Pimax Vision 8K Plus
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| Pimax Vision 8K Plus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Basic Info | |
| VR/AR | Virtual Reality |
| Type | Head-mounted display |
| Subtype | PC VR |
| Platform | SteamVR |
| Creator | Pimax |
| Developer | Pimax |
| Manufacturer | Pimax |
| Announcement Date | 26 September 2019 |
| Release Date | On sale by January 2020 |
| Price | US$1,000 (announced, September 2019); US$999 (Pimax spec sheet, January 2020); US$899 MSRP (December 2020); headset only |
| Website | https://pimax.com/ |
| Requires | Windows 10 PC with NVIDIA RTX 2060 or above, Intel i5-9400 or above, 8 GB RAM or more; SteamVR base stations |
| Predecessor | Pimax 8K |
| System | |
| Operating System | Windows 10 (host PC) |
| Display | |
| Display | 2 x LCD, RGB stripe; customized low persistence liquid (CLPL) |
| Resolution | 3840 x 2160 per eye (upscaled from 2560 x 1440 input) |
| Refresh Rate | 72 Hz, 90 Hz, 110 Hz (110 Hz listed as beta or tentative) |
| Image | |
| Field of View | 200° diagonal, 170° horizontal, 115° vertical (manufacturer figures) |
| Optics | |
| Optics | Dual Fresnel lenses |
| Ocularity | Binocular |
| IPD Range | 55-75 mm (manufacturer spec); 60-72.5 mm mechanical per Tom's Hardware, with a software offset beyond that range |
| Tracking | |
| Tracking | 6DoF SteamVR Tracking (Lighthouse 1.0 and 2.0); 9-axis 3DoF mode |
| Eye Tracking | Optional add-on module |
| Hand Tracking | Optional add-on module (Ultraleap) |
| Audio | |
| Audio | Two 3.5 mm jacks (one for third-party headphones, one for Pimax modular audio strap); no built-in headphones |
| Microphone | Integrated |
| Connectivity | |
| Connectivity | Tethered 3-in-1 cable: DisplayPort 1.2, USB 3.0, 12 V power |
| Ports | 2 x USB-C (accessories), 2 x 3.5 mm audio |
| Device | |
| Dimensions | 280.10 x 108.2 x 135.90 mm |
| Weight | 500 g |
| Color | Dark blue with green-lit faceplate chevron |
| Sensors | 9-axis IMU (accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer); SteamVR Tracking sensors |
| Input | Power and volume buttons; SteamVR-tracked controllers (sold separately) |
The Pimax Vision 8K Plus (also written 8K+ or 8K PLUS) is a tethered PC VR head-mounted display made by Pimax. It has two 3840 x 2160 LCD panels, one per eye, fed with a 2560 x 1440 per-eye signal that the headset upscales to the panels' native resolution.[1] Pimax rates its field of view at 200° diagonal, 170° horizontal and 115° vertical.[2] Tom's Hardware wrote that the advertised figure put it near the top of all headsets, including enterprise-class devices.[3] The headset uses Valve's SteamVR Tracking with first- and second-generation base stations,[3] and controllers and base stations must be bought separately.[1]
Pimax announced the 8K Plus on 26 September 2019 at US$1,000, alongside the US$1,300 Pimax 8K X, which accepts a native 4K signal per eye.[1] It is a successor to the original Pimax 8K from Pimax's 2017 Kickstarter campaign.[3] Tom's Hardware reviewed it in December 2020 at an MSRP of US$899 and called it "a good enthusiast headset but not for the average consumer."[3]
History
Background
In September 2017, Pimax started a Kickstarter campaign for the Pimax 8K, an ultrawide headset with a 200-degree field of view and two 4K displays. According to Tom's Hardware, the campaign raised more than $3 million, but deliveries were delayed well past the original schedule.[3] The original "8K" already used dual 3,840 x 2,160 panels, but design limits meant it could only upscale from a 2,560 x 1,440 signal per display.[1]
Announcement
Pimax announced the "8K" Plus and "8K" X on 26 September 2019. Road to VR reported that the 8K Plus had the same panels as the 8K X but kept the upscaled 2,560 x 1,440 input of the original 8K. Pimax said it had written a new upscaling algorithm, that the 8K Plus supported optional 65, 72 and 90 Hz refresh rates, and that both new headsets used a new RGB stripe matrix LCD with higher contrast and deeper colors. Pimax also claimed 10 to 15 percent better panel utilization than the previous model, with the same 170-degree horizontal field of view.[1] Both models were to ship with a new modular audio strap and a wider facial interface called the "comfort kit", without controllers or base stations. Pimax also offered an optional ruggedized finish with a rubberized coating and metallic buttons.[1]
The announcement came during what Pimax called "Pimax Day", where it also priced its accessories and set out upgrade programs for Kickstarter backers and pre-order customers. Owners of a Pimax 5K Plus, Pimax 5K XR or "8K" were offered an unspecified discount toward the 8K Plus or 8K X. Pre-order customers waiting for the delayed Pimax Sword Controllers could either receive Valve Index Controllers instead, paying the difference plus a small fee, or apply the money they had paid for the Sword controllers (up to US$200 per set) to an 8K+ or 8KX headset, with Pimax adding a further US$50.[4]
Release
Pimax originally scheduled the 8K Plus for 30 October 2019. On 3 December 2019, it said in a Kickstarter update that the 8K Plus was estimated to start shipping no later than the end of December 2019 because of "last-minute changes to help ensure a quality launch." The comfort kit was to ship alongside it.[1] At CES 2020, Pimax provided a spec sheet listing the Vision 8K Plus at US$999 without base stations or controllers. In its summary of that sheet, Road to VR noted that of the six headsets listed, only the Pimax 5K Super and Pimax Artisan were not yet for sale.[2]
Tom's Hardware's review, published on 12 December 2020, gave an MSRP of US$899. The magazine also noted that Pimax had recently revised the 8K Plus to add a chrome finish over the faceplate chevron, which had been reserved for the 8K X.[3] In June 2021, an archived copy of Pimax's store page listed a "Vision 8K Plus-SMAS" configuration at US$949, discounted to US$806 during a sale, with optional bundles of two Knuckles controllers and two SteamVR Base Station 2.0 units.[5] As of September 2026, Pimax's online store no longer offers a new Vision 8K Plus. The headset's former store address leads to an "Outlet 8K PLUS KDMAS - Edition" listing, which Pimax describes as factory-new units with cosmetic defects, priced at US$630 and marked out of stock.[6]
Design and hardware
Displays and optics
The 8K Plus has two 3840 x 2160 LCD panels. Pimax calls the display technology "customized low persistence liquid" (CLPL) and describes the panels as RGB pixel matrix panels with "up to 50% more sub pixels". According to the company, rendering a high-resolution image and upscaling it to 4K makes the screen door effect "almost invisible".[5] The headset takes a 2560 x 1440 per-eye signal, while the 8K X accepts native 3840 x 2160 input.[2] The optics are dual Fresnel lenses.[5] Like other Pimax headsets, the two displays are angled outward to widen peripheral vision.[3]
Refresh rates changed during development. The September 2019 announcement listed 65, 72 and 90 Hz.[1] The CES 2020 spec sheet listed 110 and 90 Hz,[2] and Pimax's 2021 store page advertised 90 Hz with "110Hz Refresh Rate (Tentative)".[5] Tom's Hardware lists 72 Hz, 90 Hz and a 110 Hz beta mode, all selectable in Pimax's PiTool software.[3][7] Pimax gives a typical motion-to-photon latency of 15 ms.[5]
Field of view
Pimax rates the maximum field of view at 200° diagonal, 170° horizontal and 115° vertical.[2] For comparison, Tom's Hardware put the Valve Index at up to 130 degrees.[3] PiTool offers four field-of-view settings. According to Tom's Hardware, Large is about 170° horizontal, Normal about 150° and Small 120°. A fourth "Potato" setting is narrower still, and Pimax does not state its angle. The narrower settings black out the outer edges of the image, which improves performance and hides distortion at the periphery.[7]
Interpupillary distance
Pimax lists an adjustable interpupillary distance (IPD) range of 55 mm to 75 mm.[5] Tom's Hardware found that the mechanical adjustment moves the lenses from 60 mm to 72.5 mm apart. It added that the large sweet spot should make the headset forgiving for people whose IPD falls outside that range.[3] PiTool adds a software IPD offset, which Pimax says is for people whose IPD falls outside the mechanical range.[7]
Tracking
The headset uses Valve's SteamVR Tracking 2.0 sensors and works with first- and second-generation Lighthouse base stations for six-degrees of freedom tracking. A 9-axis tracking mode turns off SteamVR Tracking, and the headset then works as a three-degrees-of-freedom device.[7] Pimax lists an outside-in tracking system with a 9-axis accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer sensor.[5]
Body, comfort and audio
Pimax lists the headset at 500 g and 280.10 x 108.2 x 135.90 mm.[5] Tom's Hardware found the soft-touch plastic shell much sturdier than the older Pimax 8K and 5K Plus. The shell is a dark blue, similar to the HTC Vive Pro, and a chevron on the faceplate lights up green when the headset is on. The power and volume buttons are on the top right corner.[3]
Pimax's comfort kit comes standard. It adds a broader, taller foam cushion and a rubber nose guard to reduce light leakage.[3] Pimax said at launch that the 8K Plus would include the modular audio strap, and the CES 2020 spec sheet listed it as included.[1][2] Tom's Hardware's review unit, however, came with a nylon three-point strap instead. The magazine said a mechanical strap should be standard at this price.[3]
The headset has no built-in headphones but has an embedded microphone. Of its two 3.5 mm jacks, only the left one works with third-party audio devices; the right one is for Pimax's modular audio head strap.[3]
Connectivity and requirements
A proprietary 3-in-1 tether carries DisplayPort 1.2 video, USB 3.0 data and 12 V power from the PC.[3] Pimax lists USB 2.0 or 3.0 and DP 1.2 as the PC outputs.[5] The headset also has two USB-C ports for accessories. The bottom port, reinforced with a metal bezel, is for the hand tracking module. Tom's Hardware found the top port hard to use because it is recessed and too narrow for some cables, and cables that fit got in the way of the comfort kit.[3]
Pimax's recommended PC specification is Windows 10, an NVIDIA RTX 2060 or better, an Intel i5-9400 or better and 8 GB of RAM or more.[5]
Accessories
Pimax announced several optional modules at the 8K Plus launch. The hand tracking module (US$170) was made with Ultraleap. The eye tracking module (US$300, with lower prices for backers) was designed with 7Invensun for wide field-of-view headsets with canted displays and enables dynamic foveated rendering. The modular audio strap (US$120) has replaceable above-the-ear speakers, and the Vision comfort kit (US$50) was also sold separately for other Pimax headsets.[4][3] The 8K Plus does not come with controllers or base stations.[1] Pimax's own Sword controllers were delayed, and at the time of the Tom's Hardware review Pimax did not yet sell controllers.[4][8]
Software
The 8K Plus works with SteamVR but is not a native SteamVR device. It needs Pimax's PiTool application, which installs the drivers, manages firmware and handles calibration, and replaces Valve's controller pairing with its own version.[7] PiTool settings include:
- Per-display color and brightness adjustment, for all channels together or for red, green and blue separately.[7]
- A Brainwarp section with fixed foveated rendering presets (close, aggressive, balanced and conservative). Tom's Hardware found that these presets made most of the wide field of view unusable.[7]
- Tracking mode, refresh rate, IPD offset and motion compensation settings, plus a horizontal calibration button.[7]
- A "Render Quality" slider, which Tom's Hardware describes as Pimax's supersampling setting and which works separately from SteamVR's own render scale, and a vertical offset slider for each display.[7]
At the time of the review, Pimax was also developing Pimax Experience, an in-headset interface for most of these settings that was still in beta.[7]
Comparison with other Pimax "8K" models
| Model | Panel resolution (per eye) | Rendering | Refresh rate | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pimax 8K | 3,840 x 2,160 | Upscaled from 2,560 x 1,440[1] | US$900 (September 2019, headset only)[1] | |
| Pimax Vision 8K Plus | 3,840 x 2,160 | Upscaled from 1440p to 4K[2] | 110/90 Hz (CES 2020 spec sheet)[2] | US$999 (January 2020)[2] |
| Pimax 8K X | 3,840 x 2,160 | Native 4K per eye[2] | 75/120 Hz (CES 2020 spec sheet)[2] | US$1,299 (January 2020)[2] |
Reception
Tom's Hardware's Kevin Carbotte gave the 8K Plus four out of five stars in December 2020.[3] The review listed its best-in-class field of view, large sweet spot, light weight and better build quality as strengths. Its weaknesses were the amount of tinkering and settings needed, clunky calibration software, the price and a faulty first review unit.[3] The magazine found that details close to the viewer were clear with a nearly imperceptible screen door effect, but distant objects looked hazy, and color reproduction was poor, with bright details looking washed out. The wide lenses warped the outer edges of the view, and at 110 Hz the edges of the screen showed a blue shimmer.[3]
In testing on an Intel Core i7-8700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 system with Beat Saber, Space Pirate Trainer, Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope and Half-Life: Alyx, the reviewer found the Normal field-of-view setting ran much better than Large. With the Large setting at full render scale, Half-Life: Alyx had 50 percent or more of its frames arrive too late to avoid reprojection at the higher refresh rates. The first unit had a firmware problem that made it unstable, and Pimax sent a replacement.[8] In its conclusion, Tom's Hardware said the 8K Plus had the highest total resolution and widest field of view of any headset it had tested, and that among the headsets it had tested only the HP Reverb G2 had better image clarity. It recommended the headset to VR enthusiasts willing to tinker, for example as an upgrade from the original HTC Vive, but not to newcomers.[8]
Specifications
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Display | 2 x LCD, RGB stripe (CLPL)[2][5] |
| Panel resolution | 3840 x 2160 per eye[5] |
| Input resolution | 2560 x 1440 per eye, upscaled[1] |
| Refresh rate | 72 Hz, 90 Hz, 110 Hz (beta)[3] |
| Field of view | 200° diagonal, 170° horizontal, 115° vertical (manufacturer)[2] |
| Lenses | Dual Fresnel[5] |
| IPD | 55-75 mm (manufacturer); 60-72.5 mm mechanical (Tom's Hardware)[5][3] |
| Motion-to-photon latency | 15 ms (typical)[5] |
| Tracking | SteamVR Tracking, Lighthouse 1.0 and 2.0; 9-axis 3DoF mode[7] |
| Connection | DisplayPort 1.2, USB 3.0, 12 V power (single tether)[3] |
| Ports | 2 x USB-C, 2 x 3.5 mm audio[3] |
| Microphone | Integrated[5] |
| Dimensions | 280.10 x 108.2 x 135.90 mm[5] |
| Weight | 500 g[5] |
| Recommended PC | Windows 10, NVIDIA RTX 2060 or above, Intel i5-9400 or above, 8 GB RAM or more[5] |
See also
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Scott Hayden (2019-12-03). "Pimax "8K" Headsets & Accessories Delayed Again, Now Estimated for Late 2019 & Early 2020". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/pimax-8kx-8kplus-launch-dates/. 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 Scott Hayden (2020-01-08). "CES 2020: Pimax's Full VR Headset Lineup Compared". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/ces-2020-pimax-headset-specs/. 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 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 3.22 3.23 Kevin Carbotte (2020-12-12). "Pimax Vision 8K Plus Review: Ultrawide VR Headset". Tom's Hardware. https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/pimax-vision-8k-plus. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Scott Hayden (2019-09-26). "Pimax Details Upcoming Accessories - Price, Launch Date & More". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/pimax-accessories-launch-upgrade-program/. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 5.18 "Pimax Vision 8K Plus". Pimax (archived copy, 16 June 2021). Pimax. https://web.archive.org/web/20210616142313/https://pimax.com/product/vision-8k-plus/. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ "Outlet 8K PLUS KDMAS - Edition". Pimax Store. Pimax. https://store.pimax.com/products/outlets-8k-plus. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 Kevin Carbotte (2020-12-12). "Applications and Settings - Pimax Vision 8K Plus Review: Ultrawide VR Headset". Tom's Hardware. https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/pimax-vision-8k-plus/2. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Kevin Carbotte (2020-12-12). "Test Results and Conclusion - Pimax Vision 8K Plus Review: Ultrawide VR Headset". Tom's Hardware. https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/pimax-vision-8k-plus/3. Retrieved 2026-09-28.