Two new VR headsets join the Pimax lineup: The Chinese manufacturer revealed both the Crystal Super and Crystal Light HMDs - and you can win the latter in our giveaway. Find out how to enter at the end of this article!
THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED AND THE WINNER HAS BEEN INFORMED - THANK YOU FOR YOUR ENTRIES
Images: Pimax
Sim racing and Virtual Reality go hand in hand, and Pimax has established itself as a leader for high-end VR headsets. As part of its 2024 Frontier event, the Chinese manufacturer unveiled two new models related to its successful Crystal via its YouTube channel.
Pimax Crystal Super: Higher High-End
On one hand, there is the Crystal Super, which raises the bar compared to the already impressive hardware feature list of the standard Crystal. Listed specs include 29.5 million pixels (the Crystal has 16.5 million) and the ability to change between QLED and OLED panels. The latter is made possible by a new swappable optical engine system that also includes the lenses - a first for VR headsets. This way, users can use the advantages of a system for certain scenarios.The Crystal Super's 3840 x 3840 resolution, 120 Hz refresh rate on the QLED panel (90 Hz on micro-OLED), and eye tracking feature make the PCVR-only headset one of the premier offerings in Pimax' lineup. It is set to be released in Q4 of 2024 at $1,799.
Pimax Crystal Light: More Affordable High-End VR
Meanwhile, the other headset unveiled at the Pimax Frontier is the Crystal Light. This headset boasts mostly the same specs as the "proper" Crystal, but does without features that are less important to PCVR users. This means that you get the same 2880 x 2880 resolution, up to 120 Hz refresh rate and aspheric lenses, but without standalone capabilities. The Crystal Light comes without a battery or XR2 processor as a result.Other features not on board include eye tracking, changeable lenses and dynamic foveated rendering - although the latter is available in the Crystal Light as well, just in a fixed state.
However, this also means savings in two key areas, those being weight - increasing comfort - and the price tag. The Crystal Light will set you back $699, which is an enormous difference compared to the $1,599 price point given by Pimax. Pre-orders are already open, and the headset will ship approximately in May, according to Pimax.
As sim racers are normally stationary when racing in VR, the lack of standalone features on the Crystal Super and Crystal Light likely will not be an issue to most - unless they also want to use VR in other scenarios. When sitting down to race, most would likely run their headsets in PCVR anyway.
Pimax Crystal Airlink: Wireless High Fidelity
For those who want to do without wires when racing in VR, Pimax offers a solution as well: The Crystal Airlink module upgrades the Pimax Crystal's wireless capabilities. It plugs into the headset itself, and its counterpart utilizes an HDMI port on your GPU - this way, the Airlink module alleviates the drawbacks of a purely WiFi-based connection.Less compression leads to less latency, all while the full resolution and refresh rates of up to 90 Hz of the Crystal will be supported. The $299 Crystal Airlink will be "ready for shipping later this year", according to Pimax.
Giveaway: Win A Pimax Crystal Light!
Now, how do you feel about giving a brand-new VR headset a go? Together with Pimax, we are giving away a Crystal Light headset!Simply head to the OverTake Pimax Crystal Light Giveaway page where you will find multiple options to enter the giveaway. You can choose how many of them you would like to use - a single entry could be enough, but you can gain up to four by completing all of them. Good luck - maybe you will head out onto the virtual track in a shiny, new VR headset soon!
The giveaway will be open to enter until 19:00 UTC on April 22, 2024.
What would be the first car/track combo you would load up should you win the Pimax Crystal Light? Let us know in the comments below!
THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED AND THE WINNER HAS BEEN INFORMED - THANK YOU FOR YOUR ENTRIES
