31 minutes ago, odourboy said:

should I reserve a Pimax Crystal as my first step into VR

If you are prepared to spend like 1.899 $ then I think you won't currently find anything better than the Pimax Crystal, the direct competitor to the Varjo Aero, I am definitely interested if not the even better Pimax 12K QLed coming later still. As I have tried to point out: you won't need "dual RTX 4090 in SLI" configurations nor have to wait for years. thanks to dynamic foveated rendering you'll always have the maximum resolution (8.3 mullion pixels per eye) wherever you look, larger field of view, unlike the older and cheaper generation of VR headsets (like my Samsung Odyssey or the newer HP Reverb G2) which suffer from tiny sweet spot areas of their maximum resolution, simple plastic fresnel lenses versus aspheric glass lenses, no local dimming hence no real dark blacks etc.

11 minutes ago, turbomax said:

If you are prepared to spend like 1.899 $

$1599US with some nice 'extras' for a prerelease reservation ($30 to reserve for Jan 2023 delivery) .

https://pimax.com/crystal/#crystal-m-campaign

Curiously, there is no mention of DFR on their campaign page specs. My other concern (having zero VR experience) is if the FOV offered by Crystal will be adequate for a good experience in MSFS. Your comments welcomed!

17 minutes ago, odourboy said:

if the FOV offered by Crystal will be adequate for a good experience in MSFS.

I don't think it is as critical in a flight sim because of dynamic foveated rendering. probably a lot less than in an ego shooter.

Pimax Crystal:

120° (Varjo Aero: 115°, pretty similar) or 140° Diagonal, depends on lense you choose.

PIMAX 12K QLed version
Field-of-view (claimed)     
240° diagonal, 200° horizontal, 135° vertical, (118° stereo overlap)

The HP Reverb G2 (the one I currently own) has a horizontal field of view (FOV) of 98 degrees.

quote from a review just 2 years ago:

"Review In Summary

Developed in collaboration with Valve and Microsoft, HP's newest headset, the HP Reverb G2, delivers a more immersive VR experience than ever before. The G2 appears to have everything you could ever want from a VR headset"  😅

Edited December 1, 20223 yr by turbomax

I shelled out the  $30 to secure a Pimax Crystal package at the prerelease sale price. Watched several Pimax Crystal roadshow videos and had a good Q&A with their support person. Checks a lot of boxes and gives me a couple of months to finalize the purchase decision. 

unintentionally, I think my post will help them sell quite a few units then 😅

I am glad we see another high end player in the VR world advancing our hobby, Varjo aero alone is just not enough. I think they rested too long on their laurels. if Pimax Crystal can keep their promises, there is nothing that should keep anyone from flying in VR, it sounds like a huge step forward in quality and clarity while maintaining fluidity at the same time @ 8K per eye resolution at 1.599 $ - something many said was light years away or not yet possible with today's GPUs. 😅

Edited December 2, 20223 yr by turbomax

1 hour ago, odourboy said:

I shelled out the  $30 to secure a Pimax Crystal package

you might also want to shell out the same amount again to secure a new GPU 😄 your ZOTAC GTX 1080 TI doesn't cut it.

p.s. at least you can keep your W10 Home 64, aren't you glad!

Edited December 2, 20223 yr by turbomax

2 minutes ago, turbomax said:

you might also want to shell out the same amount again to secure a new GPU 😄 your ZOTAC GTX 1080 TI doesn't cut it.

No S**t Sherlock! I see a 13900k, 4090/7900xtx system in my future!

2 minutes ago, odourboy said:

I see a 13900k, 4090/7900xtx system in my future!

me too, in the not too distant future. combined with the Pimax Crystal this will be my greatest upgrade ever, financially and immersion wise.

8 minutes ago, turbomax said:

me too, in the not too distant future. combined with the Pimax Crystal this will be my greatest upgrade ever, financially and immersion wise.

I've waited 6 years for VR to reach what I felt would be a 'no compromise' level. Looks like the planets have aligned! 😃 

Edited December 2, 20223 yr by odourboy

On 12/1/2022 at 9:13 PM, odourboy said:

I shelled out the  $30 to secure a Pimax Crystal package at the prerelease sale price. Watched several Pimax Crystal roadshow videos and had a good Q&A with their support person. Checks a lot of boxes and gives me a couple of months to finalize the purchase decision. 

You'll get it in January?  I need to hear your results....  I was close to preordering as well but we went to the Vikings game yesterday instead haha.  It's not cheap for a large family.

26 minutes ago, ryanbatc said:

You'll get it in January?  I need to hear your results....  I was close to preordering as well but we went to the Vikings game yesterday instead haha.  It's not cheap for a large family.

Pimax are optimistic IMHO. I expect more like end of Q1. But we'll see. I don't have the system I need to run it pulled together yet, but at least all the bits are secured (highlights of my new system is in my sig.). Should be up and running by the end of January. Unless I hear horror stories from the first recipients (I'm 400 something in the list) I have every intention of completing my purchase of the Crystal. Absolutely I'll report my results!