Think i'm going to get a pimax 8kx, am i slightly mad?

Tykey · 30 Sep 2021 at 12:35

I ask this question after reading some of the comments on here about pimax lol.
I have the cash spare, i dont do drugs, drink or smoke etc. apart from rent, vr is my only real expense so why not buy the supposed best experience if i can afford it?

i'm going to buy from somewhere with a great returns policy so that if i do buy, i can easily return it if i don't get on with it.

the negative comments ive read so far, none seem to be from actual pimax owners. if half the comments that ive read about the hp reverb g2 were truly representative then i would've thought my g2 owning experience would be terrible but its far from it.

i'm really curious if any pimax owners use these forums? whats your experience with the headset?

ShiWarrior · 30 Sep 2021 at 13:03

About 1.5 to 2 grand ? Hope you got a beefy PC to go with it

Tykey · 30 Sep 2021 at 13:36

ShiWarrior said:
About 1.5 to 2 grand ? Hope you got a beefy PC to go with it

I've just paid £1169 for the 8kx and £134 for 1 base station, it will only be used for flight and racing sims so don't need more than 1 base station or controllers.
I have an overclocked 3080ti fe, ok cpu, 32gb ram so should be ok. It will be here tomorrow, i will post my initial impressions of it etc.

Andy D · 30 Sep 2021 at 13:53

TBH, I’d probably spend that sort of money if a headset had:
Resolution of Q2 (or higher)
FOV like an Index
Inwards-out tracking and controllers of a Q2
OLED type black levels
Wireless and DP/HDMI connection

Tykey · 30 Sep 2021 at 14:15

Andy D said:
TBH, I’d probably spend that sort of money if a headset had:
Resolution of Q2 (or higher)
FOV like an Index
Inwards-out tracking and controllers of a Q2
OLED type black levels
Wireless and DP/HDMI connection

I would too, that sounds like a great headset. I bet it will materialize in 2022

melmac · 30 Sep 2021 at 16:57

I know this is late, but, anybody that I know that has a Pimax headset isn't happy with it. And I think most of the posters on this forum who had Pimax headsets wouldn't buy one again. I would have advised trying out the Vive Pro 2 instead of the Pimax 8KX.

That said, companies can improve, so their headsets might be much better now.

Will be interested to hear your view points. I hope you like it.

lokiss · 30 Sep 2021 at 18:38

tyke_ said:
It will be here tomorrow, i will post my initial impressions of it etc.

Be interested in this. I've watched a few videos from racing sim folk that just generally want the best experience, it's just about a 50/50 split between the 8kx and the G2. FOV isn't really a thing for me behind the wheel, but something that really shows up when flying around in MSFS2k. If the 8kx is a difference maker in that department, it'd certainly colour my interest as nobody else seems to be heading in the extra large fov it seems.

A lot of people really like the 8kx including a few podcasters i listen to that just want the best available, there must be something to it.

Tykey · 1 Oct 2021 at 08:57

melmac said:
I know this is late, but, anybody that I know that has a Pimax headset isn't happy with it. And I think most of the posters on this forum who had Pimax headsets wouldn't buy one again. I would have advised trying out the Vive Pro 2 instead of the Pimax 8KX.

That said, companies can improve, so their headsets might be much better now.

Will be interested to hear your view points. I hope you like it.

Yeh ive read the negative comments on here too, its a gamble.
Vive Pro 2? I dont think it would be a enough of a significant upgrade from a g2 tbh.

lokiss said:
Be interested in this. I've watched a few videos from racing sim folk that just generally want the best experience, it's just about a 50/50 split between the 8kx and the G2. FOV isn't really a thing for me behind the wheel, but something that really shows up when flying around in MSFS2k. If the 8kx is a difference maker in that department, it'd certainly colour my interest as nobody else seems to be heading in the extra large fov it seems.

A lot of people really like the 8kx including a few podcasters i listen to that just want the best available, there must be something to it.

It does get mixed reviews doesnt it. Not sure if msfs is the best game for it going by what ive read. Dcs, IL-2, and racing sims like AC apparently go well on it. And skyrim vr.

I'll be trying it out later and will post either today or tomorrow (to give it fair chance and it may take some time to tweak settings etc) what i think. If its not good i still have a g2 which i think is a great headset so it has a high expectation to surpass

Tykey · 1 Oct 2021 at 08:59

oops double post ignore

Unseul · 1 Oct 2021 at 09:05

If it doesn't work out then wait for the next gen to come. Some very exciting rumours.

melmac · 1 Oct 2021 at 11:50

tyke_ said:
Yeh ive read the negative comments on here too, its a gamble.
Vive Pro 2? I dont think it would be a enough of a significant upgrade from a g2 tbh.

The Vive Pro 2 would be a fairly substantial upgrade over the Reverb G2. It has higher Refresh rate, much wider FOV and better tracking as well as the ability to go Wireless.

Of course, there is an IF!! The If is that the Vive Pro 2 is amazing if it fits you properly. More so than any other headset, getting a good fit on the Vive Pro 2 is essential. The other downside is that the audio isn't as good.

None of this really matters as you already bought the Pimax 8kx

I hope that you find that it's way better than both!!

Tykey · 1 Oct 2021 at 14:20

melmac said:
The Vive Pro 2 would be a fairly substantial upgrade over the Reverb G2. It has higher Refresh rate, much wider FOV and better tracking as well as the ability to go Wireless.

Of course, there is an IF!! The If is that the Vive Pro 2 is amazing if it fits you properly. More so than any other headset, getting a good fit on the Vive Pro 2 is essential. The other downside is that the audio isn't as good.

None of this really matters as you already bought the Pimax 8kx I hope that you find that it's way better than both!!

Ah right ok, understood, i didnt know the full specs of the vive pro 2, only knew its resolution was similar to the g2. If i upgrade the g2 i want something visually to really impress me over and above what the g2 already does.
I'm still waiting for it to arrive, i'm like a kid at xmas lol

Tykey · 1 Oct 2021 at 19:46

it came at about 4pm and i've just had 1 hour with it in msfs. setup was easy apart from it not seeing my vive base station, dunno why, i must solve this as i now only have 3dof not 6.
the fov is great as to be expected. i chose 170 fov (it goes to 200) after reading up. settings in msfs are mostly on medium. performance is decent, comparable to my g2. its heavier but not uncomfortable.

so first impressions are positive. image is the best ive seen in a hmd by some margin. another good thing is the motion reprojection used doesnt produce artefacts around the propeller and frame etc. there is slight and i mean slight distortion in the very edges of the image but unless i look for it, i dont notice it. sound is pants, good job you can use your own headphones. EDIT i'm noticing the odd crackling sound through the inbuilt earphones and my own when attached, not good.

is it worth the money? not sure. to me it is as i had the money to waste. if you're on a budget i'd get the g2 or quest 2. if i can sort the base station being seen, and the crackling noise is something i can sort, then i think its a keeper. anyway, this is only a very early impression after 1 hour and just 1 game. tomorrow i will be trying other games (sims) and messing around with msfs settings etc.

EDIT of the edit: crackling sound sorted by using different usb ports

melmac · 1 Oct 2021 at 19:56

Sounds like you are going to be happy with it. Which is probably a relief as it's always tough to buy something that has as many negative reviews as positive ones.

It was a bit of a gamble at the price, but, it looks like it has paid off for you

I just hope that it's just a simple configuration/setup problem with the base station and not a fault within the headset itself.

Nothing sadder than the kid at Xmas having to wait for an RMA!!

If you get the Base Station, let us know what it's like with some roomscale games.

Tykey · 1 Oct 2021 at 20:41

melmac said:
Sounds like you are going to be happy with it. Which is probably a relief as it's always tough to buy something that has as many negative reviews as positive ones.

It was a bit of a gamble at the price, but, it looks like it has paid off for you I just hope that it's just a simple configuration/setup problem with the base station and not a fault within the headset itself.

Nothing sadder than the kid at Xmas having to wait for an RMA!!

If you get the Base Station, let us know what it's like with some roomscale games.

Yeh i've logged a support ticket for the base station not being seen so will see how good/bad their support is. ive googled the problem, looked on pimax website, followed various instructions, still no luck. ive seen one user have the same problem which was solved by pimax support remote desktop'ing his computer, would be great if they'd do the same with me.

I got rid of the crackling sound by using different usb ports. About roomscale, ive only bought 1 base station so not really possible... although already i am now thinking of buying another base station (if i get this 1 working) so i can play HL:alyx. just been on msfs again, seeing the new york skyscrapers from la guardia with the increased fov was really nice

EDIT: i solved the base station not being seen with an incredibly easy fix, i just happened to stumble on a youtube vid of someone with the same problem, the fix is to turn the hmd away from the base station, then turn it back, which sorts it lol

Edit2: the sound isnt bad, its ok (i have the 8kx with the speaker upgrade), i wasnt wearing the hmd properly so the headphones were nowhere near my ears, now they are.
i'm seeing slight sparkling, like little spots of intermittment white specks, in very dark scenes. apparently this is a cable issue so will ask pimax for a new cable.

lokiss · 2 Oct 2021 at 19:11

tyke_ said:
image is the best ive seen in a hmd by some margin.

Honestly, much better than the G2?

How much did you pay, because if there's nothing announced this side of Christmas it's sorely tempting. I was flying around in the Ka-50 earlier lamenting the FOV, and with the apache coming soon flight time will only increase.

ShiWarrior · 2 Oct 2021 at 19:43

pretty sure nothing is coming out this year

Tykey · 3 Oct 2021 at 10:47

lokiss said:
Honestly, much better than the G2?

How much did you pay, because if there's nothing announced this side of Christmas it's sorely tempting. I was flying around in the Ka-50 earlier lamenting the FOV, and with the apache coming soon flight time will only increase.

I paid £1169 for the hmd and £134 for a vive basestation. No one can argue that the fov is much better. You really do get a wow moment when you 1st see it, a bit like when you 1st tried vr.

Which has the best clarity? I think the g2 just, and i mean just, shades it. This is what MRTV found in his through the lens g2 vs varjo vs 8kx test. This surprised me. I guess its because even though the g2 is a lower res, its panel is much smaller so theres a higher pixel density. But its very close on clarity. The 8kx's bigger sweet spot and especially fov make a lot of difference. Ive not mentioned the options yet, the pitool software allows you to change all sorts of things like colour, brightness, back light, contrast etc, its highly configurable.

There are caveats. The sound although ok with the upgraded speakers is not as good as the g2. And the build quality... its hard to ignore the rep pimax have. I'm getting white flashing spots appearing on dark backgrounds which ive logged a support ticket for. Also, several 8kx owners or ex owners on the msfs forums are unhappy about their msfs/pimax experience, while several more are happy. The detractors mainly say msfs/8kx does not run well enough on their pc to give acceptable fps.

If you buy in the uk from (insert name here) they have a 30 day no quibble money back guarantee. I couldn't find a vive base station for sale on there but found one at an oc competitor, i apparently have 14 days to return that if i want.

lokiss · 3 Oct 2021 at 12:37

tyke_ said:
I'm getting white flashing spots appearing on dark backgrounds which ive logged a support ticket for.

Lot to digest, deserves a more of a response, but for now change the SteamVR to the beta client. I had issues with the Index and white flashing spots, solved it by swapping over, worth a try.

drakulton · 3 Oct 2021 at 14:02

tyke_ said:
i'm seeing slight sparkling, like little spots of intermittment white specks.

Could be a brain tumour.