Why? Just... WHY?! - Pimax Crystal Review
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- Опубліковано 27 лип 2024
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Watch on for my review of the Pimax Crystal... TLDW Nothing has changed, Pimax are still Pimax.
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At least your mouse was working 😂
I watched your review too (always enjoy your content), can't believe your experience was worse than mine! 😆 For anyone that's curious watch it here ua-cam.com/video/T4uTmttaVq8/v-deo.html
Really appreciate your honest reviews Karl. So many YT reviewers fail to talk about the negatives.
IMO They are just not good headsets mate, aside from the displays and controllers everything else is bad, 1.2kg with this much size and bulk is just not what consumers want, everyone else is striving for small and light which is what we want.
If I have the rear pad lower it makes it worse on my nose... this is head and face shape dependent though of course so your experience may vary.
As I said mate all USB devices were unplugged on going direct into my mobo on two different PC's.... this sort of unreliability is par for the course with Pimax, always been this way.
I remember when the guy from MRTV was testing the Crystal behind the scenes with Pimax. He kept saying “it’s simply the best. There’s nobody behind me with a gun making me say that either” I remember saying out loud “of course there’s no one behind you with a gun forcing you to say that. They have a briefcase of money not a gun”
So many of these YT channels can’t be trusted. They’re either on the take or wanting to be discovered by manufacturers so they can make a deal.
What i found out after trying on this headset for myself is that there are a lot of dishonest reviewers on UA-cam who want that commission money.
@@OhItsThatI agree, Sebastian has become way too biased with Pimax, and similarly VRflysimguy. I still can't understand how people endorse this company, and it's not just about the product, is the disrespect towards their customers with the constant lies.
I just got my Pimax Crystals too after a 6 week wait from ordering, I have the same concerns, observations, and complaints. Someone on Reddit saved the day and pointed out that if you have a triple monitor setup, the Pimax wont connect. As soon as I disconnected one of my three monitors, the Pimax connected. Volume seemed to not work but after a lot of frustration, I discovered if you hold the volume button on the top right down for a few seconds, volume will ramp up.
You have summed up all the reasons why I didn't get one. Price, it's nearly 2000€ in Europe with VAT and shipping, weight and size, forced battery, and Pimax Software.
Brutal honesty. I like it! My Reverb G2 v2 is still holding its own and needs no upgrade yet. Keep those eye-opening reviews coming, Karl. Thanks for letting me use your GTomega coupon for the third time. Have to watch the budgie.
The G2 is still a great choice for sim racers, very comfortable, light, good image quality and of course it works! lol
No worries mate, enjoy whatever it is you've bought! :D
I was thinking the same until the recent announcement of wmr being discontinued 😞 gonna start looking now so that I'm not bottlenecks into higher prices if I wait until last minute.
Yup, sounds like a typical Pimax headset. I had almost forgotten how bad they are till I tried selling my 8K that was sitting in my closet. Sold it for practically nothing and buddy that bought it was emailing me every hour for two days trying to get it to work right and I ended up just returning his cash and grabbing it back and throwing it back in the closet. The software is horrible... firmware is horrible... and even the same headset models are slightly different internally so you never know what firmware will work, etc. They really should just call it a day and stop making headsets :) Oh and their horrible website... haha... the person in charge of that site needs to be fired asap. Thanks for the great review man! You always call it like it is. Thanks.
Please remember BEFORE commenting that your experience may be very different to mine (ignoring the size and weight), this is literally the Pimax lottery that has always existed with their products... work fine for some and not at all for others, I can only share my results and experience🙂
'Work fine for some and not at all for others' means that for the majority it doesn't work. And that is based on what data? Do you call yourself an honest reviewer?
I think PImax has some thicker paddings for people with narrow faces, you might want to ask them about it. There is one youtuber who got one after asking.
@@Nobody-Nowhere I had one delivered couple days ago, much better fit and more secure with the 14mm comfort pad
@@nickcutting4556Yes, i dont think you can design headset to fit every face.. and i think as its chinese company, chinese tend to have wider faces. And Karl seem to have a really narrow face. The only real solution is face gaskets for different types of faces. There is so much variation in face & skull shapes.
Cheers for this! I was going to buy this in a few months.Ill have the money then.
Mind you myself as a quest 2 user maybe a Quest 3 is a safer bet for an upgrade, or should I give pimax the time to sort themselves out?
My current setup is an 11700 F cpu with 6900 xt gpu with 32 gb ram.
You're definitely having a few problems which I didn't experience at all. The setup and connection thing is bizarre because this was not only the easiest setup process I've had for a setup from Pimax, but also from pretty much any VR headset I've used.
The USB thing does make me wonder if there is a fault with your headset, but I hate it when people say that so I won't dismiss that issue at all, and it could be an issue they need to resolve separately.
The room setup doesn't feel ready yet, so I completely agree with that point. It feels like Pimax haven't actually updated that part of the software for the Crystal at all yet!
Your connection issues actually made me just turn on my headset just to make sure it connects without issue, and I've literally never had it once not connect at the first attempt on my PC (I'm running an RTX3080 with the Crystal also plugged into a 3.0 USB connection). - needless to say, my unit has just connected perfectly fine. I also have Oculus software and DPVR software installed and connected at the same time.
Regardless, I enjoyed this review and completely believe your experience with this headset, although it certainly wasn't my experience. Nice one mate.
Edit: The displays are noisy??? Haven't noticed that at all... I'm gonna check that out!
Final edit: I do certainly however agree with your overall point that it feels like a beta release, with functionality not yet complete. That part is certainly frustrating.
Fully agree!
Nice to see UA-cam creators helping each other out. Nice comments Gary!
It's not bizarre. These issues he is describing are happening for MANY Crystal users. Just because it went smooth for you doesn't mean that the Crystal is a smooth experience on the whole for a lot of users.
@@sirgriffinman I’m only saying ‘bizarre’ because of the huge difference in my setup process experience compared to his, not that it’s bizarre he’s experiencing these issues at all.
I’m fully aware of the problems some users are having, and it’s incredibly frustrating to me that on the subreddit people are complaining about the lack of support from Pimax, or that they’re being ignored.
Quite honestly, that kind of experience reflects badly on me as someone who said the setup and connection with the Crystal is flawless, and I really wish Pimax would resolve the issues many people seem to have when contacting support.
The word ‘bizarre’ was only used to highlight the huge disparity in our experience, not to suggest that many others aren’t experiencing the same thing.
It's typical Pimax in my experience, very hit and miss as to if things work or not.. could be the headset, but could also be the software (thats what I think) as this is a review unit sent to many other UA-camrs from what they tell me.
But in a time where all other manufacturers are focused on going smaller and lighter here we find Pimax still huge, heavy, bulky and uncomfortable for many... reusing the same of chassis and strap they designed years ago.
Once a person commits to making a headset work, they will tend to forget the pain of getting things working like a mother forgets the pain of pregnancy, and they will focus on the positives and adapt, downplay or ignore the downsides. Or they will ignore another person's delivery pain because they didn't have the same experience.
These things happen.
Or if you paid too much money for an alpha device. You don't want to admit to any mistakes.
That’s BS mine works straight out of the box
I respect pimax as they seem to be the only company trying to push the limits of FOV which is huge thing for VR, but these issues are unforgivable at this price point
they did not even push fov in this head set. its only barely above average.
@ThePape78
vor 1 Sekunde
But at the cost of the stereoscopic effect. There is a reason why no one else does it. That is not so simple
Yeah this looks like it should have a very large FOV... but it doesn't, they are just reusing their existing straps and chassis to save costs, the FOV is barely any bigger than a G2 or Pico 4 etc.
Just wait until next year. We should have much smaller form factor 4k per eye micro oled headsets and we'll actually have GPU's that can push the pixels in them. For me the sweet spot is a Quest Pro and a 4090 (I have to mention that I never tried a Pico 4 so I can't comment on that). I can run DR2, AMS2, AC and ACC (with DFR) at pretty much max settings and 90 fps with no worries.
Ive got the same setup as you, a Quest Pro with 4090. Ive used the Pico 4, G2 and The Varjo Aero. For me the Quest Pro is the best headset out of them all. Pico 4 colours are dull and i don't like virtual desktop. G2 is nice clarity in the middle but the Fresnel lenses are not good. Aero i suffer from really bad CA (which a lot of reviews of the crystal point out too), letter box Fov, but displays are great as is clarity. Quest Pro just has the best lenses out of any headset ive used. The resolution is great for what i need it to be, there really is too much emphasis on resolution being the overarching factor on VR headsets but a VR headset is a sum of all its parts. For me like you the Quest Pro wins on the sum of al its parts.
@@djradium2011 I only tried a G2 and a Q1 and 2 but I feel the same way. The edge to edge clarity is just excellent. I still have my Q2 which is higher rest and every time I go back to it I can't believe how big of a visual downgrade it is compare to the Pro. Too many people overlooked the Pro because of the initial price and Meta's crap marketing. For me it's the perfect headset until we get better graphics card.
Same here. I had the Pico, G2 and also the 8KX here. I sold them all after i got the Pro.
Quest pro? Resolution is less than the reverb for almost 3x the price. Hard pass.
It runs well because the resolution is nothing special
@@djradium2011the quest pro does not have the best lenses and the resolution is a joke for the price.
Astroturf harder
I have owned the Crystal for over 1 month and have had no problems to date. I am very satisfied.
I use the Crystal for sim-racing and sim-airplane-helicopter.
Usb keyboard and mouse, steering wheel, car pedals, shifter, stick, throttle, plane pedals, helicopter collective and dynamic seat. I use a powered usb hub for most of my peripherals.
The Crystal was recognized the first time I plugged it in. No problem updating the firmware.
I have a narrow face. Comfort is very good for me and the headset is well balanced on my head. I don't feel the weight. I use the VR Headset from 30 minutes to 1h30.
No light penetrates the virtual headset.
On my Crystal, the screens are not noisy.
The Crystal is permanently connected to the power hub.
The battery is recharged directly on the VR headset.
I don't use the controllers and have never tried them.
The only negative point for me is the battery, which is difficult to remove the first few times. I only remove it very rarely, only to have equal use of the 2 batteries.
I'm actually really pleased to hear that! I think it's QC lottery like with the Pico 4, some are lucky and others not so much.
It's possible.
I know 4 other Crystal owners.
Three are very satisfied and a fourth had to sell it because the VR headset hurt his nose.
It might be a better idea if it's plugged into a powered USB hub?
Yes, and it's a shame that Karl didn't notice the included power hub in the box, which would have also answered what the power adapter is for.
Also, the "old style" USB cable connects the hub's input port to the PC so it can't be plugged into the other (wrong) ports. A more careful unpacking upon receipt would have obviated a lot of negative comments in this review, or he could have just asked Support.
Glad Karl figured out that the side connection adapter on the headset is for easy access in/out of standalone mode, plus it's easily replaced if the connection ever loosens up or breaks from use over time, unlike the "real" connector soldered to the circuit board. Always best to ponder why a manufacturer would add the material and labor expense - there's usually a reason.
@@breaddough-vk8gf I have seen this "long dead" connector used many times, and continues to be, for the very reason I stated - it prevents plugging the device into the wrong cable. Does the job quite well, actually.
Thanks Karl, I was on the fence about going for this but no chance now haha
loved the honesty of this review. And I get what you mean about it being strange them sending it out for review when stand alone, eye tracking, store not working yet. Even stranger reviewers that have been recommending it in a half finished state just to get that commission money
Exactly, how can you recommend something when half of its functionality isn't yet working?!
@@KarlGosling The quest 2 barely even functioned at launch either, and it didn't get features like the ability to use it laying down until like 3 years in. I think you are being kinda hard on them.
If your nose hurt when wearing it, you are probably wearing it wrong. Happened with the 8KX as well and trick is to place the back of the headset further down to the neck to lift up the front.
Yes mate I know, it was adjusted correctly, just doesn't fit my face well.
The Crystal is just an 8KX with other internals and from my experience the 8KX is comfortable. I would prefer the Pico 4 with comfort-mods, but it's close.
Based on everything I've read, the stock headstrap isn't adequate. Most people I know who like their Crystal purchased an Apache strap to fix how it comes.
This dude has a big ass fnckiug nose, of course it gonna hurt
I understand your points, but the logic behind Pimax Crystal is just one, to give you the best image quality on a VR headset period. If that's what you're looking for, it delivers, if you're looking for everything else (comfort, usability, good software, qol, etc) obviously look somewhere else. I'm looking for that presence feeling that only the very best image quality provides, so i'm actually enjoying my Crystal, but I understand all those that don't and are happy with wireless video compression image, color banding, lower res, router quirks, lower FOV, etc in comparison.
After watching this review I feel that this is a bad first impression. I have had mine for about a month and it is flawless. I have had almost every vr headet so far. Including every pimax headset. This is by far the best headset available to date. In regard to comfort this headset I find very comfortable. It is even more comfortable than my previous aero. The worst comfort headset is the PSVR2. Visuals are by far the best! As far as the software I have had no problems at all. Much improved over previous pimax pitool. Just worked straight out of the box. firmware update OTA no need for a cable. Everything worked as advertised. The software that I dislike the most is Windows mixed reality. That is such a pain to get to work. When using the HP reverb G2 it is hit or miss. many restarts of software and rebooting the headset to get it to work. I am glad I don't have to deal with that anymore. The Aero visuals are good, but not near as good as the pimax crystal! People complain about the battery. I do not understand the problem. I forget it even exist. It definitely helps balance the headset. And never had a problem with battery life. But I do have the hub which was included in the box. Also I have the screwdriver which Karl said he doesn't have. Of all the headsets I have used throughout the evolution of VR this is the best experience! Definitely worth the price! Some may say it is expensive, and I agree it is not cheap. But considering what you are getting it is a great deal. My previous headset before buying the crystal was the Varjo Aero which is $2000.00 this headset does not have any controllers, no microphone,no headphones, no way to use it without buying base stations separately. It is just not as good as the Crystal. So anyone interested in this headset needs to check other reviews such as MRTV and others that have had no problems.
It's definitely a bad first impression, but even if it worked fine every single time it's still IMO far too big and heavy (1.2kg!) compared to any other headset, the panels and lenses are great but it needs to be much smaller and half the weight (which would still make it heavier than all other battery powered headsets)... Pimax are just reusing their existing straps and chassis to save costs, every other manufacturer are moving forward with smaller and lighter offerings which is of course what we need... 1.2kg is ridiculous.
@@KarlGosling it is a new design chassis from all their previous headsets. But yes it is the same one they will use for the 12k which does have a much bigger fov. I don't mind the size. It is smaller than all other pimax headsets. Most of my VR use is seated. Which is what other reviews have said it is best for. I feel that it is more comfortable than the varjo aero. It would be nice to have this quality of headset in a smaller form factor but that does not exist yet. Maybe one day.
Top honest review, would love to hear your thoughts on the Beyond headset.
They are probably only sending it to the usual weak VR reviewers who miss out the bad stuff.
Thanks Karl , really happy with my Aero, i won't be rushing out anytime soon to replace it. Varjo may have something in development sometime in the future.
What would be quite useful for me as a potential buyer is if you and either the immersed robot guy or vr flight SIM guy could do a joint video in which you figure out just why your experiences are so different.
Different heads? Luck with software? I don't mind a bit of faffing with software but everyone has their limits!
Flight Sim Guy is sponsored by Pimax that is the difference.
@@justwatching2302 Ahh, that explains a lot. Thx.
@@justwatching2302 That's hilarious. No I'm not 😆
@@VRFlightSimGuy Then why u r so biased, this brick is not really worth 1600, they lied about Fov, I bet standalone won't work for another Year ( they don't have any experience). Tyrielwood saw issue with controllers too. Looks like this pimax guys never improve they take full money deliver half worth with headache setup process. It is better to stay away from Pimax. Hopefully somnium VR1 will launch soon, worst case settle with quest3.
I love the space invaders on your shelf. Yes, I am old enough to recognize those.
lol Good man!
Hey Karl, this probably wasn't the case with you, but make sure the battery is seated in the headset if you are having problems with not connecting. I messed around with mine for like 15 minutes, plugging/unplugging, going through all the software trying to get it to connect, and in the end it was just I didn't have the battery seated all the way. Hope that helps some people save some troubleshooting time. Thanks as always for the great video!
Thanks mate, a good tip for others but yes mine was seated correctly.
honestly, I can say this is the best VR headset I have, and works as well as any of the others… I mean, I had low expectations for glitchiness…. Very high ones for the visuals and I am somewhat disappointed to be honest for $1600 (struggles hi res hi frames-but still love it)
I always consider Pimax products to be sort of 'Complete or Good to use' after 2 to 3 years of it's release. This ensures that all the bugs, quirks, hardware revisions, software are all sorted before putting your money out. It is what exactly happened with the 8KX and they got a DMAS version. It still has it's quirks but not as bad as what the Crystal is experiencing now.
I tried the Crystal at a demo session with a 4090 and the image quality was absolutely mind blowing, hardly any jaggies with a far smoother performance but the technician always had to tinker around from game to game on the Pimax software side to get it to be stable. Great piece of kit, but hardly worth 1600 for it's FOV and hardware/software quirks. Those controllers are super generic for the price you pay and currently have really bad tracking.
Agreed mate!
Thanks for the, as always honest review Karl. I'm sure Pimax enjoyed this review as much as I did 😂
I've had the aero for 18 months/1300hrs now. Amazing headset. I doubt Varjo has anything ready anytime soon. The aero is a simplified version of their b2b version and at the moment, there is no new B2b headset. I'm waiting for the somniun vr1
I've not heard from them since it went live?! lol
For simming mine works perfect. Worked right from the get go no problems at all. Been using it for a sold 5 weeks now.
Yeah I don't get the comment about difficulties getting it to work. This is my first VR heatset, and I had it working straight away. For the most part, I'm definitely happy with my Crystal, and have no regrets with my purchase.
@@clubdeejay Yes other Pimax headsets definitely had their problems and the Crystal did super early on but I seems to be sorted out now. My ONLY wish is that it were brighter. I watched all the reviews where they say it’s so bright…maybe I had a defective unit or my expectations are too high. It’s fine but could be brighter in my opinion.
I'm glad yours worked well mate, I wish mine had!
Go out of my way? I put no effort into making it look bad the headset/software is exactly as I describe it... As a VR enthusiast from the early days of the DK2 I would much rather it was great!
@@KarlGosling It seems that the common problem is you.
There are two small boxes in the box which are easy to mistake as just being for spacing, did you check them? I think for me one contained the hub you're missing, and the other had two USB C cables. That plug is for the hub, using it extends battery life from 6 to 8 hours I believe.
The experience you've had sucks, I only got mine yesterday so haven't had much use yet, but so far it's just been plug and play, no issues even with my million and one USB devices plugged in... my initial impressions video is playing AMS2.
same thing happened to me :)
I'll check! I was massively distracted by just trying to get it to work so rooting through the packaging was not a priority! lol I assumed I had a review unit (hence the speaker upgrades) rather than retail so just wasn't there.
@@KarlGosling Yeah, I'm pretty sure the issue here is you.
Yes, Karl, please check! Several of your negative comments relate to the fact that you never unpacked the included USB hub. Hope the packing people didn't forget to put it into the box! That "old-fashioned" USB cable is to make sure the input from the PC isn't plugged into the wrong hub connector, by the way.
Like the Crystal, I think this review itself is still in beta phase. 😂
I’ve had my Crystal for over two weeks now, mostly using it in DCS World and I have not experienced any of the USB port incompatibility or disconnect issues the you have had. To increase comfort and eliminate light leakage, I did replace the face gasket with a 15mm one from Amazon. Other than being on the heavy side, I think that the Crystal is the best VR headset that I own (l also have the Rift S, Reverb G2, and the Pico4). Any chance you received a pre-production review unit?
Hello Karl, thank for your review. For information, i buy a new Pimax and get him on 3 August. The Crystal is fantastic, no question about image, but i habe a Problem from the begining, i habe a dead Pixel. So here what i send in Pimax support, but after 5 days now, NO ANSWER, NOTHING... To Pimax: "Got my Crystal 3 days ago and I see a dead pixel on the left eye exactly in the center and a bit to the left. Look red color. I play DCS and the sky is pretty bright now I see this pixel all the time. Can you help me and tell me what i need to do? Thank you very much".
From what I've read customer service is not great, I wish you luck mate!
Wow, Overkill just did a review on it and was blown away by it, said it was worth every dollar?
Guess why I unsubscribed to this channel...
He has affilate links
Well, I tried it and agree with Karl and especially Bradley Lynch. Maybe try to avoid the dishonest reviewers who only care about commission.
At the end of the day, I WANT and NEED the amazing display. With that said, I also just want to turn it all on and have it work without spending my limited time fiddling with software or settings. Just the 3 PPP’s
(Plug & Play Plz). No more no less!
It seems its closer to a DIY kit than a commercial product. They just sourced the best lens and screens and slapped them inside a very amateur designed headset. The 12K is obviously vapor ware also if they can't even get 120fov out of this.
After seeing your video, I clearly know what I want now before still thinking about this VR headset or an LG 45" ultra-wide monitor, i knew they are different stuff, but as your mentioned in video, 1600usd, is huge money, but, now I have an idea, thanks man
A comedy classic. Why on earth did they send you that? Didn’t they see your last Pimax review?
Im intrested in the longevity of the crystal. Cant wait to see how its doing in a year from now
What a interesting review of the Pimax crystal. So different compare to the most UA-camr reviews (“awesome, brilliant, excellent, fantastic headset”). Thank you very much for your honestly report 👍 I am very curious when it will reach our house. The USB-problems that you had, remembered me on the Reverb G2. At me was a horrible time too, when no usb port accepted my G2 (until HP sent me new cables ;). It seems that all Pimax user must hope on a very well software and firmware development in the future. Thank you very much for your time and report…✌️
I hope you have a good experience with yours!
Happy I held out and pre ordered the big screen beyond, as comfort is the biggest make it or break it for sim racing in VR imo.
Pimax Crystal = Buyer be Ware: I have had so much trouble with the Pimax, having firstly wated 2 moths for delivery when I was assured one month, now the set won’t work properly despite having spent many hours of my own time and almost a full day with a Pimax technician remote and still no results. Further it is plain to see that the product is very cheaply constructed, clips a very week and with continued use this will lead to quick degradation and product failure. Pimax has added a lot of feature into this device, remember if it sounds to good to be true it usually is, lots of things to go wrong.
You are very honest in your review. I can understand your frustration. This very costly thing should not hit the market at all. Be honest. It's unbelievable that somebody sold not working VR so such amount of money. Before your review I was thinking about buying Pimax clear. I'm cured now. Thank you so much for spending a lot of you heart beat for this. It seems you was trying be positive but obviously you could not
It is hard to be positive when there's so many negatives.
Good review , I like Karl as he cuts deep no other reviews do this
It's important as a potential buyer to know everything there is to know.
I am having the exact same connection issue, but with my 8kx. No connection to either of my PC's. I have tried everything. Sent it in for service at the retailer where I bought it and was told that it works just fine on their system. I have a 4090 and 7800x3d on my main system.
Yeah and this is the problem, they need to get their software working well with more hardware configurations.
Dear Karl Gosling,
Bionocular overlap is good in this eadset ? You can see the 3d effect very well right? Because in the past i have one pimax 5k plusand the a3 effect was very poor because of this lack of bionocular overlap. Because i have G2 and this 3d effect is perfect in this headset after Pimax 5k plus Thanks this answer in advance.
Thank you for making this video. I don’t care how good a headset looks visually, if it’s too big, heavy and not very practical, It’s not worth my time. Looks like I’ll be sticking with my Reverb G2 for sim racing until a new headset comes along that blows it out of the water.
For me and also a friend, the Quest pro has replaced the G2. Really good
I agree mate! Things are getting smaller and lighter not bigger and heavier.
@@ThePape78 interesting. Doesn’t the Quest Pro have a lower resolution than the G2?
Karl, I noticed that it does take a good solid 10 seconds to connect even when the disconnection message occurs. Baffling I know, I thought I was living in the 90's when shit didn't work due to certain specific power issues or connection ports being poor. I recall back in 90s having to bang my the top of my PC case where the CD driver was in order to eject the disk holder as the button to open the CD drive didn't work.
I almost referenced it being like instating hardware on Windows 95 during this video! lol
The displayport hooks need a button to retract them, that seems to be why it is harder to pull out in my experience of the pimax crystal
I am a Crystal owner. 40 seconds in already clicked on the thumb up.
Not sure if you are lucky by not getting the USB hub because it might have been helpful to you but to be honest I had to bypass it because my headset wouldn't connect to the pc with it. LOL. I also think you issue might be not the usb but the display port. Especially since you hear the usb sound but still say disconnected. Btw I heard some people had issues having triple screens connected at the same time while Crystal is also connected. Btw the newest update for me was a step backward. My controller's dead zone is smaller so I can't grab items or climb ladders in games. Also, it's asking me to redo the room settings every single time I start the crystal. lol But the biggest issue is that brightness is different in the two lenses :( I know there are sliders to adjust this but they don't work right and even manually adjusting it, it's never perfect. Mostly not visible but there is always a scene once in a while where you can see the difference.
Oh mate I'm sorry to hear this, sounds almost worse than my experience! :(
But again this is all par for the course with a Pimax headsets,.
good honest review. im not surprised with the verdict too.
Thanks!
I'm looking forward to the Quest 3 with pancake lenses. It will be my main PCVR headset until the Valve Deckard comes out.
I think this is probably what I'll do too mate.
does make you wonder why Q3 taking so long to come out given it has similar features to the P4 except a better CHIP in it which MAY get used by some developers. Be impressive if that chip allowed for better wireless PCVR latency and quality, time will tell.
What is the price in pounds do you know? I really like the display and lens combo, but the size and weight and battery while tethered puts me off. Crystal needs a much smaller casing
Thanks karl, i feel better about my decision to leave vr, monitors just work ALL the time.
No worries.
Which one do you think feels heavier on the head, the Pimax or the Valve Index. I'm looking for a cheaper alternative to Bigscreen VR for light weight casual VRing. Currently have a Vive Pro 2 but gets exhausting after a while.
This by far, VI has no battery, the Crystal weighs 1.2kg with these headphones!
I had absolutely 0 issues with installing and running my crystal. I do agree with it being bulky and heavy. Comfort is good once you found the right position.
The feature set already active are great 120Hz OpenXR support, FFR, clarity etc.
So either you had bad luck or your PC is causing the issues.
Coming from a G2 with tons of issues with cable, sweet spot, disconnection, tracking etc. this is my first Pimax and I love it for sim racing.
I'm tempted, to play the pimax lottery 😂 visuals and fov is my main driver, plus not having to need base stations.
Thats really interesting as the G2 V2 worked without issue for me, why does QC seems so varied in the VR world?!
Really appreciate your brutally honest review. I'm so sick of all these VR fanboy UA-camrs preaching the gospel on how every new headset is amazing and with good specs blah blah blah, without actually commenting on the user experience. I was mislead once with the Reverb G2 3 or so years ago, and won't make the same mistake again. The best displays in the world are completely worthless if the software is a buggy mess that takes 1hour+ to setup/get working each time you plug it in, and if the tracking is garbage like on the Reverb, it's useless for being an actual VR headset for gaming.
100% Agree mate!
Good review as always, mega T shirt!!!
Thanks mate!
Great honest review as always I had to return my 8kx do to always having to do a firmware update each time I used it and a bunch of other issues
Thank you for the wonderfully in-depth review! Very insightful and helpful!
Would you liken the difference in image sharpness between the PICO 4 (in PCVR) and Crystal to a 1080p vs 4k image? I recently tried a Pico 4 and Pico Neo 3 Link and was shocked by how much sharper the Neo 3 Link was over the 4 because of the use of a display port connection instead of USB 3.0 with 150Mbps decode limit on the 4. Despite the disadvantages of the 3 vs the 4, the image sharpness difference has put me off the 4. But I'm looking for an upgrade over the Neo 3 Link and the Crystal was on my radar. Despite the clear issues you've described with the Crystal, on the image sharpness perspective, is a 1080p vs 4k a fair analogy of the difference? Between the 4 and Neo 3 Link, it felt like a difference between 720/1080p vs. 1440p. Many thanks!
Hmm yeah maybe, but it's kind of hard to describe as there was other visual issues that distracted from the experience.
I think If you want an polished high ppd headset available today just buy a varjo aero. It works great and is comfortable. Or if you’re willing to wait the beyond might be the ticket.
True on the setup while we use inside out tracking and its required every time you pull out the batt 😂😂
Sounds very similar to my experience a few months ago. They've been begging me to the point of harassment since to do a followup video, claiming that everything is fixed now, so this is disappointing to see.
Yeah I thought that too, the latest firmware and software has improved things... but it can't physically be changed of course.
Also you may want to check the switch on the Pimax itself see if it sets to pc mode. I had a few times where it didn’t want to connect so I switched to standalone mode. Wait a bit for it to reboot and then switch to pc mode and wait for it to reboot again. Then reset the service on the Pimax play client. All of a sudden everything worked again
Software and firmware updates have sorted 99% of my connection issues mate, see my follow up video if you're interested.
This poor guy’s having some issues, no doubt. That definitely sucks. There are also a lot of good experiences out there. Can’t wait for mine to arrive and hope i’m not like Karl.
I think it's just hit and miss like all Pimax headsets mate, I hope yours is ok and fits you well :)
@@KarlGosling What seems to be a universal issue is customer service and the return policy, from what I’m reading anyway. I feel like I’m gambling $1600. Fingers crossed.
Thoughts on the beyond? Would love to see a beyond review from you ;)
Beyond for sim racing will be the best headset. Especially if you use a motion system on your sim rig. I’m buying one and I currently have a varjo aero.
@@jonberg469 it seems to be pretty much just the best HEADSET, Period looks like a great allrounder.
hey karl, since I saw you had dirt 2 installed, is it much better than the original dirt rally in VR ?
About the same mate.
26:39 Left controller was discharged a lot probably because it took a lot of left hand effort trying to make this thing work.. if you know what I mean.
I must admit I have upgraded my PC to the highest spec. Updated the Pimax firmware which worked and my crystal’s resolution in DCS Warthog A-10 cockpit is OUTSTANDING. It is vastly superior than my old Meta Quest 2. However, every thing Karl says about the impracticality and the clunkiness of the headset is true. Especially compared to my Meta Quest 2 which is a very good headset. The Pimax Crystal is heavy and I can only wear for an hour flying the A-10 where as the Quest 2 I can have it on my head for 4 hours.
Was trying to decide between this and the Aero, guess I'll go with the Aero even if the clarity isn't as good.
I would, the Aero clarity is still very good.
Maybe you can help me, I have had this headset for a week and I have yet to have the PC detect when the headset is connected to use. At this point I am really feeling like it was a waste of money. Is there anything that I may have messed in setup to get this thing runningfinally?
For me a firmware and software update sorted it.
@@KarlGosling was that just connecting the USB type c to the side of the headset and going through the app? Or was a force update?
Out of curiosity, are you using AMD CPU based systems Karl? X570 chip sets? My Reverb G2 also had awful USB issues that was a known issue with AMD mobos
I use 5900x with G2, never had a single issue - had both from release
@JOHB25 I'm glad you did not have any issues, truly, but, it was a known issue with amd systems, so much so that HP released an updated cable to solve the issue. My USB C connection never worked and. Had to use the uSB C to A dongle until I received the new cable.
Yes AMD mate, 550 and 450 on the second PC so could be, but this is of course still bad as AMD have a huge market share! My G2 was fine from what I remember, I just didn't like the tracking or controllers .
@KarlGosling Had a feeling. Very odd behavior. Some had no issues with the G2, others had to buy powered USB hubs. But it's definitely an AMD thing. They have been really flakey with their USB issues. No excuse for Pimax though as they should sort it out like HP did with the new cable. But it's definitely a possible theory for your issues. If you want to test it, I'd recommend a powered USB hub just to see if it helps.
@@silveretchedsoul I got a powered USB Hub delivered together with my Pimax Crystal. So I don't know why Karl hasn't received one.
Pimax be like "okay let's make sure the display and controller designers get the resources they need...and good luck everyone else"
30:40 Is the noise coil whine? That headset is hideous in so many ways.
I don't know mate, could be.
I was thinking about one of these. Maybe next time.
I'm still rockin' my Rift S/3090. Plays all race sims very well.
A G2 would make a nice upgrade from a Rift S, big visual improvement.
Have you tried to install a pcie usb expansion card to solve the usb disconnection problem as like in the old rift cv1 days?
No mate, thats not really a fair thing for consumers to have to do these days (like saying we cannot use a wireless keyboard or mouse) and certainly not for a review... it's the out of box experience that I have to share.
But it may have solved the connection issues yes.
hey dude you are right though this new software update that came couple of days ago is making me redo the room scale all the time… Luckily, I just dismiss it because it doesn’t affect racing even with motion
It's just too unfinished for a full release at $1600, I mean half the features are not even there available yet, standalone and eye tracking for example!
@@KarlGosling hey Karl- you are right the dynamic FoV render and auto ipd are not available - honestly dude I did not even want to get this thing, but I’m so glad I drunkenly ordered… I honestly can’t believe how easy it was to set up (luck? Im non techy) and I’m just going crazy in AMS2 - it’s soooo good, high frame rates and crystal clear lol….the controllers are completely trash, but I’ve never used them im strickly sim. I have a brand new PC I think that Helped.
I'm wondering how they're not bankrupt yet
It helps that this is our fastest selling headset ever and with the lowest return rate ever to boot.
@@WhatsupAbroad hi joshua ;)
So for someone with an rtx 4090 who is just getting into pcvr today what is your recommended headset for best overall headset? Pico 4? By the way i have been using the quest 2 the last 3 months and looking to upgrade.
Quest 3 all day long, best visuals by far!
NOoooooooooooooooo YOU HAVE A 4090 DONT GET A QUEST
Displayport also compresses images. I don't know why the idea that it doesn't has become so popular. Display port 1.4's maximum data bandwidth is ~25Gbps. A 5760x2880 video feed with a 32 bit colour depth at 90Hz is 44.5 Gb/s
Some said they need the usb hub to provide power to usb thats the adaptor used for. Mine with newer usb 3.2 high power seems ok without the hub. Hope you get it work.
It seems you didn't like your headset and had some technical difficulties. That's unfortunate. Thanks for trying the product and thank you for making the video.
I think he just killed you.
Do you think the community only watches Karl's review? 🤣
.... such as the part where Karl didn't find and unpack the included hub that would have prevented many of his gripes and questions? If I pulled out a power adapter, I certainly would make sure I found the thing it powers. I think Karl just had a bad day and thus released a review that is in itself still in beta.
thank you bro.... very long but it sounds very honest ...God bless you
You are most welcome.
Did you disconect your other displays?
Some people say multi monitor setups cause issues.
no one should have to do any of that "did you do this?" it should just work
I did yes... along with every other peripheral! lol But as above, we shouldn't have to.
The problem stems from having a hi-res VR headset in combination with multiple hi-res monitors .... the GPU can't handle that much bandwidth demand simultaneously. Not the headset's problem to solve.
@@RJ-kr4bs Exactly and what is the purpose anyway of running 3 or even more monitors when you wear a VR headset. It's so easy to mitigate with the app 'Display Fusion' or just go into Windows display settings to turn off displays more than 2. But Karl doesn't understand the reason and doesn't explore the solution. Whining seems to be his narrative and to me that isn't very helpfull in a niche and evolving kinda tech.
@@RJ-kr4bs it actually is the headsets problem to solve no other headset has this problem the world does not revolve around pimax headsets and its not a bandwidth problem to begin with.
Sadly, this review confirms what I always thought of Pimax in general. So happy with my Varjo Aero, the best VR headset I ever owned.
Thanks for the very honest review to balance out many of the other reviews praising the headset.
Your f-NG mint Carl love you fella, you chill me out with your great reviews,Clever bloke cheers Ant.
I’ll just stick to triples seems to be the safest option.
I wish you reviewed everything it’s so Honest down to earth
Thank you mate!
Can i just say i had none of these issues with my headset.... Literally plugged in and play. I prefer it over my Varjo Aero that was the current champ of VR
Good to hear mate.
The way you are holding for balance is not the same way. On the picot you are pinching the straps with your thumb and index fingers. The Pimax Crystal you are only holding the head strap with your thumb and it slides off to the back side of the VR. Also there is a factor on smoothness of the strap, witch one has more or less traction.
Neither have any pinch and friction is irrelevant if it's balanced... it's front heavy.
I trust in Karl. He knows.
Well PC skills seem limited…
I had much the same experience. I had to return it. Sad.
Yeah just a lottery I think, maybe it's the headsets themselves or maybe just the software and differing PC configurations... who knows?!
@KarlGosling relatedly: your video describing how motion compensation and pitch can't fake accelleration and decelleration proved very true with the yaw2. Thanks for your reviews and insight!
I was actually considering this but you havent steered me wrong yet so im going to back away slowly from this one. Cheers Karl.
It's just the same old Pimax experience in the same old big, bulky, heavy chassis design... put those lenses and panels in a smaller lighter form factor and produce some reliable software and it would be great! lol
Good to know, ill hold tough for the next iteration, It reminds me of watching old DK1 videos back in the day. The form factor alone must limit head movement in a racing seat. Movement is the point at the end of the day right?!@@KarlGosling
the problem with the usb-connection on the mainboard is in part a problem with the mainboard. turns out mainboard manufacturers love to cheap out on usb-controllers that dont deliver the power they are supposed to, to be in USB spec., which is fine for usb-dongls, mice and keyboards, etc. but once you try to run a highsepc hmd or anything else that requires power, it just shits the bed. i got myself a powered-usb-hub to take as much strain off the mainboard as i could and it worked just fine.(8kx last year, dont have a crystal)
but yeah, pimax need to stop shipping beta-tester grade products to consumers... actually those are alpha tester sets, to be beta it would need to have all basic functionality working to be tested.
The battery powers the headset as far as I understand it, USB power shouldn't be an issue... although maybe it is?!
@@KarlGosling the battery supplements the usb power, afaik it still tries to get max power from usb. thats at least how i understand it, might be wrong.
Thanks for the review Karl. Actually Cable image transmission IS STILL COMPRESSED as per the display port standard. Over 4K and over 60Hz has to be compressed. Ofcourse maybe better than wireless but still... compressed.
Also the shape of the headset is stupid especially if someone would have the guts to tear it appart. The path ways of the pixels on the extremity of the headset is bonkers so my assumption (since you see no distorsion and not a big FOV) is that in fact the "case" of the headset is simply that big because of the Pimax tradition and not that they need that space for putting the screens. Or just a part of the screens are actually used/seen in the lenses.
Also I would check the resolutions reported in SteamVR :) .
I think headsize plays a large roll in the comfortability of this headset, smaller heads will suffer, chunky boys will reign. Finally it only took till 2023. I also believe you have too many screens plugged in or on when trying to connect. If you have to many it won’t work.
Definitely mate, but a larger head will still not make it any lighter or smaller.
I had only one screen plugged in when testing on both computers! lol
The high pitched noise might be coming from the power supply, i had a sony TV that had a whiney power supply that changed it's pitch when the screen brightness changed.
These VR headsets need to be a lot smaller and lighter don't they. Bigscreen Beyond have the right idea, shame the pupil distance is locked to a single user though.
Could be mate yes!
I agree, I think Pimax are just cutting costs by reusing existing chassis and straps etc.
Hopefully this means they will have worked out all the issues for the 12k...
was seriously thinking of this but not now, any suggestions for a rift s replacement for flight sims and racing? cheers mate
Right now I would say G2 V2 for sim use.
@@KarlGosling yep ordered last night. Thanks for the honest reviews.
Dear Karl Gosling
Luke ross VR modded games (Cyberpunk , Zero Horizon Dawn ect) is working with Pimax Crystal? Can you use open xr layer or just steam VR?
And can you play with 4090 with affordable fps?
Furthermore can you play also praydog Resident Evil VR mod and the crystal controllers are working ?
Because my G2 working very well with these modded games in open xr mode and i can achive affordable fps with my rtx 4080 and it will be very
important question because i would like to upgrade my G2 if these are workign with also Pimax Crystal.
Thanks this answer in advance.
At least it looks like they've finally learned to ship a cable loosely coiled and not tightly kinked, so that's an improvement over my previous Pimax experience.
lol Good to find a postive!
Very informative, thanks!
You're welcome!
Weird. None of these issues. You probably forgot to unpack 1 square box which contains the hub where you have the cables for. And I even use AMD board which apparently supposed to have issues. I do have crackling sound though still. Even after reinstalling Nvidia drivers numerous times the crackling still comes back after a while.
It's not weird, it's... Pimax! lol
Yup I thought it was packing material, have since used it and it made no difference, software and firmware updates have though! See my follow up video if interested.
lol , I have seen some ytbers who discribed it like : "the best hmd on the market for consumers" or some BS like that xD lol ... lol ... lol ... 1,2KG piece of cr*p for "only" 1500$ !!! absolute joke like any other hmd Pimax hmd. Thanks for review :D always like to hear honest stuff :) cheers! ps. 1,2Kg in 2023 ... really ? xD
Totally right on the USB port, why is it second time fits