Pimax announces mini PC, new wireless PCVR headsets and VR controllers
During its annual Pimax Frontier event, VR headset manufacturer Pimax has revealed its upcoming line of hardware. Of course, this features a new headset, the Pimax Crystal Pro and the Pimax Ringless VR Controllers, but, interestingly, the company announced its first mini PC, the Pimax Station, in a move that mirrors Steam's recent Steam Frame and Steam Machine combo.
The Pimax Crystal Pro is a wireless PCVR headset that is priced at $1,399 USD and has the following features:
- Wireless (included): Built-in Wi-Fi streaming plus a dedicated Wi-Fi 6E adapter, both in the box. There is an optional 60G AirLink upgrade offering 60GHz 2x2 MIMO wireless link to the headset. The Pimax Crystal Pro with 60G AirLink (third generation) is priced at $1,899 USD, and the 60G AirLink kit (third generation) will also be available separately for $599 USD.
- Optics and display: Aspheric glass lenses paired with quantum-dot LCD (QLED) display panels at 2880 x 2880 pixels per eye (~17 million pixels total), a 110° horizontal field of view, 35 pixels per degree, refresh rates of 72/90/120Hz, Mini-LED local dimming with 576 zones per eye, and 200 nits of brightness.
- Eye-tracking: Integrated Omnivision eye-tracking with ten infrared emitters per eye, sampling at 120Hz, used for both dynamic foveated rendering and, with the 60G AirLink kit installed, foveated streaming.
- Tracking: Pimax SLAM 2.0 inside-out tracking, combining four cameras, a motion sensor, and infrared illumination for low-light tracking. A swappable faceplate adds optional Lighthouse base-station support; an optional MR faceplate adds full-color passthrough with LiDAR depth sensing.
- Power and connectivity: No battery is built into the headset; power is supplied by the included 16,000mAh external battery pack. An optional DisplayPort 1.4a cable connection is also available for wired PC VR use.
- Comfort: A rigid backstrap design, a magnetically attached facemask and foam interface, adjustable eye relief, three remappable buttons, three microphones, and off-ear speakers, with optional DMAS 2.0 earphones.
- Modularity: Swappable faceplate, backstrap, audio components, and lens inserts.
The Pimax Ringless VR Controllers are dual-purpose controllers: full 6DOF motion controllers for PC VR, and, when clipped together with an included pin, as a standard wireless gamepad for Windows and Steam, usable outside of VR. Unlike Pimax's former VR controllers that relied on tracking rings, they use hand tracking from the headset's cameras, combined with an infrared-LED and motion-sensor tracking system. Additional features include:
- A TMR joystick, grip and trigger buttons, a menu button, and a linear haptic motor.
- A 710mAh battery, charged via USB-C, is rated for up to 40 hours of use per charge.
The Pimax Spation is a mini-PC designed for PCVR, and has the following features:
- Standard configuration: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU (or equivalent) with an AMD RX 9070 XT or Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti GPU, 32GB of DDR5-6000 memory and a 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD, powered by a 1000W SFX power supply.
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 and 2.5G Ethernet.
- Display outputs: two DisplayPort 2.1, one HDMI 2.1, one USB-C DisplayPort 1.4a, one USB4 port and six USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports.
- Operating system: Supports both Windows and SteamOS. A DIY configuration is also available, allowing customers to supply their own storage memory and GPU. Pimax also confirmed that Pimax Play is coming to Linux as a dedicated client.
Shipping dates for Crystal Pro and the 60G AirLink kit will be announced at a later date. Pricing and shipping dates for the Ringless VR Controllers and Spation will also be announced later.
SOURCE: GBAtemp Inbox
