Pimax Ringless VR Controllers

Pimax Ringless VR Controllers
Basic Info
VR/AR	Virtual Reality
Type	Accessory
Subtype	Motion controller
Platform	PC VR
Developer	Pimax
Announcement Date	6 October 2026
Website	https://store.pimax.com/products/ringless-controllers
Requires	A compatible Pimax headset for VR use: Pimax Crystal Pro, Pimax Crystal Light, Pimax Crystal Super, Pimax Dream Air or Pimax Dream Air SE (Pimax compatibility lists)
Tracking
Tracking	6DoF; infrared LEDs read by the headset cameras, combined with a motion sensor, wrist pose from hand tracking and AI prediction (Pimax states latency under 15 ms)
Connectivity
Connectivity	2.4 GHz wireless link for the motion sensor data
Ports	USB-C
Power	Rechargeable battery, charged over USB-C
Battery Capacity	710 mAh
Battery Life	Up to 40 hours (Pimax rating)
Device
Input	TMR joystick, grip, trigger, menu and Pi buttons on each controller; D-pad and four action buttons in gamepad layout; linear haptic motor

The Pimax Ringless VR Controllers are a pair of six-degree-of-freedom motion controllers for PC VR announced by Pimax on 6 October 2026. They drop the tracking ring of earlier Pimax controllers: Pimax says infrared LEDs on the controllers are read by the headset's cameras, and that this optical data is combined with a motion sensor and with hand tracking of the wrist. The two controllers can also be clipped together into a single wireless gamepad for Windows and Steam that works without a headset.

Pimax's January 2025 press release for the Pimax Dream Air said the headset would include a pair of ringless controllers, but in April 2026 the company said the first batches of the headset's inside-out tracked version would ship with its older ringed controllers instead. The controllers were formally unveiled as a separate product at the "Pimax Frontier: Change To Stay The Same" launch event, alongside the Pimax Crystal Pro headset and the Pimax Spation mini-PC; the same press release introduced the third-generation Pimax 60G AirLink kit. As of October 2026 Pimax had not announced a price or a shipping date.

Reviewed 27 October 2026. Every date, specification, quote, compatibility list and box-contents claim checked against the Pimax press release, Frontier FAQ, archived store page, Crystal Pro page, Pimax blog posts of Dec 2025 and Apr 2026, the Dream Air press release, Road to VR, MIXED and PC Gamer. About review dates.

Development and announcement

Pimax's announcement of the Dream Air, distributed through PR Newswire on 2 January 2025, listed "Ringless Controllers & Hand Tracking" among the headset's key features and said that the starting price of US$1,895 included a pair of ringless controllers. In a 9 December 2025 update, Pimax's Jaap Grolleman wrote that "the ringless controller that uses handtracking for the wrist pose is nearing readiness".

On 24 April 2026 Pimax said that the first batches of the Dream Air's SLAM (inside-out tracked) version would ship with ringed controllers, "the same design used with the Crystal, Crystal Light, and Crystal Super". Ringless controllers would be made available to those orders at a later stage, while new Dream Air orders placed from 25 April onward would include ringed controllers only. In May 2026, Road to VR reported that a pre-order promotion for the Pimax Dream Air SE, running from 14 to 31 May, included a coupon for 50% off ringless controllers.

Pimax introduced the Ringless VR Controllers on 6 October 2026 in its Pimax Frontier presentation, hosted by Jaap, Sander and Amii, and in a press release datelined San Jose. The release said that "Pricing and shipping dates for the Ringless VR Controllers and Spation will also be announced later." An archived copy of the controllers' Pimax Store page from 10 October 2026 shows "Price not announced" and "Temporarily out of stock".

Design and hardware

Pimax describes the controllers as having two functions: "full 6DOF motion controllers for PC VR" and, when clipped together with an included pin, "a standard wireless gamepad for Windows and Steam, usable outside of VR".

Tracking

According to the press release, the controllers use "hand tracking from the headset's cameras, combined with an infrared-LED and motion-sensor tracking system, in place of the tracking ring used on earlier Pimax controllers". The Frontier FAQ gives more detail: infrared LEDs on the controllers are read by the headset cameras, a motion sensor streams its data over 2.4 GHz, and both are combined with wrist pose detection and AI prediction. Pimax states the latency as under 15 ms. The tracking therefore depends on a headset with cameras; MIXED noted that the gamepad mode does not depend on them.

Controls and battery

Each controller has a TMR joystick, grip and trigger buttons, a menu button, a Pi button and a linear haptic motor. Pimax says the TMR joysticks are "built to resist stick drift" and describes the haptic motor as giving "clearer and more varied feedback". In gamepad layout the joined pair has a D-pad on the left and four action buttons on the right. Each controller has a 710 mAh battery, charged over USB-C, which Pimax rates for up to 40 hours of use per charge. Pimax has not published a weight for the controllers.

Pimax specifications (October 2026)

Item	Specification
Tracking	6DoF; infrared LEDs read by headset cameras, motion sensor over 2.4 GHz, wrist pose detection, AI prediction
Stated latency	Under 15 ms
Controls (each)	TMR joystick, grip, trigger, menu button, Pi button
Gamepad layout	D-pad (left), four action buttons (right); halves joined with an included pin
Haptics	Linear haptic motor
Battery	710 mAh, up to 40 hours per charge
Charging	USB-C
Gamepad platforms	Windows and Steam, without a headset

Compatibility

In the Frontier FAQ, Pimax answered "Yes!" to whether the new controllers are compatible with the Pimax Crystal Light, Pimax Crystal Super, Dream Air and Dream Air SE. The Pimax Store listing adds the Crystal Pro, describing the product as working "with Crystal Pro, Crystal Light, Crystal Super, Dream Air and Dream Air SE". The Crystal Pro product page lists the controllers under "Also from Pimax" as a separate item to buy.

The ringless controllers are not included with the Crystal Pro. The FAQ says the Crystal Pro bought on pimax.com "comes with 2 ringed controllers, an external battery, and a Wi-Fi dongle", and the press release lists "two ringed SLAM controllers" in the box. Road to VR and MIXED reported the same box contents; MIXED described the bundled pair as the previous generation of Pimax controller, the design the ringless pair is built to replace.

Reception

Writing for PC Gamer, Jacob Ridley compared the controllers with those of Valve's Steam Frame, noting their TMR sticks, grip sensing and full set of face buttons, and that like the Frame's controllers they can be combined into one regular controller's worth of inputs. Of the central module that sits between the left and right halves to turn them into a single controller, he wrote: "A neat idea, even if I can't see myself using it much in practice." MIXED's Chris Steven wrote of the gamepad function, "That is an unusual thing for a VR accessory to claim", adding that it addresses a practical issue, since a PC VR setup normally needs a separate gamepad for non-VR use. He also pointed out that Pimax had given the controllers neither a price nor a date.

See also

• Pimax Sword Controllers
• Pimax Crystal Pro
• Pimax Dream Air
• Motion controller