Pimax Vision 8K Plus

In September 2017, Pimax launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the development of an ultra-wide high-resolution headset, the Pimax 8K. It ultimately offered a 200-degree field of view (FOV) and dual 4K resolution screens for better image clarity and reduced screen door effect. At the time, these specifications were unheard of and barely believable. But it is now 2020, and while ultra-wide headsets are hardly commonplace, dual 4K is not such a shocking statistic.

This is the market in which the Pimax Vision 8K Plus (€899 RRP) competes for the title of best headset. Ultimately, the headset can offer a premium experience, but you will need some patience to manage the amount of calibration required to get the HMD working optimally.

As with all modern Pimax HMDs, the Vision 8K Plus is ultra-wide with an extensive FOV. The two lenses of the headset are outward-facing, giving you more peripheral vision than the average headset. Pimax advertises a diagonal field of view of 200 degrees, placing it at the top of all headsets, including enterprise-class devices. For comparison, the Valve Index’s FOV goes up to 130 degrees.

Our first impressions of the Vision 8K Plus were positive. The new headset has the same sharp angle as the older model. The only difference, apart from the colour, is that the π symbol is no longer embossed in the left front corner.

We immediately noticed a significant improvement in the exterior quality of the HMD compared to the original models, the Pimax 8K and Pimax 5K Plus. The fragile casing of the 5K Plus left much to be desired, but the Vision 8K Plus has a soft-touch plastic material that feels much sturdier than the older headset. The old model bent and creaked when we grabbed it; this one does not.

Pimax chose a dark blue dye for the plastic, which is almost the same shade as the HTC Vive Pro. We found that the colour gave the Vive Pro a premium look, and it has a similar effect on the Vision 8K Plus. The front plate of the first Vision 8K Plus we received had a bright green chevron that lights up when the HMD is powered on, creating a bold contrast with the blue shell. The replacement headset has a chrome finish over the chevron, which still lights up green. The chrome was previously reserved for the Pimax Vision 8K X, but Pimax recently revised the 8K Plus to include these shiny accents.

The Vision 8K Plus does not have built-in headphones, but it does have a built-in microphone to capture your voice. The headset has a headphone jack for connecting headphones or the modular Pimax audio head strap accessory.

We prefer to use a wireless headset for audio to avoid the hassle of extra dangling cables, but it is nice to have options. The headset has two 3.5 mm headphone jacks, but only the left one works for third-party audio devices. The right jack is specifically for Pimax's audio head strap accessory.

A proprietary cable delivers the signal from your computer to the headset. The cable includes USB 3.0 for data, DisplayPort 1.2 for the video signal, and 12v power for the HMD.

The headset also offers two USB ports for running accessories. The port at the bottom is reinforced with a thick metal edge and has a firm click when connecting an accessory. That port is intended for the Ultra Leap hand tracking accessory (sold separately). Pimax also partnered with 7invision to develop a wireless module that you can order through the website.

The Vision 8K Plus also has a second port at the top of the headset, but unfortunately, it may not be usable. There appear to be two major flaws in the design. The port is recessed into the top edge of the HMD, and the opening around it is too small for some cables.

We found a few cables that would fit into the opening but then noticed another issue: the cables that did fit into the opening stuck out too far and interfered with the comfort kit. Pimax would need to develop a custom cable for all accessories that use this port.

At first glance, the quality of the screens on the Vision 8K Plus seemed very impressive. The image clarity seemed to rival the best HMDs we have tested. However, it soon became clear that this is somewhat of an illusion.

Details, such as our hands, the objects we were holding, and nearby walls, were clear, and the screen door effect was almost unnoticeable, but objects in the distance appeared somewhat blurry. After playing with the many settings, including render resolution, field of view, and refresh rate, we found that image clarity is highly dependent on how you set up the screens and how powerful your computer is. However, the screens of the headset have poor colour reproduction, so no matter what we did, bright details looked washed out. Black levels could also improve, and that is not something we are usually picky about.

The ultra-wide lenses of the Vision 8K Plus introduce a type of distortion that we have only experienced with Pimax headsets. The outer edges of our field of view looked distorted. This phenomenon dates back to the original prototype of the Pimax 8K that we tried years ago. No matter how much Pimax has improved the distortion with software, the problem persists, and we have no hope for a solution.

You have two options, and neither is a perfect solution. You can live with the distortion in your peripheral vision or use Pimax's software to limit the FOV to hide the imperfection, which defeats the purpose of buying an ultra-wide headset.

The problem is even worse when you run your screen at the edge of its capability. With the HMD's refresh rate set to 110 Hz, the edges of the screen produced a chromatic blue shimmering effect.

The Pimax Vision 8K Plus has several upgrades over the original model, including higher refresh rate displays, a more robust outer shell, soft-touch plastics, and an improved head cushion. These upgrades may not seem like much, but when you combine them with Pimax's ultra-wide headset platform, it results in a significant improvement.

Overall, we are quite impressed with the Vision 8K Plus. It offers the highest total resolution and the most extensive FOV of all the headsets we have tested. The screen is not as bright and clear as that of the HP Reverb G2, but the wide view of the Vision 8K Plus on the virtual world is unmatched by any other headset we have tested.

However, there was one major bump in our experience: this is the second Vision 8K Plus that Pimax sent me because the first had a firmware issue that made it unstable and unusable. An isolated issue with one piece of hardware should not deter you from considering a device, and we do not recommend avoiding the Pimax Vision 8K Plus or other Pimax headsets.

Of all the headsets we have tested, the image clarity of the Vision 8K Plus is only surpassed by the Reverb G2. If you are looking for the largest window into the virtual world, we have yet to try a headset that (except for Pimax's own 5K Super) can compare to the Vision 8K Plus. Perhaps the Vision 8K X will one day claim the crown, but we have yet to formally test Pimax's flagship HMD.

In the meantime, give this headset a lot of consideration if you are looking to upgrade from the original HTC Vive. If ultra-wide is a big deal for you, the Pimax 8K Plus would offer a significant improvement in visual clarity and field of view. If you are coming from something like a Valve Index, you will not be as impressed, unless FOV is, of course, your biggest concern.

The Pimax 8K Plus with the base stations and Valve Index controllers would be a good choice for anyone without a complete VR setup.

This review is from tom's Hardware.