Presentation: I like the simplistic style of the headset. None of these fancy style head straps, it’s just the classic 3-point elasticated and adjustable job here. Its lightness is also noteworthy, this is not some cheaply made headset, care and attention (particularly to the design of it) are easily noticeable. While not as nice as the HTC Vive or Oculus CV1 it is very nice and fantastic looking quality given its low it’s price.
Pimax 4K Box Contents
- PIMAX 4K VR headset
- 2x PIMAX Headphones with 3.5mm jacks
- Instruction Manual
- Anti-Static Cleaning Cloth
Description: When it comes to features this headset doesn’t have a lot of them. No pupil or focus adjustments that I could find and the head strap is not the most comfortable. Also setting it up and getting it running was also not as easy as other full PC headsets, in fact, it was a real pain. At least they kept things simple and tidy with both the design and wire system. Just one HDMI and one USB 2 or 3 port are needed.
PIMAX 4K Specs…
Headset: Pimax
Manufacturer: PIMAX 4K
Launch Price: $375 (£275) (headset only)
Release Date: January 2017
Headset Type: VR Headset (PC Powered)
Display: Single LCD at 1920 x 2160 (per eye)
Field of View(FOV): 110° horizontal / 90° vertical
Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
Interpupillary Distance Adjustment: Yes
Screen Focus Adjustment: No
Weight: 366 g (12.91 oz)
Tracking: 3 DoF Non-positional
Review: Let’s get the bad things out of the way first. This headset is not really 4K, it doesn’t have any motion tracking, making it no different in capabilities than any mobile VR headset and you could argue that it is a little bit of a podge to get the thing to work with Steam VR games. But when things gel and work together, when you have a compatible app, this headset is crazy good. OK, so it’s short on being a true 4K headset, but in terms of view (when the optimal situation for this headset is in effect), this headset leaves the others for dust. There is almost no screen door effect with games and watching movies on it is crystal clear. When everything goes the headsets way you know you have made a great choice.
So is it as good as the Oculus or HTC Vive? No. Not even close. Sure the view is better, but the blurring and tracking is not even close to their quality and dare I say, the screen is a lot darker, almost as if the brightness and contrast have been set to low for some reason. The problem is those other headsets cost 2X that of the PIMAX 4K! So in terms of value for money, you do get a lot more than you might think. This headset is a happy medium. It’s not a cheap all-in-one headset that hardly works, but yet it’s not a full tracked headset capable of deep levels of immersion. It’s somewhere in between those things and once again backs up my own opinion that China, not America will lead the way for future VR headset design. Truly a worthy buy for anyone getting more serious about VR. Just make sure you have those minimum specs and you will be fine.
