Pimax 8k is live

[andybird123]

I'm remaining positive about this. I'm not sure there's much point comparing VR tech with the visual experience of a single 1440p monitor though. In my Rift I lock my FPS to 45 and still only manage low/med settings in Project Cars with a 980Ti. If the 8k (which isn't 8k) achieves respectable (or close to) HD visuals with a single 1080Ti at a stable FPS, and I can see further into the distance with reduced blur, then I will be one happy bunny...my pledge is the same as I paid for my Rift and I'm fairly happy with that purchase. The fact I need to build a new PC to get close to the performance requirements is just icing on the cake like I needed an excuse.

I'm not comparing them visually, just in terms of how much horsepower you need to drive how many pixels and framerates - I know what it takes with a 1080ti to go from 90-120hz varying frame rates to 144 locked steady and have played with 4k and frame rates too, when you say something like 5k or 8k it sounds really daunting, but it doesn't have to be as cranking up every last setting in VR doesn't gain you much and you can gain back critical frame rates by dropping most settings without massively affecting visuals

Cope with what though? Watching a movie? Playing Crysis? 90Hz or 45Hz, this is a huge difference which I realised using a 1080Ti and both super samping at 2 and turning up the pixel density within Dead Effect 2 VR (‎2160 x 1200 x 2 super sampling x 2 pixel density = 8640 x 4800).

I really like how the Pimax HMDs are looking so far but some claims are just silly.

you're only having to do that now though because the headsets are so low res so you have to massively oversample everything to get some semblance of visibility... with a much higher res headset you only have to match the pixels available and it will still be clearer than what we have now

the 5k and 8k will only accept 5120 x 1440 which is 7mp compare with the 41mp you are talking about, even at 1.5 super sampling its still only 14mp and it will still look far better than trying to cram 41mp in to a 2.6mp area on the rift/vive.

 

[Mr_Sukebe]

From the article, I got the impression that the data taken by the Pimax will be 4k*2k, i.e. 8 megapixels, or roughly four times that of the Rift/Vive.

Last night, fired up my new 1080 with my Rift, and in DCS, was running a fairly solid 45fps (i.e. with AWS running) and that's with fairly light settings and no oversampling.
Quite how most PCs are meant to run 4 times the resolution of that, and at a frame rate of 60fps (i.e. 1/3rd more than AWS), I'm a little baffled by.

So whilst I applaud the screen technology being pushed into the Pimax, I can't help but think that they've solved the easy side of the problem. The difficult part is how that core resolution can actually displayed. The only options I've seen so far is either brute force (whatever follows the 1080 Ti), or Foveated rendering with eye tracking.
Assuming FOV is added at some point, then I think we'll be in for great things. Doesn't feel that the Pimax fully answers that question right now.

 

[andybird123]

From the article, I got the impression that the data taken by the Pimax will be 4k*2k, i.e. 8 megapixels, or roughly four times that of the Rift/Vive.

Last night, fired up my new 1080 with my Rift, and in DCS, was running a fairly solid 45fps (i.e. with AWS running) and that's with fairly light settings and no oversampling.
Quite how most PCs are meant to run 4 times the resolution of that, and at a frame rate of 60fps (i.e. 1/3rd more than AWS), I'm a little baffled by.

So whilst I applaud the screen technology being pushed into the Pimax, I can't help but think that they've solved the easy side of the problem. The difficult part is how that core resolution can actually displayed. The only options I've seen so far is either brute force (whatever follows the 1080 Ti), or Foveated rendering with eye tracking.
Assuming FOV is added at some point, then I think we'll be in for great things. Doesn't feel that the Pimax fully answers that question right now.

they are already working on an eye tracking module to go with it (for foveated rendering)

what do you mean by FOV being added? it already has a Field of View of 200 degrees

 

[Born2BSlow]

I'm not comparing them visually, just in terms of how much horsepower you need to drive how many pixels and framerates - I know what it takes with a 1080ti to go from 90-120hz varying frame rates to 144 locked steady and have played with 4k and frame rates too, when you say something like 5k or 8k it sounds really daunting, but it doesn't have to be as cranking up every last setting in VR doesn't gain you much and you can gain back critical frame rates by dropping most settings without massively affecting visuals

It's only having that horsepower that is my concern tbh...I'm not sure about the 8X right now simply because nothing will have the power to run it...are you hoping you get the 8k for a year or two then free (well cheapish pre-paid) upgrade to the X when they've sorted the hardware/software out?

I've never been fussed about achieving Ultra settings so I think I'll be happy with the 8k on the basis it's got to be better than the Rift I have now. Most racing games look fine on medium settings, just need to hit those frames as you said. I'm really excited, if they deliver in Jan as stated on KS then the usual post christmas gloom should be less painful.

 

[Mr_Sukebe]

they are already working on an eye tracking module to go with it (for foveated rendering)

what do you mean by FOV being added? it already has a Field of View of 200 degrees

By FOV, I meant Foveated rendering, not the field of view. Sorry, my fault for using confusing acronyms.
I did see an article earlier in the year talking about "aGlass" as a potential eye tracking solution the Vive. That was supposed to have come out in the summer. Wonder what happened to it.

All the same, if it does all come together, I'm very much looking forward to it.

 

[andybird123]

It's only having that horsepower that is my concern tbh...I'm not sure about the 8X right now simply because nothing will have the power to run it...are you hoping you get the 8k for a year or two then free (well cheapish pre-paid) upgrade to the X when they've sorted the hardware/software out?

I've never been fussed about achieving Ultra settings so I think I'll be happy with the 8k on the basis it's got to be better than the Rift I have now. Most racing games look fine on medium settings, just need to hit those frames as you said. I'm really excited, if they deliver in Jan as stated on KS then the usual post christmas gloom should be less painful.

they are saying the X won't be out till at least May and going off how late stuff like the rift and vive were yeah I should have the 8K in my hands for a fair old time before they want it back to ship me the X - to my mind, having the option to run it at full resolution is better in the long term - I can still turn down the resolution in game if needed to hit frame rates and the headset will be ready for when I upgrade to volta and beyond

I wasn't going to pledge at all and was going to wait on the X to come out, but when I saw that X pledges were going to get the standard 8K with those pledges on a loan basis as well

 

[Shiari]

it already has a Field of View of 200 degrees

And that's a problem in itself. If a game has to render say only 80 degrees it can quickly cull a lot of geometry from the pipeline. If that's increased further towards 200 degrees it'll mean a lot of extra work for the GPU.

 

[andybird123]

And that's a problem in itself. If a game has to render say only 80 degrees it can quickly cull a lot of geometry from the pipeline. If that's increased further towards 200 degrees it'll mean a lot of extra work for the GPU.

other headsets are already 110, not 80... if current GPU's can't run dual 4k then it just means the headset has more longevity as I'll be getting the volta Ti anyway, I would much rather have a hi res headset and have to turn everything down and downscale, than a low res headset and having to use loads of oversampling to try to compensate

 

[deuse]

I'm hoping that this is better then OR and Vive.

 

[ICDP]

I'm hoping that this is better then OR and Vive.

Reports from independent testers have already stated that overall the IQ on Pimax 8K is far superior to that on Rift and Vive. Higher res, no perceivable SDE, no god rays, increased FOV. So at the very least we know it is a massive step up in IQ over exiting HMDs (though that was hardly an impossible task).

 

[deuse]

Reports from independent testers have already stated that overall the IQ on Pimax 8K is far superior to that on Rift and Vive. Higher res, no perceivable SDE, no god rays, increased FOV. So at the very least we know it is a massive step up in IQ over exiting HMDs (though that was hardly an impossible task).

Thank you.

I did try the current VR headsets but I hated the fact that I aware to all the black around my eyes. This looks a better option having bigger screens.

 

[Born2BSlow]

Got a message from Pimax kickstarter about some more demos coming up over the next couple of weeks. Hopefully we will see some more reviews to corroborate what has already come through...

 

[andybird123]

Got a message from Pimax kickstarter about some more demos coming up over the next couple of weeks. Hopefully we will see some more reviews to corroborate what has already come through...

Yep, they have a newer iteration of the prototype they are showing apparently

 

[ICDP]

Another review from a recent tester of the Pimax 5k and 8k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOGnMGQ7gN4

http://forum.pimaxvr.com/t/voodoode...-5k-in-san-francisco-to-reddit-very-good/3503

Translation of pretty much everything he said:
1) He first tested the 5k model with the leap motion module. It is connected with magnets to the headset and comes with its own usb-C connector to connect to the pimax.
2) Minimum spec: GTX 980 according to Robin, the CEO
3) Test laptop was GTX 1080 and ran very smoothly
4) He first tests with the 5k headset. at 4:34 he puts on the 8k
5) Prototype controller was with cable
6) He tested fruit ninja
7) Robin the CEO came across as a very sweet & honest man which gave him a lot of trust in him as a company
8) Next he tested "BigScreen", the virtual desktop. He says everything looked really sharp
9) Colours were really good in the 5k and he saw no ghosting
10) The 8k was (obviously) sharper than the 5k. He says he couldn't see any pixels at all, Extremely sharp image. First time ever he enjoyed a headset without SDE
11) Some people said they found the 8k too dark, he says he disagrees, it wasn't dark at all according to him.
12) Both display's of the 5k and 8k are extremely good he says
13) He really loved the huge FoV, it almost felt like reality he says
14) SteamVR compatability is very good he says. He especially was focusing to see if the saw any stretched image in Fruit Ninja. He says that did not happen. IT was real FoV, not stretching
15) What he and other did see though were 2 vertical "stripes" (bands?). According to Robin this was a software problem.
16) The 2 lenses are really big he says, much bigger than the ones from the Rift.
17) He did not see any godray's
18) Tracking: same as vive he says, only difference he says 360 degrees tracking with just 1 base station. This because the HMD is really wide so they put camera's on it both sides backward and forward so that it has 360 view with just 1 basestation.
19) The Pimax controller was the only thing he didnt really like. He said it felt really cheap. He says he advises people not to buy the whole package, he says to exclude the Pimax controller and buy a Vive controller instead.
20) Leap motion module: comes with usb-C that connects to the pimax directly (so no seperate cable to the computer I understand from him)
21) They asked Robin if the wireless module was compatible with TP-link. He couldnt confirm that yet.
22) He stresses again that everything ran extremely smooth on the GTX 1080. No dropped frames
23) Robin said the headset design itself is final already. Only thing that will change is the head strap
24) Oculus compatibility via Re-vive
25) Weight of the headset was extremely light. It felt like the Rift to him.
26) he really liked the ergonomics. It didnt hurt him anywhere. He said what really was nice was that no light entered from underneath the headset while it still connected very nicely to his head.
27) He didnt notice any warmth/heat while wearing it
28) In conclusion he really really loved the headset and was extremely impressed with it. He does mention again in his conclusion that he would recommend to not buy the controller, although it still was a prototype of course.
29) He says he wasn't the only one who was extremely enthousiast. He said there were 13-15 people there, nobody said he didnt like the headset, everybody was impressed. One guy said he thought the pimax 8k display was too dark, he disagrees. 95% was extremely happy with the pimax he says.
30) Last thing he says the leap motion module was really nice.

I am really looking forward to my Pimax 8K now. This guys allays all of my fears about the specifications and the IQ.

Improved resolution
Improved FOV
Eliminated SDE
No God Rays

 

[nightrider1470]

This will be 3x better what vive and rift is

 

[GBRusty]

As a VR evangelist, I'll support anything that pushes the next generation of goggles

 

[Born2BSlow]

I'm going to give that a woop woop...I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on it...will only use it for sitting/cockpit games so not fussed about controllers, will need to pick up a Vive base station though. I will move the rift into the games room permanently for roomscale as those games tend to be less FPS sensitive anyway. My VR home, coming soon thanks for posting @ICDP

 

[ICDP]

It seems you can up your pledge by $75 to get a separate lighthouse.

http://forum.pimaxvr.com/t/can-we-buy-the-controllers-or-lighthouses-separatley/2850/5

It will be Lighthouse V2 but they are not due until Feb 2018 if we go by the full packs that include lightouses are due Feb and not Jan. I simply went on ebay and got a new and unused Vive Lighthouse for £55 inc delivery. I know there is no rush but when I saw it for that price I just bought it to be ready.

So I'm ready and waiting for Pimax 8K.

 

[nightrider1470]

Mark my words this headset will be amazing!!

Feedback so far is excellent!!

Headset to beat

Haters gotta hate

 

[Born2BSlow]

Mark my words this headset will be amazing!!

Feedback so far is excellent!!

Headset to beat

Haters gotta hate

Yes I’m getting a good feeling. The 4K seems to have been the dev unti (oculus dk2). The way I see it the 5k and 8k should be the consumer version with a lot of the software bugs and hardware issues sorted. No guarantee obviously, but the reviews as you say are very promising. Would like to hear more about games like ED and Project Cars 2 from reviewers though. Not much mention of high FPS games so far unless I’ve missed something.