Cannot Get MSFS2024 and Pimax Crystal Light to Cooperate On Steam

User Support Hub Virtual Reality (VR)
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I am trying to get a #Pimax #Crystal Light to work with MSFS24 on Steam. Once in VR mode the whole thing goes haywire. In no particular order- the game locks up, a stray controller appears roaming around the left side of the view space even when I am not using controllers, the keyboard stops working and I cannot set the pilots viewpoint, the mouse is inoperative, and eventually the computer stops working, too. Obviously you’d think there was something in the Pimax settings or SteamVR settings that would help, but that is not the case.

Any help will be appreciated.

By the way, the machine has Windows 11, GeForce 4070, and 64gb ram.

UPDATE: #stekusteku made a reply that provided a hint that pointed me in a direction. Here’s what I did:

  • Disconnected all non-essential peripherals that were connected by USB
  • Disconnected the Crystal Light
  • Reconnected the Crystal Light
  • Started SteamVR, then started Kayak VR Mirage
  •  Kayak VR Mirage worked perfectly
  • Closed Kayak, started Flight Simulator 2024
  • Turned off the Pimax controllers
  • The keyboard and mouse worked fine after that
  • Made a sloppy flight over Philly in VR, pressed ESC
  • Headset went black, screen went black, program apparently crashed and computer locked up.
  • All inputs via keyboard and mouse stopped, but apparently were “delayed” by several minutes when suddenly something would happen on the screen, such as trying to bring up another window, bringing up the task manager, etc.
  • Currently SteamVR is closed, Steam is active. PredatorSense (a monitoring app), says my CPU is 190 degrees and the GPU is 102 and 24% of my RAM (64Gb) is being used. Something is going on.
  • Closing Pimax apps in the Task Manager caused the temps and RAM usage to drop to normal, closing the other Pimax apps, such as pi_server, did little and they kept coming back.

That’s it for now. Something to think about. Thanks for the comments.

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Looks like USB issues. Are you using some USB hubs? Consider testing without them.

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Ich kann nur sagen, dass Pimax crystal light und MSFS2024 (steam) gut zusammen funkionieren. Es muss ein anderes Problem vorliegen.

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No, I am connected directly. The headset goes into a USB 3.2. But, that gives me an idea of something to check.

It still baffles me about the other problems, including the weird controller appearing on the left side of the viewing area, and some other stuff that is going on. The list is so long, I keep forgetting what is what.

Thanks for the tip. I am going to use that for my investigations. :+1:

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“I can only say that Pimax crystal light and MSFS2024 (steam) work well together. There must be another problem.”

I think you are right. It has to be some odd hidden problem. Knowing that your setup works is good news.

Thank you :grinning:

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They have excellent support on their Discord channel. That is the first place to go for help. Sorry, I don’t have a link.

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That’s OK I have it. I am going to check there in a little while.

1 Like
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Are you using flight controls such as a yoke and pedals?

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Yes I am.
Regarding the controllers - for testing make sure they are off (you should not see them active in the PimaxPlay app). You can turn them off by pressing on the Pi button on the controller, the LED on the controller should turn red for a couple of seconds.
If you have problems with USB devices like keyboard and mouse I will definitely test with individual USB devices removed.

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Very cool, that’s a big help. I did exactly as you suggested, and it moved things along towards a more positive conclusion, but I am not quite there yet. I found a reference on the Discord channel that said there was a problem with the current SteamVR version, so I am investigation a downgrade.

Thanks for the comment, it is very much appreciated.

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For MSFS consider using PimaxXR OpenXR runtime, either embedded in the PimaxPlay or separate, instead of SteamVR OpenXR runtime. But I don’t think that SteamVR may be the root cause of your USB devices issues.