Pimax Crystal Gentle overview: a brand new normal for inexpensive PC VR

2024 has been an enormous yr for VR, with new headsets from Apple, Meta, HTC Vive, and Pimax. The newest from Pimax is the Crystal Gentle, a reasonable model of the spectacular Pimax Crystal I reviewed final yr.

The unique Crystal is our prime choose for a PC VR headset, and it’s among the finest VR headsets obtainable. Nevertheless, the Crystal Gentle is rather more inexpensive, doubtlessly saving you a whole bunch of {dollars}.

Pimax needed to minimize some options to decrease prices, so it is advisable to know what’s completely different and whether or not the finances mannequin is nice sufficient to be an awesome SteamVR or sim racing headset regardless of the inevitable trade-offs.

Specs

Pimax Crystal vs. Crystal Gentle

The Pimax Crystal Gentle’s most eye-catching characteristic is its $899 price ticket, which is $800 lower than the unique Crystal. Pimax strategically minimize some options to scale back prices whereas retaining the identical high-density shows and aspheric glass lenses for optimum readability.

Many PC VR headsets just like the HTC Vive Focus Imaginative and prescient use Fresnel lenses that undergo from visible artifacts often known as “god rays.” Whereas the pancake lenses utilized in most standalone headsets are lighter, Pimax matches that readability with out sacrificing show brightness.

General, Pimax discovered the correct stability of options and value, with only some trade-offs. The Crystal Gentle doesn’t have a standalone mode, so a gaming PC with a discrete GPU is important to play video games or run apps. Pimax has a comparatively small library of video games for the Crystal, in order that’s not an enormous loss.

Whereas the unique Crystal had computerized IPD adjustment, it’s straightforward to regulate eye spacing by scrolling a thumbwheel on the left facet of the Crystal Gentle.

The Pimax Crystal Gentle additionally lacks eye-tracking {hardware}, so my VRChat avatar doesn’t look the place I do or blink on the identical time.

Extra impactful is the Crystal Gentle’s fastened foveated rendering, which retains the middle of the show sharpest as a substitute of following my gaze. This characteristic reduces the burden on the GPU by dropping peripheral decision.

Nonetheless, Pimax selected settings that may work effectively for most individuals. I solely observed a loss in high quality once I looked for it. Pixelation begins close to the sides of the lenses the place my eyes not often enterprise throughout gaming. I flip my head greater than I flick my eyes to the facet.

These adjustments assist the Crystal Gentle reside as much as its title with considerably decreased weight. With out the necessity for the rear battery, eye-tracking {hardware}, and auto-IPD motors, the finances mannequin cuts over a half-pound from the heft of the unique.

Regardless of the 1-pound, 15-ounce weight, the Crystal Gentle is sort of comfy. Pimax contains the identical thick foam facial interface and well-designed head strap on all Crystal headsets with a number of adjustment factors to optimize match.

Pimax Crystal Gentle for PC VR

The Pimax Crystal Gentle is a good alternative for PC VR players who need to improve their getting old Valve Index, HTC Vive Professional, or HP Reverb G2. There’s no wi-fi choice, however Wi-Fi typically comes with trade-offs.

I can play any recreation in SteamVR, and my Oculus Rift video games additionally seem in Pimax Play. I needed to open the Meta Hyperlink app for authentication earlier than operating Asgard’s Wrath. It seems to be unbelievable on the Pimax Crystal Gentle.

For Meta Quest homeowners anticipating higher SteamVR high quality with out the trouble of optimizing Wi-Fi and high quality settings, the Crystal Gentle’s DisplayPort connection affords visually lossless gaming with out compression artifacts or dropped frames brought on by community congestion.

At $899, it’s probably the most inexpensive solution to expertise crisper graphics. The {hardware} decision is 2880-by-2880 pixels with as much as two instances oversampling in case your GPU can deal with it. Dynamic vary can be wonderful because of the QLED show with mini-LED native dimming.

Pimax gives loads of choices to customise the Crystal Gentle’s settings. Foveation is adjustable and might be switched off totally you probably have a quick GPU that doesn’t want the efficiency increase.

I also can regulate render high quality, fine-tune for a specific decision, and choose 72Hz to 120Hz refresh charges or an experimental upscaled 90Hz. These each assist for less-powerful gaming programs.

The image high quality is excellent. I get deep blacks, loads of brightness, a large coloration gamut, and sharp particulars. The most important limitation is my PC. I’d must spend hundreds extra for an ultra-premium Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional or a Varjo XR4 and costly GPU to get a higher-resolution system.

The Pimax Crystal Gentle has inside-out monitoring with out base stations, and Pimax contains two rechargeable controllers with robust haptics.

For my checks, I used a desktop PC with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Tremendous and an Intel Core i7-14700F. That’s a pleasant midrange gaming pc that works effectively with the Pimax Crystal Gentle.

PC necessities

The minimal necessities Pimax lists for the Crystal Gentle aren’t very demanding, however an Nvidia GPU is important if it’s a GPU that’s a number of years outdated.

Apparently, you will get by with an RTX 2070 or higher paired with not less than a twelfth Gen Intel Core i5 or an AMD Ryzen 2000. Nevertheless, Pimax notes an older gaming system is simply ample for much less demanding video games like Beat Saber. You’ll have to decrease high quality settings and will undergo decreased body charges when enjoying the very best PC VR video games.

Sturdy graphics playing cards as quick or sooner than Nvidia’s RTX 3080, RTX 4070, and AMD’s RX 6800 XT can deal with flight simulators and difficult video games at medium high quality you probably have a current processor.

For the very best quality, Pimax suggests utilizing a high-performance PC with among the finest GPUs available on the market, equivalent to an Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti, AMD RX 7900XT, or a greater GPU backed by a strong CPU. The graphics card is most necessary on this case.

Extra Pimax choices

For those who just like the look of the Crystal Gentle however demand the sharpest attainable graphics, Pimax introduced a high-end PC VR headset with a show that may beat the ultra-sharp micro-OLEDs of the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional.

The Pimax Crystal Tremendous boasts 3840 by 3840 pixels per eye with an choice for micro-OLED shows for vibrant colours and deep blacks. With 50 pixels per diploma and a 130-degree horizontal discipline of view, the show must be fairly spectacular.

Pimax says the Crystal Tremendous will ship in 2024, however I don’t really feel assured about that. Like another Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional options, delays are frequent. If you would like a greater VR headset, the Pimax Crystal or Crystal Gentle are good options which might be obtainable now.

Is the Pimax Crystal Gentle best for you?

The Pimax Crystal Gentle is a powerful headset for SteamVR gaming you probably have a pleasant gaming PC. The crisp 2880-by-2880 native graphics decision might be fine-tuned through the Pimax Play app to make sure a usable body charge with a wide range of GPUs.

It won’t be your best option for VRChat since there’s no eye-tracking, and most physique trackers require base stations and a $200 Pimax Lighthouse Faceplate improve.

For those who play racing simulations that require frequent glances to the facet, the Pimax Crystal may be a greater resolution because it makes use of dynamic foveated rendering that retains your view sharp irrespective of if you look. The Crystal Gentle’s fastened foveation lowers decision on the edges of the sides.

Pimax headsets are made for PC VR so mixed-reality gaming isn’t a viable choice. The passthrough digicam high quality seems to be much like the Quest 2’s low-resolution grayscale sensors. I attempted utilizing the desktop mode for productiveness, however that wasn’t a great resolution. Nevertheless, it’s helpful for rapidly adjusting settings on my PC with out taking off the headset.

For many PC VR players, the Pimax Crystal Gentle can be an enormous improve. It matches the dearer Pimax Crystal in some ways and simply outperforms older options.

I like to recommend Crystal Gentle for PC VR players and sim racers with high-performance PCs that demand extra high quality than a standalone mixed-reality headset just like the Meta Quest 3 can ship. It’s among the finest PC VR headsets you should buy.