So honest...expect for talking about using glasses in the headset vs there being (according to Ben) no optician lens options. Or at least, he makes it appear that way. I like to hear about other headsets like the Pimax (I have an Oculus CV1 and now S) and while I don't wear glasses, I was curious about the lens thing because, well, I've seen inserts on most headsets, so, why not this one? Anyway, after a quick google I was able to find that you can get an insert for the 5K since...July last year. This is the kind of misinformation I really dislike when people like Ben make videos that appear to show someone who has done their homework on a device, before reviewing it. Sadly, I've seen similar misinformation from the channel before. I enjoy the simpler videos Ben posts, but these kinds of videos make me think of unsubbing.
@@imdurc jeez get a grip, there wasn't any misinformation. The setup he was supplied was unsuitable and he fixed it with what was available to him. Blame the Pimax PR person for not doing the research on who they are sending units out to and supplying him an insert, not Ben for failing to spoon feed you their catalogue. He was reviewing and sharing his own experience. As you say, and easily put into action, we all have the ability to google for our own specific needs.
@@imdurc it's not really misinformation because the insert wasn't included with the package they sent him, so he had to resort to DIY method and make one himself. If it came bundled with the headset it wouldn't be a problem.
@@imdurc also that's such a petty reason to unsub for, there are very few VR based channels on RUclips that go as in-depth as this one, good luck finding anything better.
@@Syndor12 We're talking SPECIFIC optician made lenses. No headset manufacturer, not Valve, not Oculus, etc. provide such things because they're user specific.
That's unfortunate, but huge props to Pimax for reaching out to you still! It gave me more respect for them still, because I feel reaching out to the small VR creators is really the best way to make this community grow. Even though their headset has too many drawbacks for now, I'm always glad to have more competition in the VR market, and the issues do certainly seem to be addressable for future revisions. Thanks for the great reviews, I'd been curious about this one for ages since I always see it recommended on Amazon when I'm browsing VR stuff there. On a side note, have you ever considered doing some collaborations with other VR youtubers? I'd be really interested to see you and ThrillSeeker work together on something, whether that's a multiplayer VR game or something else! Either way, keep up the good content, it's great to have this kind of information out there for both veterans and new people looking to get into VR!
Thanks! Yeah I'd love to do a collaboration, there's been some talk of it before but everyone has such a busy/random schedule it's hard to pin down dates. I think it's inevitable though 😀
Great review! I'm a Pimax user and totally agree that it's an enthusiast HMD that needs some tinkering and modding to be enjoyed properly. It's not suitable for a causual VR user. Also sorry to hear about the warping issues. I experience no such issues at all (and I also use the DAS and thicker face foam to accomodate my glasses). I only experience light blurriness on the edges of my view when running large FOV, but I tend to forget about that as soon as I start playing.
Yeah im with you kristoffer, I notice the warp on the edges but it does not bother me and while im playing it dont think about it at all, it's like its not even there. But yeah, its for enthusiasts. I love it
Me three. I have had a dk2, vive, odyssey+, 5k+ with vive strap. easily the 5k+ is the best. racing with a great view all the way across my vision is awesome!
@@GettingGoal i dont know. seems like a wide variation between experiences. but mine looks great to me. maybe the headsets are different , settings in pitool, different ipd, im not sure what it is just glad mine is great
the Small FOV setting is still wider than any other headset. I see warping when I strain to the left or right. I think it might just be the inevitable results from a wide FOV. Just like in real life, your peripheral vision doesnt provide the same fidelity as your direct vision.
I love my 5k+. Use it on large and it fills my vision with greatness. I have had many headsets and my pimax is the best of them. After using my pimax it is very hard to go back to my quest. Looks like I am looking through a toilet paper roll. If the peripheral vision bothers you, which it doesn't me, but if it does then use the regular FOV setting.
Massive warping even on small FOV. My OG Vive offers better visual fidelity to me than my 5K+. Vive also doesn't crash my PC or requires hours of debugging.
@@jasperfredrickson4420 I love my Pimax, Why should I not? Just because you wouldn't mod it? You are you, not me. I just want the best VR headset, I don't care what I have to do to get it. My Pimax is not modded, but heavily modded, much more than what you see in this video. And I'm really happy.
@@mmorselli You completely missed the point. I never said you couldn't mod it. I said this product is an embarrassment to be released in the state it is. You shouldn't need to mod a consumer-released product to make it functional. Even if you don't see it as consumer-ready, Pimax has advertised and marketed it as such.
@@jasperfredrickson4420 Anyone who thinks that a product that experimental done by a kickstarter startup in china is gonna be polished on release is delusional. The marketing department is doing it's job and what you are complaining about is your own expectation of the product, fabricated by comparison wtih the giants like facebook, valve or microsoft.
What you described is my exact experience which led to me listing it on ebay and getting rid of it asap. I bought a ton of straps. Then when it was comfortable enough I put it on and immediately saw the fishbowl. (Ignoring the ton of PiTools pain I had to go through and the defective cable that had to be replaced). The fishbowl effect killed VR and just made everything useless. Packed it up and listed it on ebay immediately.
You're lucky. I can't even sell mine because I can't seem to get one with a cable that doesn't have sparkles in the video or other issues (note the way they ship that cable, no doubt bending it like they do to fit it in that box is causing the damage). The Pitool situation has improved drastically since launch (it actually seems to work ok most of the time these days). At least now you can have different settings per application, so you only have to do all the futzing around once per game, instead of trying the remember the optimum combination of settings every time you started a game. In my experience, the comfort is exactly as described in the video. I have yet to find a face gasket that makes it good for me, and I've tried MANY of them. Was using the Deluxe Audio Strap as well, but that has been moved to the Quest as that gets way more use than the Pimax. Have not tried adding a "shim" to the top to try to fix the angle, but I have noticed that is one of the fitment issues with this headset.
Great Review man.. I had all the same thoughts at first but was thankfully able to mitigate the distortions to be so minimal it really doesn't bother me anymore..... I have faith that Pimax will be able to fix this in software as I did see it get better between Pitool releases from what it was running when they sent me mine and the pitool version I am on now. []-)
I have a 5k+ and yes there is some warping towards the edges, but similar to the original vive and the sweetspot situation, I only see it if I look with my eyes to the sides. It's really not that bad, and not nearly as distracting to me as it seems to be to OP in the video. And the area in the middle without the warping artifacts is MUCH larger than the original vive sweetspot. I just figure it has to do with such complex lens design, but it's not a deal breaker for me. I use mine mostly for sim racing and once I'm racing along there is no distortion artifacts that I see (they're all off to sides out of where I'm focusing) and I can enjoy the large FOV. Definitely a tinker's headset, and overall in my experience it has compatibility issues, mostly with this "parallel projections" situation it has to deal with due to the canted lenses, but for basically every game that you can get it running properly, the FOV is very impressive and makes the game feel completely different (in a great way). If 100% compatibility is your bag, get an index. Best FOV and immersion and like to tinker? pimax
Thank you for the honest review and down to earth content! I have a 5k+ and Index and agree on every point. I don't have glasses, but otherwise had the same experience you had. To be honest, even if there were no warping I would probably still use the Index more than the 5k+ due to the audio, comfort (my 5k+ is modded similarly to yours - with the DAS and VRcover foam. It's pretty comfortable this way but still no match for the Index), proper object culling, framerate, colors, and crispness. I'm not trying to hate on the Pimax, I haven't sold it because I can live with the distortion enough for reasonable play sessions, but I only switch over to the 5k+ every once on a while for that sweet, sweet FOV lol.
I saw so many reviews of this headset and think those doing the reviews were so excited to get the unit to either try or keep they didn't give honest reviews.You really gave a complete honest review.Looked out for the customer not just consumer.
I think they have great ideas and a vision. They have to take your feedback and fix it. I know you can get prescription covers for the lenses. I know you that you know your stuff so there maybe a reason why you don't use them. I do hope that Pimax listens to you and makes a product that works.
You have to provide your own lighthouses and controlers... You have to get yourself a functional headstrap and fix the cushion situation till it feels right... You have to provide your own audio situation (not realy a big deal compared to the rest) then you have to tinker with a lot of settings and middle-man software in both steam and pmax software... Finaly, after you get all the previous work done, MAYBE, just MAYBE you can play for a while if the fishbowl effect does not totaly kills your immersion... I'm sorry, i think i'm gonna stick with my old vive. It came with everything i needed, i did set it up realy quick and without issues, and it works too damn well for me. The last thing i ever think about is fiddling with settings and adjustments. Thank you for the video tho, it was realy well done. I think from the fact that you spent pretty much the whole video talking about setting it up, and didn't realy show us yourself playing says everything.
Highlights all of the issues people commonly report on the forums. Pitool does not need to be ran after the HMD has been set up properly once. For comfort i just hook the default strap over my hair (which i put in a knot on the back of my head) and 10 hour sessions are no problem at all, no other mods so i guess i have the perfectly shaped face for this HMD. I see a slight distortion on the outer edges of my periphery if i look for it but i dont find that to be an issue, have upwards of 1k hours (paired with my OG vive controllers+lhs) in my pimax5k+ since i got it. The HMD can be really good, the company behind it i have my doubts about. I kind of wish i had either just backed for the HMD itself instead of the full kit (with lighthouses and controllers that seem like they will never arrive) or skipped it completely and waited for the index, one of my main issues now is that i couldnt "downgrade" to an index now because i know what wide fov is like. For people that require glasses there are 3dprintable lens mount adapters available, a couple of people on the forums put them together earlier this year: www.thingiverse.com/thing:3622397
100% my experience. The reviewers that shower the pimax with praise have lost all credibility with me. The warping is real and destroys the magic of VR.
Hey man, thanks again for the time and effort and the unbiased review. I also was following pimax´s developement and was pretty eager to try out their 5k flagship (heard the 8k was horrible e.g. LTT´s review). On the topic of warping or barrel distortion. I think your glasses might be the main cause of this phenomena and hear me out on this one, just based on my subjective experience I am no sientist. I will start from the basics so everyone is on the same page in my story. Got an htc vive a while ago, I played for a long time with the unmodded original. Then the lens mod crossed my way and I applied it. I usually need glasses but for the original fressnel lenses of the HTC vive, it made no difference to my near sighted eyes, so I basically played without glasses. After applying the lens mod with the Samsung gear vr lenses, since clarity and sweet spot was praised to increase, I had to swap to glasses to finally notice the difference. Now the problem is that when I adjust the vives settings to decrease the known barrel distortion as posted on the reddit to the lens mod itself, the version 3 of the fix worked wonders so I had no distortion, BUT when putting off my glasses since I do care more about playing comfortably then seeing 2 or 3 pixels clearer, the barrel distortion with the fixed version 3 suddenly was really hard, I swapped back to version 1 of the fix and now play without glasses. There might be a distortion due to light breaking twice to get into your eye, but then of course it might only be the issue with the pimax, but it may be worth a shot if at all you can try to at least test without glasses. I wear wired glasses similar to your "small glasses variant", which are almost perfectly straight lenses except for the needed concave to create vision improvement of course. That is my humble observations on the topic, might all be rubish but I wanted to share it :D Keep it up !
Just sounds like a very poorly made product to me. It feels like the FOV issue is just because they used a hack to get wider FOV, they just stretched the image to fill the FOV.. I'm really not inclined to believe that anyone could've fixed that by having less or more face cushion. Thanks for the review.
with a simply streched image, it would alter the proportions of the image in the middle too and I dont see that here. I would guess they just tried something like putting a "software wideangle lense" into the rendering pipeline which could also be a reason why you need to use PiTools. That would also be a hack though.
I have heard all the horror stories about the pimax 5k during the kick starter while waiting for mine to arrive,expected the worse and the dread of having to mod!Have had mine for 6 months so far ,no warping on small and normal fov,but a very little on large and I mean veeeery little.The strap was comfortable for me and well balanced,probably will be even better when I get the new strap promised.Also there is light houses and controllers from pimax,bought as a bundle during kickstarter.Haven't received them yet but expecting them soon.Only issue must admit is amd cards are lacking support(Have rx580),cant set the pimax to a lower frequency like the nvidia cards can.They say they are working on that though.So all in all no problemo my side.
You should get the pimax since everyone do experience it differently. I got no issues at all with my unit. I am using the pimax xr and comfort is epic out of the box and I got no vorping and true oled colours
I've been conflicted about the warping issue from watching other reviewers. I'm always wondering if the reviewer tried the right stuff since there are some fisheye-style fixes I thought you could do. I believe you honestly did everything you could to fix the warping, so it's really sad to see. There's only one reviewer on RUclips I've seen positive about Pimax so it's nice to see someone else that isn't completely bashing everything else about the headset. Even though the experience of using the headset was probably frustrating for you, you did a great job calmly conveying your thoughts.
Thx for the review, always wanted to hear about an trusted VR-Source like you about it. Its really a pitty that you couldn't get rid of the issue. More testing in games would be a great thing... but yeah.
The issue with the wide FOV is a difficult one to avoid when using flat screens to imitate the light coming from the world around our curved eyes. Our eyes are used to light coming into them from all sides evenly. There's no way to achieve this using flat screens so you have to use big fresnel lenses to stretch the screens out to surround the eyes which warps everything causing distorted edges, just like what happens with super wide angle camera lenses (known as barrel distortion) but in reverse (known as pincushion distortion). For a camera to capture a super wide angle without any distortion it would need a convex curved sensor, and similarly, the only way to make a VR HMD with wide FOV and no distortion would be to use concave curved screens though this of course would be very expensive R&D and difficult to manufacture. You can also use rectilinear lenses which can get very close to fixing the distortion but those are again much more difficult to engineer and expensive manufacture than fresnel lenses. Or, you could get closer to this by just using very wide screens at an angle but that introduces more issues and of course costs more.
@@4wheeln4fun yeah and thats great! I just always feel misinformed when they marked a headset that requires some sort of tinkering as an plug and play solution. But again, the fov and all that stuff look amazing and im glad you like it!
The warping seems like something they could fix by software, im not that good of a programmer myself, but i feel like they could apply a reverse warping to the image on the edge, that is adjustable in size since it seems to be dependent on your distance to the screen
I have had a 5k+ for a long time and if you are still seeing warping it's because the headset is not properly positioned on your face. When using my headset there is absolutely zero warping when positioned properly. You can do it if continue tinkering it -- it maybe an issue that stems from using glasses? as I dont wear glasses with the pimax. Try positioning the headset higher so your eye almost as low as possible.
Sad to hear it didn't work out for you. I had the same issue with warping. Luckily adjusting the eye to lenses distance and fov settings made it work for me. To be honest there's nothing really special about the headset until you start getting into experiences that aren't specificly made for vr. Using the pimax was the only way to comfortably minimize the screen door effect while keeping the screen big on big screen for me. Seeing things in the distance with the pimax 5k+ you can pick up subtle movements more such as gestures. That helped a lot playing vrchat. The microphone doesn't have a terrible plosive problem. There was something that was unbearable though. The foam peice had an extremely strong oder for about 2 weeks. There was also the problem that blocks would become super distorted when in beat saber when interpolated frames were on. 1 amazing thing is that just for me is that the pimax doesnt have the weird blue fuzz artifacts in dark scenes like I see in all the htc vives I own and have tried elsewhere. Overall the pimax works for me but it's not plug and play as mentioned in the video.
You have to restart steam and pitool AFTER you change the FOV from large to Normal etc.. I was able to clean up the issue of distortions like 99%. Also you have those very large glasses which can't possibly help. It's bad if you try to change the fov on the fly without restart.
@@JoopEee no. You misunderstood my post entirely. The reviewer was using big glasses and was trying to change fov on the fly to combat distortion. Steam doesn't allow that and you must restart steam to make that change. For me and many others posting here the picture is awesome even on the widest fov.
Hello! Tell me please. I recently purchased pumax 5k plus . When watching any video, especially in a virtual desktop, round lens flares are visible on a black background. In a color picture, they are almost invisible, but on a black background they really interfere. It's like a fog effect. Is this normal? I have a pimax 4k there is no such problem.
Thanks for your video..So you still recommend the valve index over the pimax? (I’m coming from a htc Vive and considering pimax 5k+ , hp reverb, valve index or even wait for pimax 8kx..
This is definitely a tinkerers headset but i guess in my option thats what makes it so amazing! Thanks for the in depth review i have really enjoyed watching your vids! Im sorry to hear you had this warping effect. I must say i have never experience it (Though I dont wear glasses) I work as a indie VR dev and had pretty much every headset tested through the studio (including the starVR + XTAL) but coupled with the index controllers and the delux headset for me is no question the pimax has been the best headset I have ever had. Really this for me is VR 2.0. Yeah it takes a bit to set up and you need a 1080ti -2080ti to run it well, but going back to older headsets is so far away from experience the higher res and FOV. Anyway it seem the reviews are quite mixed but I would defo recommend it if you like tweaking and tinkering to get the perfect experience!
the effect is present but the field of view where it is not present is greater than the total fov of other headset. The software is opensorce and you can set the distortion yourself. I don't know there, but when I look in real life at outstretched hands at an angle, I rather see spots, and I would certainly not count my fingers ... So how is it in VR we want to see everything clearly at 170fov to be more realistic? For me, this additional 150+ field of view is only for immersion, not to look at. Good luck looking at the edges of the image in pimax, the eye tendon is torn (it just hurts).
Fyi to anyone new to vr... Viveport Infinity is on black friday sale for $60/year ($5 a month) through dec 2 and has games such as A fishermans tale, super hot, Doctor who, arizona sunshine, groundhog day, pixel ripped 1989, windlands 2, to the top, sairento, five nights at freddy’s, final assault, box vr, racket nx, richie’s plank experience, tilt brush, angry birds, obduction, fruit ninja, battle wake, knockout league, apex construct, seeking dawn, a c i a r greenwater, the gallery ep 1-2, the wizards, dick wilde 2, fantastic contraption, synth riders and many more. I signed up when it first released and it was BY FAR the best $60 that I have spent in vr. I just paid for another year.
The warping really is a software issue unfortunately. The game need to account for it in rendering. Right now, games are made for your typical 110° HMD. So until ultra wide FOV HMDs become the norm, its likely an issue we'll just have to live with. I don't really notice it, but i mostly do seated simulators in VR so my head only moves around a little. I hope wide FOV becomes more popular soon, because it really is a game changer. Doubles your immersion.
It seems you have to "fix" lens profile. I also had to do that when I made lens mod for vive pro. Did you try without glasses? Edit: Also noticed that warping then you are out of sweet spot in index hmd.
Nice review! Had a pimax before and wow the fov was breath taking but pitool is such a pain and using 3d printed adapters that constantly break to hold a $700 headset is not it. Was a strong pass for me and my index is way better.
Index user here as well. I feel if that kind of fov was possible with todays technology, the Index would have it. And $700? Holy cow, that's a lot of dough for an experimental hmd that comes with absolutely nothing...
@@11warum11 yep! Before the index when we were in a drought of new stuff I would've said go for it if you had the money but after the index I would say stay far away!
@@burntnoodle5328 Yap, that's what I thought. Because if you have the money for vr and you already own base stations and controllers, $700 suddenly don't seem so outrageous for an awesome hmd with 5k resolution + insane fov. Especially after such a long drought as you call it. I'd still argue that if the Pimax could deliver on its claims, it would be worth it. But alas, it can't and now in retrospect, it feels like a cheap money grab targeting people eager to invest into something better than they have...
im sorry you are one of the handfull of people that had this issue. i use it with glasses and have no modifications at all, normal strap, normal foam. the pitool starts when i start the headset, so i can just start steamvr and a game without any additional steps. all these pitool settings are cool if you need them, but i havent looked at them since i got everything how i like it.(brightness, contrast, etc.) hope you find a solution, its just so much better then the other HMDs, i mean just look at the pittyfull valve index here 5:30 its not even in the same league...
You absolutely do not need to run pitool all the time when you run steam vr after initial set up. You can literally put it on fire up steam and you are good. I also dont have the same comfort issues that Ben has here. It probably does vary on your head shape. The default foam is fine if you dont wear glasses or if you are long sighted or wear contacts. You can get an OLEd version of pimax. But the SDE is more apparent.
I'm glad I sold my pledge before they started shipping it from KS campaign. Looking more and more at Valve Index as an upgrade to my OG Vive, but not ordering it before I sell my Vive first.
Expect them to be expensive. The maths to figure out the lenses has made headway but making the lenses that can do that fov without introducing problems is going to be very expensive to manufacture.
The default foam and strap setup sounds like the experience I had with the original Oculus DK2. My Glasses were pushed onto my face and it was uncomfortable. I bought a Dell Visor but thats too heavy so I'm looking for something to replace the Dell Visor
Thanks for this and it saves me the money of buying one.That would be a horrible vr experience.Will have to wait for the big dogs like oculus to come out with bigger fov.Now that makes sense since the companies have increased resolution but not fov.Because the games are not designed for wider more comfortable fov.
Your feedback about the warping is really weird. Everyone else says the new software and firmware fixes it for them. How long has this review been in the works? Edit: Someone mentions that you need to reinstall the Pi tool. The updater is often bugged and mistakenly states it is on the newest version.
I have no distortion it's just bizarre that ben had so many problems. I do use a DAS on my pimax headset though which did cause it to have much better comfort.
I wonder if you would get used to it. I had a similar problem with my last pair of glasses but my brain just adjusted. Although you're more likely to get headaches.
Yep, I agree. I'd had my VR 'tinkering time' with the first wave of the Vive. This is a terrible HMD,. It may have high res and high FOV but the comfort is awful and the edge arping is horrendous. I purchased under the KS programme and got rid of it a fortnight later.
I had a Pimax 5k+. For me the warping was noticeable at first but it didn't take long at all for my eyes to adjust to it (and I'm talking the first day). Ultimately I sold my Pimax because it was so uncomfortable. Like Ben I had to add foam to add space so my glasses would fit. After about 20 minutes of use, the thing was killing me and I had to take it off. It's a shame really because the clarity and FOV is the best I've ever experienced in an HMD.
Have you ever considered / tried getting contacts just for VR play? It's certainly an expensive solution but in rare cases like this it might give you a better idea what the "typical" user might experience. Having your eyes free from the actual glasses might have even helped fix the warping issue? My wife and I both wear glasses though she needs them on to play while I do not. Getting contacts for VR is something we've discussed doing before. Do you have any thoughts on it?
As a backer and followed everything so far, it really feels like the HMD is a mixed bag for people, for me personally there isn't warping and a lot of what is discussed is not there. however since we all aren't created equity i cant say this doesn't affect others. Really its a headset that requires you to try it before you buy it. Sorry Ben that you couldn't get the experience the pimax team vision really is.
1: i have only myopia .. must i wear glasses to use it ? lenses are pretty close to eyes so.. 2: if i use only the headset like some kind of monitor must i have controllers and those lighthouses to play vr games ? 3: can i play Skyrim SE (not vr) , Fallout 4 (not vr ) with the headset only and using software like Vorpx or similar
1) As far as I know the lenses are set to infinity effectively. So everything even close things are in focus like you are looking at distance. So I would have thought being miopic would not help here. Im farsighted personally (hyperopia) and so I dont need to wear glasses in VR headsets because everything is in focus at infinity for me. Maybe some other myopic vr users can clarify with their experiences! Also I guess it would depend on how bad your eyes were! 2) To get positional tracking with Pimax you need lighthouses. And if you want to play skrim VR etc you will also need controllers like htc wands or valve index controllers. I would recommend you go this route for the best experience and less motion sickness. 3) You can play flat games in VR using vorpx. But i would heavily recommend using the VR versions of games. As flat games can be tricky to tinker with settings etc and wont generally have the VR interactions that make VR more immersive.
There is no vorping at all for me and the comfort is awesome out of the box, wtf 🤔 very very strange . I got the pimax xr though. Perhabs you had a bad unit
Kinda weird they sent you a 5k+ right before they unveiled a whole new line of products, you would think they would want youtubers to get the word out on the latest and greatest they have to offer. I would love to know your thoughts on the new modular headstrap and comfort kit they will be offering to see if it offers any improvements over the stock setup.
The issue with worping is probebly your physical head design, on my pimax 5k plys i get worping on 170 fov/max and in normal/150fov i got a perfect image so thats the sad issue with this headset will work for some and not for others.
its a shame you had a bad experience with it. I personally Love this headset over all others. However, I'm only here to mention what you forgot to mention. The HMD has 2 USB-C ports. one by the forehead behind the foam and another near your nose. I use one of the ports to power my Woojer vest. Lastly, for those who like to play intense games in VR, Be sure to buy a USB-C anti dust plug for the port near your nose.
I experienced everything you did, except I was able to fix the warping by simply doubling up on the face cushion. It's a real shame you have not found a solution because I luv this product. May I suggest something; Have you tried adjusting the SW IPD in the Pi tool?. Before this feature was introduced I suffered from eye strain after just 5 minutes of use and now I can play continuously. I understand the two (warping > lens related and stereoscopic vision) are very different issues. But maybe the warp in your case is SW related and can be further reduced by shifting it off the screen via the SW IPD adjustment. Good Luck and I hope you can find a solution soon. Cheers!
Yay, so glad you got one of these, was very curious specifically on your review. Thanks! Kinda curious if there is a way to override PiMax's warping method and control it through Nvidia's projection solution: developer.nvidia.com/pascal-vr-tech
Its a bad Review because eveyone will think its a bad product. But its epic actually. I didnt experience any issues with my unit . Comfort was great too out of the box. He received a bad unit 100%
You keep using that word; I do not think it means what you think it means: "default" (setting, or position) versus "provided", "original", maybe even "stock"... but not default.
I think I'll just go with the Index when I upgrade from my Vive if this is the case with the Pimax. The HTC Cosmos and all new Rifts are a joke when it comes to tracking. Idk how people defend the Inside-Out tracking of the Rifts, Cosmos and WMR when it stops tracking if you move the controllers too fast, if you keep your head level and straight but put your arms fully out to the sides and make yourself look like a T, if you reach down too low without looking at the controller, if reach for anything that isn't in front of you, etc.. Playing game like Pavlov on the Rift and Cosmos is a nightmare. The Vive and Index use Lighthouses and you get amazing 360 degree tracking that is ridiculously accurate because of the constant laser sweeps from the lighthouses. So it looks like my upgrade will be the Index. Thanks for the review man.
They still havent made the rigid headstrap for this? They were supposed to send one to every backer over a year and a half ago. Saying "engineer your own" is bollocks. They asked for people money based on the promise they would make a decent headstrap.
![Pimax 5K Super Review - 200 degrees at 120Hz of awesome [Gaming Trend]](/img/1.gif)
This is a VERY honest review. Keep them up!
So honest...expect for talking about using glasses in the headset vs there being (according to Ben) no optician lens options. Or at least, he makes it appear that way. I like to hear about other headsets like the Pimax (I have an Oculus CV1 and now S) and while I don't wear glasses, I was curious about the lens thing because, well, I've seen inserts on most headsets, so, why not this one? Anyway, after a quick google I was able to find that you can get an insert for the 5K since...July last year.
This is the kind of misinformation I really dislike when people like Ben make videos that appear to show someone who has done their homework on a device, before reviewing it. Sadly, I've seen similar misinformation from the channel before. I enjoy the simpler videos Ben posts, but these kinds of videos make me think of unsubbing.
@@imdurc jeez get a grip, there wasn't any misinformation. The setup he was supplied was unsuitable and he fixed it with what was available to him. Blame the Pimax PR person for not doing the research on who they are sending units out to and supplying him an insert, not Ben for failing to spoon feed you their catalogue. He was reviewing and sharing his own experience. As you say, and easily put into action, we all have the ability to google for our own specific needs.
@@imdurc it's not really misinformation because the insert wasn't included with the package they sent him, so he had to resort to DIY method and make one himself. If it came bundled with the headset it wouldn't be a problem.
@@imdurc also that's such a petty reason to unsub for, there are very few VR based channels on RUclips that go as in-depth as this one, good luck finding anything better.
@@Syndor12 We're talking SPECIFIC optician made lenses. No headset manufacturer, not Valve, not Oculus, etc. provide such things because they're user specific.
That's unfortunate, but huge props to Pimax for reaching out to you still! It gave me more respect for them still, because I feel reaching out to the small VR creators is really the best way to make this community grow. Even though their headset has too many drawbacks for now, I'm always glad to have more competition in the VR market, and the issues do certainly seem to be addressable for future revisions.
Thanks for the great reviews, I'd been curious about this one for ages since I always see it recommended on Amazon when I'm browsing VR stuff there.
On a side note, have you ever considered doing some collaborations with other VR youtubers? I'd be really interested to see you and ThrillSeeker work together on something, whether that's a multiplayer VR game or something else! Either way, keep up the good content, it's great to have this kind of information out there for both veterans and new people looking to get into VR!
Thanks! Yeah I'd love to do a collaboration, there's been some talk of it before but everyone has such a busy/random schedule it's hard to pin down dates. I think it's inevitable though 😀
I appreciate profoundly the honesty you gave on this review. This is a role model for any review on youtube.
Great review! I'm a Pimax user and totally agree that it's an enthusiast HMD that needs some tinkering and modding to be enjoyed properly. It's not suitable for a causual VR user. Also sorry to hear about the warping issues. I experience no such issues at all (and I also use the DAS and thicker face foam to accomodate my glasses). I only experience light blurriness on the edges of my view when running large FOV, but I tend to forget about that as soon as I start playing.
Yeah im with you kristoffer, I notice the warp on the edges but it does not bother me and while im playing it dont think about it at all, it's like its not even there. But yeah, its for enthusiasts. I love it
Love mine also. My 5k+ is awesome!
You do a great job with your reviews Ben! You deserve more subscribers. Keep up the great work!
I have no warping or distorsion... I am happy with my Pimax
Me too its the best vr headset
Me three. I have had a dk2, vive, odyssey+, 5k+ with vive strap. easily the 5k+ is the best. racing with a great view all the way across my vision is awesome!
And what magic you did, because I did not like at all this headset?
@@GettingGoal i dont know. seems like a wide variation between experiences. but mine looks great to me. maybe the headsets are different , settings in pitool, different ipd, im not sure what it is just glad mine is great
I have no warping now but i needed to use vive foam.
the Small FOV setting is still wider than any other headset. I see warping when I strain to the left or right. I think it might just be the inevitable results from a wide FOV. Just like in real life, your peripheral vision doesnt provide the same fidelity as your direct vision.
I love my 5k+. Use it on large and it fills my vision with greatness. I have had many headsets and my pimax is the best of them. After using my pimax it is very hard to go back to my quest. Looks like I am looking through a toilet paper roll. If the peripheral vision bothers you, which it doesn't me, but if it does then use the regular FOV setting.
He did, and still had warping.
I never had those issues , very confusing ...
@@x32i77 i never have either
Massive warping even on small FOV. My OG Vive offers better visual fidelity to me than my 5K+. Vive also doesn't crash my PC or requires hours of debugging.
@@Willyfisch been w 5k Plus on Pitools for many iterations, never had a single issue.
Maybe I'm just crazy but you shouldn't have to mod -that- much for an expensive consumer product.
is an expensive product for enthusiasts, not a mainstream product, so modding is ok. Think of a racing car and a road car
@@mmorselli That's nonsense. Stop making excuses for a bad product.
@@jasperfredrickson4420 I love my Pimax, Why should I not? Just because you wouldn't mod it? You are you, not me. I just want the best VR headset, I don't care what I have to do to get it. My Pimax is not modded, but heavily modded, much more than what you see in this video. And I'm really happy.
@@mmorselli You completely missed the point. I never said you couldn't mod it. I said this product is an embarrassment to be released in the state it is. You shouldn't need to mod a consumer-released product to make it functional. Even if you don't see it as consumer-ready, Pimax has advertised and marketed it as such.
@@jasperfredrickson4420 Anyone who thinks that a product that experimental done by a kickstarter startup in china is gonna be polished on release is delusional. The marketing department is doing it's job and what you are complaining about is your own expectation of the product, fabricated by comparison wtih the giants like facebook, valve or microsoft.
What you described is my exact experience which led to me listing it on ebay and getting rid of it asap. I bought a ton of straps. Then when it was comfortable enough I put it on and immediately saw the fishbowl. (Ignoring the ton of PiTools pain I had to go through and the defective cable that had to be replaced). The fishbowl effect killed VR and just made everything useless. Packed it up and listed it on ebay immediately.
You're lucky. I can't even sell mine because I can't seem to get one with a cable that doesn't have sparkles in the video or other issues (note the way they ship that cable, no doubt bending it like they do to fit it in that box is causing the damage).
The Pitool situation has improved drastically since launch (it actually seems to work ok most of the time these days). At least now you can have different settings per application, so you only have to do all the futzing around once per game, instead of trying the remember the optimum combination of settings every time you started a game.
In my experience, the comfort is exactly as described in the video. I have yet to find a face gasket that makes it good for me, and I've tried MANY of them. Was using the Deluxe Audio Strap as well, but that has been moved to the Quest as that gets way more use than the Pimax. Have not tried adding a "shim" to the top to try to fix the angle, but I have noticed that is one of the fitment issues with this headset.
Great Review man.. I had all the same thoughts at first but was thankfully able to mitigate the distortions to be so minimal it really doesn't bother me anymore..... I have faith that Pimax will be able to fix this in software as I did see it get better between Pitool releases from what it was running when they sent me mine and the pitool version I am on now. []-)
ho'whow？
I have a 5k+ and yes there is some warping towards the edges, but similar to the original vive and the sweetspot situation, I only see it if I look with my eyes to the sides. It's really not that bad, and not nearly as distracting to me as it seems to be to OP in the video. And the area in the middle without the warping artifacts is MUCH larger than the original vive sweetspot. I just figure it has to do with such complex lens design, but it's not a deal breaker for me. I use mine mostly for sim racing and once I'm racing along there is no distortion artifacts that I see (they're all off to sides out of where I'm focusing) and I can enjoy the large FOV. Definitely a tinker's headset, and overall in my experience it has compatibility issues, mostly with this "parallel projections" situation it has to deal with due to the canted lenses, but for basically every game that you can get it running properly, the FOV is very impressive and makes the game feel completely different (in a great way). If 100% compatibility is your bag, get an index. Best FOV and immersion and like to tinker? pimax
Yay! My 5K+ comes from Amazon tommorow.
I like that you are so honest and factual in your reviews . This is really good content as usual thank you 😊
Thank you for the honest review and down to earth content! I have a 5k+ and Index and agree on every point. I don't have glasses, but otherwise had the same experience you had. To be honest, even if there were no warping I would probably still use the Index more than the 5k+ due to the audio, comfort (my 5k+ is modded similarly to yours - with the DAS and VRcover foam. It's pretty comfortable this way but still no match for the Index), proper object culling, framerate, colors, and crispness. I'm not trying to hate on the Pimax, I haven't sold it because I can live with the distortion enough for reasonable play sessions, but I only switch over to the 5k+ every once on a while for that sweet, sweet FOV lol.
I saw so many reviews of this headset and think those doing the reviews were so excited to get the unit to either try or keep they didn't give honest reviews.You really gave a complete honest review.Looked out for the customer not just consumer.
Thanks for the review Ben. Your channel is awesome mate; keep it going!
I think they have great ideas and a vision. They have to take your feedback and fix it. I know you can get prescription covers for the lenses. I know you that you know your stuff so there maybe a reason why you don't use them. I do hope that Pimax listens to you and makes a product that works.
You have to provide your own lighthouses and controlers... You have to get yourself a functional headstrap and fix the cushion situation till it feels right... You have to provide your own audio situation (not realy a big deal compared to the rest) then you have to tinker with a lot of settings and middle-man software in both steam and pmax software... Finaly, after you get all the previous work done, MAYBE, just MAYBE you can play for a while if the fishbowl effect does not totaly kills your immersion...
I'm sorry, i think i'm gonna stick with my old vive. It came with everything i needed, i did set it up realy quick and without issues, and it works too damn well for me. The last thing i ever think about is fiddling with settings and adjustments.
Thank you for the video tho, it was realy well done. I think from the fact that you spent pretty much the whole video talking about setting it up, and didn't realy show us yourself playing says everything.
Highlights all of the issues people commonly report on the forums.
Pitool does not need to be ran after the HMD has been set up properly once.
For comfort i just hook the default strap over my hair (which i put in a knot on the back of my head) and 10 hour sessions are no problem at all, no other mods so i guess i have the perfectly shaped face for this HMD.
I see a slight distortion on the outer edges of my periphery if i look for it but i dont find that to be an issue, have upwards of 1k hours (paired with my OG vive controllers+lhs) in my pimax5k+ since i got it.
The HMD can be really good, the company behind it i have my doubts about.
I kind of wish i had either just backed for the HMD itself instead of the full kit (with lighthouses and controllers that seem like they will never arrive) or skipped it completely and waited for the index, one of my main issues now is that i couldnt "downgrade" to an index now because i know what wide fov is like.
For people that require glasses there are 3dprintable lens mount adapters available, a couple of people on the forums put them together earlier this year: www.thingiverse.com/thing:3622397
100% my experience. The reviewers that shower the pimax with praise have lost all credibility with me. The warping is real and destroys the magic of VR.
I never had this issue with my unit . I am using the xr
Great review Ben!
I still think IT is a fantastisk head set
Hey man, thanks again for the time and effort and the unbiased review. I also was following pimax´s developement and was pretty eager to try out their 5k flagship (heard the 8k was horrible e.g. LTT´s review).
On the topic of warping or barrel distortion. I think your glasses might be the main cause of this phenomena and hear me out on this one, just based on my subjective experience I am no sientist.
I will start from the basics so everyone is on the same page in my story. Got an htc vive a while ago, I played for a long time with the unmodded original. Then the lens mod crossed my way and I applied it. I usually need glasses but for the original fressnel lenses of the HTC vive, it made no difference to my near sighted eyes, so I basically played without glasses. After applying the lens mod with the Samsung gear vr lenses, since clarity and sweet spot was praised to increase, I had to swap to glasses to finally notice the difference. Now the problem is that when I adjust the vives settings to decrease the known barrel distortion as posted on the reddit to the lens mod itself, the version 3 of the fix worked wonders so I had no distortion, BUT when putting off my glasses since I do care more about playing comfortably then seeing 2 or 3 pixels clearer, the barrel distortion with the fixed version 3 suddenly was really hard, I swapped back to version 1 of the fix and now play without glasses. There might be a distortion due to light breaking twice to get into your eye, but then of course it might only be the issue with the pimax, but it may be worth a shot if at all you can try to at least test without glasses.
I wear wired glasses similar to your "small glasses variant", which are almost perfectly straight lenses except for the needed concave to create vision improvement of course.
That is my humble observations on the topic, might all be rubish but I wanted to share it :D
Keep it up !
try it out for yourself. i love my 5k+ as do others in this chat
I have considered this headset on and off for a while now. A very good review indeed! Pimax 5k 2.0 sounds promising (if they ever look to refine it)
Just sounds like a very poorly made product to me.
It feels like the FOV issue is just because they used a hack to get wider FOV, they just stretched the image to fill the FOV..
I'm really not inclined to believe that anyone could've fixed that by having less or more face cushion. Thanks for the review.
Can software fix it? Do you think it was a physical stretching on the lenses themselves? If so, maybe software can un-distort the image somehow.
with a simply streched image, it would alter the proportions of the image in the middle too and I dont see that here. I would guess they just tried something like putting a "software wideangle lense" into the rendering pipeline which could also be a reason why you need to use PiTools. That would also be a hack though.
I have heard all the horror stories about the pimax 5k during the kick starter while waiting for mine to arrive,expected the worse and the dread of having to mod!Have had mine for 6 months so far ,no warping on small and normal fov,but a very little on large and I mean veeeery little.The strap was comfortable for me and well balanced,probably will be even better when I get the new strap promised.Also there is light houses and controllers from pimax,bought as a bundle during kickstarter.Haven't received them yet but expecting them soon.Only issue must admit is amd cards are lacking support(Have rx580),cant set the pimax to a lower frequency like the nvidia cards can.They say they are working on that though.So all in all no problemo my side.
Skip to 9:55 and save both time and money.
Respect for honest review. Subscribed. Can’t wait for more reviews on upcoming oculus quest games :)
Thanks! I've got a Quest game giveaway happening here → ruclips.net/video/lGzSJsj20CE/видео.html
Ben Plays VR awesome thank you.
Thank you very much for this review - it was really well done!
Nice one Ben! - Think i'll pass I'm more than happy with Rift S.
I really want to try a Rift S sometime! Just gotta convince Mrs. Ben to spend the $$$ 😀
You should get the pimax since everyone do experience it differently. I got no issues at all with my unit. I am using the pimax xr and comfort is epic out of the box and I got no vorping and true oled colours
yes i love my pimax 5k+. no warping. just a big beautiful picture that i can adjust like no other.
I've been conflicted about the warping issue from watching other reviewers. I'm always wondering if the reviewer tried the right stuff since there are some fisheye-style fixes I thought you could do. I believe you honestly did everything you could to fix the warping, so it's really sad to see.
There's only one reviewer on RUclips I've seen positive about Pimax so it's nice to see someone else that isn't completely bashing everything else about the headset. Even though the experience of using the headset was probably frustrating for you, you did a great job calmly conveying your thoughts.
Omg I fricking love you. Best VR RUclipsr ever.
Thx for the review, always wanted to hear about an trusted VR-Source like you about it. Its really a pitty that you couldn't get rid of the issue. More testing in games would be a great thing... but yeah.
The issue with the wide FOV is a difficult one to avoid when using flat screens to imitate the light coming from the world around our curved eyes. Our eyes are used to light coming into them from all sides evenly. There's no way to achieve this using flat screens so you have to use big fresnel lenses to stretch the screens out to surround the eyes which warps everything causing distorted edges, just like what happens with super wide angle camera lenses (known as barrel distortion) but in reverse (known as pincushion distortion). For a camera to capture a super wide angle without any distortion it would need a convex curved sensor, and similarly, the only way to make a VR HMD with wide FOV and no distortion would be to use concave curved screens though this of course would be very expensive R&D and difficult to manufacture. You can also use rectilinear lenses which can get very close to fixing the distortion but those are again much more difficult to engineer and expensive manufacture than fresnel lenses. Or, you could get closer to this by just using very wide screens at an angle but that introduces more issues and of course costs more.
that review is amazing, first time I actually feel informed about how this headset actually feels!
everyone's experience is different. i love my 5k+
@@4wheeln4fun yeah and thats great! I just always feel misinformed when they marked a headset that requires some sort of tinkering as an plug and play solution. But again, the fov and all that stuff look amazing and im glad you like it!
Thank you for the honesty!
The warping seems like something they could fix by software, im not that good of a programmer myself, but i feel like they could apply a reverse warping to the image on the edge, that is adjustable in size since it seems to be dependent on your distance to the screen
I've heard so many mixed statements ones that say warping was ignorable and ones that said awful. This was a really nice honest review.
I have had a 5k+ for a long time and if you are still seeing warping it's because the headset is not properly positioned on your face.
When using my headset there is absolutely zero warping when positioned properly.
You can do it if continue tinkering it -- it maybe an issue that stems from using glasses? as I dont wear glasses with the pimax.
Try positioning the headset higher so your eye almost as low as possible.
I can confirm that. :-)
Sad to hear it didn't work out for you. I had the same issue with warping. Luckily adjusting the eye to lenses distance and fov settings made it work for me. To be honest there's nothing really special about the headset until you start getting into experiences that aren't specificly made for vr. Using the pimax was the only way to comfortably minimize the screen door effect while keeping the screen big on big screen for me. Seeing things in the distance with the pimax 5k+ you can pick up subtle movements more such as gestures. That helped a lot playing vrchat. The microphone doesn't have a terrible plosive problem. There was something that was unbearable though. The foam peice had an extremely strong oder for about 2 weeks. There was also the problem that blocks would become super distorted when in beat saber when interpolated frames were on. 1 amazing thing is that just for me is that
the pimax doesnt have the weird blue fuzz artifacts in dark scenes like I see in all the htc vives I own and have tried elsewhere.
Overall the pimax works for me but it's not plug and play as mentioned in the video.
You have to restart steam and pitool AFTER you change the FOV from large to Normal etc.. I was able to clean up the issue of distortions like 99%. Also you have those very large glasses which can't possibly help. It's bad if you try to change the fov on the fly without restart.
If you have to lower the FOV to get a decent picture, that takes away the one (and only?) big selling point of this set!
@@JoopEee no. You misunderstood my post entirely. The reviewer was using big glasses and was trying to change fov on the fly to combat distortion. Steam doesn't allow that and you must restart steam to make that change. For me and many others posting here the picture is awesome even on the widest fov.
Hello! Tell me please. I recently purchased pumax 5k plus . When watching any video, especially in a virtual desktop, round lens flares are visible on a black background. In a color picture, they are almost invisible, but on a black background they really interfere. It's like a fog effect. Is this normal? I have a pimax 4k there is no such problem.
Did you try the steamvr-undistort software? It really helped correct the warping the GearVR Lens Mod brought to my Vive.
Thanks for your video..So you still recommend the valve index over the pimax? (I’m coming from a htc Vive and considering pimax 5k+ , hp reverb, valve index or even wait for pimax 8kx..
Yup definitely
Is PiTool comparable to the WMR experience, which needs to be running at all times with my Odyssey+?
Very interesting review! Thank you.
This is definitely a tinkerers headset but i guess in my option thats what makes it so amazing! Thanks for the in depth review i have really enjoyed watching your vids! Im sorry to hear you had this warping effect. I must say i have never experience it (Though I dont wear glasses) I work as a indie VR dev and had pretty much every headset tested through the studio (including the starVR + XTAL) but coupled with the index controllers and the delux headset for me is no question the pimax has been the best headset I have ever had. Really this for me is VR 2.0. Yeah it takes a bit to set up and you need a 1080ti -2080ti to run it well, but going back to older headsets is so far away from experience the higher res and FOV. Anyway it seem the reviews are quite mixed but I would defo recommend it if you like tweaking and tinkering to get the perfect experience!
the effect is present but the field of view where it is not present is greater than the total fov of other headset.
The software is opensorce and you can set the distortion yourself.
I don't know there, but when I look in real life at outstretched hands at an angle, I rather see spots, and I would certainly not count my fingers ... So how is it in VR we want to see everything clearly at 170fov to be more realistic? For me, this additional 150+ field of view is only for immersion, not to look at. Good luck looking at the edges of the image in pimax, the eye tendon is torn (it just hurts).
Fyi to anyone new to vr... Viveport Infinity is on black friday sale for $60/year ($5 a month) through dec 2 and has games such as A fishermans tale, super hot, Doctor who, arizona sunshine, groundhog day, pixel ripped 1989, windlands 2, to the top, sairento, five nights at freddy’s, final assault, box vr, racket nx, richie’s plank experience, tilt brush, angry birds, obduction, fruit ninja, battle wake, knockout league, apex construct, seeking dawn, a c i a r greenwater, the gallery ep 1-2, the wizards, dick wilde 2, fantastic contraption, synth riders and many more. I signed up when it first released and it was BY FAR the best $60 that I have spent in vr. I just paid for another year.
The warping really is a software issue unfortunately. The game need to account for it in rendering. Right now, games are made for your typical 110° HMD. So until ultra wide FOV HMDs become the norm, its likely an issue we'll just have to live with.
I don't really notice it, but i mostly do seated simulators in VR so my head only moves around a little.
I hope wide FOV becomes more popular soon, because it really is a game changer. Doubles your immersion.
Have you tried it after the pitools update? If there is less warping?
It seems you have to "fix" lens profile. I also had to do that when I made lens mod for vive pro.
Did you try without glasses?
Edit:
Also noticed that warping then you are out of sweet spot in index hmd.
Ben, can you try out the Pimax 8k + and the Pimax 8K X I was wondering if the working is any better?
Nice review!
Had a pimax before and wow the fov was breath taking but pitool is such a pain and using 3d printed adapters that constantly break to hold a $700 headset is not it. Was a strong pass for me and my index is way better.
Index user here as well. I feel if that kind of fov was possible with todays technology, the Index would have it. And $700? Holy cow, that's a lot of dough for an experimental hmd that comes with absolutely nothing...
@@11warum11 yep! Before the index when we were in a drought of new stuff I would've said go for it if you had the money but after the index I would say stay far away!
@@burntnoodle5328 Yap, that's what I thought. Because if you have the money for vr and you already own base stations and controllers, $700 suddenly don't seem so outrageous for an awesome hmd with 5k resolution + insane fov. Especially after such a long drought as you call it. I'd still argue that if the Pimax could deliver on its claims, it would be worth it. But alas, it can't and now in retrospect, it feels like a cheap money grab targeting people eager to invest into something better than they have...
Hopefully the next gen fixes the warping.
im sorry you are one of the handfull of people that had this issue.
i use it with glasses and have no modifications at all, normal strap, normal foam. the pitool starts when i start the headset, so i can just start steamvr and a game without any additional steps.
all these pitool settings are cool if you need them, but i havent looked at them since i got everything how i like it.(brightness, contrast, etc.)
hope you find a solution, its just so much better then the other HMDs, i mean just look at the pittyfull valve index here 5:30 its not even in the same league...
It doesnt come with controllers, do u need to buy them separate?
You absolutely do not need to run pitool all the time when you run steam vr after initial set up. You can literally put it on fire up steam and you are good.
I also dont have the same comfort issues that Ben has here. It probably does vary on your head shape. The default foam is fine if you dont wear glasses or if you are long sighted or wear contacts.
You can get an OLEd version of pimax. But the SDE is more apparent.
I'm glad I sold my pledge before they started shipping it from KS campaign. Looking more and more at Valve Index as an upgrade to my OG Vive, but not ordering it before I sell my Vive first.
So glad I never got this.
Update: Pimax DOES have bundles available now.
Oh well, let's hope the next gen of vr hmds will have a big fov
Expect them to be expensive. The maths to figure out the lenses has made headway but making the lenses that can do that fov without introducing problems is going to be very expensive to manufacture.
The default foam and strap setup sounds like the experience I had with the original Oculus DK2. My Glasses were pushed onto my face and it was uncomfortable. I bought a Dell Visor but thats too heavy so I'm looking for something to replace the Dell Visor
Verrry honest ! 👍 Hope they can fix that on the next iteration
Thanks for this and it saves me the money of buying one.That would be a horrible vr experience.Will have to wait for the big dogs like oculus to come out with bigger fov.Now that makes sense since the companies have increased resolution but not fov.Because the games are not designed for wider more comfortable fov.
Your feedback about the warping is really weird. Everyone else says the new software and firmware fixes it for them. How long has this review been in the works?
Edit: Someone mentions that you need to reinstall the Pi tool. The updater is often bugged and mistakenly states it is on the newest version.
I have no distortion it's just bizarre that ben had so many problems. I do use a DAS on my pimax headset though which did cause it to have much better comfort.
what's your IPD?
@@malzergski I have to dial mine to the lowest setting, my IPD is actually smaller than the lowest setting. But it's sharp and I dont see distortion.
I wonder if you would get used to it. I had a similar problem with my last pair of glasses but my brain just adjusted. Although you're more likely to get headaches.
Yep, I agree. I'd had my VR 'tinkering time' with the first wave of the Vive. This is a terrible HMD,. It may have high res and high FOV but the comfort is awful and the edge arping is horrendous.
I purchased under the KS programme and got rid of it a fortnight later.
I had a Pimax 5k+. For me the warping was noticeable at first but it didn't take long at all for my eyes to adjust to it (and I'm talking the first day). Ultimately I sold my Pimax because it was so uncomfortable. Like Ben I had to add foam to add space so my glasses would fit. After about 20 minutes of use, the thing was killing me and I had to take it off. It's a shame really because the clarity and FOV is the best I've ever experienced in an HMD.
Have you ever considered / tried getting contacts just for VR play? It's certainly an expensive solution but in rare cases like this it might give you a better idea what the "typical" user might experience. Having your eyes free from the actual glasses might have even helped fix the warping issue?
My wife and I both wear glasses though she needs them on to play while I do not. Getting contacts for VR is something we've discussed doing before. Do you have any thoughts on it?
Yeah it's been on my mind a lot lately. And soon I'll be reviewing some Rx lenses to hopefully remove the need for glasses!
As a backer and followed everything so far, it really feels like the HMD is a mixed bag for people, for me personally there isn't warping and a lot of what is discussed is not there. however since we all aren't created equity i cant say this doesn't affect others. Really its a headset that requires you to try it before you buy it. Sorry Ben that you couldn't get the experience the pimax team vision really is.
1: i have only myopia .. must i wear glasses to use it ? lenses are pretty close to eyes so..
2: if i use only the headset like some kind of monitor must i have controllers and those lighthouses to play vr games ?
3: can i play Skyrim SE (not vr) , Fallout 4 (not vr ) with the headset only and using software like Vorpx or similar
1) As far as I know the lenses are set to infinity effectively. So everything even close things are in focus like you are looking at distance. So I would have thought being miopic would not help here. Im farsighted personally (hyperopia) and so I dont need to wear glasses in VR headsets because everything is in focus at infinity for me. Maybe some other myopic vr users can clarify with their experiences! Also I guess it would depend on how bad your eyes were!
2) To get positional tracking with Pimax you need lighthouses. And if you want to play skrim VR etc you will also need controllers like htc wands or valve index controllers. I would recommend you go this route for the best experience and less motion sickness.
3) You can play flat games in VR using vorpx. But i would heavily recommend using the VR versions of games. As flat games can be tricky to tinker with settings etc and wont generally have the VR interactions that make VR more immersive.
FOV is all I really want from a headset. Shame about the warping. Guess I'll wait a few more years.
There is no vorping at all for me and the comfort is awesome out of the box, wtf 🤔 very very strange . I got the pimax xr though. Perhabs you had a bad unit
Uh doesn't the 5k xr have the lcd screen and then the 5k+ has oled??
Kinda weird they sent you a 5k+ right before they unveiled a whole new line of products, you would think they would want youtubers to get the word out on the latest and greatest they have to offer. I would love to know your thoughts on the new modular headstrap and comfort kit they will be offering to see if it offers any improvements over the stock setup.
The issue with worping is probebly your physical head design, on my pimax 5k plys i get worping on 170 fov/max and in normal/150fov i got a perfect image so thats the sad issue with this headset will work for some and not for others.
Great review
its a shame you had a bad experience with it. I personally Love this headset over all others. However, I'm only here to mention what you forgot to mention. The HMD has 2 USB-C ports. one by the forehead behind the foam and another near your nose. I use one of the ports to power my Woojer vest. Lastly, for those who like to play intense games in VR, Be sure to buy a USB-C anti dust plug for the port near your nose.
Did you try it without your glasses?
I'm also in the second category ;/ fantastic review
Do your glasses have prism?
Do you still have it?
I experienced everything you did, except I was able to fix the warping by simply doubling up on the face cushion. It's a real shame you have not found a solution because I luv this product. May I suggest something; Have you tried adjusting the SW IPD in the Pi tool?. Before this feature was introduced I suffered from eye strain after just 5 minutes of use and now I can play continuously. I understand the two (warping > lens related and stereoscopic vision) are very different issues. But maybe the warp in your case is SW related and can be further reduced by shifting it off the screen via the SW IPD adjustment. Good Luck and I hope you can find a solution soon. Cheers!
It is just "PiTool" I am pretty happy with mine but I do worry about durability and RMA
Pimax 5k+ now on the smallest fov130 120Hz
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Yay, so glad you got one of these, was very curious specifically on your review. Thanks!
Kinda curious if there is a way to override PiMax's warping method and control it through Nvidia's projection solution: developer.nvidia.com/pascal-vr-tech
So is the 5k plus 144hz. The versions on their website is 144hz
I am so happy too see a good honest review =^_^=
Its a bad Review because eveyone will think its a bad product. But its epic actually. I didnt experience any issues with my unit . Comfort was great too out of the box. He received a bad unit 100%
One other downside not mentioned: It's not compatible with Base Station 2.0.
Actually the Pimax HMD is compatible with both 1.0 and 2.0 Base Stations.
@@spry_guy I tried it with my 2.0 base stations, and it didn't work. They don't show up in Pitool.
You keep using that word; I do not think it means what you think it means: "default" (setting, or position) versus "provided", "original", maybe even "stock"... but not default.
I think I'll just go with the Index when I upgrade from my Vive if this is the case with the Pimax. The HTC Cosmos and all new Rifts are a joke when it comes to tracking. Idk how people defend the Inside-Out tracking of the Rifts, Cosmos and WMR when it stops tracking if you move the controllers too fast, if you keep your head level and straight but put your arms fully out to the sides and make yourself look like a T, if you reach down too low without looking at the controller, if reach for anything that isn't in front of you, etc.. Playing game like Pavlov on the Rift and Cosmos is a nightmare. The Vive and Index use Lighthouses and you get amazing 360 degree tracking that is ridiculously accurate because of the constant laser sweeps from the lighthouses. So it looks like my upgrade will be the Index. Thanks for the review man.
They still havent made the rigid headstrap for this? They were supposed to send one to every backer over a year and a half ago.
Saying "engineer your own" is bollocks. They asked for people money based on the promise they would make a decent headstrap.
Thx Ben. Pimax, get to work...sounds like their future could be better
No warping here on 8K Plus. :) I wear glasses tho.
Mixed reality you have to run Windows VR/Mixed Reality Steam VR Application AND regular Steam VR xD
It was hard for me to get past how terrible the darks scenes were, even with the brightness adjustment the headset just felt broken.
1:00 dude you have the scrap the wrong way up, and also maybe get a custom size stuff, and put the strap the right way up
you could try the new pimax 8k plus it works much batter for me