October has already seen quite the influx of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) hardware announcements and that trend doesn’t look like it’ll be stopping anytime soon. Originally due to take place tomorrow, Chinese VR headset maker Pimax’s upcoming event “Pimax Frontier” will now be held next week, just a few days before Facebook Connect, promising a showcase of its next-generation technology.
Pimax Vision 8K X with optional Deluxe Headphone Strap
Pimax has made a name for itself in the VR space with its wide field of view (FoV) headsets which currently include the 5K Super and the flagship 8KX, both of which feature a massive 200-degree FoV. The Pimax Frontier conference will be about unveiling its next generation of VR, what the company dubs VR 3.0. Originally, Pimax’s VR 1.0 era saw the company launch its first headset, the Pimax 4K, in 2015. This was then followed up from 2017 onwards with the latest roster of devices, or the VR 2.0 era.
So by that information alone, Pimax is guaranteed to be revealing a new VR headset (or headsets) of some sort. In a press release, the company notes: “VR 3.0 provides a totally immersive experience, and will focus on three points: naturalness, freedom and self-awareness.” VRFocuswould expect Pimax to maintain its wide FoV hallmark, if it does then it’ll buck the current trend of making smaller, lighter headsets that are trying to cater to the consumer market.
Additionally, the Pimax Frontier event won’t purely be focused on hardware, it’ll also delve into its own software ecosystem. The Pimax store is set to reveal new partners and Pimax Studio will introduce a series of developer support initiatives.
Pimax Sword Lite controllers. Image credit Pimax
Pimax Frontier 2021 will now be held on 25th October at 10am PDT (6pm BST), viewable via YouTube here. You can also register for the conference on the official Pimax website. Registration will also put you into a draw to win a Pimax 8KX worth €1,199.00 EUR.
Last month saw Pimax finally confirm details regarding the long-awaited Sword controllers. While customers have been able to use Index controllers, the Pimax Sword Lite finally gives the company its own in-house control scheme for customers.
As details from the conference are announced, VRFocus will keep you updated.
Pimax announced its holding a product event on October 25th that will introduce a next-gen VR headset, something that the company promises will be “several generations ahead of anything currently on the market.”
The event, dubbed Frontier 2021, was originally set to take place on October 20th, however since its general announcement Pimax has moved the event to October 25th, or just three days before Facebook’s yearly Connect VR developer conference.
Pimax says in an email to press that Frontier 2021 will “showcase the Pimax product roadmap, related technologies, the vision of VR3.0, and a sneak peak of code name “Reality”: a new product that’s several generations ahead of anything currently on the market.”
A proper unveiling of ‘Reality’ is said to take place at CES 2022 in January. The name, Pimax says, “should give you an indication of the power of this product.”
You’ll be able to follow along with the announcements in a livestream on YouTube, taking place at 10 AM PT on October 25th (local time here). If the company’s other VR headsets are any indication, ‘Reality’ may be another wide-FOV, high-resolution headset.
Pimax isn’t alone in the Techtober XR product reveals. This month has already seen the unveiling of HTC’s standalone Vive Flow and Magic Leap 2. High-end headset creator Varjo is also holding a product launch event on October 21st.
Notably, Pimax shifted Frontier 2021 to be even closer to Facebook Connect, the latter of which is coming in a single-day event on October 28th. There we may get a peek at the rumored Oculus Quest Pro in addition to hearing more about the company’s recently revealed prototypes, which ought to make for some interesting points of comparison.
Pimax revealed plans for a new online conference, called Pimax Frontier 2021, where it says it will reveal details about its future roadmap and tease a new product code-named ‘Reality’.
Update: Pimax Frontier has been pushed back from October 20 to October 25, but will still take place online and be available worldwide. Original story follows below.
According to an email from Pimax to potential attendees, this conference will go over the company’s Pimax product roadmap and “related technologies,” alongside “the vision of VR3.0” and a sneak peek of their next product, which is referred to by the name ‘Reality’ in the email. The effort is referred to as “a new product that’s several generations ahead of anything currently on the market.”
Don’t expect a full announcement just yet — Pimax says that Frontier will only feature a “sneak peek” of Reality and that CES 2022 will see the full “formal unveiling” of the new product. CES is the largest annual Western technology conference and the 2022 event is scheduled to take place on January 5-8, 2022 in Las Vegas.
At CES 2020, Pimax announced a 180Hz ‘5K SUPER’ headset — an enhanced version of Pimax’s main offering, the 5K Plus. While Valve’s Index controllers are compatible with Pimax headsets, the company’s own controllers, the long-delayed Sword Lite VR controllers, entered mass production last month, with the aim to begin shipping this month. This will make good on a promise from Pimax’s 2017 Kickstarter, where backers could pay an extra $200 for rudimentary VR controllers to go with its “8K” ultra-wide field of view VR headset.
The company has a long history of shipping delays and in the past we’ve recommended treating orders, particularly ones for products that don’t yet have a ship date, as more like backing a Kickstarter than placing an order. For those interested in attending Pimax Frontier, sign-ups are available now online.
Pimax says its Sword Lite VR Controllers entered mass production for release in October.
In its 2017 Kickstarter for the “8K” ultra-wide field of view VR headset, China-based startup Pimax promised rudimentary VR controllers for $200 extra, with buttons, a thumbstick, and trigger. In 2018 the company revealed a radical redesign resembling earlier prototypes of Valve’s Index controllers with the price announced as $300 and the release window slated for late 2019.
Flash forward to late 2021 and Pimax hasn’t yet shipped any controllers – the company has a history of overpromising on release schedules. Instead it offers bundles with Index controllers.
But Pimax now says the refined controllers, which it now calls Sword Lite, have actually entered mass production and are ready to ship at scale soon. Sword Sense, the higher end controllers, are apparently still in development too but it’s unclear how far out they really are.
Like with Pimax headsets, Sword Lite are tracked by two SteamVR Tracking base stations (available from Valve for $149 each). Sword Lite isn’t compatible with other SteamVR headsets though, this is an accessory to Pimax headsets only.
Similar to Index controllers there are capacitive finger detection sensors for all five digits. Sword Lite each use a rechargeable dual-AA battery which can be hot swapped without losing connection to SteamVR. Pimax claims four hours of battery between charges, significantly lower than Oculus Touch or Valve Index.
Pimax says preorder customers will start getting Sword Lite in October and it will be available for general purchase soon after. The price hasn’t yet been revealed and Pimax wouldn’t provide the price when questioned.
It was over two years ago that Pimax began officially talking about its “Sword Series” virtual reality (VR) controllers, controllers that at the time looked to rival the Index design. If you pre-ordered a pair or are simply looking for an alternative VR controller system there’s some good news, the Pimax Sword Lite’s have finally entered mass production.
Up until now if you bought one of the various Pimax headsets currently available the only controller option you’re given on the website are the Index controllers. With the Pimax Sword Lite, customers will have a second option, one that is fully SteamVR compatible supporting both 1.0 and 2.0 base stations; inbuilt finger tracking, four hours of use per charge and what Pimax calls a “special protection coating that provides a deluxe non-slip texture to the controller.”
The battery is one of Pimax Sword Lite’s most interesting features because even though four hours doesn’t sound a lot – and it isn’t compared to the weeks a single battery can last in an Oculus Quest 2 controller – Pimax has made it as pain-free as possible. First off, the battery is hot-swappable so you can pop new ones in without any interruption. Using a dual replaceable lithium battery design – a dual AA by the looks of this Reddit post – you should be able to buy cheap replacements online rather than expensive custom batteries.
As you’ll notice from the new images the Pimax Sword Lite comes with a large trackpad on each controller, one raised button and one slightly recessed button. A far more simplistic design than most rivals. Currently, it looks like Pimax has dropped the Sword Sense model which featured a more complicated array using a thumbstick, a smaller track panel and three face buttons.
“Pimax team insists on serving customers as our first priority, the participation and every piece of advice from our customers has affected the Sword Lite, development thoroughly,” said Pimax Founder Robin Weng in a statement. “We can say that the Sword Lite is a product that is built and refined by all VR users around the world. Our foreign users have provided many valuable suggestions that were used in the design for the Sword Lite”.
As for availability now that mass production has begun, Pimax says the Sword Lite’s are going out to pre-order customers this month with official website sales opening in October. At the moment, Pimax hasn’t said what the final price will be.
Pimax, the company known for its wide field of view (FOV) VR headsets, have now launched the Pimax “5K” SUPER, a PC VR headset first shown in its prototype stage at CES 2020 earlier this year.
The new Pimax “5K” Super is being billed as a hardware refresh of the Pimax “5K” Plus, which launched in 2018 with 2,560 × 1,440 pixels per-eye LCD display capable of up to 144Hz refresh rate, and a 200-degree FOV. Priced at $600, it’s just one step above the company’s $450 entry-level headset, Pimax Artisan.
Now available for purchase on the company’s website for $750, Pimax “5K” Super features the same 2,560 × 1,440 resolution per-eye and 200-degree FOV as the Plus variant, however the biggest draw is its higher refresh rate at 160Hz, with 180Hz available in experimental mode. In addition to those refresh rates mentioned above, the headset also offers support for 90Hz, 120Hz and 144Hz.
Image courtesy Pimax
Pimax “5K” Super also includes a new Modular Audio Strap, Pimax comfort kit facial padding, nose guard to prevent light leakage, and a ruggedized exterior housing.
As for the headset’s main draw, provided you have the computer to run it, higher panel refresh rates typically equate to smoother experiences: eg. Valve Index’s 144Hz refresh rate offers impressively smooth and tight-feeling gameplay.
Like many of Pimax’s headsets, the “5K” Super is tracked via either SteamVR 1.0 or 2.0 tracking beacons, which must be purchased separately at its base $750 price. A bundle is however available for $1250 which includes two SteamVR 2.0 base stations and two Valve Index controllers.
Pimax headsets are also now said to include the new ‘Pimax VR Experience’ software which the company says “dramatically reduces configuration time for VR software” by automatically applying all VR optimizations required for Pimax headsets and allowing for a one-button launch on any platform.
Ab sofort ist die Pimax 5K SUPER für Konsumenten erhältlich. Das Besondere an der neuen VR-Brille soll eine Bildwiederholrate von 180Hz darstellen.
Pimax 5K SUPER jetzt erhältlich
Die neue VR-Brille von Pimax stellt eine Überarbeitung der Pimax 5K Plus dar und läuft standardmäßig mit einer Bildwiederholrate von 160Hz. Der Modus mit 180Hz ist zunächst experimentell und kann bei bedarf aktiviert werden. Das Field of View gibt Pimax selbst mit 170 Grad an (Info aus der Pressemitteilung. Auf der Webseite wird das Field of View mit 200 Grad angegeben).
Wie auch die Vorgänger wird die neue Pimax 5K SUPER auf das Lighthouse Tracking von Valve setzen.
The second and final part of his report observing the current immersive Out-of-Home entertainment scene for VRFocus. In his latest Virtual Arena column, industry specialist Kevin Williams concludes his overview of the Free-Roaming VR sector in LBE, and looks at the key developments, and the next phase of investment as the market re-emerges.
Continuing the coverage of the impact that free-roaming out-of-home entertainment is having on the re-emerging market, we see that major IP and a continuation of business are driving the sector. While many tried to paint the post-COVID LBE VR market as doomed – the reality is that the market has started to re-emerge from lockdown and are seeing a return of their audience, while the operators that have survived the loss of business now look to the investment towards the next phase of establishing their prospects.
Battle arena – Image credit: KWP
The Re-emergence of the Free-Roam Business
Establishing a full suite of VR entertainment experiences for the various needs of the entertainment venue business has been a constant challenge for many corporations. One of those that has established an important place in the market is VRstudios. Along with the company’s enclosure and free-standing VR platforms (‘ATOM’), they have also defined backpack VR arena experiences with their ‘FLEX’ VR game arena platform. Supporting from four to eight players in either small 25’x25’ to big 40’x40’ arenas, using their Attraction Management Platform (AMP) to integrate the hardware support working with the HTC Vive headset and HP backpacks.
The company before the pandemic had installed the first ‘FLEX Arena’ system in partnership with entertainment chain Dave & Buster’s demonstrating the value of adding a new attraction and revenue source to otherwise underutilized space. This level of flexibility opening the opportunity to venues of all scale to include a free-roaming arena in their offering. As with all their range, ‘FLEX’ is supported by the company’s overarching Attraction Management Platform (AMP) that handles content and operation of their systems – and also supports the VR sports competitive element of their platform, bringing an eSports capability to the ‘ATOM’ and ‘FLEX’, and free-roaming experiences, in general.
Nomadic VR – the company had initially wanted to develop their own videogame content, but after an initial process, reverted to a partnership to license a version of the popular zombie shooter from Vertigo Arcade (‘Arizona Sunshine: Contagion Z’). But soon the reality of what they offered impacted the plans of the operation. Long before the pandemic, Nomadic had closed its Orlando flagship venue (only open some eleven months) and plans for Las Vegas and Los Angeles sites were shelved. But the company has built on the valuable lessons it has learned from operating in the sector and during 2019 partnered on a major installation creating a pay-to-play LBE VR experience, Vader Immortal: Lightsaber Dojo, based on the consumer VR experience (Star Wars Lightsaber Dojo). In September it was announced that following this initial test, Nomadic and ILMxLabs would be partnering to make Lightsaber Dojo more efficient for family entertainment centres and arcades to operate in a tethered upright amusement version.
Backlight – known for their innovative VR escape game and arena-scale attraction has not been dormant during the lockdown period and are part of the new opening news. The Las Vegas-based AREA15 venue labelled as a 200,000-sq.,ft., “experiential art, retail and entertainment complex”, will be the flagship location for a brand new platform from Backlight – a 6,000sq.,ft., space that will have two groups of six play. The ‘OZ Experience’, pop-up LBE VR installation that will utilize backpack PC’s and offer a compelling attraction to support the eclectic mix of partners for this experimental entertainment venue. But Backlight has also been working on other projects launching this year based on their VR escape gaming and new innovative experience platforms. The company looking at rolling out their new innovative platform for wider deployment, most recently for their groundbreaking free-roaming experience Toyland: Crazy Monkey – combining a unique D-BOX motion seat system, married into the free-roaming experience, players take on hordes of toy enemies as they are shrunk into toyland.
The motion seat part of the unique Toyland experience. Image credit: YMAGIS
While others are re-assessing their LBE VR aspirations, other new incumbents are entering the water and applying much of the lessons learned from theme park style attraction presentation. One of the veteran attraction manufacturers isMack Ride (part of Mark International) and they have over recent years established a media-based interest. Launched in September YULLBE – Full Body Tracking Free-Roaming VR Experience, developed by new division MackNeXT in cooperation with VR Coaster and Mack Rides. Working in calibration with motion tracking specialists Vicon, the YULLBE attraction offers two unique arena-scale experiences which can accommodate up to 32 users – what could be called an “Attraction-scale Platform.” The first being a fully tracked, backpack PC experience presented through the Pimax 4K VR headsets (customised for the attraction). But this is not a one-off installation, YULLBE is part of a roll-out of a chain of LBE VR centres across Europe.
YULLBE players don Pimax and PC backs. Image credit: MackNeXT
The European developer DIVR Labs has proven to be a strong developer of free-roaming VR experiences, most notable for their installation at the Hamleys Toy Store in Prague in the Czech Republic. The operation reconfigured the basement of the toy store to turn it into the Golem VR attraction. An arena-scale immersive experience that was based on the 15th Century Prague folk law, where Rabbi Löw created a creature known as a Golem. The attraction employing backpack PC’s, Oculus Rift CV1 headsets and the use of Ultraleap hand tracking – players in groups of four traversing the virtually created cityscape, the environment employing physical as well as virtual effects with great results.
Building on this success and the DIVR team started to roll out several experiences at new locations but were impacted by the lockdown of business with the global situation. Now re-emerging from this lockdown and the company reveals its first new installations at the Premium Outlet Prague Airport called Meet the Dinosaurs. The free-roaming time-travelling dinosaur experience transporting groups of four players back 80 million years, in an area of 150 square meters (players using backpack PC’s and HP Reverb headsets). Quickly following on from this, and the third DIVR location opened in the UAE.
One of the European developers that has grown a strong following in the LBE VR, is Swiss-based TrueVRSystems. Having been one of the first to develop an effective free-roaming platform incorporating multi-player and physical effect immersion – the operation has gone on to license its platform across numerous sites. During last year, the company announced plans to expand the level of capacity of their virtual worlds, accommodating 10-player simulations. This was the fifth VR arena-scale experience created by the company, supporting the OptiTrack system, and running on Oculus Rift CV1 headsets – with the use of the StrikerVR weapon system. At the time leading up to lockdown, the operation had content licensed across some 13 venues, with plans for new US and EU venues.
A crowded landscape of free-roaming developers and one of the early developers is VEX Solutions – with a suite of different VR applications, the company has their VEX Adventure turnkey platform, offering 6m x 6m virtual arena for players for up to four PC backpack wearing players, using HTC Vive headsets, including the use of haptic vests. The VEX platform offers physical effects (heat, olfactory and vibration) within the arena to enhance the virtual experience – offering some six available games, on average offering 40-minutes of play from developers such as ECLIPSE and Backlight Studios.
Another backpack PC VR arena developer and operator is MASSVR – the company had established in Chicago their unique interpretation of the multiple player experience. Long before Fortnite was a thing, the company had installed an 8,000 square feet VR arena in a converted department store floor plan. This Westfield, Skokie location would be joined by a dedicated facility in Bloomington, IL – offering one of the largest mass playing experiences with some 16-players simultaneously. The game experiences are PvP style with teams battling through environments to capture the flag – but in a unique immersive element, the games incorporate virtual jetpacks and zip-lines, as well as an assortment of weaponry. The company with its emergence from lockdown announced the addition of its VR Champions high-action active game experience with a group of eight players in a “head-to-head” competition.
Players ready for the MASSVR experience. Image credit: MASSVR
One of the start-ups that gained some coverage was BiggerInside – the company showed a free-roaming concept back in 2019 at the IAAPA Europe event and went on to roll out their concept called Protocol 223. It uses the Microsoft MR tracking system, with HP Reverb headset and HP-Z-VR backpack PC – the system had the additional element of full body and hand tracking through extensive “eXosuit” fully body tracking, favouring a softer style of play away from players brandishing weapons. The four-player game arena also included physical maze wall elements to marry the physical and virtual worlds together and created a unique PvP style of experience.
The VR arcade scene has striven to broaden its appeal, looking for the latest innovation to keep relevant. The ability to offer a turn-key arena-scale offering to the widest audience has seen the free-roaming genre added to the libraries of content providers. One of the established facility management and content providers to hundreds of VR arcades is Synthesis VR, and in August the company partnered with Secret Location, to launch a free-roaming, multiplayer version of their previous popular content, releasing Blasters of the Universe: Infinity Forever. This attraction takes the original wave-based shooter and brings it to the world of arena-scale.
As previously reported other developers have started to offer free-roaming plug and play solutions for operators wanting to add this level of entertainment to their facility. As we covered in the first of our venue visits after lockdown, the escape room scene has embraced VR – and we had seen that Vertigo Arcades, along with an arena-scale version of their popular Arizona Sunshine, had released the brand new title Ghost Patrol VR, also for four players and also as a simple turn-key VR arcade addition. Vertigo Arcades had worked closely with Nomadic on a unique version of their popular title, creating Arizona Sunshine: Contagion Z as an exclusive version only for their LBE venues. Charting the major movements in the LBE sector of late, and just as we went to the wire news came from the Dutch game’s parent. It was announced that Vertigo Games Holding had had 100-per-cent of their shares acquired by Koch Media GmbH Austria – a wholly-owned subsidiary of Embracer Group AB, (more commonly known as THQ Nordic), for $59.3m.
Other major developments continue to underpin the more positive nature of this sphere of immersive tech following the upheaval. SPREE Interactive – despite COVID-19, major venue openings have been taking place. In August SPREE Interactive in partnership with Pixomondo (Hollywood FX house) and broadcaster giant ProSieben launched Mission to Mars attraction at Forum Schwanthalerhöhe, Germany. An example of a pop-up retail unit installation for an immersive 10-player free-roaming VR experience. ProSieben’s popular Galileo television program is recreated immersively with a 15-minute VR experience, having guests take on an adventure to investigate humanity’s possible survival on the red planet. The attraction employing Pico standalone VR headsets and SPREE’s unique architecture that alleviated the need for backpack PC’s. Opened in August as the European LBE VR scene re-emerged from lockdown, an extremely popular attraction with audiences seeing over 60-per-cent capacity which has led the mall owner HBB to expend the attraction until the end of November.
Players get ready to visit the Red Planet. Image credit: SPREE Interactive
Hyperverse – had heavily promoted their interpretation of what was needed, with their “full-immersion free-roam VR park” concept. The company had achieved initial success with installations as part of existing entertainment venues in Moscow, Chelyabinsk, New York, and Samara, the operation had initially raised some $1.5m in investment. Their hopes of being a turn-key solution was difficult as the water became crowded with more start-ups entering the free-roaming arena. Offering three free-roaming experience for between two and six players over 25-minutes, at venues such as Moscow’s ArenaScape.
While most arena-scale investment has been for LBE VR as seen in these reports, there are new applications for free-roaming experiences being developed for the arts. It was revealed recently that in London, The Royal Opera House (ROH) has been developing the first “hyper-reality opera” in partnership with Figment Productions (known for their work in theme parks and attractions). The free-roaming VR experience will place the user in the heart of an original operatic, artistic creation (inspired by the freeing of Ariel from The Tempest). The arena-scale application incorporating 4D effects married to the immersive experience, is called Current, Rising. It is scheduled to open later this year in the Linbury Theatre, part of the Opera House in Covent Garden, London. In what has been described as “historic stagecraft and cutting-edge technology”.
The Road Ahead
One of the key aspects of the latest phase of development in LBE VR has been the adoption of free-roaming applications. What industry specialist KWP has dubbed “Phase Five” of the latest adoption of VR into the commercial entertainment landscape, where vast cumbersome and technologically complicated free-roam arenas were deployed. In many cases employing camera-based mapping and tracking of objects in a complicated ballet usually referred to as SLAM (Simultaneous Localization Mapping). With advancements in technology and the simplification of the process the ability to track multiple users within an arena has been achieved, and the cost reductions are being applied towards creating cost-effective solutions.
The new generation of FAM (Flexible Arena Mapping) platforms will drive the investment in more free-roaming installations. No matter the consumer VR scene hopes to encroach on the experiences achievable with free-roaming, such as with “Co-Location” – the unique entertainment offering from this installation in a commercial setting, is still highly compelling, and unbeatable.
Pimax might not be as big a name in virtual reality (VR) hardware as others but the company has continually strived to make its consumer headsets standout with features like wide FoV’s and increased resolutions. Helping continue that development, the company has announced a successful Series B funding round to the tune of $20 million USD.
Having previously held a Series Pre-A round back in 2016, followed by a Series-A round in 2018, Pimax also held a successful Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign in 2017, achieving over $4 million. These have led to several headset designs with five currently available of the website, from the entry-level Artisan all the way up to the Vision 8K X.
The new investment from the likes of Shanghai-based Ivy Capital and CDF-Capital in Shenzhen will help Pimax continue to make advancements in VR, with the company noting in a press release that it was able to: “improve the entire product line and even expand mass production volumes.”
“We are different from other competitive players in this industry because we started with VR and VR is all that we do,” said Pimax Founder Robin Weng in a statement. ““Pimax products are just like a kid who experiences surprises and excitement, faces challenges, makes mistakes, gets criticized, learns lessons and receives love and support. We have acquired a great deal of experience and that is the fuel for this new investment. Alongside this investment we have arrived at a new strategic layout for moving into the future.”
Pimax Vision 8K X with optional Deluxe Headphone Strap
Currently, the base Artisan model retails for €449 EUR, offering a wide 140-degree field of view (FoV) – most consumer headsets tend to be around 110-degree’s – with a resolution of 1700 x 1440 per eye. While the Vision 8K X boasts dual native 4K resolution screens and a 200-degree FoV for €1,199. All of Pimax’s headsets support SteamVR tracking as well as Valve Index controllers which those prices do not include.
“In the time leading up to this new investment resources were more limited and unfortunately, we had to tackle issues sequentially and this increased the time required for solutions to be identified and implemented. This had the most profound effects in departments such as logistics and technical support,” Weng continued. “With the additional resources and the solid revenues we are experiencing, we can address issues and complete projects in parallel with considerably greater speed and efficiency. Other ongoing improvements are within other teams for personnel and equipment that include R&D, engineering and manufacturing capabilities. Of course, customer satisfaction is our number one priority so above all else we are focusing our efforts with our support, logistics and warehousing teams to ensure our most important resource – our customers – are always taken care of.”
For further updates on Pimax developments, keep reading VRFocus.
Pimax, the Chinese startup building wide field of view (FOV) virtual reality headsets, has secured $20 million in Series B financing.
Shortly after completing its successful Kickstarter campaign in late 2017, which garnered the company $4.2 million in crowdfunding to produce its “8K” wide FOV headset, Pimax then secured a respectable $19.2 million Series A to further its reach. The company’s Series B brings its overall outside investment to $39.2 million.
Major participants in the company’s Series B include Shanghai-based investment firm Ivy Capital and CDF-Capital, based in Shenzhen.
Pimax is best known for producing its first Pimax “8K” headset, which (dubious marketing name aside) included dual 4K panels boasting one of the industry’s widest FOVs in a consumer VR headset at an estimated 200 degrees. Many VR headsets, such as Oculus Rift S, Oculus Quest 2 and Valve Index, typically sit somewhere around 110 degrees, making Pimax a unique offering in the consumer space.
Pimax “8K” V5 prototype | Photo by Road to VR
In the following years the company produced several iterations of its line of “8K” and “5K” wide FOV headsets. The company’s latest flagship—VISION “8K” X, priced at $1,300—features 4K native resolution per eye and a number of iterative improvements over the original such as integrated audio, a damage resistant coating, and better software integration with SteamVR games.
“Recently, during the difficult Covid-19 pandemic Pimax was able to successfully improve the entire product line and even expand mass production volumes,” says Pimax founder Robin Weng. “This new $20M USD funding marks a significant milestone that has brought Pimax to a brand-new chapter of its development. Pimax’s market-tested unique innovations include breakthroughs in field of view, resolution and software compatibility.”
Pimax “8K”, Photo by Road to VR
Weng says that leading up to its latest cash injection its resources were more limited, so the company had to address issues sequentially, something which had “profound effects in departments such as logistics and technical support.”
“With the additional resources and the solid revenues we are experiencing, we can address issues and complete projects in parallel with considerably greater speed and efficiency,” Weng adds. “Other ongoing improvements are within other teams for personnel and equipment that include R&D, engineering and manufacturing capabilities. Of course, customer satisfaction is our number one priority so above all else we are focusing our efforts with our support, logistics and warehousing teams to ensure our most important resource – our customers – are always taken care of.”
In the past, Pimax has been admittedly pretty fast and loose on its promises to both backers and pre-order customers, oftentimes successively delaying main product launches as well as its long-awaited accessories. There’s still no ETA when all backers will receive both the hand and eye-tracking modules first mentioned in the company’s “8K” Kickstarter nearly four year ago, which have been consistently out of stock since the company started shipping in July.
We’re hoping the company’s new funds will help move those out the door sooner rather than later.
