Have you tried VR? Did you like it?

It seems that eye tracking + foveated rendering is the secret ingredient we've been missing for a long time to get good looking VR with high FPS

Good to see you didn’t have any issues with reliability so far. It was an absolute nightmare for me. I need to check out the software/firmware update.

I wish more reviewers were transparent on if they are allowed to keep a product or if they have to send it back etc. Thanks Dan! Now to watch the rest 👍🏾

Glad you are converted to VR now ;) Immersion is the key to really enjoy driving in a simulator. But you have to try AMS2 with chnaging weather conditions. Its the best VR experience in sim racing hands down. Its also less CPU bottlenecked as the outdated iracing.

Man, I am excited for these new range of headsets. I think the 12k once it's out will truly be a gamechanger

Been using the Crystal for sim racing for a bit over a month. It really is hard to put into words the immersion you get from it.

I can confirm all your pros and cons after having the Crystal three days. Although I still have many problems - but I hope they will be resolved soon.

Looking forward how much the X3D can improve performance in racing Sims and MSFS with the Crystal. Thanks in advance Dan! Greetings from Cologne

Totally agree, I cannot play anymore on tripple screen. VR is immersive as F*ck

I did VR only for 4 years before switching to triples. The immersion is slightly reduced but not so much & now I can stay in the rig for 5 or even 6 hours instead of 1 or maybe 2. I love the experience of VR but I prefer to drive for longer & have the convenience of triples.

I use a Pimax 8KX and a Pico 4 with Virtual Desktop (i5 13600, RTX 4080). The Pimax was not easy to setup, but now it's great and the FOV is even on "small" wider than the Index. The Pico has considerable smaller FOV, but even wireless better clarity. Certainly the best HMD for under 1k and basically no compression artifacts nor noticeable input lag. It feels like plugged in and if it's attached to a power supply, no battery drain. In AMS2 I get with both rock solid 90 fps despite ridiculous resolutions up to 24 million pixels at medium high. OpenXR is really a game changer for VR as well as current GPU and CPU gens. Many issues of the past were due to running the system at full capacity without getting 90 fps and good visuals. Now there is some headroom left while having no compromises regarding quality and smoothness.

Thanks so much for a great review. I'm a long-time VR user and you did a really good job. I wouldn't have known you were new to VR if you had not mentioned it. I also have a Crystal and could tell your review was very honest.

This is the final video that has sold me on the Crystal.

I have the pins 5k+ and had it fit about 4 years and have always thought about going triples but after watching this I am definitely staying VR

I only started Sim racing a year ago, on a laptop. I bought a VR headset and noticed such a difference in my ability to see what was going on that I went and built a new i9, RTX 3060 Ti pc to race on. It is amazing the difference in immersion.

Thank you for this!!! My Cyrstal arrives in couple weeks!!

great video, just before i start using my own crystal. Its is indeed insane. Cannot express the feeling in words. I had used valve index, quest 2 and hp reverb g2 but that was so awful i had to return all headsets. I just kepts quest 2 for its standalone. Crystal is exactly what i want from VR, this is it. More picture quality is always welcome. Hope they can improve it for 12k qled. like 40-45 ppd

New sub here. I want more games and more settings video's in VR. You have one of the best understanding of settings I have seen with any other VR channels witch is sort of funny to say since the VR channels I watch are all about VR only.

I have the Pimax 8Kx, one thing that I noticed on the crystal is the incredibly small FOV. That's a big turn off, for you to have an idea... on the lambo, on the 8kX, your field of view goes all the way to the right side mirror.. It just lacks the eye tracking, which I'm hoping the 12k will bring along with the same FOV. Other than that, awesome performance and res.

I found that when im racing in vr, im more consistent than when im on monitors.

I had a Rift S, Pimax 8k Plus and Reverb G2. My biggest problem with Pimax was the weight and size. The Big FOV is awesome but because of the big screen it felt way to heavy. Reverb G2 was the best thing Ive tried. Very light and great Lenses. But I switched back to monitors a few months ago. The immersion of VR is so so awesome but the discomfort (weight,heat) and bad software (lots of crashes/lags despite RTX 3080) of VR just kills it for me. With a monitor you get in your seat and drive. VR always took more time to set up.

Hello Dan! Two months have passed. :D. no pressure! looking forward to your final review especially now that quest 3 is being released and probably index 2 will be announced.

Ive got a console and VR2, and yes, VR is just so much more immersive. Be interested to see how ur lap times and racing are affected.

Dan has seen the VR light!

Why not try Automobilista2 and an accelerated time to run 24 hours in twenty minutes and have the weather change too?

I am so torn between this and Bigscreen Beyond. I have a Valve Index, and I hate the sag that messes with my vision clarity. I'm sure that would be absent with the lightness of the Beyond. That said, the superior FOV, refresh rate, and resolution of the Crystal is hard to beat. I also like the potential for wireless on the Crystal

Great video Dan, thanks for looking at ACC

In the first part of assetto corsa and automobilista 2, the adaptation for VR is much better, it's really cool)

Great review i’m sold

You should try 90fps mode with vr pixel density at 130%. Its going to look noticeably sharper and i imagine it wont bother you to drop from 120. Also, try CAS 100%

In iRacing DFR will be more useful if you have a lesser GPU, I run my Reverb G2 quite comfortably with a 3070 with regular FFR.

Dan you promised a complete and full review after couple a month please😁🙏

Heyyy I really like this video, it gives me a comprehensive introduction about Pimax Crystal! But I still want to know compared with other popular products like Quest 3, Varjo Aero, what Pimax Crystal attracts you most? And when you select a VR headset, what factors will you consider first? (Because I am kinda want to purchase a VR headset, so I want to understand the field more)

I will never buy a headset without eye tracking anymore. DFR is a game changer for sims. I personally prefer CAS for upscaling and I also use turbo mode. I really hope that future sims will include DFR in their settings.

This was good, the algorithm brought me here , Glad it did.

Thanks for another great review. I’ve tried VR with Oculus 2. VR’s much more immersive than my triples, but it was not as comfortable to use it for longer races and also a bit inconvenient.

Crystal vs 8kx FOV for iRacing specifically? I love the idea of higher resolution, but feel like FOV is more important

I have VR and Triple monitors. I absolutely prefer VR all day long. I think VR even looks better to the viewer, based on my streams. Great video. Thanks.. :)

I just switched from VR to Trippels. Only advantage with VR is something more immersive trippels more comfort, no input lag, better picture, and you see your rig that you bought for a lot of money.

Couple tips if I may. Go into your Nvidia control panel, go to manage 3D settings, and set virtual reality pre-rendered frames from 1 to 3. Technically, there is a increase in latency when using this setting, however, as a frame time snob, I don't notice much of a difference. This will significantly help with cpu bottleneck. The trade off with latency is worth it. Secondly, the FOV that's used in VR is different from the FOV you use on flat screens. The games load settings from different .ini files. So there's no need to swap it back and forth when switching. Set it to what you want and then it'll change itself depending on what renderer you use (i.e. openvr, openxr, monitor). I recommend uses the fov/camera default settings for VR. Sometimes in Assetto Corsa I feel the need to move the seat a tiny bit, but ultimately the devs spent a lot of time trying to emulate in VR exactly what the drivers sees from an optimal driving position, and that's what the default settings are. Great vid as always! VR is the way!

I also have the Crystal: 1) for simming (I play DCS) this is absolutely genius! The picture quality, the clarity is just amazing! But I would get a chair without headrest, because of the headset is to bit behind your head (battery!) and you'll need to keep your head slightly forward, which is quite a strain! 2) for Roomscale: absolutely not. The room-setup is flatout broken, the inside-out tracking is really bad (it mostly works for seated simming, but even then it can happen that you'll be "outside" the seat; you'll re-center often with this HMD!). The controllers feel REALLY cheap and their tracking isn't that good either. -> if/when we get the Lighthouse (which will add to the cost) and which will need different controllers (which enormously adds to the cost!), then maybe. Probably. Hopefully.

Hello Dan and thanks for the video, i would like to say i totally agree with you concerning the blury aspect of ACC..i realized that when i discovered rf2 and Iracing...and came back to ACC. I would like profit the entire screen of your POV but i guess the point was to show the performance. I never tried VR but i really want to now..

VR Microsoft Flight Simmer here. The Crystal changes everything, its simply stunning.

K.O. criteria for me is that the headset is battery driven and so bound to the lifetime of the battery. 5 to 6 hours is long yes, but if you want to play longer you must have at least two batteries, one for backup. Thank you Dan. Was a quite good review of this VR headset. Maybe you do more of such videos :)

At basically 3x the price of the G2, I will hold off (just upgraded from 3090 to 4090) and already there the uplift was huge.

I'm waiting for the Crystal to arrive myself, hopefully it will be soon. You said that the FOV isn't much larger than the G2 but looking at the Pimax mirror screen there's a big difference. I use the Lamborghini in the G2 all the time and in the VR mirror the left mirror of the car is only in part in the picture (only just the beginning tip), while here it is in fully on sight, and the vertical fov is much higher (in the G2 you see just a little part of the legs while here you see them almost to the waist). So at least judging by the mirror the fov is more on par to the PSVR 2 than the G2.

Great first take Dan! I’m using the Index (4090 and 12900KS) and find ACC blurry in VR (iRacing much clearer). I’ve been waiting and waiting for the Index 2 and DFR, but this looks like a bridge in that.

I switched from the 8Kx to the quest pro two weeks ago and am so convinced that the 8 KX is now sold. This sharpness over the entire image area is simply insane. Had previously the Pico 4 and the G2 and they all can not keep up. And that by far for me.

vr is great. But it takes time for research to get the best out of each sim. a lot money for the best hardware on the market to run it smooth at 90 fps with super graphics. Once you're there and enjoy, it's probably hard for the most users hard to get back to pancake racing. I started in 2017. Way to early for proper vr gaming. with a oculus rift 1. Screen door effect and 45fps max, annoying base stations and poor optimized vr titles. now in 2023 with the right hmds like the fov eating pimax crystals and affordable reverb g2s, rtx 4090s and software like openxr and stuff...vr seems to be ready for everyone. But as mentioned. Vr is not for those who expect plug & play gaming. Just my experience over the years of daily racing in vr. I love it and i am always excited every day to take a seat in my rig and put that vr headset on after work 😊 enjoy guys!

The software looks great. I’ve always just had an oled at my rig, I didn’t want to go into triple screen category and have been waiting for a game changing VR device. Thanks so much for the preview. Time to go research to see if this works for ATS and ETS2.

Eye tracking, I think, is going to be the next big thing in training. We can now know if we're actually looking through the corners as far as the fast guys.

Hilarious intro. "Alien dan here"

Pimax Crystal, Vs. HP Reverb G2 vs Bigscreen Vr. That's a comparison I would like to see!

The irony of you not being able to move your head is that it's actually more realistic. Real helmets are so strapped down to the Hans device (I think it's called something else now) that you can actually barely move your head, maybe even less than you are in your seat.

I went from VR to triple 55” 120hz. I felt VR just needs time to catch up to the clarity and performance . plus with triples no one can sneak up on you

Fantastic discover...Amazing, that a VR device is better than a 3 screen setup...

You should try AMS2. It´s the most stunning game for VR. I remember playing it at 200% upscale in my Reverb G2 and it was already razor sharp.

4:55 the backlight feature is nice for games that do not allow you to adjust brightness like iRacing allows you to.

Great video!!😍

And another great vid Mr Suzuki, would it be worth trying a pimax 5k super which can do 120hz and super wide fov, with the 4090 and open xr it may be nice stepping stone to the crystal

in acc seemingly you can get out the car and walk round it. good video dan cheers

im on a 3060ti/10700k with a quest 2 and while it's not no where as good looking as your settings, i've got it to run nicely at 80fps full resolution and the 3D experience is just something else, made me faster as well.

I can't decide whether I should buy the Crystal and GTX 4090 now, or wait for the Crystal Super and GTX 5090.

Hitting that like button. Thank you Dan!

You really shouldn't need NIS etc at all. Use CAS at 75% instead without upscaling and if needed use a lower resolution for the HMD. Will give you better performance AND better gisuals.

I'm gonna hold out for the new super. I have quest 3 with my rtx 4090 . I mainly use it for my sim but i love onward on pcvr. My biggest fear is the head set is too big to truly play an stand up action moving FPS.

ofcourse this is _this is like difference between 🎮 controller and stereo wheel for simracing_

I love VR but it's just not for me when it comes to everyday sim racing. I don't like the sweaty face and I do find it more tiring for long sessions. Also it makes it next to impossible to reach down to open a beer or grab a snack whilst on the long straights.

Optimization suggestion...u should be GPU limited not CPU limited... Turn open XR back to 100%...that will give u more CPU headroom and improve ur graphics...upscaling is cpu intensive.

Former triples user, once i started to sim racing in VR, i just cant go back.

Hey Dan, how did you get OpenXR to show the GPU/CPU headroom on the OSD?

I love VR but for endurance races it gets hot and uncomfortable so I use vr for sprints and triples for longer

hi sorry but when you play in VR with cristal as you do with the three monitors I have the same but since cristal you have to attach it to the PC with DP I have to and you have to detach a monitor right? Have you found a faster solution than removing a DP and removing the surround mode for the triple monitor?

Just imagine the pimax is your helmet, it it simulates the weight of it. :) And make sure you have a small fan blowing in your face.

I Tried the oculus quest 2 (11900k/3070ti) but every time they put out an update, everything would change. Also when iRacing updated it would change, so a lot of tweaking was needed. I Also had a lot of tech issues with it cutting out randomly and the tracking is fussy about light in the room. It’s 100% true to say I’d be at least a 3k driver if I’d stuck to monitors 😂 but… when it worked it was f..king great! Maybe I’ll jump in again soon, this one looks great. Thanks for the review

i had really bad fps and render latency, lowered render resolution down to 40%, changed graphic settings, nothing really helped as frames bounced between 40 and 90 cap. disabled that smart smoothing and it fixed all my performance issues. now IRacing runs capped at 90 most of the time in my test session with render resolution at 100% and max preset graphics. next time ill test with cars on track im running through SteamVR only.

Dan, what about people that wear glasses? I fly FPV and Fat Shark HDO2 googles offers (adjustable) IPD (interpupillary distance) So you can move the Focus: +2 to -6 diopters. Hoping they have a solution for people that wear glasses. They look like a game changer for sure.

Ich bin schon ganz heiß auf neue Test Videos mit der Brille. Dein Short Video von AMS2 war ganz heftig. Keiner Postet etwas vernünftiges darüber, bzw. kaum einer. Gruß Sergio

the best racing game for VR is Project CARS 2, those guys did a impressive job

Thanks for the crystal info! Will you do more DFR videos using crystal with different games?

id be very tempted to try... Just unsure how I would manage button boxes and button locations on the wheel etc.

now that many things have changed and you have a great experience, would you update this video, thanks

I swapped from ultra wide to VR then swapped to triples , I found it too hot with VR on my face while racing however I would not say it’s a deal breaker , sometimes I do want VR back but I don’t use it enough to warrant getting one again

Need to see a bigscreen beyond review!!

Gday Dan I've had the G2 but moved to triples for endurance racing but have since added motion and keen to get back into VR, Have you tried it yet with your motion and did you notice the weight? Cheers

Something i always wonder.. in long term use can they affect eye sight? given the screens are close to the eyes.

I wish there was a way to stream in VR but have a second source to capture in OBS so that the viewing for the stream is more similar to what you get from somebody who uses a monitor.

Hi Dan. VR is not for me, get way sick. When you were loading into a session. I noticed the drivers entered were in different colors and patterns, looks really good. How can that be achieved if you don't mind sharing. Great content!

Looks amazing, but for $1600 what would be compatible options for triples?

I’m curious why they sponsor videos when they’re constantly sold out. Great vid though, cheers!

I would absolutely love one of these but they are $3000 in Australia. Maybe in a couple of years the price will go down a bit.

120hz will enable the DSC (maybe the reason of the experimental warning). I don't know how much time is added by the compression, but I faced eventual movement lag running my VP2 in 4896x2448@120hz. Remembering that the Displayport 1.4a have a maximum native resolution of 4k@120hz, so 5760x2880@120hz is much more than the maximum. Does anyone realized similar issue with the DSC enabled?

So excited, been using 23 inch triples for the last 8 years, the Crystal which l should receive next week will be my first VR experience, next step will be new pc build ryzen 7800 3d and 4090😊

Yeess - true - correct

The issue for me is you have a 13900k high speed ram and the 4090 gpu so this is the very best you will get but wow the price for that system and then the headset.

thanks so much for all your videos..how is the headset with d box. I used to have a hp reverb but it juggled around on my head and made screen shake too much.. are you experiencing that with the pimax ? also can you do a d box review? what are your settings ? thanks bro . 😊

Been racing in VR since day 1 Oculus Rift and there’s no going back to 2D and PS5 GT7 is the most playable and visually great game right now if not going down this hardcore slightly experimental route. The biggest negative right now is for KZfaq streamers who seem stuck between a rock and a hard place because they can’t create as good content right now.

hallo Dan good evening, given all the upgrades, can I ask you if you have changed the graphics settings of the Primax or of the various tools or of the iRacing and ACC games, thank you very much

Great review... would you get a decent performance with GPU RX6800 and CPU Ryzen 5800X?