[Hardware] Pimax Vision 8K Plus Review: Ultrawide VR Headset

[Agent47]

 

 

In September 2017, Pimax launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the development of an ultrawide, ultra high resolution VR headset called the Pimax 8K. It ended up offering 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 specifications were unheard of and scarcely believable. But it’s 2020 now, and while ultrawide headsets are hardly commonplace, dual 4K resolution is not as shocking a metric.

That's the market in which the Pimax Vision 8K Plus ($899 MSRP) is competing for the title of Best VR Headset. Ultimately, the headset can provide a premium experience, but you’ll need some VR experience of your own in order to manage the amount of calibration needed to get the HMD running at max potential. 
A Little Bit of History
Pimax Vision 8K Plus (Blue) at Amazon for $849
Let’s go back to 2017, when Pimax promised its 8K resolution head-mounted display (HMD). Despite the wild claims and the fact that GPUs of the time were not powerful enough to drive such a headset, the campaign drew in more than $3 million from trusting fans. That's more than Oculus collected for its Kickstarter campaign in 2013. The early-bird deliveries were supposed to ship within a few months of the campaign, but that didn't happen. Pimax endured several setbacks throughout headset development that caused significant release delays.

The company eventually released the headsets it promised and then iterated and created the  Vision 8K Plus successor on our test bench.
As with all modern Pimax HMDs, the Vision 8K Plus is ultrawide with an extensive FOV. The headset’s two 4K displays face outward, giving you more peripheral vision than the average VR headset. Pimax advertises a 200-degree diagonal FOV, which puts it near 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 features the same sharp-angled shell as the older model. The only difference other than color is that the π logo is no longer embossed on the left-front corner.

Immediately, we noticed a significant improvement in the quality of the HMD’s exterior compared to the original Pimax headsets, the Pimax 8K and Pimax 5K Plus The 5K Plus' fragile shell left a lot to be desired, but the Vision 8K Plus features a soft-touch plastic material that feels much sturdier than the older headset. The old model flexed and creaked when we handled it; this one does not.

Pimax chose a dark blue dye for the plastic that is almost the same shade as the 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 that we received featured a bright green chevron that lights up when the HMD is powered on, providing a bold contrast against the blue shell. The replacement headset includes a chrome finish over the chevron, which still lights up green. The chrome used to be reserved for the Pimax Vision 8K X, but Pimax recently revised the 8K Plus to include these shiny accents.