• SLR

  • Which Pimax for SLR?

I know the world is now crazy about Quest 3 upcoming release but me not so much because I don't think it's much of an upgrade over my current Pico 4. So I was thinking about the Pimax. The only reason - the 200° FOV. I thought it would be cool to get out of the claustrophobic view of the Pico 4 and finally experience real immersion in VR videos (I hope).

Since it seems impossible to buy a new Pimax, I'd get the outlet version. The 3 options I'm considering are the 5K Super, 8K+ and 8K X but I have no idea which one has the best price/quality ratio for SLR.

If anyone here has experience with these headsets, please say what you think. I've read couple of posts about the 8K X here already but I wonder how much is it different from the cheaper ones. I will probably be limited to 6K videos because I have an old GPU (1080Ti).

  • 5K Super: the cheapest, lowest resolution and low PPD but still 200° FOV. It's supposed to have SDE but I wonder - is it noticeable with SLR videos? I'm not going to play any games.

  • 8K+: for €100 more - should not have SDE but otherwise it only upscales to 8K so I guess it still won't show SLR 8K videos at their best possible quality, even though I'll probably be limited to 6K

  • 8KX: wondering if it's an overkill for SLR videos or really worth it at close to €1000, compared to 5K Super at €650. But if I get a new GPU at some point, I might regret?

doublevr not sure about Crystal, the horizontal FOV is supposed to be much smaller than 8KX (something like 120 vs 160). And I don't need super clarity. Let's say I'm fine with Pico4-like clarity but I just want better FOV.

    8KX user here and I think this is still the best headset for porn (I have a valve index and used to have a Pico 4 too so I have some headsets to compare with). The FOV is great and resolution is good too. All the rest is pretty crappy but it's worth it since there are no valid alternatives that offer that killer combination. If you are comming from Pico 4 you will get a notable step down in user experience with whatever Pimax headset you go for though, so keep that in mind.

    The other Pimax headsets you suggested I would stay away from. Only the killer FOV + resolution combi of the 8KX make up for the typical Pimax shortcommings. Also, crystal is super clear but for porn it's kind of pointless as video resolution is the limiting factor not pixels per degree. Furthermore the Pimax 8KX and crystal have the exact same amount of pixels just spread out over a different FOV (and the crystal has better lenses and colors off course).

    My advice would be to wait a little longer to see what companies like Somnium VR bring to the table (and at what price) if you are looking for a premium VR upgrade. Don't get me wrong the Pimax 8KX is a great headset for porn but I think we are at the tipping point of it becoming outdated. I would have wholeheartedly recommended it 1/2 years ago though.

    Also, if you are limited to 6k, do yourself a favour and upgrade your card instead 🙂. No point in buying an expensive pc VR headset when you're gonna watch 6k

    I don't know about spending another $1000 on a new GPU. Perhaps the Pimax 8K+ could still be worth it? The outlet is now €719 and I could run it with my current GPU. I just wish someone would be able to compare 8K+ with 8KX and say how much is the difference noticeable. Too bad there's no way to try before buying.

    The 8kx has a upscale mode which is pretty much the same as using a 8k. To me the difference is huge but then again I find video quality very important to immersion

    I would also have to throw my hat in the ring for the 8k x. Fantastic clarity and the FOV is a game-changer. I believe they've also updated the lens in newer models to improve the size of the "sweet spot", since peripheral blurriness is one of the few downsides to the headset (though it never bothered me at all).

    The Quest 3 is cheaper, wireless, has awesome lenses and best-in-class passthrough though, and none of the production issues that plague Pimax. Just a thought.

      vrpicasso I’ve had that for almost a year with Pico4 but I’m waiting to see some Pico4 vs Q3 comparisons focused on SLR, including passthrough. I might replace the Pico with Q3 as my standalone headset.
      I’m only tempted to get the Pimax for the FOV. Noone can do such big FOV. Sounds like a no brainer to me for the 200° SLR fisheye videos.

        8 days later

        So I got the Pimax 8K X and I think it might be a bit overrated or simply already a bit obsolete. The horizontal FOV is indeed somewhat wider but the sweet spot is difficult to maintain because of the huge weight of the headset. So for me, whatever immersion is gained by FOV is also lost due to the lack of comfort and constant need to re-adjust.

        It also seems to me the sweet spot might be even smaller than Pico4 and anything in the extra gained FOV is blurry and distorted anyway. Also in the middle where the lenses overlap, I have a very noticeable blind spot and distortions. This is still there but less apparent on Pico 4. I'll probably try to play around with the IPD settings a bit more.

        I run the Pimax just fine with my GTX1080Ti at 75 Hz native. I tried 60Hz but got flickering in the videos. 90Hz is not supported by my GPU. This is the older version of the headset so it also supports upscaling mode at 110 Hz. I didn't see any benefit in 110 Hz vs 75 Hz and the image was less sharp. In DeoVR, 6K videos don't look any better than they do on Pico 4. But 8K videos are nicer and with much less SDE.

          czperv123 I'd definitely encourage you to mess around with the IPD settings (and tbh ALL the settings) in PiTool, especially for that overlap/blind spot. It definitely took me a bit of time to get settings for my eyes nailed down, and occasionally I still adjust things even a couple of years later.

          You're not wrong about the "sweet spot" on the older version of the 8kx and the general distortions around the peripherals - for some people it's an absolute dealbreaker, and for others (like me) it is a non-issue when I have the ultra-wide FOV to keep me entertained.

          I also removed the default plastic head strap and installed a soft, elastic one like one might use with any of the Quests. For me, this makes the headset 10x more comfortable, with the benefit of being able to use it laying down/sitting back. Of course it also means losing the built-in audio, but I always preferred headphones anyway.

            It took me weeks to truly dial it in. That's the pimax experience for you.. I still think its a great headset though. And eventhough the far out fov is distorted it does add precense. Also the sweet spot is still huge for me. It just has so much fov that the rest is kind of extra peripheral vision.

            Like I mentioned earlier, I do agree with you that I think the headset is almost going to be dethroned getting outdated a bit. It already is a question of convenience over fov compared to cheaper headsets like the quest 3 and then there are the upcoming headsets like the somnium vr 1.

            But, hey, it's still a great headset and I loved using it for the past year and a half.

            czperv123 I'm also using the 8kx, but the newer version, and really really love it.
            Before that I was using Quest 2 (and Quest Pro and Index for a few months).
            In my opinion it's not a easy decision between Quest 3/Pro or 8kx... for me it's just fov against convenience + passthrough + comfort (if pc is already there)!!
            For me personally the fov really is worth it ... they are everywhere 😅🤯
            For everyone who says FOV isn't that important I always would say go to Quest Pro or Quest 3.

            Maybe buying a used 3080ti?

              czperv123 I definitely agree with the feedback from up above. Give it some more time, and try to dial in the settings more. It will take some getting used to, and probably 2-3 weeks of trial and error. Try to get your face as close to the lens as possible too, as that will help finding the sweet spot usually (at least for me).

              Also, if you don't already have, get counterweights. they are a necessity. These are the ones I have: https://www.studioformcreative.com/product-page/pimax-8k-x-pro-balance-300-gram

              It makes a world of a difference. I kid you not, first few weeks I had my Pimax 8KX, I had neck pains and everything. It was super discouraging. But your neck muscles will quickly adapt and soon you can even play the likes of Beat Saber with your heavy 8KX and you won't even remember you're wearing a headset =)

              Good luck!

                How are you guys liking the crystal , 8kx and the quest 3.
                I had the 8kx and now have the q3. I prefer rhe q3 despite the smaller fov. Just seems clearer and easier on the eyes. Also big advanyage i can use it in bed or wherever ans pass through. 8kx made me sweaty and also was heavy kinda felt weird. 8kx was good to tho compared to all other headsets.
                I want a 200 fov headset with nice pancake lenses and oled 8k panels.

                  ernesto90354 I have the quest 3 and what I like about it compared to the pimax 8kx:

                  • love that I can stream from my bed in another room without having to start pitool, booting up my base stations etc. Just have the quest in my nightstand and all I have to do for pc vr is boot it up. Also nice for games and movies, etc.
                  • I think the passthrough is an awesome feature. Could be higher res though. Also for things like gaming or watching a movie while still seeing your surroundings (non vr).
                  • love the backstrap (although pro tip (it took me waaay to long to realize this) you can just replace the horrible back strap with something that allows you to lay your head against a pillow or whatever)

                  For the pimax
                  With the introduction of the quest 3 it's only truly the fov that is still better and if you don't have a very strong gpu the cabeled connection will help. But the fov + resolution is still a very nice experience. The quest 3 is the first standalone headset with bare able fov though.
                  Also, I think the face gasket of the quest 3 is very uncomfortable for longer sessions but that will be easily replaced soon.

                    czperv123 I also have a 8KX and I love it. For the weight of the headset, Someone sales weighted sandbags that you can strap on the back of the headset. It makes it so it is balances on your head. Even though you are adding weight it feels less heavy because it is balanced. I do not notice a weight at all. I can wear it for hours.
                    Hope that helps

                      2 months later

                      doublevr actually the XR-4 is for sale now and specs are as follows: The field of view is bigger than before, adding a lot more vertical field of view than is normally standard: 120 degrees horizontal, and 105 degrees vertical. The pixel resolution is about 4K per eye (3,840x3,744 pixels per eye), with a density of 51 pixels per degree. (For reference, the human eye sees 60 pixels per degree in the fovea.) This uses an aspheric lens just like the varjo aero and the displays use Mini-LED, with 200 nits of maximum brightness. apparently the passthrough cameras are 20MP (was 12 i think in the mixed reality).