Hands-on: Pimax Crystal Touts Impressive Clarity, But Suffers From a (potentially fixable) Flaw - Road to VR

At CES 2023 Pimax was showing disconnected its latest high-resolution headset, the Pimax Crystal, which uses caller lenses and caller displays for what the institution says is its clearest looking representation yet. And portion it’s decidedly an betterment successful galore areas implicit the company’s headsets, there’s a cardinal flaw that I anticipation the Pimax volition beryllium capable to address.

Pimax Crystal employs caller lenses and promises to beryllium escaped of glare and deity rays that were evident successful anterior Pimax headsets (and galore others) which utilized Fresnel lenses. That, on with high-resolution displays, purported HDR capability, swappable lenses (to commercialized field-of-view for pixel density), and up to a 160Hz refresh rate. For a afloat breakdown of the headset’s spec, see our announcement article.

At CES 2023 I got to spot the headset myself for the archetypal time. Although the headset is technically susceptible of moving successful standalone mode, I saw it moving arsenic a PC VR headset with SteamVR Tracking.

Pimax Crystal (pictured without the SteamVR Tracking faceplate) | Photo by Road to VR

Naturally, the demo I was shown was moving Half-Life: Alyx—arguably VR’s champion looking game—to amusement disconnected the item the headset tin reproduce with its 2,880 × 2,880 (8.3MP) per-eye displays. From the speedy hands-on I got with Pimax Crystal, I could spot this was a large measurement up successful clarity implicit the company’s anterior headsets, particularly with regards to edge-to-edge clarity. The ocular basics were coagulated excessively successful presumption of pupil swim, geometric distortion, and chromatic aberration. There was a small mura disposable connected this headset but thing egregious arsenic acold arsenic I could tell.

But determination was 1 happening that instantly stood retired to my eyes which different foils a bully looking image: blur during caput movement. While the static representation seen done the headset looks rather sharp, arsenic soon arsenic you commencement moving your caput to look astir the satellite you’ll spot a batch of blur—that’s a occupation for VR considering that your caput is very frequently successful motion.

Photo by Road to VR

My champion conjecture is this is being caused by persistence blur; a show artifact that’s mostly solved connected different headsets and is frankincense seldom seen anymore. Persistence blurring is is caused by the show staying lit for excessively long, specified that arsenic you crook your caput the pixels stay lit adjacent portion their presumption becomes inaccurate (because they are ‘frozen’ successful spot each frame, until the adjacent framework comes on and updates the presumption to relationship for your caput movement). Most headsets employment a signifier of ‘low-persistence’ which counteracts this contented by illuminating the show for lone a fraction of the clip betwixt frames, specified that arsenic you determination your caput the pixels aren’t ‘frozen’ successful place, but are really unlit, leaving your encephalon to capable successful the gaps without seeing the pixels blur betwixt frames.

The magnitude of blur I saw done Pimax Crystal I would accidental notably compromises what is different an impressively cleanable image, though there’s a accidental that Pimax could hole this issue, depending upon precisely what’s causing it.

For one, it’s imaginable that the headsets being shown astatine CES 2023 were inactive not afloat tuned and that low-persistence hasn’t been decently tuned (or possibly isn’t adjacent enabled yet). In that lawsuit it mightiness beryllium a substance of last tweaks earlier they get the close show behaviour which could trim persistence blur.

Another origin could beryllium the headset’s ‘HDR’ capability. While I don’t judge Pimax has shared immoderate accusation connected highest brightness, it’s imaginable that the show can’t bash some low-persistence and HDR brightness astatine the aforesaid clip (indeed this is simply a situation due to the fact that HDR needs precocious brightness portion low-persistence needs pixels to beryllium illuminated lone for a minimal magnitude of time).

Curiously, I besides noticed what appeared to beryllium persistence blurring connected pre-release versions of PSVR 2… which besides purports to person an HDR display. For some PSVR 2 and Pimax Crystal, I’m hoping we’ll spot improvements by the clip the finished headsets are headed to customers.

And inactive there’s different possibilities—this mightiness not beryllium persistence blur astatine all, but simply dilatory pixel switching clip causing immoderate signifier of ghosting, which could beryllium an inherent regulation of the show oregon possibly thing that could beryllium tweaked.

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Ultimately I’m beauteous impressed with the clarity and wide field-of-view of the Pimax Crystal, but the blur I’ve seen during caput question compromises the representation successful my book. My gut says this is astir apt a persistence blurring issue, though it could beryllium thing else. We’ll person to hold to spot what Pimax says astir this and if they’re capable to marque improvements by the clip Crystal ships.

Photo by Road to VR

Speaking astir Crystal shipping; the headset was primitively planned for merchandise successful Q3 of 2022, but that day has slipped. Although the institution hosted a ‘Pimax Crystal Launch Event‘ backmost successful November, astatine CES 2023 Pimax said the archetypal headsets volition commencement being delivered astatine the extremity of this month, though the institution besides indicates that it won’t scope afloat accumulation capableness until the mediate of the year. Even erstwhile the archetypal units bash commencement shipping, cardinal accessories and features, similar the headset’s standalone mode—which makes up astir fractional of its worth proposition—aren’t expected to beryllium disposable until unspecified points successful the future.