2024 has been a big year for VR , with new headsets from Apple , Meta , HTC Vive , and Pimax . The late from Pimax is the Crystal Light , an cheap rendering ofthe impressive Pimax Crystal I review last year .
The original Crystal isour top pick for a PC VR headset , and it’sone of the good VR headsets available . However , the Crystal Light is much more affordable , potentially saving you century of dollars .
Pimax had to cut some feature to low-toned price , so you need to know what ’s different and whether the budget exemplar is good enough to be a great SteamVR or sim racing headset despite the inevitable trade - offs .
Specs
Pimax Crystal vs. Crystal Light
The Pimax Crystal Light ’s most center - catching feature is its $ 899 price tag , which is $ 800 less than the original Crystal . Pimax strategically abbreviate some feature of speech to slim down costs while retaining the same gamy - denseness show and aspherical glass lenses for optimal clearness .
Many PC VR headsets like the HTC Vive Focus Vision practice Fresnel lens that suffer from visual artifacts know as “ god rays . ” While the flannel-cake lenses used in most standalone headset are clean , Pimax matches that clearness without sacrificing display brightness .
Overall , Pimax feel the right correspondence of features and monetary value , with only a few trade - offs . The Crystal Light does n’t have a standalone mode , soa play PC with a discrete GPUis necessary to play games or run apps . Pimax has a relatively small subroutine library of plot for the Crystal , so that ’s not a big personnel casualty .
While the original Crystal had automatic IPD adjustment , it ’s promiscuous to adjust eye space by scrolling a thumbwheel on the left side of the Crystal Light .
The Pimax Crystal Light also lack eye - tracking computer hardware , so my VRChat embodiment does n’t look where I do or blink away at the same metre .
More impactful is the Crystal Light ’s fixed foveated rendering , which keep reach the heart and soul of the display sharpest instead of fall out my gaze . This feature reduces the core on the GPU by drop peripheral result .
Still , Pimax chose preferences that will work on well for most people . I only notice a loss in caliber when I seek for it . Pixelation begins near the edges of the lenses where my eyes seldom venture during gaming . I turn my head more than I flicker my center to the side .
These change help the Crystal Light live up to its name with significantly reduced weight . Without the need for the rear battery , eye - trailing hardware , and motorcar - IPD motors , the budget model cuts over a half - pound from the heftiness of the original .
Despite the 1 - pound , 15 - ounce weight , the Crystal Light is quite well-to-do . Pimax include the same thickheaded foam facial port and well - designed pass strap on all Crystal headset with multiple adjustment points to optimise burst .
Pimax Crystal Light for PC VR
The Pimax Crystal Light is a cracking option for PC VR gamers who want to upgrade their aging Valve Index , HTC Vive Pro , or HP Reverb G2 . There ’s no wireless option , but Wi - Fi often come with deal - offs .
I can play any game in SteamVR , and my Oculus Rift game also appear in Pimax Play . I had to enter the Meta Link app for authentication before incline Asgard ’s anger . It looks incredible on the Pimax Crystal Light .
ForMeta Questowners eager for good SteamVR quality without the hassle of optimizing Wi - Fi and quality options , the Crystal Light ’s DisplayPort connection offer visually lossless gambling without compression artifacts or dropped skeleton cause by web congestion .
At $ 899 , it ’s the most low-cost way to experience crisper graphics . The hardware resolution is 2880 - by-2880 picture element with up to two times oversampling if your GPU can handle it . Dynamic range is also excellent thanks to theQLED display with mini - head local dimming .
Pimax provides heap of options to customize the Crystal Light ’s background . Foveation is adjustable and can be alternate off entirely if you have a fast GPU that does n’t call for the performance boost .
I can also aline render quality , ok - tune for a special closure , and select 72Hz to 120Hz refresh charge per unit or an observational upscaled 90Hz . Those both assistance for less - powerful gambling arrangement .
The moving picture quality is outstanding . I get deep lightlessness , plenty of luminance , a all-embracing coloring material gamut , and sharp-worded detail . The vainglorious limitation is my PC . I ’d have tospend thou more for an ultra - premium Apple Vision Proor a Varjo XR4 and expensive GPU to get a higher - resolution system .
The Pimax Crystal Light has inside - out tracking without base stations , and Pimax let in two rechargeable controllers with strong haptics .
For my trial , I used a desktop personal computer with anNvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Superand anIntel Core i7 - 14700F. That ’s a nice midrange gaming reckoner that work well with the Pimax Crystal Light .
PC requirements
The minimum prerequisite Pimax lists for the Crystal Light are n’t very demanding , but an Nvidia GPU is necessary if it ’s a GPU that ’s several years old .
Apparently , you’re able to get by with an RTX 2070 or well paired with at least a 12th Gen Intel Core i5 or an AMD Ryzen 2000 . However , Pimax take down an older gambling system is only sufficient for less demanding game likeBeat Saber . You ’ll need to let down quality stage setting and could suffer reduced frame pace whenplaying the best personal computer VR games .
firm computer graphic cards as tight or quicker than Nvidia ’s RTX 3080 , RTX 4070 , and AMD ’s RX 6800 XT can palm flight of stairs simulators and challenging games at medium quality if you have a recent processor .
For the best quality , Pimax suggests using ahigh - performance personal computer with one of the proficient GPUson the market , such as an Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti , AMD RX 7900XT , or a better GPU backed by a powerful CPU . The graphics card is most authoritative in this event .
More Pimax options
If you like the flavour of the Crystal Light but demand the sharpest possible graphics , Pimax announced a gamey - final stage PC VR headset with a showing that might beat theultra - knifelike micro - organic light-emitting diode of the Apple Vision Pro .
The Pimax Crystal Super boast 3840 by 3840 pixels per center with an option for micro - OLED displays for vibrant colors and deep blacks . With 50 pixels per degree and a 130 - degree horizontal field of sentiment , the display should be quite impressive .
Pimax say the Crystal Super will transport in 2024 , but I do n’t experience confident about that . Like someother Apple Vision Pro choice , delays are vulgar . If you need a good VR headset , the Pimax Crystal or Crystal Light are salutary resolution that are available now .
Is the Pimax Crystal Light right for you?
The Pimax Crystal Light is an impressive headset for SteamVR gaming if you have a nice gaming personal computer . The crisp 2880 - by-2880 native graphics resolution can be fine - tune up via the Pimax gambol app to assure a usable shape rate with a kind of GPUs .
It might not be the dear option for VRChat since there ’s no heart - tracking , and most body tracker require substructure stations and a $ 200 Pimax Lighthouse Faceplate upgrade .
If you play racing simulations that require frequent glances to the side , the Pimax Crystal might be a good solutionsince it uses dynamic foveated rendering that proceed your horizon abrupt no matter when you look . The Crystal Light ’s fix foveation lowers resolution at the edges of the edges .
Pimax headsets are made for PC VR so mixed - reality gaming is n’t a executable option . The passthrough camera character depend like to the Quest 2 ’s low - resolution grayscale sensors . I try using the background fashion for productiveness , but that was n’t a just solution . However , it ’s ready to hand for quickly correct background on my PC without taking off the headset .
For most PC VR gamers , the Pimax Crystal Light will be a bounteous upgrade . It touch the more expensive Pimax Crystal in many ways and easy outperforms older resolution .
I recommend Crystal Light for PC VR gamers and sim racer with high - performance microcomputer that take more timbre thana standalone motley - reality headset like the Meta Quest 3can deliver . It ’s one ofthe sound PC VR headsetsyou can buy .
