Today in our Progress Update:
- Tracking improvements for the Crystal Light (video)
- Audio improvements for the Crystal Light
- Partnership with Next Level Racing
- Ergonomic design deep-dive (video)
- Shipping status
Pimax Progress Updates is our bi-weekly column in which we share important bits for Pimaxians. For questions or comments, reach out to a Pimax representative on Discord, or contact us via our support page.
Tracking improvements for the Crystal Light
Pimax is one of the few VR headset companies that develop their own Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithm for tracking. The Crystal Light uses the same cameras and controllers as the Crystal. But because it has no internal XR2 chip, we had to port the SLAM algorithm from Qualcomm's Android platforms, to make it suitable for Windows PCs. We're making great progress, and more improvements are coming really soon.
Here we take a deep dive into the tracking and talk about which factors influence it:
This is the output of the tracking cameras (and how the Pimax Crystal Light sees the world):
As discussed in the video, we're improving the algorithm and also adding features, such as giving users the ability to better adjust the tracking to the lighting frequency (which varies per country).
Audio improvements for the Crystal Light
We've further improved the audio quality on the standard speakers of the Pimax Crystal Light. We run internal audio tests and the improvement is visible on this frequency response curve. The previous Audio Enhancement Algorithm is shown in yellow, the new version is in green. Especially the bass has been enhanced, which makes for instance, for better sounding gunshots or explosions in games and movies.
Partnership with Next Level Racing
Pimax is excited to announce an official partnership with Next Level Racing®. Next Level Racing® is recognized as a leading manufacturer of racing and flight simulator cockpits, with a whole ecosystem of cockpits, seats, monitor and wheel stands and more. The partnership will focus on live events activations and exhibitions around the world, whilst creating exciting VR content for simulation enthusiasts.
Read more.
Ergonomic design deep-dive
There's a common misconception that big VR headsets are, by definition, uncomfortable. The Pimax Crystal Light has excellent ergonomic design. In this video, we explain the design and how it spreads weight evenly across your head, and why it's more comfortable than smaller, portable headsets.
Shipping status of the Pimax Crystal
We already shared an update on the shipping status of the Pimax Crystal Light, both the local dimming and non-local dimming versions. As said, we keep you updated on the status here.
We are facing challenges in meeting our previously promised delivery timeframe of 8 weeks, and we explain it in more detail here — also why we're introducing a partial payment system.
Read more here.
