Review: Pimax Vision 8K Plus

In september 2017 lanceerde Pimax een Kickstarter-campagne om de ontwikkeling van een ultrabrede VR-headset with ultrahoge resolutie, de Pimax 8K, te helpen financieren . It ultimately offered a 200-degree field of view (FOV) and dual 4K resolution displays for better image clarity and less screen door effect. At the time, these specs were unheard of and hardly credible. But it's 2020 now, and while ultra-wide headsets is hardly commonplace, double the 4K resolution isn't such a shocking statistic.

Dat is de markt waarin de Pimax Vision 8K Plus ( $ 899 adviesprijs) strijdt om de titel van beste VR-headset . Ultimately, the Headset can provide a top-notch experience, but you'll need some VR experience of your own to manage the amount of calibration required to keep the HMD running at its best.

Meet with the Vision 8K Plus

Like with all modern Pimax HMDs, the Vision 8K Plus ultra-wide with is an extended FOV. The Headset's two 4K screens face outward, giving you more peripheral vision than the average VR headset. Pimax advertises with a 200-degree diagonal field of view, putting 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. Het enige verschil, behalve de kleur, is dat het π-logo niet langer in de linkervoorhoek in reliëf is aangebracht.

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

Pimax koos voor het plastic een donkerblauwe kleurstof die bijna dezelfde tint heeft als de HTC VIVE Pro . We found the color gave the VIVE Pro a premium look, and it has a similar effect on the Vision 8K Plus. The faceplate of the first Vision 8K Plus we received featured a bright green chevron that lights up when the HMD is turned on, providing a bold contrast to with the blue shell. The replacement Headset has a chrome finish over the chevron, which still glows green. The chrome used to be reserved for the Pimax Vision 8K X , but Pimax recently revised the 8K Plus to include these glossy accents.

Bring your own headphones

The Vision 8K Plus headset doesn't have built-in headphones, but it does have a built-in microphone to capture your voice. The Headset headphones for connecting headphones or modular Pimax the audio headband accessory.

We'd rather use a wireless Headset for audio to avoid the hassle of the extra dangling cable, but it's nice to have options. The Headset has two 3.5mm headphone jacks, but only the left one works for third-party audio devices. The correct connection is dedicated to Pimax's audio head Strap accessory.

A proprietary 3-in-1 tether 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 Type-C ports to run accessories. The USB-C port on the bottom is reinforced with with a thick metal bezel and has a solid click when connecting an accessory. That port is for the Ultra Leap hand tracking accessory (sold separately). Pimax also collaborated with with 7invision to develop an eye tracking module that you can order from the Pimax website.

The Vision 8K Plus also has a second USB-C port on the top of the Headset, but unfortunately it may not be usable. There seem 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 USB cables.

We found a few wires that would fit in the opening, but then noticed another problem: the cables that did fit in the opening stick out too far and get in the way of the comfort kit. Pimax should develop a custom cable for all accessories using this port.

See all details

At first glance, the quality of the Vision 8K Plus's screens seemed very impressive. Picture clarity seemed to rival with the best HMDs we've tested. However, it soon became clear that this is a bit of an illusion.

Details, such as our hands, the objects we were carrying, and nearby walls, were clear and the screen door effect was almost imperceptible, but distant objects seemed slightly blurry. After playing with the many calibration settings, including render resolution, field of view and refresh rate, we found out that image clarity strongly depends on how you set up the screens and how powerful your Computer is. However, the Headset's screens have poor color reproduction, so no matter what we do, bright details looked washed out. Black levels can also improve, and that's not something we're usually picky about.

The ultra-wide lenses of the Vision 8K Plus introduce a kind of distortion we've only experienced in with Pimax headsets. The outer ends of our field of view looked distorted. This phenomenon goes back to the original Pimax 8K prototype that we tried years ago. As much Pimax as with software has improved the distortion, the problem remains and we have no hope of 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 PiTool software to constrain 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 with the HMD's refresh rate set to 110 Hz, the ends of the screen produced a chromatic shimmering blue effect.

Conclusion

The Pimax Vision 8K Plus has several upgrades over the original Model, including displays with a higher refresh rate, a more robust outer shell, soft-touch plastics and an improved pillow. Those upgrades don't seem like much, but when you put them all together with's Pimax ultra-wide headset platform, it's a big improvement.

Overall, we're quite impressed with the Vision 8K Plus headset. It offers the highest overall resolution and the most expansive FOV of any VR headset we tested. The screen isn't quite as crisp and clear as that of the HP Reverb G2, but the Vision 8K Plus' wide view of the virtual world is unmatched by any other Headset we've tested.

However, there was one big bump in our experience: this is the second Vision 8K Plus that Pimax sent me because the first one had a firmware issue that made it unstable and unusable. An isolated problem with one piece of hardware should not stop you from considering a device, nor do we recommend that you avoid the Pimax Vision 8K Plus or other Pimax headsets.

Of all the VR headsets we've tested, the Vision 8K Plus's image clarity is only surpassed by the Reverb G2. If you're looking for the largest window in the virtual world, we've got to try another Headset that (other than Pimax's own 5K Plus lineup) can compare with to the Vision 8K Plus. Maybe the Vision 8K X will one day take the crown, but we've yet to formally test the flagship HMD from Pimax.

Geef in de tussentijd veel aandacht aan deze Headset als je op zoek bent naar een upgrade van de originele HTC VIVE . If ultrawide is a big deal to you, the Pimax 8K Plus would offer a serious improvement in visual clarity and field of view. Coming from something like a Valve Index , you won't be too impressed, unless of course FOV is your main concern.

The Pimax 8K Plus Bundle of with Base Stations and Valve Index Controllers would be a good choice for anyone without Lighthouse Base Stations. Still, I'd be hesitant to suggest this Headset to a VR newcomer because of the extra calibration effort required. The Pimax 8K Plus is best suited for VR enthusiasts who aren't afraid to tinker.

This Review comes from Tom's Hardware.