Pimax 4K
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| Pimax 4K | |
|---|---|
| |
| Basic Info | |
| VR/AR | Virtual Reality |
| Type | Head-mounted display |
| Subtype | PC VR |
| Developer | Pimax |
| Announcement Date | 7 April 2016 (Beijing launch event) |
| Release Date | April 2016 |
| Price | 1,699 yuan (China, JD Finance crowdfunding, April 2016); US$300 without headphones or US$350 with headphones (GearBest, September 2016); US$375 (GearBest, December 2016) |
| Website | http://en.pimaxvr.com/ |
| Requires | PC |
| Display | |
| Display | Customized low-persistence 4K panel (manufacturer description) |
| Resolution | 3840 x 2160P (1920 x 2160 per eye) |
| Pixel Density | 806 PPI |
| Refresh Rate | 60 Hz; advertised as up to 90 Hz with "binocular frame technology" |
| Persistence | Low persistence (manufacturer claim) |
| Image | |
| Field of View | 110 degrees (manufacturer claim) |
| Optics | |
| Optics | Dual 53 mm aspherical lenses |
| IPD Range | 58-71 mm |
| Tracking | |
| Tracking | 3DOF |
| Rotational Tracking | Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Magnetometer |
| Update Rate | Rotational: 1000 Hz |
| Latency | 18 ms motion-to-photon (manufacturer claim) |
| Audio | |
| Audio | Removable headphones (40 mm drivers, virtual 5.1) |
| Connectivity | |
| Connectivity | HDMI 1.4b, USB 2.0/3.0 |
| Device | |
| Weight | 220 g (launch report); 320 g headset only (VR World measurement); 0.499 kg (GearBest product weight) |
| Sensors | Range, Light |
| Size | 18.00 x 11.70 x 9.00cm |
The Pimax 4K is a VR headset for Windows PCs developed by the Chinese company Pimax (Pimax Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.). Pimax launched it at an event in Beijing on 7 April 2016 and promoted it as the world's first VR device with 4K resolution.[1] The display has a combined resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels, which works out to 1920 x 2160 pixels per eye.[2]
The headset tracks head rotation only, using built-in sensors, and needs no external base stations. It shipped without motion controllers.[3] In China, Pimax set a crowdfunding price of 1,699 yuan on JD Finance.[1] Internationally it was sold through the online retailer GearBest, which charged US$300 without headphones or US$350 with headphones in September 2016 and listed it at US$375 by December 2016.[3][4]
The Pimax 4K was the company's first product. Pimax's 2017 press release for the Kickstarter campaign of the Pimax 8K described the 4K as the headset the company had grown from.[5]
Features
The Pimax 4K has a resolution of 1920 x 2160 per eye.[2] A post on Pimax's forum recommended trying War Thunder in VR mode on the headset.[6]
Dual 53 mm aspherical lenses give a 110-degree field of view, according to Pimax.[1][4] Rock, Paper, Shotgun described this figure as on par with the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.[3]
The headset uses dual 1000 Hz gyroscopes, which Pimax and its retailer presented as a way to reduce dizziness.[1][4] Rock, Paper, Shotgun's reviewer nonetheless reported nausea and headaches during testing.[3]
Pimax listed three eye-protection features: an anti-blue-light function, automatic demisting and automatic light adjustment.[7]
It works with SteamVR games and, through compatibility modes, with Oculus games. After setting up the Pimax 4K, users can run VR games from these platforms.[8][9]
Hardware
Design and comfort
The Pimax 4K is black. GearBest listed its materials as ABS plastic, glass and sponge.[4] The nose section has no protective foam, which reviewers found uncomfortable. Rock, Paper, Shotgun described "a hard, almost sharp plastic element" on the bridge of the nose, and VR World also noted that the nose area was not covered with foam.[3][2]
VR World reported that the retail box contained a user manual in English, a cleaning cloth, top and side straps, a plastic back support and the headset, with the headphones packed in a separate box. The face cushion is fixed with hook-and-loop fasteners, so it can be removed and washed. Volume buttons and the power button sit on the top left of the headset, with an LED indicator on top. After five to six hours of use, the front of VR World's unit became slightly warm.[2]
Published weights differ. China Daily's launch report gave 220 g.[1] VR World measured 320 g for the headset alone and 620 g for the complete setup.[2] GearBest listed a product weight of 0.499 kg.[4] Pimax's own site described the headset as weighing about as much as three eggs.[7]
Visual and optics
Pimax's specifications list a resolution of 3840 x 2160 (8.29 megapixels) at 806 pixels per inch.[7] The image is divided between the eyes, so each eye sees 1920 x 2160 pixels rather than a full 4K image.[2] Rock, Paper, Shotgun wrote that in practice this put the headset "more in 1440p or 2K territory than 4K", while still being a large step up from the 1080 x 1200 per eye of the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.[3]
Reviewers reported a 60 Hz refresh rate.[3][9] GearBest's listing described a "patented low persistence customized 4K panel" and stated a refresh rate of "up to 90Hz in binocular frame technology, 60Hz in monocular frame technology".[4] VR World reported that Pimax told it the panel natively runs at 60 Hz and that the headset had an "overdrive" function.[2]
The two 53 mm aspherical lenses are rated for a 110-degree field of view.[1] Wccftech's reviewer wrote that his own measurement fell short of 110 degrees.[9] GearBest's listing described the interpupillary distance adjustment as "self-adaption" across 58-71 mm, and Pimax's Chinese product page gave the same range. In practice, IPD was set in the PiPlay software.[4][10][8][9]
Pimax said its myopia auto-adaptation lets some users wear the headset without glasses, and the headset also has room inside for glasses. Pimax's English site in 2016 gave the adjustment range as 0-500 degrees of myopia, while its Chinese product page in 2017 listed 0-300 degrees.[7][10] GearBest's listing recommended wearing glasses for users with myopia or astigmatism.[4]
Sensors
The Pimax 4K has an array of built-in sensors: 1000 Hz gyroscopes, an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a range sensor and a light sensor. Pimax quoted a motion-to-photon latency of 18 ms.[4][9] The headset provides rotational tracking with three degrees of freedom and no positional tracking. It does not use base stations or external sensors, and it shipped without controllers or pointers, which put it at a disadvantage against the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive for games built around motion controllers.[3][9] Rock, Paper, Shotgun found that when the headset was taken off for a few minutes and put back on, the orientation often lagged before correcting itself, or had to be reset manually in SteamVR.[3]
Audio
The Pimax 4K comes with removable headphones that can be detached from the side straps if the user prefers other headphones. According to GearBest's listing, the headphones have 40 mm drivers, connect through 3.5 mm jacks and support virtual 5.1 sound.[4] VR World noted that each earpiece plugs into the headset through its own jack.[2] GearBest also sold the headset without headphones for US$50 less.[3]
Connectivity
The headset connects to a PC over HDMI 1.4b and USB 2.0 or 3.0.[4] Rock, Paper, Shotgun noted that both plugs come from the end of one relatively thin cable, which made the headset easy to move between computers.[3] VR World pointed out that graphics cards with only one HDMI port need an adapter or another output for the monitor.[2]
Technical specifications
The official specification listed on GearBest, the online store, is as follows:[4]
| General | Brand: PIMAX VR Glasses Type: VR Headset Features: High Resolution,Lightweight Compatible with: Computer Material: ABS,Glass,Sponge Color: Black |
| Product Detail | FOV Range: 90 - 110 degree FOV: 110 degrees FPS (frame per second): 60Hz IPD Adjustment: Yes IPD (Interpupillary distance): 58 - 71mm Focus Adjustment: Yes Connecting interface: HDMI,USB Primary Button Type: Button Resolution Support: 3840 x 2160P |
| Dimension and Weight | Product weight: 0.499 kg Package weight: 1.498 kg Product size (L x W x H): 18.00 x 11.70 x 9.00 cm / Package size (L x W x H): 32.00 x 29.00 x 12.00 cm / |
| Package Contents | Package Contents: 1 x 3D Headset, 1 x Cleaning Cloth, 2 x Earphones, 2 x Belt |
PC requirement
Pimax's stated minimum PC requirements, as reported by VR World, were:[2]
- Intel Core i5
- 4GB of RAM
- At least Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 or AMD Radeon R9 290
- Microsoft Windows 7 or higher
GearBest's listing also named Windows 7, 8 and 10 and DirectX 10-class graphics.[4] VR World tested the headset with an Intel Core i5 6600K, 16 GB of RAM and a Radeon R9 390X. That PC exceeded the minimum requirements but did not reach 90 frames per second in the VRMark benchmark, scoring 78 FPS in the Orange Room test and 41 FPS in the Blue Room test.[2]
Software
Before using the Pimax 4K, owners had to download the PiPlay driver and content platform from Pimax's website.[8] Pimax's timeline dates the alpha release of PiPlay to March 2016.[11]
A late-2016 PiPlay release required headset firmware version 1.0.0.194 and offered three display modes:[8]
| Mode | Compatibility (per Pimax's release notes) |
|---|---|
| Pimax mode | Steam and Oculus Home platforms |
| Direct mode | Oculus ("OC") 0.7 and 0.8 games |
| Extend mode | Oculus ("OC") 0.4, 0.5 and 0.6 games |
The release notes also explained which modes were available depending on the PC's graphics hardware and driver version. Firmware updates were installed through PiPlay and could require the STMicroelectronics DFU device driver.[8] Pimax support documentation, last modified in February 2023, states that 4K headsets are not compatible with the two firmware update methods described in its PiTool firmware guide.[12]
Reviewers found the software rough. VR World had to download the drivers several times on a fresh Windows 10 installation before PiPlay recognized the headset, and Windows tried to install Oculus Rift DK2 drivers when detection failed. VR World could not run Oculus Studios exclusives such as The Climb.[2] Wccftech called PiPlay "crudely made and not very polished" but found that the compatibility layer between SteamVR and PiPlay worked well, while Oculus support was less reliable.[9] In September 2016, Rock, Paper, Shotgun reported that Pimax's own game store was empty.[3]
Apps
PiPlay and its driver had to be installed before any games could be played.[8]
The Pimax 4K works with SteamVR and Oculus games, including:
- WarThunder
- Project CARS
- Assetto Corsa
- DiRT Rally
- Elite Dangerous[3][9]
- American Truck Simulator, European Truck Simulator and DCS World[3]
A guide on Pimax's forum explained how to run SteamVR games: update the firmware and PiPlay, switch PiPlay to Pimax mode or direct mode, and then launch SteamVR.[6] Another forum guide explained how to set the headset up for Oculus games, running Oculus Home titles through the third-party Revive tool from the SteamVR dashboard.[13] Rock, Paper, Shotgun noted that any SteamVR game that did not need Vive controllers worked "right out of the box", and suggested the headset would mostly interest simulation players.[3] VR World also suggested Virtual Desktop for using the headset as a large virtual screen.[2]
Developer
No release date was announced for the Pimax SDK. In late 2016 the Pimax 4K homepage stated that it was "coming soon".[7]
Accessories
The Pimax 4K shipped without motion controllers, so games that require them could not be played with the headset alone.[3][9] In 2016, Rock, Paper, Shotgun reported that Pimax was apparently working on a controller.[3]
Background
Pimax Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. was a relatively unknown company in the VR industry.[2] According to the company's timeline, its team was set up in May 2014 and built its first prototype in March 2015. Pimax launched the Pimax 4K in April 2016 and says the headset won "The Best VR of CES Asia 2016" award the following month.[11][5] At the Beijing launch, CEO Weng Zhibin proposed redefining industry standards for VR headsets in terms of gyroscopes, field of view and motion-to-photon latency. Pimax planned to start a crowdfunding program on JD Finance on 14 April 2016 and said the product would be available from May.[1]
In October 2017, as the Pimax 8K campaign on Kickstarter passed US$2.45 million, Road to VR wrote that Pimax was building its brand in Western markets "after having already successfully delivered on its '4K' VR headset".[14] In its September 2017 press release for the 8K, Pimax described the 4K as "the world's first 4K VR headset".[5]
History
The following timeline comes from Pimax's own company history, with launch details from China Daily's report.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| May 2014 | Pimax team set up[11] |
| December 2014 | PiMAX brand registered overseas[11] |
| March 2015 | First prototype built[11] |
| August 2015 | Pimax reports major progress on a customized display module[11] |
| November 2015 | PiMAX brand registered in China[11] |
| January 2016 | Pimax launched what it called the world's first 4K VR experience[11] |
| March 2016 | PiPlay content store alpha version released[11] |
| 7 April 2016 | Pimax launched the Pimax 4K in Beijing, China, and described it as the world's first 4K VR product[1][11] |
| 14 April 2016 | Planned start of crowdfunding on JD Finance at 1,699 yuan[1] |
| May 2016 | Pimax says the Pimax 4K won "The Best VR of CES Asia 2016"[11] |
Reception
Reviews praised the headset's sharpness but criticized its comfort, software and lack of motion controllers.
Alec Meer of Rock, Paper, Shotgun reviewed a unit supplied by GearBest in September 2016. He found the picture sharper and clearer than on the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive, with no screen door effect "to speak of" and more legible text. He also reported noticeable ghosting, a dimmer and less vivid image than its pricier rivals, image swim when turning the head, and headaches and nausea after short sessions. An independent volunteer he recruited reported the same problems. Meer concluded that the Pimax offered the basics of PC VR at a low price for players focused on games such as Elite Dangerous or American Truck Simulator, but recommended waiting for later hardware.[3]
Kresimir Zelenika of VR World wrote in November 2016 that the headset offered "a good device hardware-wise but with mediocre software and limited functionalities". He said the lack of controllers and room tracking was the main reason the site gave it only a Bronze award.[2]
In June 2017, Usman Pirzada of Wccftech gave the Pimax 4K 8.25 out of 10. He found the screen door effect "significantly less than the Oculus" and called it an "exceptional value proposition". He criticized the lack of motion controllers, the unpolished PiPlay software, some ghosting in fast high-contrast scenes, and chromatic aberration that he attributed to the anti-blue-light lens coating.[9]
Writing for 360 Rumors in 2019, Mic Ty compared the Pimax 4K with newer high-resolution headsets. He praised its detail and the absence of god rays from its non-Fresnel lenses, but did not recommend it because of poor tracking, severe ghosting and a distracting screen door effect.[15]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Zhao Tingting (2016-04-09). "Pimax launches 4K VR device in Beijing". China Daily. https://web.archive.org/web/20161010002823/http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/tech/2016-04/09/content_24398258.htm. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 Kresimir Zelenika (2016-11-10). "Hands On Review: PIMAX 4K VR Headset". VR World. https://web.archive.org/web/20180108175015/http://vrworld.com/2016/11/10/hands-on-review-pimax-4k-vr-headset/. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 Alec Meer (2016-09-27). "Review: Too Good To Be True? A 4K VR Headset That Supports SteamVR For $300". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. https://web.archive.org/web/20161019010112/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/09/27/4k-vr-headset/. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 "PIMAX 4K UHD Virtual Reality 3D PC Headset". GearBest. https://web.archive.org/web/20161227030410/http://www.gearbest.com/pc-headset/pp_423476.html. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Pimax Launches World's First 8K VR Headset". PR Newswire. Pimax. 2017-09-19. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pimax-launches-worlds-first-8k-vr-headset-645763303.html. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "You guys want to play steam games with your PIMAX? Just take a look here!". Pimax Forums. Pimax. https://web.archive.org/web/20161225130645/http://forum.pimaxvr.com/t/you-guys-want-to-play-steam-games-with-your-pimax-just-take-a-look-here/122. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 "Pimax Official Site". Pimax. Pimax Technology (Shanghai). https://web.archive.org/web/20161119070501/http://en.pimaxvr.com/. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 "Release: PiPlay Download". Pimax Forums. Pimax. https://web.archive.org/web/20161128171023/http://forum.pimaxvr.com/t/release-piplay-download/17. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 Usman Pirzada (2017-06-09). "The PIMAX 4K VR Headset Hands On Review: Affordable PC VR For The Masses At $375?". Wccftech. https://wccftech.com/review/pimax-4k-vr-headset-review/. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "小派4K (Pimax 4K)". Pimax. Pimax Technology (Shanghai). https://web.archive.org/web/20171119224047/https://www.pimaxvr.com/4k/?lang=en. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 "About Us". Pimax Official Site. Pimax Technology (Shanghai). https://web.archive.org/web/20161122053913/http://en.pimaxvr.com/aboutus.html. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ "Updating Headset Firmware (Pitool)". Pimax Support. Pimax. https://support.pimax.com/en/support/solutions/articles/60000818166-updating-headset-firmware%EF%BC%88pitool%EF%BC%89. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ "How to use Oculus Home with Pimax". Pimax Forums. Pimax. https://web.archive.org/web/20161209110029/http://forum.pimaxvr.com/t/how-to-use-oculus-home-with-pimax/256. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ Scott Hayden (2017-10-27). "Pimax "8K" Surpasses Oculus Rift as Top VR Headset Kickstarter Project, $2.45M Raised So Far". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/pimax-8k-surpasses-oculus-rift-top-vr-headset-kickstarter-project-2-45m-raised-far/. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ Mic Ty (2019-06-18). "Pimax 4K: half price HP Reverb high-resolution VR headset?". 360 Rumors. https://360rumors.com/pimax-4k-half-price-hp-reverb-high-resolution-vr-headset/. Retrieved 2026-09-28.