Pimax announced several new VR products, including the Crystal Super with swappable optical engines for QLED and Micro OLED displays, reflecting a significant technological leap but raising skepticism about the company's ability to execute.
π‘ Pimax Crystal Super: A new flagship headset with swappable QLED and Micro OLED optical engines.
π Glass Lenses: Pimax uses aspheric glass lenses, providing high Clarity and less optical distortion.
πΆββοΈ Wireless Freedom: The announcement of the 60GHz wireless module for the Pimax Crystal promises high-quality, low-latency wireless VR experiences.
π» Compute Puck Concept: A vision for spatial computing that involves external compute units to lighten the headset.
Key Insights
Pimax Crystal Super
The new Pimax Crystal Super features a total of 29.5 million pixels, surpassing the Apple Vision Pro.
Employs two types of displays: QLED for vibrant colors and Micro OLED for high contrast and sharpness.
Utilizes aspheric glass lenses to maximize Clarity and minimize distortion, but the heavier and larger design might impact comfort.
Product Line-Up and Flexibility
Pimax introduced multiple products: Crystal Super, Crystal Light, and the MR cover.
The Pimax Crystal Super includes interchangeable optical engines, allowing users to switch between QLED and Micro OLED modules.
The Pimax Crystal Light offers a more affordable, pared-down version focusing solely on PCVR, removing eye tracking and standalone features to reduce cost and weight.
Wireless Module and Performance Updates
The 60GHz wireless module aims to provide a seamless, high-quality wireless VR experience.
Promises high resolution, 90Hz refresh rate, ultra-low latency, targeting Q3 2024 for release.
The current setup faces challenges like high battery consumption and potential signal interference.
Market and Execution Concerns
Despite the intriguing hardware announcements, there's skepticism regarding Pimax's ability to deliver consistent, well-supported products.
Comparisons made to other VR companies highlight the difficulty smaller companies face in scalable production and support.
Pimax's approach can divide its already niche market, making it harder to ensure product reliability and software ecosystem support.
Key Quotes
"The Pimax Crystal Super uses the latest QLED panel technology with a total amount of 29.5 million pixels."
"Our unique lens design has multiple benefits mainly bigger field of view than conventional pancake lenses."
"Having a wire is not a problem for many VR content such as movies or seated Sims... Freedom means the ability to choose."
"The point is that hardware is so hard I would never want to make a headset of my own because of the inherent risks that come with it."
"Meta or Apple might be better positioned for multi-use cases compared to meta's gaming-focused ecosystem."
This summary contains AI-generated information and may have important inaccuracies or omissions.