Pimax Crystal, 1st impressions by an actual average user

User Support Hub Virtual Reality (VR)
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I finally got my Pimax Crystal delivered ( with glass lenses) and wanted to give my impressions here.

I have been using the Reverb G2 (with increased FOV aftermarket face gasket) , and prior to that, have tried the Pimax 8kx, Oculus rift cv1, rift 2, Quest, and Varjo Aero, all of which i returned or sold in favor of the G2.

Initially i had trouble with the Pimax headset in the PImax Client software, it kept showing the headset was connecting and disconnecting every 60 seconds or so. MY Pc would also give me errors about ’ the usb malfunctioning’, when the Crystal was connected to the PCC. I had to wiggle with the one USB connector that goes from the hub into the PC USB port. (It has the strange pinched shape (it seems that its connection to the USB hub was a bit loose). I had to change to a different USB port and so far it is working ok.

In FS2020, im using TAA as is recommended, reprojection off, DX11. (I have a 4090 with a i9-13900 , 64GB memory)

So far its working great and is an improvement from my G2. Edge to Edge clarity, well except for about 15-20% of the edges is blurry if you look right at the edge.

I was a bit dissappointed in the horizontal FOV, i was expecting it to be wider. It is just a little wider than the G2, but the sharper edge to edge clarity helps a lot. I can finally move my eyes around in the headset and see clear numbers on gauges or the G1000 etc. Vertical FOV though is excellent and more than any other headset.(I think people dont realize the importance of good vertical FOV because it really gives you the sense of a vast open sky, when simming.

Colors are pretty good, but you have to move/set the headset on your eyes just right, otherwise there is a weird blue tint or a greenish tint to everything if it is not centered right over your eyes in the sweet spot, so to speak.

Comfort of the headset is low, it feels quite bulky on my head and pinches on my nose. i cant seem to get it just comfortable and pressed/ aligned to my head just right. Im hoping there are after market foam face cushions that are more comfortable. After about an hour my head was aching somewhat like having a tension headache. Its a little loose when i wiggle my head from side to side.

Just did a night flight tonight and really quite impressed with the FPS and the blacks/ regular colors/ smoothness.

I have most settings on Ultra in FS2020, and im getting 40 FPs which is more than enough for me.

It does get a bit hot, and fogs up slightly with about 40 mins of simming.

Main issue i have with it is how bulky it is, and it actually feels less comfortable than the Pimax 8KX which i have tried before.

Overall, even though its not a astoundingly amazing headset, it is a step up from the G2, and has a better FOV than the Aero, with clarity as good as the Aero. (I mainly returned the Varjo Aero because i did not like the base station setup, and the FOV was the worst in any headset ( very narrow in the vertical and quite average in the horizontal). I also like the fact that it has inside out tracking and i dont have to invest in base stations too.

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How do you find the clarity of the aspheric lenses? While initially blown away, I have since noticed that mine have a fairly narrow ultra sweet-spot where things are pin sharp (in the centre horizontally but slightly below vertically). From there the image degrades in sharpness slowly below that spot but more rapidly above it (so that I have to slightly lift my head to make the horizon pin sharp) then, near the top of vertical FOV my lenses sharpen up again. Horizontally things are not too bad, until they degrade near the edges. Though altogether I notice that I struggle sometimes to get sharp focus on the best part of the lens.

Aspheric lenses are a total pain to get perfect from sample to sample in glass, so I’d expect some variance in what people receive. So I am curious to hear what people are seeing, especially older folk who might have near focusing problems or, like me, have had cataract surgery.

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I also received my new Crystal recently and have mixed reactions to the headset.

Positive:
Great picture quality in MSFS during day flights.

Much better performance than what I was expecting (makes my 4090 use between 450-500 watt, with the G2 I saw 400w at most)

Great vertical FOV

Good sound. Even better than G2 in my opinion.

Negatives:
Biggest draw back for me is the comfort of the headset.
The problem is not even the weight but that the sweet spot to not have barrel distortions is so small that you have to secure it really tight which gets really uncomfortable after a while.

Another disappointment for me in MSFS is the picture when doing flights at night. It’s a mix of a picture that is overall way too dark mixed with severe glare. The G2 looked way better during night flights. Still experimenting with backlight options to see if I can find a good setting.

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You can also access hidden menu in Pimax software (via Ctrl-Q if I remember correctly) to control the level of local dimming. Consider the lowest setting above zero.
For the comfort you may consider this:

I ordered one, waiting for delivery, so no impressions yet

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Thanks for the suggestions!
I just put in an order for the headstrap and hope it improves the comfort a bit.

As to the backlight, I already played around with the settings in the Ctrl+Q menu but so far I still haven’t found a setting that I would call good for night flights…

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Backlight and local dimming are two separate options.

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The Varjo Aero had sharper edge to edge clarity across its lenses and very comfortable, probably the most, but the FOV was incredibly dissappointing. It was the first time i realized that vertical FOV is also crucial in flight sims.

The Crystal is very sharp, probably sharper than most headsets out there, and there is some mild blurring towards the edges. I usually look at if i can read the small digits on the gauges, specially those on the farthest side of the cockpit ( the right side). I do have to bend in a bit and strain to see , but its still very sharp, with good colors. I will still take it.

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I’ve had my Crystal for a week now and I must say I am a little disappointed with the clarity so far compared to what I was able to achieve with my G2. Of course the sweet spot of the Crystal is much larger and the clarity of the instrument panel is great but things like trees, buildings and terrain are not as sharp as what some reviewers have experienced. I have the 4090 and I9-13900 CPU. I have tried the latest settings for the 4090 suggested by VR Flight Sim Guy but so far I’m not blown away with the results. I do wear prescription glasses but don’t see much difference wearing them or not. I will continue to play with the local dimming and backlight and FS settings but so far I’ve been a little disappointed.

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I was also not immediately blown away by the Crystal visuals. But I did a test I also do for my hifi equipment - go from the better to worse and then you will hear a lot of difference. So I flew for 1/2h with Crystal and then I swapped the headset to G2 - and this made the difference obvious - on G2: smaller sweet spot, not so much crispness, smaller vertical FOV, weaker vibrance and better comfort. After a couple of minutes I returned to Crystal, never to use G2 again.

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Agreed.
Would be impossible for me to go back to my G2. The Crystals visuals made the G2 just obsolete.

The only thing I still have to figure out is how to make the Crystal more comfortable. As it is I can only wear this headset for a couple of hours until it gets really uncomfortable and I have to take a break…

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You may need to fine tune your IPD horizontal and vertical settings to match the sharpest area to your eyes.

One other problem I found with my lenses though was that the sharpest sweet-spot, particularly on the left lens, was not at the centre of view but a fair bit lower, almost a third of the way up from the bottom of the vertical FOV. Moving the IPD fine settings does not cure this. The result is that I have to raise my head to get the best image possible. The clarity of that sweet-spot though is really sharp. Away from that spot sharpness drops off (but has areas where it sharpens up again)…altogether though, still way better than the G2 off centre, but for me, distracting.

Try closing one eye and then the other, just to see where the central sweet-spot is on your lenses for each eye, to see if this is an issue for you. Other people have commented on Discord that one or both of their lenses have this centering issue; it’s all part of sample variations, the same as you get even sometimes in very high price camera lenses which have centering problems leading to one side of the image being less sharp than the other (and has led me to return $1,000+ lenses for replacement).

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You may try this:

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Thanks for the help. I will play with those settings and see what happens.

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Sorry to hear for you.
I stepped up to a Quest Pro and that has been amazing sofar for me.
Even when the spec are not so high the inage in fs2020 is breathtaking and sharp and crisp.
Have fun with youre new toy anyway, maybe some updates will improve things.

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how is our FOV for the Quest Pro, compared to other headsets, for example the HP G2 ?

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I came from a G2. Its much better.
Specswise think ist from 95 to 110.
The Pro is in my opinion an under rated product for fs2020. I bought one second hand for 850 and I think its amazing and a steal.
But I run with an 4090.

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i run a 4090 too and just got the Crystal a few days ago. It is uncomfortable to wear, the FOV was a bit dissapointing, though still better than the G2. I did order the wide FOV lenses that Pimax offers for a small additional cost. Lets see if that improves the FOV.

Though i wish i had looked at the Quest Pro in depth now, lol.

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Nice report! When you say FOV is just a bit more than the G2, do you mean the v1 or v2 G2 gasket? Or aftermarket gasket?

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I recently got an Aero and was also shocked by the vertical FOV vs the G2, although gotten somewhat used to it now. I knew that was the case but didn’t think those few degrees would make so much difference.

But the Crystal has more vertical FOV than the Aero, right?