Hi

This is important information for glasses wearers who have bought, or are considering buying, the Pimax Crystal Light.

I have, at last, received an answer from Pimax Support that the Crystal Light has a Virtual Image Distance of 1 metre.  In Imperial/US measurement, that is 3' 4"

And so corrective glasses/lenses should be based on an eye prescription at that distance which is classed as intermediate distance and not far distance (the latter being more usual for many popular VR headsets).

If you don't have a specific intermediate glasses prescription, then most lens and glasses suppliers can work out the prescription for you based on your age and your far-distance prescription.  But I've found, across the corrective lens suppliers, very varied ways of handling this, and in some cases serious confusion and ambiguity in the responses.  So, my advice is: ask and clarify with their support teams which prescription they require and ensure that they are aware that the lenses are for a Virtual Image Distance of 1 metre and, as such, a FAR / DISTANCE prescription is unlikely to be the one needed. 

Of course, even if you do otherwise wear glasses, if you can see with your unaided eyes small detail at 1 metre (3'4") away, you should be fine not wearing glasses at all with the headset. 

 

 

Hurrah!

I was fortunate to be able to get one of our most well-regarded Youtubers aware of this issue - and it made a difference.

A week ago, as a genuine prospective customer, I was being told by VR Wave Sales Support (in spite of stating in my enquiry that I understood that the Crystal/Crystal Light had a shorter, 1 metre, virtual image distance than many other headsets) that the virtual distance would be 5 metres and I should therefore order lenses with my distance prescription.

I'm happy to say that, with help from the above influencer's influence, the message has got through to them.  They've just changed their website:

 

 

OK - great progress that should ensure a reduction in needless disappointment, unfounded hits on reputations and higher returns to suppliers of lenses and/or headsets to boot:

• Simhanger has done a great video explaining the issue

 

• Three out of the four main lens suppliers have now changed their websites to reduce the wrong prescription being used (and one of those three didn't actually know of the issue until Simhanger raised it with them).  One remaining supplier, VR-Rock, well, I am not convinced that they are aware yet - I've dropped them a mail to check/inform

 

• Pimax have agreed that this needs flagging to glasses wearers to avoid confusion/potential disappointment and have attached Simhanger's video to a PR flyer they've just issued

 

• The Pimax Discord channel has now got an additional section relating to corrective lenses, also featuring Simhanger's video

 

And my 1 metre corrective lenses arrived and I have just had the most magnificent of VR multiplayer flights with the Pimax Crystal Light.  Knockout...simply knockout...

 

Edited October 29, 20241 yr by AJZip