My Pimax Crystal experience
Posted By delto95 on r/pimax
1st Impressions
I received my crystal pretty quicky after I made the payment, but since I was away on holidays I was only able to unbox and connect it yesterday evening.
It took about 25 minutes to unbox, and set everything up, including the Apache strap and counter weight on which I will come back later, the thicker face cushion and the Hons VR prescription lenses.
I connected the fiber optical cable I had from the 8KX, and used an Anker USB hub as I read everywhere, the supplied one is not very good.
Fired up my PC and the Pimax software immediately found the Crystal. Firmware update was initiated and eventhough it kind of stopped mid update it completed after a while. It’s a slow process but it went without hickups. Fired up the two controllers which were picked up by the software almost immediately. Tracking is perfect but I use it sitting down so it worked out of the box for me.
First impression when putting on the comfort of headset was not that good. It does not fit snug but after some adjusting and fiddling with the Apache strap I am quite happy with how it fits. The counterweight I ordered also helps although it is still al itlle bit nose heavy. It does not give the identical comfort of the 8KX but the way I set it up, I feel I can wear it without too much discomfort.
The Apache headstrap really helps here, I recommend it. With the thicker cushion the Hons VR lenses are perfect but with the thinner one it would be problematic. The quality of the HonsVR lenses is actually top notch.
All in all, getting everything unboxed, connected and set up took me around 25 minutes and boy, is it worth the effort! In the Pimax software I set it to 120Hz and rendering quality at Max.
I fired up Automobilista 2 and I was absolutely blown away. The detail, the colours, the realism is just mindblowing. Never seen anything like it, it was like sitting in fornt of an OLED UHD monitor. Even the smallest letters in the cockpit were razor sharp and easy to read. In assetto corsa at max settings i got 90fps without any problems while in AMS2 I hit 65. I will have to tweak but didn’t have time to adjust settings and I just played the way it was set up from before I received the Crystal.
FOV is indeed as others have stated quite a bit less then on the 8KX, but this is a trade off am I willing to make, without hesitation. The clarity and detail are truly next level and the setting up went without any hickups. I read a lot of horror stories on the Crystal but I guess I am one of the lucky ones. The set is working perfectly and all the accessories I ordered after reading a lot through this reddit and other forums helped to make the experience better. Anker USB hub, Apache Strap and counterweight, thicker face foam and Hons VR lenses. Will use the Crytsal for the next month or so and if it remains stable , there will be a great second hand 8KX for sale soon.
Source r/pimax