Category: pimax 8k

Posted on

Pimax Details Upcoming Accessories – Price, Launch Date & More

Along with Pimax’s new additions to its “8K” headset line, “8K” X and Plus, the company offered up an avalanche of info on their upcoming accessories for consumers, as well as upgrade options for Kickstarter backers & pre-order customers looking to get the latest gear.

The company released the info on its newly christened ‘Pimax Day’ where they showcased a number of accessories and modules that were previously listed through its 2017 Kickstarter.

There’s plenty to cover: you’ll find pricing, release dates, and specs for the following modules/accessories below including the optical hand-tracking module, eye-tracking module, audio strap, comfort kit, 10-meter cable, and SteamVR 2.0 basestations.

Skip below the lists to find more info on the backer/pre-order upgrade programs Pimax has devised.

Hand-tracking

  • Price: $170
  • Shipping: in December, first to backers who opted for the module
  • Made with UltraLeap (previously UltaHaptics)
Image courtesy Pimax

Eye-tracking Module

  • Price: $300 ($200 for backers)
  • Shipping: to testing groups December 15th
  • Backers can use coupons to reduce to $100
  • Designed in partnership with 7Invensun
  • Special design for wide FOV headsets with canted displays
  • Enables DFR (dynamic foveated rendering)
  • Compatible with the all Pimax headsets
Image courtesy Pimax

Modular Audio Strap

  • Price: $120
  • Shipping: in December, to backers first
  • Includes high-end replaceable audio above the ear speakers
  • Includes an extra face-foam in the box
  • Compatible with all Pimax headsets
Image courtesy Pimax

Vision Comfort Kit

  • Price: $50
  • Shipping: November 1st
  • Includes a new design of the facial interface that is designed to reduce visual artifacts, Nose Guard to prevent light leakage, and larger soft forehead padding.
  • Supports all Pimax headsets
Image courtesy Pimax

10 Meter Extended Length Cable (normal Pimax cable is 5 meters)

  • Price: $99.95 + Shipping
  • Shipping: in November, available for order soon
  • Low impedance extra-long single cable
  • Allows for much wider room scale VR environments
  • DP 1.4 and USB 3

Lighthouse 2.0 Base Stations

  • Price: $300 deposit, final consumer price N/A
  • Shipping: in 3-4 weeks to those who have ordered them
  • No added charges or shipping costs
SEE ALSO
Pimax to Start Shipping "8K" X & "8K" Plus This Year, Ruggedization Available on All Models

Upgrade Programs

Pimax is offering a few upgrade programs aimed at keeping their patient backers & pre-order customers happy, including paths to upgrading controllers, basestations, and headsets; this is mostly due to cover for some of the delays in manufacturing.

Controller Upgrade Program

Since Pimax’s in-house developed Sword Controllers are officially delayed until March 1st, 2020, and Sword Sense until May 1st, 2020, the company is offering one of two options to pre-order customers.

  • Option 1: Receive Valve Index controllers instead, pay the difference plus a small fee. Lead time is 6 weeks to ship. Controllers and Base Stations bundle also translates to a bundle.
  • Option 2: Apply the money backers paid for the Sword controllers (Up to $200 per set) and we will add an additional $50 (up to $250) applied to an 8K+ or 8KX headset.
Image courtesy Pimax

Headset Upgrade Program

Pimax says that customers who already own a “5K” Plus, “5K” XR, or “8K” are going to get a discount that they can then apply to the company’s upcoming “8K” Plus and “8K” X headsets, although they haven’t said how much the discount will be at this time.

The company will have a dedicated site sometime in October  where backers and pre-order customers can do a number of things such as activate their headset credit, swap for Index Controllers, and get plans to 3D print the Prescription Lens Adapter.

Pimax community manager Martin Lammi (aka SweViver) held a livestream with company COO Kevin Henderson that dives deeper into each program. You can check out Part 1 and Part 2 for more detailed info on the headsets and upcoming accessories.

The post Pimax Details Upcoming Accessories – Price, Launch Date & More appeared first on Road to VR.

Posted on

Pimax “8K” Headsets & Accessories Delayed Again, Now Estimated for Late 2019 & Early 2020

Pimax announced back in Fall that it was not only bringing more styles of its “8K” model headsets to market this year with the entrance of the $1,300 “8K” X and the $1,000 “8K” Plus, but that backers would finally get the headsets they’ve been waiting for, with shipments of “8K” Plus slated for shipment in late October. The company however today announced in a Kickstarter update that its original 2019 shipping window for all its headsets and accessories has been pushed back into late 2019 and early 2020.

Update (December 3rd, 2019): Pimax today announced the following delays and estimated shipping dates:

  • “8K” Plus – estimated to start shipping no later than the end of Dec. 2019 due to “last-minute changes to help ensure a quality launch.” Originally slated for October release.
  • “8K” X – estimated to start shipping late Mar. 2020, early Apr. 2020 due to being “still in development,” with the engineering team set to finish “assembly [of] some samples for testing this week.” Originally slated for Dec. release.
  • Pimax Comfort Kit – estimated to start shipping no later than the end of Dec 2019; shipping alongside “8K” Plus
  • Index Controllers & SteamVR Base Stations– estimated to start shipping early Jan. 2020 due to having just received Valve Index Controllers & base stations in an OEM bulk shipment. The company says they has to design consumer packaging for items by SKU, test controllers & base stations, and assemble components for shipping to different regions (Power supplies & instructions)
  • Modular Audio Strap (Standard) – estimated to start shipping late Jan. 2020, with first 20 pieces for a backers trial. Mass production is slated to arrive in late Jan.
  • Modular Audio Strap (Deluxe) – estimated to start shipping Mar 2020 due to the design “still being in development to ensure quality & comfort.”
  • Silicone Protective Sleeve – estimated to start shipping early Jan 2020

The original article announcing the “8K” Plus and “8K” X follows below:

Original Article (September 26th, 2019): Pimax’s base “8K” headset, priced at $900 without controllers or the requisite SteamVR basestations, already offers up dual 3,840×2,160 resolution CLPL panels, however design limitations only allow the headset to upscale from 2,560×1,440 resolution per display.

The “8K” X big claim to fame is it offers up native 3,840×2,160 rendering for each display at 75 Hz refresh, and at 90 Hz refresh when the integrated upscaler is enabled. Pimax says its using new panel tech for both “8K” X and “8K” Plus, which should provide higher contrast and deeper colors using an RBG stripe matrix LCD.

Pimax 8K, Photo by Road to VR

“8K” X, which was originally promised to arrive in May 2018 to Kickstarter backers, is said to start shipping to backers starting December 18th, 2019.

There’s still no word on when enthusiasts will be able to plonk down the cash for their own headset, although considering Pimax will be attending to backers first, the wait may bleed over into early 2020.

SEE ALSO
Oculus Reveals New VR Headset Prototypes with Major Advances in Optics Form-factor

The “8K” Plus headset, which is slated to launch on October 30th, has the same panels as the “8K” X, however delivers content upscaled from 2,560×1,440 to the display’s native 3,840×2,160 resolution, just like the original “8K”.

The company says though that they’ve included a new algorithm for the upscaler, and that “8K” Plus comes with optional 65/72/90 Hz refresh rate.

Both headsets are said to include between 10-15% better panel utilization over its predecessor and the same 170-degree horizontal field of view. Both however will arrive with a new modular audio strap and a wider facial interface called a ‘comfort kit’.

Image courtesy Pimax

Neither headset comes with controllers or SteamVR basestations, which must be purchased separately through Pimax, Valve, or HTC.

Ruggedization is coming to all models too, which consumers can op-in for by contacting the company. This includes a special rubberized coating and metallic buttons to the headset, which is said to increase durability and water resistance.

There aren’t any pre-order links yet, although we’ll update this piece when the time comes. In any case, you’ll be sure to find more info soon on Pimax’s website.

– – — – –

If you’re wondering why we’ve put 8K in quotations, its because each panel is only 4K in resolution. This means you only see the max benefit of a single display’s resolution since both are combined to form a single stereoscopic picture.

The post Pimax “8K” Headsets & Accessories Delayed Again, Now Estimated for Late 2019 & Early 2020 appeared first on Road to VR.

Posted on

Pimax Announces Improvements to “5K” Plus and “8K” Headsets, Updates on Accessories

Pimax is continuously tweaking their lineup of wide field of view VR headsets in effort to hone in on a finished product. To that effect, the Beijing-based company has just issued a new statement detailing some material refinements coming to new “5K+” and “8K” headsets, and some news on the long promised accessories too.

Pimax says in a forum post today that its line of headsets are getting a minor overhaul in ergonomics, bringing with it a new fabric head strap, a more comfortable face cushion with “best viewing distance”, and a different nose pad that aims to improve comfort while reducing light leakage.

Image courtesy Pimax

The quality of life updates however aren’t the biggest changes coming to Pimax’s line of headsets. Serious hardware concerns such as fractured exterior shells, sub-par cabling, and weak headphone jacks are all getting a makeover.

The company is aiming to reduce the incidence of flickering pixels, or what they call the “snow effect”, by introducing a new cable with enhanced shielding. Pimax says they’ll be rigorously screening and testing the cables moving forward. The company has also automated their screening process for optical issues such as dead pixels.

Pimax mentions that they’re bringing improvements to the 3.5mm headphone jack by increasing the soldering strength, something the company says can now withstand “more than 3,000 insertions and removals.”

SEE ALSO
Most Windows VR Headsets Have Vanished from the Microsoft Store, Limited Stock Elsewhere

The headsets’ housing has also been cause for concern, although Pimax says it doesn’t have anything to do with its remarkably thin plastic exterior. Pimax says that microfractures in the housing mating points were “a low probability issue” caused by the cooling and deburring process, and they’ve reviewed these processes to ensure a more reliable output.

The headsets’ shipping material is getting an overhaul too, with the company stating that they’ve uncovered issues caused during transport and have developed a new packaging design in response, something they maintain is “much more resilient and passes a higher standard shock drop resistance test.”

Pimax Accessories

Pimax says the latest controller prototypes will arrive next month, the Valve Index-style controllers called ‘Sword’ and ‘Sword Sense’. The company says they plan on manufacturing both of these variants—one with a thumbstick and the other with a touchpad—for many years to come.

“Because of this it is important these devices are more than competitive with other marketplace offerings,” the company writes. “As always with Pimax we take into account feedback we see across the VR marketplace and we realize how important it is we get our Pimax controllers ‘right’.”

Image courtesy Pimax

While the floppy head strap is getting an update, the optional Rigid Audio Head strap is now undergoing ergonomics testing too. Still no ETA, but it’s nice that it’s gotten a mention.

Although we thought Pimax was going to beat Valve to the punch by finally selling SteamVR 2.0 base stations on their lonesome, the company says they’re currently in production, but that they’re bundling the base station with their controllers “due to shipping costs.” The set, which includes two controllers of any flavor and two SteamVR 2.0 base stations currently costs a $300 deposit. Again, no ETA on these ones either.

Kickstarter Accessories, Image courtesy Pimax

The headset’s Hand Tracking Module is on a bit of a bumpy road. Promised back in the Kickstarter days, Pimax says that it’s been delayed due to Leap Motion’s acquisition by ULtraHaptics. UltraHaptics is however reportedly restarting production of the module, although Pimax says “this transition has taken some time.”

There’s still no word on when the eye-tracking accessory will arrive, although the company did show it off this year at CES 2019 in January.

Pimax’s continued work on their line of headsets is commendable, but it’s hard not to feel like a beta tester when the company is constantly retooling their product every few months. Even we have a hard time keeping the myriad of hardware updates straight, although Pimax is decidedly still delivering their headsets to consumers and directly responding to criticism.

What’s missing in all of this is an identifiable timeline, but we’re keeping our eyes peeled for concrete info on when prospective users can expect to see these updates in future Pimax headset iterations.

The post Pimax Announces Improvements to “5K” Plus and “8K” Headsets, Updates on Accessories appeared first on Road to VR.

Posted on

Pimax Brainwarp 1.0: Fixed Foveated Rendering, Smart Smoothing und Refresh Rate Switching auf GDC 2019 vorgeführt

Pimax präsentiert auf der GDC 2019 seine neue Brainwarp 1.0-Software, die mit Fixed Foveated Rendering, Smart Smoothing und Refresh Rate Switching das Äquivalent von Facebooks Asynchronous Spacewarp und Valves Motion Smoothing für die Pimax 5K- und 8K–Brillen darstellt und somit ein deutliches Performance-Upgrade darstellt.

Pimax Brainwarp 1.0 – Fixed Foveated Rendering, Smart Smoothing und Refresh Rate Switching für Pimax-Brillen

Nach der Ankündigung der neuen widerstandsfähigen Business-Versionen seiner VR-Brillen Pimax RE kündigt das Unternehmen neue Software-Updates für die Pimax-Brillen an. Die neue Brainwarp 1.0-Software soll zukünftig für ein Performance-Update und damit eine bessere Nutzererfahrung für Pimax 5K– und 8K-Brillen sorgen. Erstmals wurden die Features in einer Beta-Version Anfang Februar präsentiert.

Das Fixed Foveated Rendering steht derzeit nur für Nvidia-RTX-Grafikkarten zur Verfügung. Die Funktion ermöglicht es, nur einen bestimmten Bildausschnitt im Sichtbereich in voller Auflösung zu rendern, um Rechenleistung zu sparen. Der vom menschlichen Auge kaum wahrnehmbare Rand wird zeitgleich in der Auflösung reduziert, um Rechenleistung zu sparen. Das Feature soll in naher Zukunft auch auf ältere Grafikkarten ausgeweitet werden. Oculus verwendet die praktische Funktion ebenso für seine Oculus Go und kommende Oculus Quest.

Foveated Rendering

Ein Beispiel für Foveated Rendering von SMI

Das integrierte Feature Smart Smoothing aktiviert sich automatisch bei einem Framerate-Einbruch unter 90 FPS und sorgt für eine bessere Bildrate bzw. Darstellung der VR-Inhalte. Dabei wird die Framerate auf die Hälfte reduziert, während die restlichen Frames dank eines Algorithmus künstlich erzeugt werden. Sobald die GPU wieder die gewünschte Performance erbringen kann, wird auf die Standard-Rate zurückgeschaltet.

Durch das Refresh Rate Switching ist die Framerate sowohl für die 5K- wie auch für die 8K-Brille individuell festlegbar. So können die Nutzer zwischen einer Bildwiederholrate von 90 Hz, 72 Hz oder 64 Hz (bei der Pimax 5K und 5K+) bzw. 80 Hz (bei der Pimax 8K), 72 Hz oder 64 Hz auswählen.

(Quelle: Upload VR | Road to VR)

Der Beitrag Pimax Brainwarp 1.0: Fixed Foveated Rendering, Smart Smoothing und Refresh Rate Switching auf GDC 2019 vorgeführt zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

Posted on

Pimax Creates Rugged Versions of its 8K, 5K Plus and 5K OLED Headsets for Commercial use

While virtual reality (VR) headsets are fairly durable pieces of kit, they do tend to be designed for home use rather than public, which can lead to undue wear and tear. To combat this Pimax has announced a new rugged version of its three main head-mounted displays (HMD), the 8K, 5K Plus and 5K OLED. 

Pimax RE

The new series of headsets are the Pimax 8K RE, 5K Plus RE and 5K OLED RE, all focused business and location-based entertainment (LBE) use. While the outside has a stronger more hard-wearing design, with improvements such as water resistance, a rigid headstrap and thicker cabling, the internals are still the same with a 200-degree diagonal field of view (FoV) and the high-resolution screens the company is known for.

Currently, Pimax has yet to confirm when the new versions will be made available to business customers, or how much each will cost in comparison to the standard models. If you happen to be at NVIDIA’s GPU Technology Conference (GTC) this week Pimax is there with some samples to showcase.

In addition to the new rugged headsets, Pimax has also announced a new partnership with Ecoplants, a company which specialises in 3D scanning for PBR (Physically Based Rendering) material. The pair will be at GTC 2019 to present a new VR application that aims to tap into various industries. It’ll include features such as hand tracking, inside out position and rotation tracking, as well as hundreds of digital asset’s produced by Ecoplants.

Pimax RE

Kevin Henderson, Head of US Operations and Spokesperson for Pimax VR, said: “With the announcement of our new RE series, our goal is to redefine the value proposition for ruggedized B2B VR headsets to encourage and promote powerful commercial use cases together with our current and future customers. We believe that in partnership with more innovative companies like Ecoplants, we will be able to achieve the goal of delivering VR2.0 to the business market.”

As Pimax continues to expand, VRFocus will bring you all the latest announcements from the company.

Posted on

Pimax Releases ASW-Like “Smart Smoothing” And Static Foveated Rendering

Pimax Headset Rear

At GDC 2019 today Pimax released two new software features aimed at making its headsets easier to run. Fixed Foveated Rendering (FFR) and Smart Smoothing. The features work for both the 5K+ and 8K headsets.

Fixed Foveated Rendering renders at a lower resolution everywhere except the center of the lens. This is the same technique used on the Oculus Go and Quest standalone headsets. Pimax claims this provides a 10-30% performance improvement. Right now it only works on NVIDIA RTX GPUs, but the company is working on bringing this to older cards too.

Smart Smoothing is similar to Facebook’s Asynchronous Spacewarp and Valve’s Motion Smoothing. When your GPU isn’t making framerate, Smart Smoothing forces the running game to render at half framerate and synthetically generates every other frame. When the GPU is no longer being strained, the app is returned to full framerate.

If you’re confused about these terms, read our guide VR Timewarp, Spacewarp, Reprojection, And Motion Smoothing Explained.

Unlike Facebook and Valve, Pimax is giving users the ability to change the headset’s refresh rate. As well as the default refresh rate of 90 Hz and 80 Hz for the 5K+ and 8K respectively, users can now change it to 72 Hz or 64 Hz.

These new features and options are all aimed at making the Pimax headsets easier to run on existing GPUs. Tom’s Hardware recently benchmarked the headset using the $700 RTX 2080. While they were able to run simplistic games like Space Pirate Trainer smoothly, games like Arizona Sunshine and Serious Sam VR required turning the field of view down to 120° and setting the resolution far below native.

Hopefully the combination of FFR, Smart Smoothing, and the option to use a lower refresh rate will improve the Pimax experience.

Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

The post Pimax Releases ASW-Like “Smart Smoothing” And Static Foveated Rendering appeared first on UploadVR.

Posted on

Pimax to Launch Ruggedized “8K” VR Headsets for Business This Year

Today Pimax announced it’s introducing a new business-focused ruggedized line of its “8K” series virtual reality headsets, set to release sometime this year.

According to an MRTV video interview with Pimax’s head of US operations Kevin Henderson, Pimax says it will produce ruggedized (RE) versions, dubbed Pimax “8K” RE, “5K” Plus RE and “5K” OLED RE, the latter of which is patterned after the Pimax “5K” XR (ex-“5K” BE).

The company says the new line will offer numerous hardware ruggedization features intended for high-traffic venues such as location-based entertainment (LBE) facilities, and education/training institutions.

Henderson told MRTV that ruggedization features include water resistance, a new foam insert, rigid headstrap, and thicker cabling.

Pimax consumer version, Image courtesy Pimax

Henderson additionally told Road to VR that the new RE line will feature greater shock tolerances, more robust components, metal buttons, higher lifespan switches, and accessories including a cover that can go over the front of the headset for greater protection in high-traffic environments.

There’s no word at this time on exactly when the headsets will be available to businesses, or at what price, although Henderson tells MRTV it will be due out “in the coming months” and that they’ll be priced “around $500-ish more on the per-unit basis.”

The business-focused headsets are said to include the same wide field of view and modular ability as the respective consumer versions thanks to the two USB Type-C accessory ports. The ‘RE’ headsets feature the same fundamental specs as the consumer counterparts (seen below).

SEE ALSO
VRgineers Reveals Improved ‘XTAL’ Professional Headset with Wider FOV

Pimax is also currently in the production phase of the long-awaited SteamVR 2.0 base stations. Henderson tells MRTV that it’s “very likely the Lighthouses will beat the controllers to market,” although he admits its unclear how the company will proceed, be it through a staggered release or a controller/basestation hardware bundle. Henderson expects to release more info in the next few weeks, and that the company plans to fulfill backers first, then open up to general consumers at a later date, although the bundling issue is still undecided at this time.

A Pimax-built basestation would represent the first opportunity for consumers to purchase a 2.0 SteamVR basestation, as HTC doesn’t actively sell them individually.

Specs (Consumer Version)

Pimax “5K” Plus – $700

  • Screen: CLPL(Customized low persistence liquid)
  • Resolution: dual 2,560 × 1,440
  • MTP: ＜15ms
  • Refresh Rate: 90 Hz,Brainwarp Support
  • FOV: 200° (diagonal)
  • Audio: 3.5mm audio jack, integrated microphone
  • Connection: USB 2.0/3.0, DP 1.4
  • Sensor: SteamVR tracking, G-sensor, gyroscope, hand motion（Option）
  • Fit: Adjustable headset strap/headband（Option）IPD adjustment, VR frame
  • Content: SteamVR and Oculus Home
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 and AMD equivalent or above

Pimax “8K” – $900

  • Screen: CLPL (Customized low persistence liquid)
  • Resolution: dual 3,840 × 2,160
  • MTP: <15ms
  • Refresh Rate: 80 Hz, Brainwarp Support
  • FOV: 200° (diagonal)
  • Audio: 3.5mm audio jack, integrated microphone
  • Connection: USB 2.0/3.0, DP 1.4
  • Sensor: SteamVR tracking, G-sensor, gyroscope, hand motion（Option）
  • Fit: Adjustable headset strap/headband（Option）IPD adjustment, VR frame
  • Content: SteamVR and Oculus Home
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti and AMD equivalent or above

Pimax “5K” XR (previously BE) – $1,000

  • Screen: OLED
  • Resolution: dual 2,560 × 1,440
  • MTP: <15ms
  • Refresh Rate: 85±3 Hz
  • FOV: 200° (diagonal)
  • Audio: 3.5mm audio jack,integrated microphone
  • Connection: USB 2.0/3.0, DP 1.4
  • Sensor: SteamVR tracking, G-sensor, gyroscope, hand motion（Option）
  • Fit: Adjustable headset strap/headband（Option）IPD adjustment, VR frame
  • Content: SteamVR and Oculus Home
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 and AMD equivalent or above

The post Pimax to Launch Ruggedized “8K” VR Headsets for Business This Year appeared first on Road to VR.

Posted on

Pimax 8K: Auslieferung verzögert sich; Neue Beta-Software Brainwarp 1.0 veröffentlicht

Pimax fordert noch etwas mehr Geduld von seinen Backern, denn die Auslieferung der Pimax 8K verzögert sich aufgrund neuer Qualitätsstandards des Unternehmens. Demnach sollen die Produktion und der Versand erst ab dem 10. Februar beginnen. Dafür dürfen sich Besitzer einer Pimax-Brille über die neue Beta-Software Brainwarp 1.0 freuen, welche dank den neuen Features Smart Smoothing und Foveated Rendering die Performance deutlich optimieren sollen.

Pimax 8K – Produktion und Auslieferung verzögert sich bis zum 10. Februar

Im Gegensatz zur Pimax 5K+ verzögert sich die Produktion und Auslieferung der Pimax 8K um einige weitere Wochen. Dies verkünden die Verantwortlichen im offiziellen Pimax-Forum und entschuldigen sich zeitgleich bei den Backern für die Umständlichkeiten. Grund für die längere Wartezeit sind höhere Qualitätsstandards, welche erforderlich sind, bevor die Endgeräte an die Kunden ausgeliefert werden können. Dies soll Mängel im Produkt und dadurch entstehende Rücksendungen verhindern.

Im offiziellen Statement heißt es entsprechend:

“Wir haben Qualität über Quantität gestellt und wir hoffen, dass Sie uns unterstützen werden, da wir sicherstellen, dass wir Ihnen die besten Geräte liefern, die wir bauen können.”

Die neue Norm veranlasste das Unternehmen zahlreiche 4K-LCD-Displays an Zulieferer zurückzusenden, wodurch eine Produktionslücke entstand. Dadurch konnten viele geplante Auslieferungen nicht durchgeführt werden. Aufgrund des anstehenden chinesischen Frühjahrsfests vom 3. bis 10. Februar ist das zuständige Logistikzentrum geschlossen und es können keine weiteren VR-Brillen fertiggestellt werden. Danach sollen die restlichen Geräte mit Hochdruck bearbeitet und versendet werden.

Pimax Brainwarp 1.0 – Beta-Software mit neuen Features: Smart Smoothing und Foveated Rendering

Positive Nachrichten gibt es dagegen Software-seitig, denn das Unternehmen veröffentlichte die neue Beta-Software Brainwarp 1.0 mit neuen Features für ein ordentliches Performance-Upgrade. So veröffentlicht Pimax sein Äquivalent zu Oculus Asynchronous SpaceWarp und dem Motion Smoothing von Valve. Das Smart Smoothing aktiviert sich automatisch bei einem Framerate-Einbruch unter 90 FPS und sorgt für eine bessere Bildrate bzw. Darstellung der VR-Inhalte. Die Framerate ist sowohl für die 5K+- wie auch für die 8K-Brille individuell festlegbar.

Foveated Rendering

Ein Beispiel für Foveated Rendering von SMI

Als zweite Funktion beinhaltet das Update das Foveated Rendering für Nvidia-RTX-GPUs in drei verschiedenen Stufen. Die Funktion ermöglicht es, nur einen bestimmten Bildausschnitt im Sichtbereich in voller Auflösung zu rendern, um Rechenleistung zu sparen. Der vom menschlichen Auge kaum wahrnehmbare Rand wird zeitgleich in der Auflösung reduziert. Das Feature ist in den drei Stufen conservative, ballanced und aggressive nutzbar. Derzeit sind beim Einsatz allerdings Spielabstürze bzw. Darstellungskomplikationen möglich. In diesen Fällen empfiehlt Pimax einen Neustart der Anwendung.

(Quellen: Pimax Forum: 1 | 2 | Upload VR)

Der Beitrag Pimax 8K: Auslieferung verzögert sich; Neue Beta-Software Brainwarp 1.0 veröffentlicht zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

Posted on

Pimax 8K Headset Delayed Again, Quality Issues With 4K Panels

Pimax Headset Rear

Pimax issued a statement on their forums stating that their 8K headset will not be shipped to all backers this month as previously claimed. The statement was also sent out via email.

The company explained that the 4K LCD panels used in the Pimax 8K have been rejected at a much higher rate since they enacted stricter QA testing.

So when will the remaining backers of the 8K model get their headset? Pimax made clear that it would not be before the Chinese Spring Festival which runs until February 10th. This means it’ll be weeks or months before all are produced & shipped.

The 8K headset isn’t the company’s only offering however. There is also the ‘Pimax 5K+’. Despite having lower resolution (1440p) panels the visual quality of the 5K+ is actually preferred by many. This is another reminder of the important fact that resolution is only one spec of a panel. While marketing departments everywhere would have you believe otherwise, a lower resolution can look superior if the other specs of the panel are better by enough of a degree.

The 5K+ headset isn’t free of QA issues either however. Pimax now has a replacement program for a “black dots” issue. This is a flaw in some 5K+ units where, as in the name, black dots appear over the panel.

It’s now 16 months since the Pimax kickstarter launched. While the company has finally shipped almost all of its 5K+ model, backers of the original 8K are still waiting.

As we stated when we analyzed Pimax’s shipping record, the company’s repeated inability to meet self-defined deadlines means that we strongly recommend not ordering a headset until they completely fulfill backer orders, clear their current backlog, and demonstrate the ability to consistently ship at scale.

Tagged with: ,

The post Pimax 8K Headset Delayed Again, Quality Issues With 4K Panels appeared first on UploadVR.

Posted on

Pimax Interview: Discussing 8K, 5K Plus and the Year Ahead

Earlier this week VRFocus wrote a full hands-on of Pimax’s offerings at CES 2019, detailing what we thought of the 8K and 5K Plus headsets, as well as the eye-tracking and hand-tracking modules. The company was certainly at the show to impress, with a much larger stand than the previous year, plus there was the new US Head of Operations to talk to, Kevin Henderson.

Pimax 8K Series

With so much on display at CES 2019 Henderson had quite a bit to discuss, mainly focusing on an area both Pimax and consumers feel is important, logistics. Having originally started as a highly successful Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign, the company has a lot of backers to satisfy (just under 6,000 in total), concentrating on upping production to get those orders fulfilled. He notes several figures, claiming producing is at 200 units per day and climbing, while 135 units are being shipped per day, so Henderson expects most backers to get their headsets ‘pretty quick’.

At the same time, Pimax is expanding operations across the US (with plans for Europe as well) to ensure it can quickly and smoothly deal with any issues customers may come across. Should a headset need a repair or service of some kind, then Pimax aims to make sure customers only go days without their device rather than spending weeks going back and forth dealing with issues.

Pimax is solely concentrating on getting headsets out to buyers for the time being, with the modules sounding like they’re not going to be available just yet. All the Pimax headsets are modular, so you can add eye-tracking and hand-tracking as and when they become available.

Pimax controller

Henderson goes on to discuss features that have been or are going to be added such as being able to change the FoV, or changing colour and contrast. Then there’s the newly released Brainwarp 1.0 which is now live, and is essentially a similar Smart Smoothing algorithm, which is similar to Oculus’ “ASW” and SteamVR’s “Motion Smoothing”, with Pimax noting on a forum post: “With Smart Smoothing technique, our users are expecting to get good performance on GTX1070 or GTX2060 when playing most of the VR games with 8K or 5K+ headset.”

Check out the full interview below, and for further Pimax updates, keep reading VRFocus.