated rendering. And because these sweet spots are still shockingly small, any foveated rendering method that claims to use eye tracking is total bullsh#t since it's effects will very quickly be cancelled out by today's lenses. We'll need a few iterations of lens innovation before we, hopefully, have true edge to edge full resolution, that getting what you are paying for. Only then will true foveated rendering have a chance to deliver on it's significant potential.
@@ChrisM541 yes but with the 2.0 maybe there is a better algorithms, a better optimization, something new... Or maybe it's just marketing. If it's marketing it's more like a lie...
Great for people who want an upgrade from a G2 or a Quest. I wanna see that super oled review 👀
How is the pimax crystal light with fast paced shooters? and the geometry distortion?Did you try contractors showdown and pavlov?
Can the headset be used without setting up in the pimax app?
Did they mention by chance when the Pimax Crystal Super is coming out?
Nope
it is out now
@@flashdj1974 the super is far from being out.
@@flashdj1974 no its not?
I constantly see red screendoor effect in the games! is that right? Especially in the middle.
That's only the camera through the lens effect
Ok thanks for the nice video!
Well, I hope they make a Pimax Super Light which still allow me to use my own audio
I agree it would be nice to make that optional.
I have HTC Vive pro 2. Is this Pimax Crystal Light a significant improvement in quality of the image since you have both?
Thomas, how good is this compared to Pico4/Quest3 in terms of FOV, my problem is the black ring around my eyes if I move my eyes, and the Pico4, for example, I can notice the black ring on the side, I heard that the Pimax VR headsets as enormous FOV, but is FOV determined by the lens and the black ring around it or is it because we need to be closer to the lenses on our faces?
Amazing! Very informative thank you
You guys must have strong necks. My G2 is giving me neckpain after 2 hours of use and it's almost half the weight of Pimax. I'm waiting for 350g max headset with better optics than Big screen before I upgrade.
there won't be such a headset for a long time. I think you better go check up your neck instead of waiting for a lighter headset to come out :) most bicycle helmets are heavier than 400gram
Go to the gym or do some excercise
@@diegoperez3278 I've been diagnosed with age related neck spondylosis. No ammount of exercise can solve that
I think the true next generation of VR headsets will in fact be much smaller. Thats the natural cycle of technology. The days of big heavy headsets wont be forever.
I agree 100%, I hated wearing the Pimax Crystal original version. I think the sweet spot is 500g and below.
What diameter are the lenses? I currently have a Quest 2 which I use for simulators making the Pimax Crystal Light a tempting upgrade. In the Quest 2 I have quite a lot of vision around the lenses, so I would like to know if these lenses are bigger then those on Quest 2, apart from moving 4mm more apart. Thanks for any replies!
Hello, thanks for the review. Does it really make sens to have such resolution when no GPU can drive it properly? I am a MSFS player and it seems to me even 2Kx2K per eye is already a lot for an nvidia gtx 4080, how could any GPU handle twice more pixels? Especially considering the rumors that the next generation of GPU won't be that much better...
Just means that it's future proof
Try fixed foveated rendering using quadviews. It makes a big difference.
I'm a heavy user of a Reverb G2 for DCS, which weighs 550g and it's comfortable. I get that the Crystal Light is a lot lighter than the Crystal, but at 925g it's 375g heavier than the G2 😕. Even so, I have one on pre-order. Am I likely to get neck ache or do I need to start exercising my neck?
Whats g2 like in 2024? Can we avoid using windows mixed reality? I heard jt was getting bricked
@@TomsTech94 I dont actually use thr WMR features. As for the headset I find it nice and sharp for DCS and it performs reasonably (albeit a little lower res) in MSFS2020. I don't use controllers as I'm sitting with joystick and throttle mostly. The only thing I can fault is the relatively low FOV. If the Crystal Lights features slam dunk it and isnt too heavy for me I'll be selling the G2 (and my old odyssey+). It'll have to be pretty awesome to justify the price hike (incl taxes) and almost double weight.
@UsernameWitheld yeah of course so is there a way to bypass the mixed reality?
@TomsTech94 at this point I don't think there is. I think every current WMR user is avoiding the 24H2 update and hoping that there is a work around by 2026.
@@UsernameWitheld it's irrelevant whether you "use" WMR features. No WMR, no VR, as simple as that. It seems, while it is still not fully confirmed, that the only options that will remain to use our G2 in a couple of months are rolling back to Windows 10 or blocking all windows updates. And yes it is a complete shame but it is what it is. Your G2 and mine are already totally worthless on the second hand market.
I tried my first VR headset (an Oculus Rift S off ebay) and sold it the next day, it looked terrible, maybe because I need glasses? is it possible to use a VR headset if you need glasses?
Yes sure you can use a headset with glasses. Or buy prescription lenses
I had a Rift S for 6 years, wore glasses with it. I just used very thin framed glasses.
Same with my Varjo Aero I have now.
Amazing video Thomas! Keep up your amazing content.
@@VoodooDE_VR You replied under the wrong comment but I'll respond here. Thanks for the reply. That's interesting, I wonder if the DMAS speakers are that much heavier than the stock SMAS included? I wouldn't think the comfort facial foam makes much of any difference. Still 925 grams is a definite improvement over the Crystal and closer to the ballpark of an Index. Some people might still want to get the comfort strap with it though.
Can you use your existing Reverb G2 controller without any additional equipment?
no
Can you use the speakers of Valve Index / HP Reverb G2 with the Crystal Light?
Great review
Thanks for the review. The industry will have its next moment within next 24 months!
Watched a video about people having issues with the 'Focus? and they had to return their units. Are you aware of this? The display not focusing properly.
Does it have a miura effect on the display like in Quest 3?
whats the plane distance 2 meter (standard) or again the weird 1 m (crystal)?
Thank you for a great, in-depth review, I've been considering upgrading my old Vive Pro to a PCL - looks like a good set !
Funny how all the samples being sent out to reviewers have the DMAS speakers attached. For $99 extra you can have them too on your headset. Also, if you want controllers you have to make sure you select the headset that actually includes controllers. You can get this without controllers
They didn't send it to me, they were in the roadshow and I was the last stop so they left it here 🤣
@Operatorpuski - what on earth is your point, lol? Pimax is giving those buyers a significant saving if they already have suitable controllers...and many do! Same with the headphones - they're an option(!!). This is how it SHOULD be done...giving buyers a saving on accessories they already have. Are you so insane as not to comprehend this?
Hi, have you experienced fogging on the lenses? I come from a Pico 4 which has defogging fan so I'm a bit concerned about that on the Crystal Light
Nope
this thing has the same or better visuals than 1500 bucks and up headsets. it is an incredible bargain.
im looking forward to the super-version, as a 5k and 8k user, i need those 130° fov as absolute minimum.
You don't have to pay taxes though. Not so good for the rest of us who do.
pimax better fix that roomscale issue cause it's a big deal and very annoying to have to set up again the room setup when it happens according to you 30 to 40% of the time...
Well the PIMAX Crystal Light may be somewhat better, but I will still stick with my Quest 3 for my SIM racing games. Quest 3 is a lighter headset, visual qualities are good enough for me, I don't need allot of extra apps to run the Quest 3, and I can run the Quest 3 wireless if I want to.
i only have a RTX-3080TI and it runs the Quest 3 very well. i think with the PIMAX, I would have to turn down some of the resolution settings. I am not about to buy a RTX-4090.
i thought one other video said that they are not going to make the Crystal light without dimming. Not sure if that is true. We shall see.
Thanks for your video. Take care.
25:13 You know, just wearing sunglasses for when there's too much sunlight in flight simulators
Is there any way to use Pimax with Linux? It seems like many headsets work due to Steam VR, but I was worried due to the Pimax software... and trying to search online didn't answer definitively but doesn't sound very hopeful currently.
In your video i see vertical distorsion when you move your head. Am i wrong ?
Yes you are wrong. 😁
I'll ask you a difficult question: if both viewers were new and cost the same price, would you buy a crystal light or a standard crystal? And why? Thank you
The light because in PCVR who wants to deal with a battery? Sure the auto IPD and foviated rendering would be nice but the reduced weight is woth it.
@@idr00ster and the wireless 60g for playing all the games without cable?
The main feature the Crystal has over the Crystal Light is eye tracking.
The most noteworthy benefit of this is dynamic foveated rendering (DFR) which provides a performance boost which is nice given how high resolution the displays are. For most games the performance difference is not earth shattering but it helps. The one game where it really makes a difference is DCS using Quad Views so if you're really into that it's worth considering. The Crystal Light provides fixed foveated rendering (FFR) and apparently also is supported by Quad Views. Personally I think FFR kind of negates the benefit of having lenses with good edge to edge clarity as you're forced to look at the center of the display for good visuals.
Another feature already mentioned is auto-IPD adjustment which is more of a convenience than anything.
Lastly, if you're into social VR stuff like VRChat you can have your eyes tracked on your avatar. There's no face tracking built-in on the Crystal though.
Another feature eye tracking enabled that was trialed for a short time but is no longer available is dynamic lens correction using a plugin made by a company called Almalence. This provided optimal image warp profiles for the lens based on where your eye is looking. It helped improve image clarity/sharpness and reduce chromatic aberration (CA). Pimax so far decided against integrating it into their software unfortunately.
Between the two currently the Crystal Light is probably the better buy unless you're a big fan of DCS or want to squeeze as much performance as possible out of games with DFR and don't mind the extra weight. Pimax is working on a wireless adapter that will require the use of foveated transport which requires eye tracking so that'll be exclusive to the Crystal. Since that's still in development we don't know how that will perform. Early demos seem promising. Pimax is also working on a mixed reality faceplate which will be compatible with the Crystal and upcoming Crystal Super. I'm not sure if it will work with the Crystal Light.
The Crystal also has alternative lenses (42PPD and wide FOV) but reception so far of both is lackluster and there's no further plans that we know of regarding that.
The Crystal standalone mode is basically not really worth mentioning.
@@wittyname-sy5je FFR is barely noticeable if done well and it's the reason why Steam Link for the Quest provides a better wireless image than Meta Link. I was watching some Steam Link reviews beforehand and nobody meantioned the FFR-trick, probably because they didn't notice it. Using it for wireless VR is certainly very clever to reduce bandwidth. Even if you notice it, you will completely forget about it while playing.
I got new glasses last week, the first time with progressive lenses for better close to mid-range vision, which means I have a tiny sweetspot far worse than FFR I can tell. But within those days I got accustomed to it and automatically move my head more to stay in the sweetspot of sharp vision. DFR would be certainly better, if it would work globally. IMO better to use FFR for FPS, which can be obsolete with upcoming GPUs than sacrificing a proper sweetspot to gain some blurry hFOV, like Bigscreen Beyond did I guess.
The light has a bigger sweet spot than the Crystal according to a review I saw. So I think I would go for the light.
Nice headset but what about controller
Also pretty good
Will Geforce Now work with this headset? If so you wouldn't have to have a beast of a computer.
Impossible with today's tech. You would need to somehow shave off 20-100ms+ latency and support a very high bitrate.
You crazy for saying the price is a pro compared to the Q3, but for the current PCVR lineup it is decently priced.
Yes that is what I mean
@@voodoodevr-en Thought exactly the same when he said it. Its almost double the price.
Great review. Tried to order one of these and theyre sold out!
Hi, have you tested it with any UEVR/Luke Ross mods to see if it works well with a gamepad?
Not yet
Please make a video covering uevr and Luke Ross mods
Hiya, Time to upgrade my steam index headset, just want to know if my Index controllers and bass stations will work with the Pimax Crystal Light? I'm only 15 minutes into your review so apologise if you have answered my question within the review! P.S. Love your reviews have been subscribed for years!
If you order the version with the Lighthouse Faceplate, then yes it will work with your Index controllers.
@@KiegKillsReality Thanks😎
@@iamrocketray I gotchu!
Thanks making me laugh again Thomas! 😁
Sounds good for PCVR. The weight, size and shape are still pretty questionable though, and I don't think I can go back to cables.
Exactly, these headsets weight a ton. This is definitely far better than the old Pimax Crystal I had which was heavier and it even had a silly battery.
I used to eat Crystal Light powder straight out of the tub.
I love my Quest 3, but I am sick of the muddy quality I get on Dirt Rally 2. I love the game and I love the headset, but they do not go well together and I need a solution for my sim racing needs. It looks like I may have just found it. Now to just hold my breath and pull the trigger on another expensive toy!
Does yours arrive in 2 months? I just ordered mine too.
Did you try QGO on meta 3? It helps a LOT
@@RSI_TECH Yes. It did nothing for that particular game to clear up the issue.
@@JasonXBeats I ordered on June 20th and it was set at six to eight weeks at the time. However, shortly after that, orders ramped up so I’ll just have to wait and see if I’m at the earlier end of that or the later end.
@@tattoodude8946 I’m gonna hate the long wait but at least I’ll get it before some new vr games I’m looking forward to come out.
Hello Thomas 😊
Thank you so much from France 🇫🇷 with this EXCELLENT TEST Pimax Crystal Light 😍👍🏻👍🏻
Aplushhss /Laurent🇫🇷
I currently have the Quest 3 and enjoy it. Thanks for this review of the Crystal Light. The only possible advantage I see for me with the PIMAX Light is the direct connection to the Display Port.
My questions are on Graphics card usage: What graphics limitations do we have since I only have a RTX-3080TI? I know allot of people use the RTX-4090, but I am not about to spend the money for this GFX card when my Quest 3 works just fine.
How does the PIMAX Light compare to Quest 3 far as Game visual quality? You say PIMAX has good quality, but how much better than the Quest 3? Is it just a little bit or substantial? Remember I only have a RTX-3080TI GFX card, so graphics resolutions would probably have to be reduced for the PIMAX.
I see this headset good for VR sitting games. I do allot of SIM racing with my Quest 3. The games work great with the Quest.
So final words, is it even worth buying a PIMAX Light over the Quest 3 since I see no problems with my Quest 3? Plus my Quest 3 is much lighter and is wireless if needed. I usually connect my Quest 3 via USB link cable - no problems. Also I can run allot of my games with the Quest 3 in Oculus mode, not needing Steam VR.
Thanks for the extensive video overview of PIMAX Light headset. The price of this headset is much more reasonable than the regular PIMAX Crystal.
It's much better visuals than Quest 3 and it works good on my Rtx 3090, but depends on the game you play of course.
They should print "Knob" on the front, but it would be redundent
Excellent overview of this new HDM, cheers bud. Subscribed.
I currently have a Reverb G2, and since Microsoft is, with an upcoming Windows update, about to make this headset non functional, the substantial numbers of G2 users, together with other similar headsets e.g. Vive will be looking at the Pimax Light as a definite upgrade/replacement. So, it's going to be honest "G2 vs Light" comparison videos, in particular, that will be important here in helping us make our minds up. We also have the option of staying on our current Windows builds through a simple Group Policy entry, though that wouldn't be ideal. However, the G2 has been around and we're keen on seeing good 'affordable' upgrade choices. The Light seems tan excellent target here.
- With that, can you do an honest 'warts and all' comparison of these 2 headsets?
- Any issues using AMD 7900XT/XTX cards?
- I, also like many others, came from the Oculus Rift and have extensive Oculus games libraries. For the G2 we use the excellent Revive software to allow us to play those games. Do you know if Revive works with the Pimax Light? That would be really important.
The problem with AMD 7900XT/XTX is only on wireless headsets with encoding/decoding like Quest2/Quest3 because of reasons having to do with Meta/Oculus being Nvidia Biased.
Any headset with direct true signal (Displayport) will work flawlessly, better the Nvidia GPUs of the same price. You can check any 4k flat game benchmarks, because that's the equivalent of VR with Displayport.
@@banariecristian3466 Thanks Barnie, I appreciate this. Can you answer a question...what part of the following is "Nvidia biased" ? ...
As far as I understand, the Quest 3 uses the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2, a system-on-chip manufactured by Qualcomm and based on their Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 flagship mobile phone SoC, which Meta says as having more than twice the raw graphics (GPU) performance of the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 used by the Quest 2 and other similar standalone headsets. At least, that's my understanding - so no involvement of Nvidia here. Or am I wrong?
Additionally, when we talk of dGPU's such as the 7900XT/XTX we're always talking wired. The dGPU equivalent of the Quest 3 would be very significantly below that of the 7900XT.
@@ChrisM541 Yea, I'm talking about using the Oculus connected to a PC, either wired or wireless. The 7000 generation AMD GPUs are not supported officially even 2 years after release, so they will have worse performance, while all nvidia 4000 series GPUs are. Funny enough, Radeon 6000 series is fully supported.
META is one if the biggest buyers of Nvidia AI processors, Zuckerberg said it himself, so there is a greater financial interest of them siding with Nvidia instead of AMD.
@@banariecristian3466 Yup, just checked Meta and yup they do say 7000 series not supported...a whole 1 year and 6 months since that series release date. Quite shocking considering the AMD 6000 series is compatible. This, of course, is all down to Nvidia 'sponsoring' Meta to hold back on the AMD side...and Nvidia certainly, today, have the funds to 'purchase' that ;)
@@ChrisM541 It's not a deal breaker in the end, you can use Oculus Q2/Q3 with VIrtual Desktop with AMD cards and it's great, just delete Oculus app from PC, it's useless. And all other headsets which have Displayport like Pimax and (PSVR2 in the near future) work perfectly. Still won't be paying 2000 bucks for a Nvidia gpu.
Recvd my Pimax, and it is VERY uncomfortable. Very wide in the face, and the face foam included is thin. You cannot use this with glasses out of the box because Pimax are too cheap to include a spacer or the thicker foam option. The sound is woeful. The cable is very heavy. The software is not very good. No resolution slider. Currently the software does not tell you what the IPD is, and even after weeks Pimax have not patched this, so good luck finding that tiny sweet spot.
The velcro base was not even glued to the headset properly. The headset feel very cheap and plasticcy.
So unless you have a fat head, expect an uncomfortable experience unless you pay extra for a bigger foam option. I have a foam face cover in the mail, but it shits me that the company is so cheap they dont make this headset usable out of the box for glasses wearers - over half the population by the way.
Shits me that so call 'reviewers' do not mention this.
I like your passion, its pretty good.😂
Thank you man!
What was the battery for?
The normal crystal is a standalone headset.
Aside from being a reviewer specialized in XR headsets, why would u still buy the Light even though you already have the Crystal?
Much less errors, lighter and no annoying battery charging and no stupid standalone mode
I disagree with no one needing standalone. The ability to watch movies on a cinema screen in great resolution anywhere without carrying your massive desktop PC is something I value for example. You might say "just bring your laptop together with it", and you may have a point, but the price difference between Crystal and Crystal Light is still less than a decent laptop I think and you also gain eye tracking so I don't know...
Good review. One quick suggestion. Get a calibration weight set for your scale and show a couple seconds of it with the calibration weights and the value shown to prove it's accuracy. It's one way to add credibility. I recently had a question of weight for a headset where someone commented that they believed their scale, so I showed my scale with calibration weights close to that of the headset, and then the weight of the headset in question.
Lmao my guy acting like you're gonna make your first trip through a wormhole so you'd need that much accuracy
@@RacingPotato12 Not at all. I'm sure his scale is perfectly accurate. All I was saying is that it adds credibility to prove it, that's all. Calibration weights are cheap, so it's not like it is a big deal.
Its almost 2 times the price of the quest 3 how do you even compare them
@@robertodolsak3566 We can all see the BS you did there.
The Q3 in the UK is £458 from Amazon who unlike Pimax have a great returns policy, better quality control, isn't a brick and I can pay in 3 installments....sooo
The quest 3 has a compressed image because it’s over USB C instead of Display Port. So the premium will be worth it depending on how highly you value visual fidelity. Apparently the quest is awesome for casual gamers but for hardcore racing/flight simulators…the couple hundred extra for the crystal is a steal.
@@robertodolsak3566+ 1500€ computer
@@L33R1C3 im playing dcs only and the quest 3 is more than fine its just that people dont know how to set it up to get the most of it
I d rather get compression than chromatic abberations and poor stereoscopy
technical specs say that hmd has a 60 hz refresh rate but it starts at 72 !
native 60 hz was the only hope to run this hmd with uevr or some very badly optimized pcvr games with or without super sampling !
A g2 at 60 hz is struggling really hard with some games (UEVR or PCVR) with a 4090 and with the crystal it has a much higher pixel density and with a minimal 72 hz mode and no foveated rendering, it' a no go !
Agreed, but also not agreed.
Software optimisation/GPU power isn't there yet for full resolution in all titles. You're absolutely correct.
But well over two thirds of the titles that I ever look at, can easily run on the Crystal even with some supersampling at 90hz.
I'm talking racing simulators, elite dangerous, etc. The only two notable ones that I play which would struggle, are MSFS and ACC.
And those are not must-have titles. (You can substitute X-Plane 11 and any other racing sim/simcade, respectively.)
Realistically, if you kept your Quest 2 as a fall-back until the 5090 or beyond, you'd be able to play the titles you wanna play as you currently play them. But having the increased visuals of the Crystal Light would drive me to simply play other titles.
I would also prefer a Quest 2 (I have a Quest 3) for anything roomscale, purely because I think the cable is a bigger nuisance than losing maximum clarity. But it's hard to argue against the Crystal Light if you have the means and cockpit use case.
@@pondracek I was speaking about my reverb g2 not a quest 2, and you can check the benchmarks I made about uevr games since uevr launch to see that most of the games are not running that great or just dying with a 4090. that's why the 60 hz mode was crucial for the crystal light.
@@nigaudlotovrbenchmarkandvi313 You can run it half the res also. Also, does UEVR actually support eye tracked foveated rendering?
@@Nobody-Nowhere running it at 60 for a 120 hz reprojected mode is different than a 60 hz native mode. and no there's no foveated rendering support with uevr
"A g2 at 60 hz is struggling really hard with some games (UEVR or PCVR) with a 4090" - kindly stop talking bullsh#t lol. A 4090 gives you a more than playable G2 experience for almost every title. As with every HDM and user, dialling down the candy helps if needed.
what happened to the blue pimax lol
The microphone sounds awful. I'm mystified at you calling it "pretty good" right after playing such an obviously bad sounding sample for your audience. If you consider that good, then I have to wonder how bad the headphones really are, too.
I'm quite sure he's talking about it in relative sense, comparing it to other VR headsets and not a studio mic; for example. To me Pimax Crystal mic sounds better than my Quest 3 but worse than my Pico 4.
@@RacingPotato12 The microphone in the Crystal Light is different than in the original Crystal. The 3 mic array in the original Crystal is quite good. The Crystal Light only has a 2 mic array. Though it's probably not the number of mics making the difference here. The point is it's definitely not the same mic and probably not the same audio processing either.
"In a relative sense" doesn't really change things here. Some VR headsets like the Bigscreen Beyond have mics which rival studio mics. Most popular VR headsets have good mics (it's part of why they're popular). And saying it sounds better than the terrible Vive mics is a really low bar. The audio sample sounded to me like it was almost as bad.
I was interested in the Crystal Light, but the apparent audio downgrade really gives me pause now. Key questions for me are whether the mic audio can be fixed with 3rd party EQ. And whether the headphone sound quality took a dive, too. The DMAS headphones are capable of sounding very good, but I think the issue is probably the audio processing that's different.
I just got a longer listen of the Crystal Light microphone in another video, and it's even worse than it seemed on the short clip here. It might be even worse than the Vive headset microphones actually. And the way in which it sounds bad is definitely not fixable by EQ.
It's still better than HTC but yeah could be better... Index still has better microphone
Considering the use case of any gamer HDM mic, uber high quality is most definitely not required. Functionally, it more than ticks the box ;)
Ya
im sold about time they got weight down
Is the audio better here or
on BigScreen Beyond audio strap?
BigScreen has unfortunately pretty bad audio strap
This or a used Aero?
The Aero is a dead headset. I strongly recommend against anyone buying VR gear which has been dropped by its manufacturer. A lot of people seem to have unrealistic expectations about the continued operation of those headsets.
I believe the Aero doesn't have local dimming even though Varjo falsely advertise it as having it.
Exactly @@dtz1000
what are people saying about Prime? $599 up front then $12 per month for 2 years? worth it? or wait to see what the Super reviews come in like? the Super ships in Jan '25 and is $999 then $33 per month for 2 years...