Pimax 4K review - budget 4K VR headset

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Pimax engineers succeeded in breaking the Oculus and HTC monopoly with the introduction of the first 4K VR headset with integrated surround sound and desktop connectivity.

Most companies have focused on VR headsets that use Android as their operating system. Most often, the central component of such headsets is a smartphone. Occasionally there are devices with their own screen and built-in ARM coprocessor.

Full virtual reality can be experienced with the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, or Sony PlayStation VR. The list now includes Pimax 4K, which won the Best VR award at CES Asia 2016.

How Pimax came to the top echelon

The budget (half the price of analogs) Pimax 4K consists of active virtual reality glasses and an audio system with a 3D sound effect.

Pimax's resolution is double that of competitors used to work with PCs. Two 1,920 x 2,160 screens produce 4K stereoscopic resolution refreshed 60 times per second.

This is how the main problems of devices of this kind are solved:

• The image quality is improved (the grid of pixels is invisible).
• Reduces the negative effects associated with watching videos at close range.
• It is possible to play modern games in the highest possible resolution with support for high quality textures.

For positioning in virtual space, the device has all the necessary internal sensors: double gyroscope, magnetometer, acceleration, distance, illumination sensors.

The only thing missing is an external tracking system to track the movements of the whole body. Pimax assumes working at a table in a static position.

Pimax 4K at work: how and with what?

It is very difficult to objectively evaluate a device for immersing in virtual reality. Even the most advanced ones are still an experiment. Perception depends on one's own physical condition.

Since the testing used not compatible manipulators, but a mouse with a keyboard, movement in real space was limited.

Despite having a darker picture than the Oculus Rift, the Pimax's picture quality is amazing. Competitors have a noticeable pixel grid, low resolution emphasizes the lack of textures and models. The Chinese design offers a smooth, seamless image with excellent brightness and contrast.

Unfortunately, when you turn your head (moving your gaze in the game), an insufficient frame refresh rate affects: objects leave noticeable "trails" behind them.

There are many VR applications designed for static body position, for example War Thunder. The game does not require special manipulators, Pimax creates the effect of being in the pilot's seat even without them.

In addition, War Thunder does not require the player to lean forward or backward. Pimax cannot do this without additional controllers.

The complete audio system sits perfectly on your head and perfectly conveys the direction of sound in a gaming environment. No worse than in multi-channel gaming headphones.

In addition to War Thunder, the following participants took part in testing:

1. Half-Life 2: Update (improved textures and effects).
2. Elite Dangerous (best VR-enabled space simulator).
3. Resident Evil 7.

There were no negative effects when using Pimax: no dizziness, no nausea. It is quite difficult to play for hours due to the mass of the device. But, getting used to it, you can disappear for several hours.

Convenience of design - at the level of the main competitors. Pimax 4K fits perfectly to the head and does not cause discomfort. The Oculus Rift and HTC Vive sit roughly the same way.

Design and hardware capabilities

The design of the Pimax 4K is similar to its counterparts. Each eye has a separate screen with 42mm aspherical lenses. Vision transforms the picture into a single wide-angle (110-degree) stereo image with a density of 806 PPI. That's almost double the size of the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift, which offer a total resolution of 2,160x1,200.

Pimax allows you to adjust the interpupillary (center-to-center) distance between 58 and 71 mm (standard range). Without setting up, you won't be able to use a single headset for a long time. After 5-15 minutes, the head starts spinning.

The body is so voluminous that it will be comfortable even for those who wear glasses. The fit and insulation is provided by a soft foam pad, and ventilation is provided by an additional plastic insert between the pad and the body.

Outside there are three hardware mechanical buttons. One turns on the device, the other two are used to change the volume in the supplied headphones.

The headset comes with a pair of separate on-ear headphones. For maximum user convenience, the developers have abandoned the one-piece headband. Instead, a padded system of Velcro strap and back cushions is used.

According to the developers, the Pimax 4K headphones output 5.1-channel audio. Of course, this is achieved to a greater extent by software emulation, but 3D sound is still there.

System requirements and hardware compatibility

Pimax 4K is connected using a cable that forks at the end to a USB plug and HDMI 1.4b standard.

The headset can only work with a computer running 64-bit Windows. There is currently no companion application for other operating systems.

General system requirements for VR

4K video output with processing for stereo screens is a tedious task. The integrated graphics card can only be used when playing 360-degree photo and video panoramas.

To work correctly in native resolution, you will need:

• Intel Core i5 processor or higher.
• RAM from 8 GB.
• NVIDIA GTX960 / AMD R9 290 or higher graphics card with 4-6 GB memory.

We used an i5-3570K processor, 8GB DDR3 RAM (10,600Hz) and a MAXSUN GTX 1,060 graphics card (3GB DDR5), which can be swapped out for a 6GB RAM variant.

The most profitable acquisition in terms of price-performance ratio is the NVIDIA 10xx series of video cards (AMD Radeon video cards do not always work correctly in these applications). As a processor, you should pay attention to the Intel Pentium 37xx and Intel Core i5 / i7 6xxx, as well as the new AMD Rizen processors.

To determine if your existing system can be used for VR, you can use a test from Steam. With a caveat - it does not test the Pimax resolution, so the power headroom will come in handy.

Manipulators

Pimax 4K does not have its own manipulators. Using Steam, you can work with the following input devices:

1. Mouse and keyboard.
2. Standard gamepads, joysticks, steering wheels, steering wheels.
3. Xbox One gamepads with HTC Vive controller emulation.
4. Leap Motion sensors.
5. Razer Hydra Control System.
6. NOLO control system.

Traditional Xbox controllers and gamepads do not require Steam. Others use it and the corresponding drivers.

Software

To connect Pimax, you need the PiPlay utility - an application store with built-in drivers and a cinema. Unfortunately, its content is poor.

Therefore, to work with the headset, you will need to install the following software:

1. Steam (HTC Vive apps only).
2. SteamVR.
3. Java x64.
4. PiPlay.
5. Revive.
6. LibOVRWrapper.
7. OculusHome (required for Oculus Rift apps).

When Pimax 4K is connected, it will be seen by Steam, and content for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive will appear in PiPlay: popular games, panoramas, videos.

With Virtual Desktop on Pimax, you can run any application in 3D, even a Windows desktop with AutoCAD. Much more functional than a phone in a special headset.

Outcomes

Virtual reality headsets, unlike smartphones, headphones and other gadgets, have not yet entered our everyday life. They are difficult to evaluate and recommend. Any of them is an opportunity to try new sensations. Nobody gives guarantees that they will be liked.

But if you think about it, $ 300 (which is how much Pimax 4K costs today from an authorized dealer with an LHPIMAX coupon) for a new experience is not so much.

The Pimax 4K developers went their own way and created a great device. Image quality, the ability to use any manipulators, compatibility with Steam made Pimax 4K a bargain for immersion in virtual reality.