CES 2020 Interview: It All Becomes Clear With Pimax 8K

For the last few years at CES in Las Vegas virtual reality (VR) headset company Pimax has put on a bigger and bigger display of its technology as it matures and customer base grows. This year Pimax had plenty to shout about, showcasing the latest lineup of 8K resolution headsets. On hand to discuss the continually growing product roster was Chief Operating Office Kevin Henderson. 

Pimax VISION 8K X

The new Pimax Vision 8K range aims to offer customers the highest-fidelity VR headset, whether that’s consumers looking for a gaming headset which can provide super clear visuals or enterprise use cases where realism and fine detail are top requirements.

Originally announced last November along with the pre-order campaign, the latest flagship model is the Pimax Vision 8K X which boasts dual native 4K displays offering 3840×2160 per-eye resolution. It has a 200° field of view (FoV), as well as a new ‘Dual Engine Modes’ capability for native content as well as upscaling. Retailing for $1299 USD, during CES 2020 Pimax announced that the model has gone into full-scale production.

At the opposite end of the spectrum is the Pimax Artisan. Designed as the new entry-level model for customers new to the world of VR or for those that don’t want to spend massive amounts of money, the Pimax Artisan is priced from $449. Featuring a 170° diagonal FOV with 1700×1440 per eye resolution the headset will work with SteamVR 1.0 and 2.0 tracking setups. It’s available now but only in the US, Canada, EU, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.

As you can see from the image above, Pimax’s product range is quite extensive offering a range of options that should cover any VR customers needs, from entry-level up to the high-end user. In VRFocus’ interview with Henderson, he helps to simplify the range and where Pimax is heading, whilst discussing some of its other products including the Sword Series VR controllers.

Check out the interview below or for more CES 2020 coverage why not take a look at VRFocus‘ interview with HaptX, our chat with Teslasuit about its new glove, with Spatial regarding its AR collaboration tool or Insta360 and its new ONE R action camera.

Pimax Vision 8K X Goes Into Production as Series Takes to CES 2020

A couple of months ago Pimax began taking pre-orders for its next-generation virtual reality (VR) headsets, dubbed the Vision series. Two models were revealed, the Vision 8K X and Vision 8K Plus. With CES 2020 taking place this week in Las Vegas, Pimax has made several announcements including mass production of the flagship Vision 8K X and two new head-mounted displays (HMD).

Pimax VISION 8K X w_ deluxe modular audio head strap
Pimax Vision 8K X with optional Deluxe Headphone Strap

As VRFocus has previously reported the Pimax Vision 8K X will come with dual native 4K displays with a claimed 3840×2160 per-eye resolution. It’ll still feature the company’s standard 200° field of view (FoV), as well as a new ‘Dual Engine Modes’ capability, which works in either ‘Native mode’ offering 3840×2160 per eye at 75Hz or ‘Upscale mode’  where a max input signal of 2560×1440 per eye at 120Hz can be changed to 3840×2160 per eye at 120Hz (max). While those that have pre-ordered the $1299.00 USD headset will likely be pleased to hear it has gone into mass production, Pimax has yet to issue a launch date.

Then there are the two new headset models, the Vision 5K Super and the Pimax Artisan. The Vision 5K Super will offer a resolution of 2560×1440 per eye alongside refresh rates at 90/120/160/180 Hz. Price and availability have yet to be revealed. While the Pimax Artisan is the baby of the bunch, priced from $449. Offering refresh rates of 72/90/120Hz at 170° FOV diagonally with 1700×1440 per eye resolution, the Artisan is designed to work with graphics cards like Nvidia’s  GTX 1050T, for entry-level VR gamers. It’ll still work with SteamVR 1.0 and 2.0 tracking like its siblings.

“We are blessed with a hardcore and supportive VR community, together with whom we learn lessons and push the industry to the next VR Era. It’s a story of challenge to tell developing VISION 8K X, but eventually we made it! We are very proud of VISION 8K X and believe it is a standard next-generation headset, and are extremely excited for the refresh rate improvement for the entire P2 headset line and Brainwarp 2.0,” said Pimax founder Robin Weng in a statement.

As well as all the new hardware Pimax has revealed the release of Brainwarp 2.0 for CES 2020. A collection of software tech, Brainwarp 2.0 is all about lowering hardware requirements, reducing latency and boosting the refresh rates of Pimax headsets.

Pimax now has quite the lineup of VR headsets – when they are all eventually available – to cover every user price bracket. As further details are released, VRFocus will keep you updated.

Pimax Begins Pre-Order Campaign for Vision 8K Headsets

For consumers after a virtual reality (VR) headset with a really wide field of view (FoV) choice is very limited, in fact, there’s only really one on the market, and that’s Pimax. Having previously released the 5K Plus, 5K OLED, and 8K head-mounted displays (HMD) with a 200-degree FoV, the company is now preparing to launch its next-generation, two devices called Vision 8K X and Vision 8K PLUS.

Pimax Field of View

The Pimax Vision 8K X is the new flagship headset featuring dual native 4K displays with a 3840×2160 per-eye resolution. Pimax is using customized CLPL panels with an advanced RGB pixel matrix which the company claims offers a: ‘ 50% increase of sub-pixels.’ With a ‘Dual Engine Mode’ feature, users can switch the input resolution between 2560×1440*2 pixel and  3840×2160*2 pixel mode to get the output rendered in either dual upscaled 4K or dual native 4K.

As for the Pimax Vision 8K PLUS, the main difference is purely in the display. This headset features two 3840×2160 CLPL  panels with the resolution upscaled from 2560×1440 per eye. Both headsets still feature 200-degree FoV (diagonal) as well as a new ergonomic design and come with a comfort kit including a face cowling, a nose guard to prevent light leakage, soft face foam and a modular audio strap.

Pre-orders have now gone live with the headsets available in two versions. The Pimax Vision 8K X standard headphone version retails for $1,299.00 USD, while the deluxe headphone version retails for $1,399.00. The standard headphone version for Pimax Vision 8K PLUS is $999.00 with the deluxe headphone version selling for £1,099.00.

Pimax 8K X, 8K PLUS, 5K PLUS comparison

For those who already own one of the older Pimax models, the company will be running an upgrade programme where owners can get a Vision 8K PLUS or a Vision 8K X starting from $449 or $649 respectively.

Pimax fans may also remember the Sword Series controllers revealed earlier this year. Pre-orders had gone live with shipments expected to take place by the end of the year. That pre-order page has now been taken down, with Pimax now stating: “controllers have been delayed to March of 2020 as there are still technical obstacles to overcome for the development.”

Vision 8K X and Vision 8K PLUS will be demoed at several upcoming events in the US and Europe, the next being VR Days Europe in Amsterdam later this month. For further updates from Pimax, keep reading VRFocus.

Vision 8K X Technical Specifications

  • Size: 280.10*108.2*135.90mm
  • IO Connector: Headphone/USB *1/ DP*1/Audio Jack/Type C *2/Microphone
  • Display: Customized low persistence liquid (CLPL)
  • Resolution: 3840*2160 per eye
  • MTP latency: 15ms (typical)
  • Refresh Rate: 75Hz (native) / 90Hz (upscale)
  • Lens: Custom Fresnel*2
  • FOV: 200° Diagonal
  • IPD: 55mm~75mm
  • Button: Power Key/ VOL+ Key/ VOL- Key
  • Eye Tracking: Eye tracking module (optional)
  • Hand Tracking: Gesture (optional)
  • Controller: Room scale Controller (optional)
  • Technology: Outside-in Lighthouse Basestations 1.0 OR 2.0
  • Sensor: SteamVR sensor
  • A+G+M: 9-Axis

Vision 8K PLUS Technical Specifications

  • Size: 280.10*108.2*135.90mm
  • IO Connector: USB *1/ DP*1/ Audio Jack/ Type C *2/ Microphone
  • Display: Customized low persistence liquid (CLPL)
  • Resolution: 3840*2160 per eye (scaled from 2560×1440 per eye)
  • MTP latency: 15ms (typical)
  • Refresh Rate: 90Hz (max)
  • Lens: Custom Fresnel*2
  • FOV: 200° Diagonal
  • IPD: 55mm~75mm
  • Button: Power Key/ VOL+ Key/ VOL- Key
  • Eye Tracking: Eye tracking module (optional)
  • Hand Tracking: Gesture (optional)
  • Controller: Room scale Controller (optional)
  • Technology: Outside-in Lighthouse Basestations 1.0 OR 2.0
  • Sensor: SteamVR sensor
  • A+G+M: 9-Axis