Pimax Crystal Light VR - A Sim Racer’s Review

[@markhallowell4059]

A proper review from a VR user, rather than someone just trying it out and then going back to screens. Well done Dan

[@DDFRacer]

VR is life mate 😎 no other way to do sim racing in my opinion, it's just a perfect match, although the teething issues and the sheer amount of time spent at the start of this process getting everything dialled in did have me questioning whether I should just convert to triples to make my life easier ha! Well worth it in the end though 👍

[@vt6020]

This was a great video. I've been looking at my potential replacement for the future when my Reverb G2 loses support from Microsoft. Funny enough, I decided to pull out my old Rift CV1. It only got a few months use after I bought it back in 2019. I got the bug and immediately ditched the CV1 to try the Rift S and then the Reverb G2. I have a more powerful PC now and I realized that I can turn up a lot of graphic options now, that I couldn't with my old hardware. The low resolution of the CV1 allows me to have much more of the eye candy on with iRacing. This review was helpful coming from a fellow sim racer. P.S. - I do know about that "technology smell". You're not alone. 🙂

[@toututu2993]

Those are youtubers recieving stuff for free. Is not like they didn't go back to vr is that playing while streaming or doing video looked better when they're not wearing the headset

[@FOGDaheee]

Agreed, very well presented video.

[@amigoz3201]

@@vt6020eye candy on cv1 ??? What you smoke bro😂 resulotiun is terrible on it everything lower than G2 is trash

[@subjektivegaming]

In my opinion, VR is highly effective for sim-racing. I was able to clock fast laps within minutes of my first VR experience. I have a Quest 3, which certainly has its limitations, but the potential is undeniable. I'm convinced that in the near future, VR will evolve to be lighter, more affordable, and user-friendly in terms of setup and usage.

[@Flexium_GG]

I too have a q3 and it’s more than good enough. I feel like an incredible headset is around the corner, I don’t want to drop thousands now for an imperfect product

[@DDFRacer]

Before this headset, I was using my Oculus Rift CV1 for nearly 8 years and loved every moment of it. The feeling of immersion was something I could never get from a monitor and really helped me to 'feel' what the car was doing underneath me and 'feel' my way around the track. VR and sim racing go hand in hand, even more so sim rallying, but that's another topic for another video soon hopefully 😉

[@subjektivegaming]

@@DDFRacer The moment I first sat in Senna's McLaren in VR, I was covered in goosebumps! It's amusing to recall how the concept of VR and 3D environments seemed like a tease in the early '90s, and now I'm experiencing that dream. It's truly awesome!

[@phreshxmetal]

I had bought and returned a q3 because the battery life was pretty short and would still drain while plugged in. An important note though, it was during the first month it was released. Was this ever fixed? I would love to upgrade from my CV1 😅

[@countdavis]

Thank you for your great honest review DDF Racer. I picked up my Pimax Crystal Light 2 weeks ago. I also have the DMAX earphones. It was definitely the best option for me after upgrading from the HP Reverb. I have a Nvidia RTX 3090, Ryzen 5800x, 32GB Ram. Pimax Play, Pimax XR Runtime (Not Steam VR), Open XR Tool Kit & AutoFPS. My PC runs the PCL absolutely fine. Minimal stutters. It’s much better than my reverb experience. It took me around 1 week of tweaking and getting use to it before I was satisfied and it worked perfectly. I use medium to high settings and get 45-50 FPS in flight sims and a fixed 90 FPS in Assetto Corsa. In regards to comfort, definitely use the included spare 15mm face cushion. If you are thinking of upgrading from a HP Reverb and don’t have a 4 series GPU, ideally you would probably need a 3090 or 3080 GPU. A 4 series GPU would obviously be much better but it’s not essential to work the PCL wonderfully. Once you get use to it, It is amazing. Do it…

[@DDFRacer]

Glad you enjoyed it 👍 much better to be honest and give people a genuine expectation than build up some false hype and leave them disappointed. Regarding the headphones, I'm guessing there must have been a shortage of DMAS when Pimax sent me this unit as it seemed strange not to have them included in the box, oh well. From what I hear, they're pretty good although probably not the best option for me personally taking the headset on/off a lot whilst recording and streaming, I'd have to keep on changing my output device in Windows which could get frustrating pretty quickly. You're spot on regarding the hardware side of things though. My 3080 is more than capable of running the Crystal Light headset and delivering a decent experience but it's left me wondering how nice a 4090 (or soon to be released 5090) would be...

[@Lucas_Pit]

Fellow VR sim racer/fly boy here. Started also with the CV1 and currently still on the G2 with a 3090 and 5950x. Beginning next year will change around for the 9800X3D with RTX5090 and the Somnium VR1. It will be soooooo gooooooood. Honestly I agree totally. Once raced in VR you never go back to te flat world. Great video m8, subbed.

[@DDFRacer]

Thanks for the sub 🧡 and the kind words! Must admit I hadn't heard of the Somnium VR1 before but after some quick research, wow 😅 that's even chonkier than this Crystal Light. I will say that jumping from the CV1 to Pimax was a bit of a shock to the system in terms of weight and comfort, and with the G2 being a pretty lightweight headset also I'm sure you'll notice the difference too. The improved visuals will be lovely and I'm not saying it's a _bad_ choice, but I think the Somnium might be a bit of a risk based purely on the numbers alone when you factor in the cost of it too. Not trying to shoot you down mate, not at all, just want to make sure you make a good choice 👍

[@JWP3t3r]

Thanks for this in deep review of the Pimax Crystal Light. I had a lot of experience with a Pimax 5x and I was not very happy, a lot of quality issues and SW problems. So I changed to a Valve Index and for a lot of years I was happy with it (I had to install a fan in the front mounting slot to keep the face cool). Now after Sony released the PC adapter I changed to the PSVR2 and I really like that it's not resting on the face that's a massive comfort gain. PSVR2 runs more or less plug'n'play with great colors and good clarity, easy to configurate for the different games. So I'm very happy again for a few years,.

[@DDFRacer]

Just like many others, you're saying some great things about the PSVR2 which only adds to the opinion that it's genuinely a great headset and should be a contender for people looking at an upgrade. The options are so many at the moment (which is a nice problem to have) and there's not one 'perfect' solution as it really depends on what each person needs from a headset, but ease of use is definitely a big plus point. Also, it might only be a few years since the Pimax 5K was released but I get the feeling that they've improved a lot as a company since then and, although QC issues might still be there, they're much better than before. The Pimax Play software is also really good too from my experience, no issues or frustrations so far 👍

[@Space-O-2001]

Your comments around 20 minutes in is exactly why I jumped from a Pimax headset to a Q3 which made me fall in love with VR again. I was sick to death of feeling like quality control and a beta tester. The Q3 is clear enough, light and connecting via Steam Link is a super polished experience.

[@HDRGamingHub]

And double the latency and compression artifacts. Low latency is the most important thing for simracing.

[@1uponu705]

​@@HDRGamingHub sounds like your wifi is ass. I avg around 6-16

[@HDRGamingHub]

@@1uponu705 Sounds like you have no idea what you talking about. Why are you even talking about wifi when the Quest 3 has the same latency and compression even on link cable ? Is the way the headset works buddy ! Do you even know what motion to photon latency is ? Quest 3 has 50-60 ms motion to photon latency. A headset with display port has half of that !

[@stilly7460]

I'll take the quest any day. Zero issues.

[@1uponu705]

@HDRGamingHub you're right. On desktop it's between 6-16 for me. I have fiber 1gb internet but playing games it's between 50-60. Still no issue. No hiccups etc. I have a 4080 with 7800x3d. Wifi is better than wired and quest 3 is the best all arounder while being low cost with better software forsure. There's more to it than just sim racing

[@FrankTMan]

Great job on the video first of all and yes I'm subscribed :) All the issues you've highlighted with PC VR is why my first VR headset became the PSVR 2 with GT7 on PS5, while the choice of any sim is limited on console, for someone who doesn't have the hours / days to invest in setting it up at the end of a long working week it was the right choice of me and has provided a lot of amazing racing moments. It really is plug in and play and unless Sony are going to "donate" you that setup it's a shame as it would be great to get your perspective on it. Maybe in 10 years VR will be like smart phones where the improvements year on year, gen on gen is less dramatic and the buy in price will be half what it is today. Ether way we should all be thankful for what we have even with all the issues and faults as VR tech is amazing considering how much getting into the real thing would set you back! Ether way keep up the good work DDF Racer and don't be shy to get into more reviews as this was a good example of your potential.

[@DDFRacer]

With an adaptor now making it possible to use the PSVR2 on PC, it's becoming quite a popular option for non-console sim racers too and definitely popping up on my radar. I must admit, I do like the concept of a console though, in that you just use it and...that's it. The downside of course is that you can't customise it, but swings and roundabouts I guess, however for the more casual user it's definitely the more appealing option. You're right though, VR tech has come on leaps and bounds compared to when I first tried it 8 years ago with the CV1. Once the CPU/GPU side of things catches up to what these modern headsets are capable of (and is affordable) then it's going to be quite the experience. As for more reviews, the slight issue of having a very minimal budget might make things a bit tricky 😅 unless some more freebies arrive in the mail of course...

[@Roache01]

I found your channel from the diy pedal shaker review, and now youtube recommends your videos. I hope more companies send you stuff, i like the way you review things. youve definitely earned getting a sub from me now!

[@DDFRacer]

Thanks for the sub 😁 glad you're enjoying the videos! It might not be super regular, but when I get some new equipment I always like to give it a thorough shakedown and share my experiences so others get a bit of an idea what the expect. Don't mind me, I'll just be patiently sat over here watching my inbox Nvidia, Meta, Bigscreen Beyond, Simucube etc etc etc

[@DonUtz1975]

NIce video! I cannot believe you get a good and smooth experience in EA WRC. Iam really struggling there with my Reverb G2.

[@DDFRacer]

Don't let a 20 second clip fool you 😅 EA WRC is always gonna EA WRC. To get that level of smoothness I had to turn my settings down a *lot* and even then reduce the render resolution in SteamVR to around 40% (1364 x 1612 on the Pimax Crystal Light according to Steam) which kind of defeats the whole point of a headset like this really. OpenComposite isn't compatible either for some reason, it creates horrible ghosting artefacts which I couldn't figure out how to fix, not to mention the repeated game crashes to desktop after about 20-30 minutes of driving. Definitely not a great experience by anyone's standards and wouldn't recommend it to anyone, much better off giving Richard Burns Rally a crack which is free and runs much better with (arguably) better physics too.

[@DonUtz1975]

The thing is that RBR highlights my lacking skill even more against EA WRC. 😅

[@DDFRacer]

Oh I know what you mean exactly 🤣

[@shawnfin671]

I understood maybe 1 in 10 of the technical words but it sure looks like fun to use. It's worth watching for the "Dad dancing" at the end if nothing else 😂

[@JDFdoggo]

[@jkwes1]

The DDF dance was definitely the highlight. Made my day.

[@DDFRacer]

Oh it's a *lot* of fun and the image quality is so much better than the old one 😍 really looking forward to just doing some races and 'using it' now that I've got my settings dialled in (for the moment, at least) and finished recording all the footage so don't have to think about making the video. Had to get a bit creative at the end with the 20 second section at the end for suggested videos 😉

[@partiallyfrozen3425]

Aha awesome! I also have a Pimax, and the wider field of view is so lovely!

[@DDFRacer]

Yeah it's nice being able to see more of what's happening in the peripheral vision, although still not quite as good as a triple screen setup which wraps around you it's much better than the CV1. I'd probably have even more FOV without the prescription lenses and extra foam kit to be honest 😅

[@donjezza]

VR performance was my reason for upgrading my pc, especially EA WRC, so worth it in hindsight. I also upgraded my quest 2 to 3. The quest 2 has 3 different IPD settings btw, not as good as a whole spectrum but not stuck to one setting. The size, comfort and heat look like a huge issue with this one. Also we all know too well the pain of trying to dial in vr settings, spent way to many hours trying every permutation.

[@elProvos]

Im thinking about upgrading to a quest 3. I went from RiftS to Quest 2. I only simrace. How do you find the step up?

[@donjezza]

@@elProvos Quest 3 was such a step up, everything is much clearer, the lenses especially are much better. I 99% only use it for driving games too, but needed to upgrade my pc to get the most out of it. i only had a 2070 before and it wasnt even really good enough for the quest 2. got a 4080 now and it runs everything so well, even ACC is sort of playable XD. issues i had with tracking and having to set up my stationary boundary all the time are not a problem with the quest3.

[@elProvos]

​@donjezza Dankeschön. Really appreciate the feedback. I have a 3060Ti but I've promised myself a 4070TiSuper or 4080Super for the holidays. I'm going to take that step up and go quest 3. Prefer the reliability and quality control of the Meta and warranty will be alot easier from my location. Thanks mate!!!

[@DDFRacer]

Over time, I definitely got used to the size/comfort and it wasn't as much of an issue as my first impression, although the heat is definitely more noticeable than the CV1. Then again, strapping some screens to your face and sealing them in whilst wrestling a direct drive wheel is always going to be warm 🤣 so no way of avoiding that, regardless of the headset you use I guess. Thanks for clarifying about the Quest 2 also 👍 always hate to get my facts wrong and was _sure_ I'd researched that one properly but apparently not, ha!

[@guyamek]

When I placed my order it was said 3-4 weeks. After a month I just got a strap. Thank you pimax, first and last time I order anything from you guys

[@DDFRacer]

That doesn't sound right 🤔 did you follow up with their customer service or log a ticket? I've seen that their Reddit is a pretty good place to get a quick response 👍

[@TheOutdoorDaileys]

Lol, I had to back the video up 3 times to read the snotty comment on the chat screen at 27:53 about nobody watching 😂 I've just been bitten by the sim bug, so thank you for a thorough review of the pimax crystal light. I haven't decided whether I want to go with a monitor or vr yet, but this was incredibly helpful.

[@atrapet]

I haven't watch the video fully yet, only 2 minutes in but the voice is clear, tone is great and VR first sim racing, that's a sub. Just got from CV1 to Quest 3 a few days ago , huge improvement but I also see the advantages of wired PCVR over wifi.

[@DDFRacer]

As someone who has a degree in audio engineering, your comment definitely made me feel a little warm and fuzzy 😆 thank you for the kind words and for the sub too, much appreciated.

[@simonoregan4744]

Nice. Fellow VR racer here. Never going back. Ill stick to my Quest 3 for now. In fact when business turns. Ill treat myself to a Big Screen & Beyond. Thanks for your honesty.

[@DDFRacer]

Happy to help out 👍 and I'm quite keen to give the Bigscreen Beyond a try too if I get the opportunity at some point. After getting accustomed to the Pimax and doing a back to back with my old CV1, the weight and form factor is quite appealing and it would be interesting to see if the slight trade-offs with resolution and FOV become insignificant in comparison.

[@elProvos]

Shout out from Barbados again. Thanks for the review. We have really similar setups, only I had a RiftS fpr about 4 years then switched to a Quest2. Was thinking about this or the Quest 3. Im alittle weary about the weight and QC but youve gicen me alot to think about. Thanks for the efforts and keep revving!!!

[@DDFRacer]

Shout out right back at you from Brisbane 👋 thank you for your kind words, always a great feeling to know I've been able to get some useful information across and potentially help you make a decision. There's so much advice and different recommendations out there, so many options, it can get a bit overwhelming to be honest.

[@bullshark1152]

Cool vid. I was thinking of getting one but after seeing this vid, I’m very happy with my quest 3 and AMS2. 😁👍🤜

[@DDFRacer]

If you already have a Quest 3 then it's only going to be minimal gains for a lot of expense at this point 😉 although I personally haven't used on so only basing that on what everyone else is saying here in the comments.

[@JDFdoggo]

Thanks for showing DDF Dad again, that with a comment reference to Dad dancing and lastly, at 25.15 a simulated Dad dive, great review. Looking forward to seeing you sweat it out in a 24Hr monster !

[@DDFRacer]

There was no way I'd make a video about VR and _not_ feature a clip of you gawking in there somewhere 😉 always a pleasure finding an excuse to go back and watch that video again too (even if it's only to find a 2 second excerpt and ending up watching the whole thing anyway) 🧡

[@agntcarter]

I'm not sure if you've tried other headsets other than the CV1 before this crystal light, but if the CV1 really was your only prior reference, I can only imagine how mind blowing it must've been going to the crystal light heh. glad you've had this opportunity come your way, enjoy!

[@DDFRacer]

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to briefly try a mate's Varjo Aero on his 4090 card which was an amazing experience but I was probably quite distracted as I knew his daughters were sneaking into the room to steal my pizza whilst I had the headset on 🤣

[@carlgray6764]

Great they sent a unit to someone who would not only appreciate it , but provide every pro/con and every other thing you might need to know. Genuinely pleased for you ... if only how you are going to get your face on the front of the pimax! I got a quest 3 ... and it was a ball ache to setup [for me] ... but its good in many things ... HL2 VR is pretty amazing to play .

[@DDFRacer]

Trust me Carl, the silly sticker is one of my top priorities at the moment 😉 it's not a proper VR headset until it has my face plastered all over the front of it. Sadly it seems that Pimax isn't a particurly popular brand at most of the customisation/decal stores I've found so I might have to go full DIY on this one...

[@carlgray6764]

@@DDFRacer look forward to it !

[@Peter-tb5vg]

Waiting for mine to arrive, hopefully not get a duffer. For the comfort, I've read the top strap is a real help so maybe worth looking at. Great video by the way. Concise, informative and well polished 👍

[@DDFRacer]

Tightening up the default top strap and putting more of the weight on the top of my head instead of my face was a big improvement, but it's still nowhere near as comfortable as my old CV1. I think that's just the sheer weight of it though, 815g compared to 470g. Will definitely have a look at the top strap upgrade though 👍 thanks for the advice, anything that helps.

[@Mark_Blanes]

Really good honest review. It would help if you put your PC specs in the title information. I had the OG Crystal & now own a Quest 3 both running on 7800X3D & 4080S. I was surprised how good the Q3 via Link cable is by compare. I know some users bang on about latency & artefacts on Q3 but my experience is that Q3 is amazingly good and the 25ppd thru pancake lenses presents an exceptionally good image for vr sim racing. When setup correctly via powered Link Cable it works brilliantly. I do not see any artefacts and the latency is not noticed. If I had to only pick one to keep then Q3 would be it. Lightweight, easy setup, fantastic edge to edge image quality and more versatile as can play other games totally untethered. The Crystal however is the better image with 35ppd although you have to fight for fps in settings commensurate with the power of your gpu/cpu, you need avery powerful rig to get the best. For example EA WRC runs much better on the Q3 than Crystal with same hardware specs. Anyway thanks fora balanced, unbiased review !

[@DDFRacer]

The video title would be too long to include my full specs but I was sure I listed them in the video description 🤔 apparently not, I'll get that fixed up shortly, thanks for the pointer. You make some very good points for the comparison of the Crystal Light and Quest 3 though, and if I ever get my hands on one I think it would make a fascinating video. The Pimax wins on most of the technical specs and is definitely the headset to use if you're a dedicated sim racer with the hardware to run it, but the Q3 sounds like it offers a more streamlined and user friendly experience with a compromise on the outright image quality. That said, I know the link cable/artefacts/latency can be a deal breaker for a few, probably myself included, so it really comes down to each individual's preference and what they intend to use it for 👍

[@Mark_Blanes]

~ for sure you understand. Myself, I only use vr 99.9% racing, have done since dk2, cv1, riftS, reverbG2, pimax 8kx, Crystal & now Q3. I am only listing that to say with experience that the whole artefacts & lag thing is a huge exaggeration because when setup correctly, using the oculus tool with specific settings, plus a high quality powered link cable, it is a total non-issue imho. However, it is impossible to prove that to some critics.

[@DDFRacer]

@@Mark_Blanes That's good to know, without trying it for myself the only information I have to go on is the experiences of others 👍so I really appreciate your insight mate, thanks.

[@debozebever]

As someone who is using his Quest3 for flightsims as well, Im keen on trying this headset! Great FOV and such, but i look like some sort of Aliexpress version of Judge Dredd. I hope they fix their form factor soon!

[@DDFRacer]

You could fit some red LEDs to the front and do a pretty good Knight Rider impression too 😆

[@seanpatterson5574]

Okay...my favorite part of this video, by far, is the dance. It occurs to me that most high performance equipment, especially motorsports related requires at least a little tuning work to get the most out of it. Once you get it dialed-in, it shows what it's made of. Have you noticed any effect on your driving? Are you extra fast now, or do you just look at all the pretty graphics? 😂

[@DDFRacer]

If anything, I'm probably driving slower than before 🤣 distracted by all the extra details and gakwing, especially in Assetto Corsa, Automobilista 2 and Richard Burns Rally where I can crank up the render resolution a little bit more. The day someone can simplify the whole process of getting one of these set up and configured will be a very good one though, I've lost track of how many times I ran the same laps again and again with slightly different settings just so I could analyse a bunch of numbers after the fact. Kind of takes the joy out of just being able to get in and drive a little bit, but thankfully that (should) be out of the way now and I can just enjoy it for what it is 😍

[@WrenchWenchRacing]

Remember the RoboCop reboot? Yea ya look like that 😂 Its mad your PC cant even max it. You have a very good setup! You can see the clarity of it 100%, the visuals are amazing! Thanks Dan, cant wait to catch you live again!

[@DDFRacer]

Ha, I'll take a Knight Rider cosplay attempt too 🤣 Regarding the performance side of things, even an absolute top of the range PC wouldn't be able to max the Pimax Crystal Light 👀 it's definitely something that GPU/CPU tech will need to catch up with in the future. That said, game developers also play a massive part in this with how well their optimise their software too. Assetto Corsa and AMS2 look absolutely superb and can be cranked right up but still run smoothly whilst something like EA WRC or ACC will run terribly and look even worse despite lowering all the settings as well.

[@jomi568]

so... when are you sticking on the eyes 🤣🤣🤣

[@jorn-jorenjorenson5028]

Yes, that is the most important question. Hope it will work some way with this form factor. : )

[@newcastlegeorge]

If he doesn't, we will riot

[@DDFRacer]

Don't worry, the trademark eyes will be coming soon 😉 just need to work out the design (can't obscure the cameras or the silver V shape on the face plate) then find somewhere that has a decent template and does custom printing.

[@newcastlegeorge]

This is one of those big boy headsets where everything seems crazy and overwhelming at first. It looks like a monster that needs taming a bit, but you fully deserve the improvements that come from this one. Loved the outro 😉

[@DDFRacer]

Ha yeah, you're not wrong there, overwhelming is actually a really good word to describe the first few days of using the Pimax Crystal Light. It's not like just plugging in a new upgraded monitor and loading up the sim like before with a better resolution, there are so many options to configure and optimisations that need making, especially going from Oculus to Pimax and using a completely different VR runtime. It felt like starting everything from scratch again to be honest 😅 working out Steam/OpenComposite vs Oculus, how to record it (mirror vs ingame) and how to get my overlays working inside the headset again. As good as it might look (especially in the titles that run nicely like AC, AMS2 and RBR), I know I've set myself up for disappointment as this is as good as it gets until I upgrade my 3080....which isn't happening for a few years at the very least.

[@maverickgoose2305]

A tip regarding the comfort. Because you are wearing your over ear headphones you are having to have the rear strap at the top of your head which is putting all the weight of the head strap on your face. The rear strap needs to be around the lower part of head to counter the weight. I know the earphones that comes with the CL are abit naff so my advice would be to buy the dmas add on headphones from Pimax.

[@DDFRacer]

Unfortunately for recording and streaming I need to use my over-ear and mic combo, simply because the headset is on and off throughout the course of things and I don't want to be switching audio devices in Windows all the time. I take my headset off? I lose Discord voice comms or replay audio for example. Also the built in mic on the Crystal Light is passable for comms but definitely not for recording. If it wasn't for those issues, I'd probably be more inclined to use the built in audio as it would definitely make life a lot easier and probably more comfortable too. As a compromise, I've really tightened up the top strap which helps quite a bit and takes most of the pressure off my face as well 👍

[@photodrift]

Get In-Ear monitor headphones like Shure SE215. Thats my combo with the Crystal Light instead of over ears

[@jean-gerardbeauport6915]

Thanks for the review. I was very on the fence on getting this headset, but my #1 concern is how hot I get when wearing my current headset (quest 2) and it creates condensation on the lenses, and from what you’ve mentioned this one might get even hotter quickly. I’d be very interested in seeing if you’ve found a way to deal with that drawback.

[@DDFRacer]

Gotta be honest, I haven't experienced condensation on the lenses with either my old CV1 or this new Pimax but that's probably due to my location. Being in Brisbane we don't tend to get lower temperatures and the humidity doesn't drop too much, even overnight, so cramming a warm sweaty face in there doesn't tend to create too many issues 😆 but yeah, an AC unit in the room is essential for me. Even without the VR headset it gets way too warm wrestling the wheel in my seat.

[@geojustgeo3219]

I have this vr headset, came from a G2. Also tried the Q3 but found the visual quality better in the G2. Anyways, even though i already own this i still watched your video to see if you shared some of my same experiences. Yup, felt very similar to you. My G2 is more comfortable. However the PCL is more comfortable than the Q3. Im going to be buying the upgrades from Studioform cuz i cant use this for more than 30-45min without it hurting. The sound is weak. My G2 was awesome for that. Speaking of, i watched you use it with your headphones and tried that with mine. Didnt think it was gonna work, but it did. Unfortunately it made an uncomfortable vr experience evem more uncomfortable. Having to spend another $150+ for the better headphones and better comfort pads in very annoying on an already expensive headset. After all the upgrades, shipping, tax, local dimming, etc, this headset is almost $1,000. Aaaaaand yup, in the end i feel just like you, the quality is so worth it lol! I have a 4080 and 5800x3D and still cant push it to its max. I am running most games on High and also using the 1.00 HIGH setting in the Pimax software. That makes a big difference in sharpness and clarity. Thanks for taking the time to make this review for others who are on the fence. This is my first time seeing a video of yours but it was great. Looks like you really care about what you do, thats important 👌

[@DDFRacer]

Wait, you're saying the Quest 3 is _more_ uncomfortable than the Pimax Crystal Light? I've had a lot of comments comparing the two so far but that hasn't been mentioned once, either being more of less comfortable, only that the PCL is uncomfortable in general. Interesting 🤔 thanks for sharing that! I've been using my over-ear headphones for years though and they're super comfortable so didn't have any issues adapting to using them with the Pimax, if anything they might actually help a little as the headset sits on top of them slightly and takes the weight a little more, especially with the headstrap done up tighter. Funny what we can live with though eh 😆 even with the downsides and issues, when you fire up a VR session and sit inside the car, it kind of doesn't really matter any more because you're right there in the moment, loving the experience. Looking forward to doing some more of that over the next few months and actually driving/racing instead of testing/tweaking 👍

[@jkwes1]

Brilliant review Dan. I’m very interested in the PCL and I now feel I know exactly what I’d be in for. I currently run a Reverb G2 which I think is very roughly midway between the PCL and your old headset (probably a bit closer to the old…). Anyway… I’ve decided to hold off for a year or so cos my 3070 card might choke on the PCL. I know you sweated blood on this review Dan - it must be a relief and very satisfying to have it done. Good job.

[@DDFRacer]

Thanks JK, really appreciate the kind words and honestly, knowing the video ticked all the boxes for you in terms of information and expectation is all I could ever ask for when making something like this 🧡 you're not wrong when you say it's a relief! I knew this would never be a quick video to make, but the amount of time I ended up putting into this surpassed anything I would have expected or planned for when I opened the box for the first time. I wanted to make sure I did a proper job though and tested all my options thoroughly to get my info right before committing it to something I couldn't change on KZbin 😉 definitely something that you can't do in a single session. I think holding off on your upgrade is the sensible thing to do though, especially as I can't get anywhere near the limits of the games I'm running or make use of the full capabilities of the Pimax Crystal Light on my 3080 👍 if you're happy with the G2 and it runs nicely then I don't see any reason to fix something that aint broke eh.

[@monza27]

Looks like you've added some tape to your wheel, did you follow a guide? I think mine will need something like that soon but not sure the best way to go about it. Thanks

[@DDFRacer]

Yeah the fabric started coming away after about a year of use unfortunately but the fix wasn't anything fancy, just some Head overgrip tape from Amazon 👍 originally intended for tennis racquets but works great on a steering wheel too. It's not 'tape' in the traditional sense though as it doesn't have any glue, it's slightly rubberised and sticks to itself when you wrap it around, which is actually what you want as you can easily re-wrap it if you make a mistake or need to adjust it in the future. Feels nice too, a little spongy and super grippy even without gloves.

[@carlosangalang]

There are days I spend more time messing with VR graphics settings than actually simracing. And that's with a Quest 3. And that's why I gave up trying to dial-in my PSVR2 as a PCVR. It was a losing battle anyway since the PSVR2 isn't as sharp as the Quest 3

[@DDFRacer]

If there was a universal "this is the best way to make your VR headset run great" method then it wouldn't be too much of a problem as we'd all follow the guide and end up optimising our performance as best as possible. The issue is that each different game has a different way of tweaking it for the best framerates, either through the game itself or editing text/INI files, patching in DLLs, using different runtimes, hacking it to run OpenXR through OpenComposite etc. Each headset has its own little quirks too and it depends on the CPU and GPU as well, so many variables. It never ends 😅 and just when you think you've got it all sorted, someone sends you a Reddit/forum post and says "hey, have you tried this? I hear it might work..." and so the whole process starts all over again ha!

[@carlosangalang]

@DDFRacer Right!?! 😅

[@BoRRis69]

Honest review, even 'til this day I would always recommend HP Reverb G2, it has a better mic, better speakers, longer cable and it's almost 400grams lighter then Pimax "Ligh". Only drawbacks are resolution (even with my rog strix 3090 oc and ryzen 9 5950x I sometimes struggle to keep 90fps in certain scenarios using openxr) and WMR being discontinued. I would like you to get a hands on one of the Reverbs G2 and do a review on it.

[@DDFRacer]

If you know of anyone who has a spare G2 I'd be willing to give it a try 😅 and you make some great points, plenty of my fellow VR sim racers have one and only say positive things about it. For me personally I don't use the mic or speakers on a VR headset as I have my over ears and studio mic for recording videos, but the reduced weight would definitely be a bonus.

[@BoRRis69]

@DDFRacer I would borrow you mine, but I am far far from Australia lol. For me pimax is a big no no for now at least. I also use motion rig and sometimes headset move on my face a bit if I don't tighten it, I can only imagine what that big bulky thing would do.

[@DDFRacer]

@BoRRis69 ha yeah absolutely, good point, you don't want that thing shaking around all over the place and flying off mid corner 🤣

[@lawyer4ever]

Very nicely done review. You correctly note that fiddly nature of PC VR but unfortunately that seems to be par for the course with PC gaming compared to consoles. I love my gaming PC with my Quest 3 and Virtual Desktop with Accuforce wheel and HE pedals for iRacing, but this gear requires lots of setup, care and maintenance. GT7 with PSVR2 on PS5 is much more plug and play, but it does not hold a candle to the Quest 3 on PC with iRacing.

[@DDFRacer]

My wife often jokes that I spend more time troubleshooting and playing around with settings than I actually do driving 😅 and she's not wrong. Some people enjoy the tinkering/engineering side of things and being able to extract the maximum performance from the hardware whereas I honestly don't have the patience for it any more. Maybe a few years ago when this was all novel and new, but now my free time and energy is much more limited than it used to be so every minute counts 😉

[@ChrisOld]

Great video cheers. I’m looking at my rift s which has done well and was wondering about a hp reverb g2 off of eBay, or go straight to this…

[@DDFRacer]

The problem with the G2 would be the impending discontinuation of support by Microsoft, so although it's definitely a solid headset which many people I know use (and love) it might have a pretty short shelf life 😬

[@ChrisOld]

@ ah no that sucks. Microsoft gonna Microsoft

[@b.s.7693]

20:08 but the good things is, most of these things just has to be done once, then back up all config files and you're good to go (except for an update breaks it as you said but this don't happens that often).

[@DDFRacer]

That is true 😉 it's just a *lot* of work getting to that point initially, even for those who are familiar with VR and very technically minded. Someone who's never had a VR headset before would probably get overwhelmed quite quickly or not be optimising their performance anywhere near what they could. You're absolutely right about backing all of the config options up though, super important! I should probably do that ASAP actually...

[@nath21131]

Thanks for that great review 👍 would you tell me what is the headset latency with display port connection ? I have a 40ms latency with my Quest 3 and it feels like a slow reaction time while I'm driving...

[@DDFRacer]

I couldn't find this in the specs from Pimax anywhere unfortunately, wanted to include a specific latency value in the review but didn't have the data. Is there a tool or some software I can use to measure this? If so, I'll do some research and get back to you 👍 I've heard that the Quest 3 is definitely on the higher side though.

[@viddiot]

Welp...DDF...If you're not paying for one; neither am I. Hahahah! Great review, told everything i needed to know, and educated me about stuff I didn't!

[@DDFRacer]

I mean, I was definitely on the lookout for one to buy _anyway_ with a nice Black Friday or Christmas discount potentially this year, so it was a nice surprise to have Pimax themselves get in touch with their offer. I definitely realise how fortunate I am though and kept that in mind throughout the entire recording process, reminding myself "what would I think if I paid for this with my own money? would I be happy with it?" etc. Glad it told you what you needed to know mate 👍 highest praise I can ask for when making a video like this, really means a lot!

[@viddiot]

@@DDFRacer Hahaha! Just kidding around...it's fantastic they got in touch with you, and as I said excellent product review!

[@aldyrinc6870]

I have a request for some more info, specifically for EA WRC: Game settings, Steam settings, Pimax settings, frame timing and fps info at 120hz and 90Hz, during day, night, no rain and with rain, and lastly the killer, fog. I'm hoping there's a way to put the frame time graph on screen. Otherwise, good review, some points to think over, whether it's worth the downsides and they can be mitigated. Thank you Dan!

[@aldyrinc6870]

Nvm all that. They ship to short list of countries and regions, that I'm not on. :facepalm:

[@DDFRacer]

Ah bugger, sorry to hear that mate! I suppose you could get it delivered to someone you trust from the community and then ask them to re-post it to you, but then you'd be paying for double international delivery which I don't imagine would be cheap. With regards to EA WRC though, I absolutely would not recommend this headset. I couldn't get OpenComposite to work without horrible ghosting and other visual artefacts, not to mention dropping the refresh rate to 72hz and the resolution way below anything the Pimax is capable of which kind of defeats the point. Even then, I experienced random crashes to the desktop after 20-30 minutes and couldn't find the cause.

[@F4celessArt]

Been using the Reverb G2 with a 3070 for a long time, and from the review here I don't think the Crystal Light will be the replacement I need once W10 support drops. I can deal with most of the resolution/framerate settings etc. But the comfort, the mandatory upgrades, and hardware requirements makes it a fair bit less attractive to me.

[@DDFRacer]

It's a shame that the Reverb G2 is essentially going to become a brick soon, I know plenty of fellow sim racers who use them and absolutely rave about them. You'd hope that someone finds a workaround so they can continue to be used 🤞

[@F4celessArt]

@@DDFRacer There are projects to make usable standalone drivers for it. Modders and enthusiasts never let good hardware get bricked like this. That said, I hope the EU or something ends up hounding MS into giving us a proper driver as they ought to.

[@keithbriscoe99]

Hi DDF. Do u have LED lights as the main source of light in that sim room? Or do u use incandescent or CFL bulbs.? Thx

[@DDFRacer]

I've never thought about it before but it's actually a mix of all three. I have some LED strips behind me which add some colour to the backdrop and probably don't contribute much to the overall illumination. The main sources would be a ceiling fan/light which is a CFL bulb and also an upright fill light behind my monitor which is incandescent. I'll be moving my rig to another room before the end of the month though and likely will be 100% LED, not entirely sure yet though.

[@davannagle450]

Subscribed for the socks shot

[@DDFRacer]

I heard there's some serious money to be made in those types of video...

[@ItsBlester]

So what's the best VR to get? is Quest 3 better or? (for competitive and casual, with an eye for detail) - Specifically for sim-racing, i dont mind tweaking but not constantly tweaking all day - My specs are amd ryzen 7 7800X3D, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super

[@DDFRacer]

Well for starters you've got a better CPU and GPU than me so if you get a Pimax Crystal Light then you'll be able to run at higher settings/render resolution/refresh rates than me 😎 but I haven't used a Quest 3 yet so can't give you a direct comparison unfortunately. As for tweaking settings, yeah it might take a little while _initially_ but once you get it dialled in then you shouldn't have to change much at all 👍

[@jimmy-the-bear]

Great video mate. With the IPD adjustment does it show you a measurement somewhere as you adjust it or is it just adjust to what feels right?

[@DDFRacer]

Sure does mate! It comes up with the mm measurement inside the headset itself and also in the Pimax Play software too 👍 so no guesswork involved. I know you said you're in the market for a new headset after needing to give the Varjo back to your mate so hopefully this review answers any questions you had mate 😎 found a winner between this and the Quest 3 yet?

[@jimmy-the-bear]

@@DDFRacer No winner yet, but Pimax is in the lead if only to give me an excuse to buy a RTX5090 when they are released LOL

[@DDFRacer]

@jimmy-the-bear I'm sure I could find a nice home for your 4090 if you do 👀

[@Rob-un6pj]

Hi, Great video. Maybe running FSR would improve your stutter. I run it on my poorly visual Valve index with RTX3080, makes big improvement to smoothness, but I hate the visual artifacts on trees, leaves, straight lines and shadows in the distance of the Valve Index. I am trying to get a Pimax light here in NZ.

[@DDFRacer]

I had a play around with various upscaling methods when going through the motions of testing this headset and, whilst I did get some minor performance increases, I didn't think it was worth the not so minor drops in visual quality. Like you mentioned, the artefacts are quite noticeable, especially here with a super sharp display that's capable of displaying all those distracting imperfections 😅 but definitely a good suggestion for those who aren't too bothered by it.

[@Rob-un6pj]

@@DDFRacer I'll find out hopefully soon. I just ordered the Crystal Light, though the GPU will be the bottleneck now, running the minimum, So another upgrade of that. Do you think lowering the resolution of the screen helps the GPU run the headset better? Also maybe lowering the steamVR Global resolution and bringing up the game resolution in the game setting in SteamVR?

[@stickdeath1980]

"Look at it IT'S HUGE" That's what she said. On a side note you own a printer lol

[@DDFRacer]

I knew someone would pick up on this, and I'm not disappointed in the slightest that it was you mate 😘 _(PS. I printed the QR codes at work because I'm a cheapskate like that...)_

[@mynickisalreadytaken]

Oh no. Using CV1 aswell (:D its fiiiiine...) and am afraid i won't get the FPS needed/wanted with better VR Headsets. :D Oh and i read that Pimax hates AMD GPUs :( (R7600+RX6800) Thought a bout the G2 V2, since i mostly use it for Racing/Driving. Congrats on your new fat Crystal Light! Must be an intense Jump from CV1 :D Edit: Of course i am jealous. :D

[@DDFRacer]

Honestly? The CV1 is a perfectly capable headset and I wouldn't be too upset if I had to continue using it. Considering it was one of the first consumer grade VR headsets on the market, it's stood the test of time extremely well. The weight, the comfort, the easy to use software, good headphones, stable tracking, low latency etc. One of the things that put me off upgrading for so long was the fact that, yeah, newer headsets might have a better resolution or FOV, but they'd compromise in other areas such as weight or going wireless, or being significantly more demanding. Or, probably the biggest one, just being too expensive 🤣 although the Quest 3 seems to tick all the boxes if you can live with using a link cable and increased latency.

[@AdamsOlympia]

What are your GPU/CPU specs? Do you get any of the stuttering when you're not capturing video? Trying to decide whether to wait for Pimax Super ... My 4090 won't be able to push games at max settings but that 130 horizontal FOV/ 110 vert and 4k per eye would be fabulous if I could turn down some of the in game graphics settings and still get a sharp, fluid image.

[@DDFRacer]

Hey Adam, I'm running a Ryzen 7 5800X3D CPU and Nvidia 3080 10GB card here so definitely not 'top of the race' but still decent enough I would hope. The video capture doesn't have too much of an effect that I've noticed, probably quite minimal at best, although the stuttering I experienced at first was due to running my settings in the Pimax software too high. Knocking down the refresh rate to 72hz and render resolution to 0.5 with low-med settings in most games seems to give a super smooth experience in most situations and, trust me, I tested full grids with night/weather and everything to make sure 😅

[@abeidiot]

It looks like the VR industry is finally getting over its slump and there are more native VR games with full immersive controller support coming out like 2020. So that has made this a bit less appealing for me with its massive size and weight. For sim only users, its great, but I am quite liking metro awakening now

[@DDFRacer]

Oh absolutely agreed, if you do anything other than sit down and use a VR headset then this probably isn't the best suited one to pick. Wireless would be a massive advantage along with something much lighter and more comfortable if you're going to be playing active games that require a lot of movement 👍 very fond memories of Super Hot, Beat Saber, Echo Arena when I first tried out the CV1 many years ago.

[@tdhitchins]

I have a 4090 admittedly but I find ams2 runs smoother/faster in my crystal light compared to my quest 3. Comfort wise, I bought the studioform face mask and it's gone from being uncomfortable to one of the most comfortable headsets I've had. They've also got the pimaxvr app now for openxr. I am questioning which headset to keep. I'm worried I'll miss the display of the light but I love the quest 3 for so many reasons.....first world problems I know

[@DDFRacer]

Thanks for the suggestion, I just had a look at the studioform upgrades and they look quite appealing so I might have to try them out at some point in the future 👍 also, do you _really_ have to get rid of one of your headsets? I mean, variety is the spice of life and whatever it is they say 😉 sounds like too much of a tough decision if you ask me.

[@tdhitchins]

@DDFRacer Haha. Whilst I do agree with you, my wife and wallet unfortunately don't

[@tdhitchins]

I bought the head strap thing too btw, think that helps

[@hickslightfoot]

I've got a 3080 setup as well... I'm still in the process of finding my sweet spot settings. You mention Open XR toolkit with composite... If I try this method do, I still need to open Pimax Play ? are you using Steam VR or Open XR toolkit method ? Great video, Its refreshing to see someone post the "real" setup struggle :) But damn the quality is worth the journey...

[@vangeeson]

You will always need Pimax Play. Its the systems gateway to your headset. You can see in Pimax play also which runtime is used. I would avoid the new "Pimax OpenXR" and go to the old route of the PimaxXR Toolkit and Open Composite until they fixed their OXR integration. I have a 3080Ti and a 7800X3D and this gave me the best results after trying the new runtime for a week in iracing. The finetuning of the FFR in the OXR/PXR Toolkit is the biggest boost you can get right now. No luck with quad views etc. for now. Effectively i can jump a whole quality setting up in Pimax Play compared to the stock experience.

[@hickslightfoot]

@@vangeeson dude, you rock... thank you so much...

[@DDFRacer]

What they said ☝️ Pimax Play is always required to run as it's what allows the physical headset to communicate with your PC. I've found that running a game in OpenXR where possible always gives the best results, either natively or through OpenComposite and then, yeah, using the Fixed Foveated Rendering to reduce the quality of the peripheral vision makes a big difference in terms of performance. I would run much more aggressive settings if I could but narrowing the 'sharp area' any further would result in horrible artefacts on the edge of the screen for my recorded footage unfortunately, despite hardly being noticeable inside the headset. Of course Dynamic Foveated Rendering would be nice 😎 but Pimax had to cut some features (such as eye tracking in this example) compared to the original Crystal model to get the cost and the weight down to its current state.

[@tuzkinity4476]

Makes me wonder which is more bulky, Index or this.. xD As a Valve Index user I find it a little bulky but my curiosity hovers over which of the two headsets are bigger.

[@DDFRacer]

These are only rough measurements and probably not manufacturer specification accurate, but from my stuffing around with a tape measure I'm getting approx 260mm wide, 115mm tall and 115mm from front of the faceplate to lenses too.

[@rynosraceroom66]

I tried to the rift s & went back to my cv1

[@DDFRacer]

I heard a lot of people with a similar experience as yours which is probably one of the things that put me off upgrading for so long. The CV1 is a superb VR headset and served me well for _many_ years so it was going to take some serious improvements to be beaten.

[@AidanMillward]

Pop on your head and your turn into the worst Dr Who baddie of the week ever seen 🤣 It’s a chonky boi.

[@DDFRacer]

Ha yeah, the visual profile is quite...er, striking. Really keen to try a Bigscreen Beyond now at some point though if I can, just to see what the opposite end of the spectrum is like in terms of weight and size 🤔

[@jefdamen2977]

I use track ir on a single screen. I think my head will overheat too fast with vr setups.

[@DDFRacer]

Overheating is definitely a concern and it doesn't help that I'm based in Brisbane either with all of the heat and humidity here 🥵 but I guess it's something you get used to over time. Some kind of AC unit in the room is essential though, especially for longer driving sessions.

[@jefdamen2977]

@ I would have an easier time since i’m in cloudy Belgium.

[@MegaIronica]

Here is my question. If something happened to you current Crystal, would you automatically buy another one with your money? Also, have you tried a Quest 3 for reference? Going from OG Rift CV1 to a Crystal is like going from a PS1 to a PS5, lol. I have a Quest 3, and I think for most people, it is a better choice.

[@DDFRacer]

Can't say I've had the chance to use a Quest 3 yet but it's definitely on my to-do list at some point based on all the recommendations here in the comments, the only issue is budget. If it wasn't for Pimax offering me this free review unit then I'd definitely still be using the CV1 right now 😅 but if I had to buy one again then I'd probably still go with the Crystal Light as it was pretty much at the top of my wishlist anyway. Now that I've tried it and seen the response though, I'm keen to not only try the Q3 for comparison but also the Bigscreen Beyond although that would be significantly more expensive due to my lack of SteamVR sensors/controllers etc.

[@Racer-X-090]

VR is definitely a "try before you buy" proposition for me.

[@DDFRacer]

Oh absolutely agreed on that one mate! I 100% committed with my Oculus CV1 purchase many years ago without trying VR first because back then it was much more of an unknown technology, at least on a consumer level, and there wasn't really anywhere to try it first. Today though, you can go to your local arcade or maybe an electronics store at a shopping centre and there'll be a demo unit on display to try. If that's an option for you then I can't recommend it highly enough, especially considering the combined price of a decent VR headset and capable PC.

[@b.s.7693]

11:13 to be fair, the PSVR is at least on par (I've measured 120°h for me).

[@DDFRacer]

I've heard many good things about the PSVR2 to be honest 🤔 although the site I used for the comparison graphics, VRCompare, didn't have too much info on the headset and only listed 110 diagonal so I decided not to include it.

[@b.s.7693]

@DDFRacer then they seem to have no real data. The FOV is indeed up to 120, measured it by myself.

[@leftish23]

Well deserved. Enjoy!

[@DDFRacer]

Cheers Left 🧡 thanks mate! Can't wait to give this a crack with GTL again when 1.6 drops. Maybe 2026? We'll see 😆

[@isitPC]

Bought this last month. Sent it back. Terrible build quality, faulty lenses and exceptionally uncomfortable just made it unusable. A lot of people in their official forum had the same problems. I find the extremely aggressive marketing for this device seriously offputting, there are so many content creators being given a unit to try out.. and every single one say its superb. I can't help but think they send out specific handpicked units because mine and many others experiences are never like these. Also, customer service is atrocious, they take weeks to get back to you unless you directly prod the reps in the Pimax social channels. You're not imagining the issue with lenses. The PCL has a VERY short focal length compared to pretty much every other VR headset, and definitely causes eyestrain for those who need glasses especially. I daily drive a Q3, and I don't require prescription lenses, but with the PCL I absolutely did. Essentially Pimax cut too many corners to shave the cost down, and it's a real shame because the screens themselves are ridiculously awesome.

[@marcushellberg907]

My PCL that I bought during summer is great and no problem with the lenses. I have been in contact with the Pimax support a few times and got reply the day after both times without social channels. The focal distance is one meter on PCL compared to 1,5 or 2m on most others. This can be a problem or a benifit, depending on your eyes. My eyes actually is more comfortable with one meter, so for me this is a good chooice from Pimax. I did buy the Comfort-kit from Studioform to get a better fit to my head, it was a bit to wide original. I would buy it again! I hade a Reverb G2 before this.

[@DDFRacer]

I must admit, I was concerned about what the quality of the unit would be like before it arrived based on forum / reddit posts and generally bad experiences although I guess that it's like most things, you tend not to hear from people who don't have any issues and don't need any help so the perspective is skewed a little. I would imagine the units that Pimax send out for review (like this one) are hand checked before being shipped to make sure they're good, which only strengthens the case that they might need to improve their quality control processes so the general public get the same assurances if they decide to buy one. Definitely a very technically impressive VR headset though 👍 and you'd hope that any of the criticisms that myself and others have picked up on would be noted by the R&D team for the next model.

[@CuePlayz]

you were right. i found this video by searching pimax review. hahaha

[@DDFRacer]

Good to know I got something right at least 😅

[@GT1GT]

Congrats on the Pimax Light. Welcome to the, HOLY SH** this is clear. I own the Pimax Crystal and have owned so many other headsets but this by far is always a WOW with just how clear this is. Now on another note I just picked up the HF8 and watched your video on the HF8 and decided to try out the profile you made and HOLY SH** the profile is amazing. Works so well with AMS2 and also tried it in ATS. Thx for that profile. Cheers.

[@DDFRacer]

Thank you for the kind words, much appreciated! Glad the HF8 profile came in useful too 👍 I also recently set up some custom DIY bass shakers (also using SimHub) which might also be worth a look as I spent nearly a month getting them dialled in compared to the single day with the HF8 before I had to send it back 😅

[@adrianthompson7033]

I'm runing openXR in iRacing without Steam VR. Fair enough, I'm fairly new to sim racing so I'm only running iRacing, but iRacing has me hooked, so I haven't actually looked at anything else. In iRacing though, I do find I have to reduce some of the graphics settings for sports cars, but in open wheelers I have everything turned up to max with the Pimax Game setting at 90 Hz refresh and the graphics setting set for performance. I'm running a RTX 4090 and I'm still finding that I can't go full graphics in the sports cars at 90 Hz. Like you said though, Pimax does put out updates, and hopefully over time they'll improve the efficiency, but hell fellow, I don't realy care at the moment because this is fucking brilliant. Time to do another race. If you're wondering, I'm watching KZbin through my TV and my computer is hooked up to it as well. So when I switch to do a race the KZbin vid I'm watching pauses until I come back after my race.

[@DDFRacer]

With regards to performance in iRacing it tends to be quite CPU limited, especially as you start getting more cars on track (and more varied cars too like a big IMSA multiclass grid) so a 4090 is only going to get you so far as it's not the graphics card that's the bottleneck for most people. It's also definitely not the most well optimised sim out there in terms of performance, for that I'd recommend taking a look at either Automobilista 2 or Assetto Corsa. AMS2 will be a much easier 'out of the box' experience whereas AC will need setting up with Content Manager, Custom Shaders Patch etc of which there are plenty of tutorials already made to guide you through the process 👍 but well worth the time taken. Either option will also need the OpenComposite tool to force them to run in OpenXR instead of SteamVR (another plus for iRacing which has the option to run natively in OpenXR). I find I can run those two sims at *much* higher resolutions and graphics settings than iRacing for the same levels of performance and they both look absolutely stunning 😍

[@aj2228]

cv1... .holy shit, it communicates with your GPU with smoke signals?

[@DDFRacer]

@@aj2228 rather well actually 😎 USB 3.0 and HDMI connection, super low latency, super low weight, nice and comfortable, super reliable. There's a reason I ran it into the ground for so many years 😉 if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The Pimax is a very nice upgrade in terms of pixels and fov though 👍 but the CV1 was an absolute workhorse and I loved it.

[@ppkpahmad7426]

serious question . Is vr going to damage your eyes in long term use ?

[@DDFRacer]

@@ppkpahmad7426 good question. I've used VR pretty much exclusively for 8 years and haven't noticed any side effects or major changes in my glasses prescription 👍 so it seems safe for me, but I'm not a medical professional of course and everyone's experiences may be different.

[@StevenFurio]

Never mind bigscreen beyond? Like what mate?

[@DDFRacer]

@@StevenFurio was just trying to squeeze as many terrible puns into that section as possible, don't take it too seriously 😉 in all seriousness though, I would love to try one at some point if I get the opportunity, just to see what the complete opposite end of the spectrum is like in terms of weight and size

[@mementomori4972]

That's how you review a headset! Take notes Suellio Almeida!

[@DDFRacer]

Thanks for the kind words, much appreciated! Suellio catching strays though 😅 I'm sure he's a nice guy and to be fair, he works _hard_ to do what he does and the production quality on his videos is superb.

[@mementomori4972]

@@DDFRacer I agree with everything you just wrote. How did you like his review of the PCL?

[@LTHRacing]

BE VARE! I sent mines back due to to thick back of the Crystal. It made my head lean forward and created back pain. My hight is 1.80m and I use Sparco Circuit 2 seat! So if you are similar or your head is not far or hanging above the seat rest don't buy it. Pimax is around 3 times hoter than quest 3 but with 10 times better image.

[@DDFRacer]

Sorry to hear that mate but you did the right thing, you shouldn't be experiencing any long term physical problems that you can't resolve by adjusting the headset or your environment. In the video I pointed out the back of the headset too and how the tightening dial can get in the way, preventing me from sitting back fully, however I mostly remedied this by moving my seat back a notch. Compared to my old CV1 which was completely flat on the backstrap and could press up against my seat with no issue, the backstrap on the Pimax is definitely noticeable.

[@LTHRacing]

@@DDFRacer Thanks for long reply there is no comment toward your review. It's just a awareness message to the people. As I wasted shipping cost money at the end... And it should be talked about more or Pimax should release a slimmer headstrap version. After this I decided I had enough of VR tech is not there yet and went for tripples.

[@2ndLastJedi]

I have been on the fence about the Crystal for a while now, i have the 4090 and a G2 and you video has me still uncomfortably on this fence. I have a big nose and terrible eyes so a little worried about a few things. 24:50 are we mates? haha

[@DDFRacer]

Mate, if you ever find yourself anywhere near Brisbane then let me know (probably a DM on Discord is the best way to get in touch) and I'd be more than happy to let you have a crack at it 😁

[@2ndLastJedi]

@@DDFRacer Thanks mate, i live on the Northside. I thought you lived in the motherland, haha

[@DDFRacer]

@2ndLastJedi ha no way, you're kidding? Moved here nearly 9 years ago now, probably walked past you without even realising it

[@2ndLastJedi]

@@DDFRacer haha i'll go out front a beep the horn, tell me if you hear it, lol. 4505 Thanks for the offer mate, problem is i will probably love the Crystal and need to sneak another big purchase past the misses.

[@DDFRacer]

@@2ndLastJedi 4017 here, and in all seriousness just drop me a message on Discord if you want to give it a try or even just grab a drink somewhere sometime mate, always happy to meet a fellow sim racer!

[@RADERFPV]

I'd say yes too!

[@DDFRacer]

Gotta make sure you weigh up those options 😉 I mean, free VR headset or no free VR headset. It's a tough one. In all seriousness though, after using a CV1 for so many years and struggling to justify/afford the upgrade, it was surreal to see that email from Pimax. I'll never take stuff like this for granted 👍

[@RADERFPV]

@@DDFRacer That's awesome man, and I definitely would have been stoked to get that email too! You have a great attitude in not taking this stuff for granted. Keep up the great videos, see ya on track!

[@ronartest8638]

im on 4080 rtx and i got PCL, im disappointed by the stuttering when you drive, you got to lower all the settings to have a decent experience, and so what the point because my quest 3 or pico neo 3 link do same job, so i dont get it . uf someone got some good settings for AC or AMS2 , cause ,none of my settings are great, everybody talk about clarity, but i dont find big difference with PICO neo link

[@DDFRacer]

For both Assetto Corsa and Automobilista2, I notice a *huge* improvement in performance when using OpenComposite to trick those games into running in OpenXR instead of SteamVR 👍 if you're not already doing that then I'd strongly recommend giving it a try ASAP. If you already are using OpenComposite then I'm not sure what to suggest as even on my 3080 I'm getting no stuttering and solid framerates with most settings on medium-high.

[@ronartest8638]

@@DDFRacer thanks bro, im gone give it a try ))))

[@user-0oi7etm93r]

Yet another suggestion from a passby person. Get a DMAS and rid of a headphones - more comfortable and heatless and less weight by a 10x couple of gramms. I'm using DMAS on my 8KX and pretty happy with it. Cheers.

[@DDFRacer]

I wouldn't mind using a built in option for audio, even in-ears like my old CV1 could work, but I need to use my current over ear headphones when recording/streaming as they have my studio mic mounted to them. Also it would be quite frustrating losing all audio when taking the VR headset off and having to switch audio output settings in Windows and put my other headphones on _anyway_ every time I took a break 😅 so for me, personally, it's not too much of an issue. The headband actually helps with comfort a little bit as it takes some of the pressure off the top of my head and front of my face 👍

[@RaffaelaRigby]

Nice review - but at that price - 1000$ it really is with DMAS - there is quite a lot of problems.- When you go from the CV1 - ofcourse its a huge change - but coming from the soon dated Reverb G2 - there shouldnt be problems like "heavy, hot,bulky, unconftable" havent started talking about the loads of quality issues on reddit. - oh, and yeah - you expect huge FOV from Pimax - but thats a no here - cause you need padding = lesser FOV.-

[@DDFRacer]

Very good points all round 👍 and I don't disagree with any of them.

[@barzucci]

i sent back my Crystal. After seeing pancake lenses in Q3 i think can't use any other headset that has not pancake lenses.

[@DDFRacer]

Can't say I've tried a Quest 3 but after all the positivity about it here in the comments I think it might be on my to-do list in the future 👍

[@barzucci]

​@@DDFRacer especially if you have powerful pc, when you change settings in oculus debug tool like multiply pixel per eye and decreasing a bit vertical fov, it's coming to another level of clarity 😊

[@Aari_Plays]

The only isue i have with VR is that my vr uses usbC, but my shifter uses usbC too... I only have 1 port on the pc...

[@DDFRacer]

I'm sure there are plenty of powered USB hubs out there which could increase your useable number of ports 👍 and probably not that expensive either I'd say. Definitely worth looking into.

[@bartchelin]

You just need Sparco to contact you about a rim

[@DDFRacer]

Ha yeah 🤣 it was looking a bit ratty eh? The fabric started coming away recently but I fixed it up with some overgrip tape before recording the gameplay footage later in the video 👍 absolutely love my BMW rim.

[@gaminginstilllife9429]

i have a pimax crystal light, does anyone ever get a weird glitch where the world seems to lag when i look around until it seems to snap in place, i have a bar code for tracking on my Moza wheel but i still get this glitch still sometimes

[@DDFRacer]

I can't say I've experienced that glitch yet, but I'll be using the headset a lot over the coming months so will keep an eye out for it 👍

[@gaminginstilllife9429]

@DDFRacer I think I figured it out with Metro today if the frames are dropping the world around you seem like it delays when you look around I think it's just frame drops and I noticed it when I put it on 72 frames it did it a lot more often and then when I rolled it to 90 and lowered all the settings and the headset resolution it stop doing it

[@AL.farmlife]

noah quest 3 is better , have also internal fan the Fov is ok and the lence are best. But thank you for review

[@DDFRacer]

I was seriously considering a Quest 3 before Pimax came along and offered me this headset to review and keep 👍 maybe I still will get one at some point in the future, although now I'll probably save that money and put it towards a new GPU to make this one run better ha!

[@vincentvalerio915]

It is lighter than the regular crystal and it is not designed or sold to be a standalone headset so why bother criticizing about areas that have no relevance

[@DDFRacer]

@@vincentvalerio915 because I think that people, like myself, who are upgrading from something lighter like a CV1 or G2 need to know that it's still actually quite heavy by comparison 👍 I know it's lighter than the standard Crystal model but that wasn't the point of this video. I also didn't criticize it for not being a standalone unit, I just pointed that fact out and said it's probably not the best idea for active play sessions.

[@RichAbe23]

How in the world are u able to play race room in vr. It is a terrible experience for me on any headset other than an oculus one.

[@DDFRacer]

Not going to lie, I struggled at first adjusting to the reduced performance in RaceRoom moving from my old Oculus CV1 to the Pimax Crystal Light. Previously I was able to use the DLL file mod and bypass SteamVR which really improved performance but unfortunately that file doesn't work with anything other than an Oculus headset and RaceRoom doesn't seem to like OpenComposite either due to the DX9 side of things. The things that helped me the most get some performance and image quality back in RaceRoom was turning shadows off completely (leaving car shadows enabled though), turning mirror quality and car reflections to low and also reducing the render resolution in SteamVR to around 60-70%. In this video I was recording at the same time as driving so could probably push my settings a bit further if I wasn't recording...but then nobody would see it and it'd kind of make my channel a bit pointless 😅

[@somerandomperson8282]

Upgrading to a high resolution VR headset, without the GPU hardware to support it, was a bit of a booboo.

[@DDFRacer]

Honestly? I just don't have the budget for a 4080 or better 😅 I wish I did but sadly that's just the way it is, my peasant's 3080 and 5800x3d will have to do for now. Wouldn't even have this headset either if it wasn't for Pimax sending it for free but I guess this gives the many people in my situation with similar equipment an idea what to expect which is perfectly playable and actually not that bad to be fair, just not maximum settings 👍

[@Woopass90]

I a PCL yesterday. So disappointed in it and am returning it. My Quest 3 is way better.

[@DDFRacer]

What was it about the Pimax Crystal Light that disappointed you?

[@andyreader3867]

Head strap not on properly for the first impressions part. That’s why it hurt your face. Great video but you probably should have mentioned that.

[@DDFRacer]

Yeah good spot and good point, I realised that later in the day and fixed it for every other test and all the remaining footage 👍 but completely slipped mind when doing my voiceover 🤦‍♂️ definitely better but still not super comfortable though even with the top head strap done up.

[@andyreader3867]

@ I’m approaching upgrade time myself from the index. I was encouraged by your final thoughts but the comfort does concern me. I think I should wait for more deckard news. Maybe valve will send you one when that day comes. Nice honest reviews like this are appreciated.

[@aperturescience2]

Get a quest 3 mate

[@DDFRacer]

To the honest, the Quest 3 was very close to the top of my list before Pimax came along and offered me this headset to review and keep 👍 maybe I still will get one at some point in the future, although now I'll probably save that money and put it towards a new GPU instead so I can crank the settings on this one a bit more! Previously coming from a CV1 though I was keen to stay within the Oculus/Meta software side of things as I knew how it worked and had it figured out in terms of gameplay/recording settings, but the increased latency and reliance on a link cable (wireless is not an option for my setup) definitely put me off.

[@boijorzee]

Too many hoops with this one. The Quest 3 is going to give you 90% of the clarity with much less hassle for a lot cheaper. Kinda a no brainer really.

[@lawyer4ever]

The pancake lenses on the Quest 3 are hard to beat. They are best in class hands down.

[@DDFRacer]

It was between the Crystal Light and Quest 3 on my purchase wishlist before Pimax got in touch with this freebie review unit so I guess they made the decision for me 😅 but I'd be pretty keen to try the Quest 3 now for comparison based on the responses I've had in the comments here. My only issues would be the reliance on a link cable (my home wifi network is not an option for this kind of thing), increased latency and artefacts.

[@billbaggins1688]

It is hot, it is uncomfortable. The software is shit, every upgrade introduces new problems. If you get controllers, they are junk, they drift about the place because tracking is also junk. But the visuals are nice. I regret buying mine, and wish i had waited for a VR headset with similar resolution, but with a premium build quality. When mine arrived the velcro stuff was not even glued down properly. The foam that sits on your forehead has no backing behind it. So it is not weight bearing. There is a 2 cm strip that sits on your forehead and it is very uncomfortable. It is also designed for VERY fat heads. You will need to purchase new foam, and spacers to properly mould it to a head shape. Expect to sweat, a lot. You will also need to get an apache head strap to get some of that weight distribution off your nose and onto your forehead. The sound on the speakers is horrible. Expect to pay through the nose to upgrade. Suddenly, this cheaper option is not cheaper at all. Be warned. At least this reviewer mentions the downsides. unlike the flight sim simps who failed to.

[@DDFRacer]

In all of my reviews I always do my best to take a balanced approach. Like I said in the video "if I say good stuff then it’s because I genuinely mean it, but also if I don’t like something about the Crystal Light then I will be calling them out on it". It would be easy to be a Pimax simp after getting a free VR headset to be fair 😅 but that doesn't actually help anyone who's in the market for one and doesn't give me much credibility either, which is what I value far more than getting a handful of affiliate link clicks and a very insignificant amount of pocket change.

[@der60er]

another "fake" fov review. testers should measure fov with a tool. crystal has 102°. 115 is misleading, they claim this also on their website....

[@DDFRacer]

Not sure how this is fake, but fair enough. I'm just using the official specifications provided by Pimax and comparing it to the official specifications of other headsets such as the Quest 3, Bigscreen Beyond, HP Reverb G2 etc. Let me know which tool you recommend to measure the FOV properly and I'll post my results for the Pimax Crystal Light back up here when I get chance👍

[@der60er]

test hmd ​@@DDFRacer

[@der60er]

​@@DDFRaceror boll whats my fov

[@DDFRacer]

@@der60er thanks mate, I'll check that out soon

[@der60er]

@DDFRacer i had both. q3 and crystal. q3 even had 1-2 hfov more ! in fact of the size its crazy why pimax is away from the old big fov hmds

[@aperturescience2]

Used VR headset? The cheapskates!

[@2ndLastJedi]

and a bit gross

[@DDFRacer]

Pretty sure it's a 'review' copy 🤔 or maybe an ex demo model. Was super clean though when I unboxed it, fresh lenses and foam fabric, no signs of use (apart from the slight damage on the back of the strap), plastic film covers on everything so pretty much good as new 👍

[@2ndLastJedi]

@DDFRacer so good, a bit of a nice kickback from all the hours you've put into VR sim racing.

[@wombatchelsea23]

the whole buyers review is rubbish because you are not a buyer you got them for free XD

[@DDFRacer]

Never claimed it was a buyers review 😉 made sure to put a pretty big obvious disclaimer section in the video early on to cover that one off and say it was a freebie. That said, I was looking at buying one of these _anyway_ before Pimax got in touch so I made sure to make my review as objective as possible as if it was my own money being spent. I don't need to shill for a product and I don't owe Pimax anything, I might get a handful of dollars from a few people clicking the affiliate link, but I get a lot more credibility for being completely honest and open which is what I value much more 👍

[@adrianthompson7033]

Actually, the optional foam isn't a mandatory upgrade. I got around the problem by weighing the Pimax Crystal Light from its centre of balance, using the optional apache strap, and attached a 400 gram sand bag weight I had from some ankle weights, that's another story, using cable ties, which means my Crystal Light sits balanced and comfortable on my head and I don't have to pull the face pad in tight. In fact, when I start a racing session on iRacing, I usually spend about five minutes driving a practice run with my Crystal Light fairly loose on my head to warm up the screens so that I don't get the fogging issue once I tighten the headset into a comfortable position for racing. I'm with you fellow, now I've started racing with the Pimax Crystal Light, I can't go back to racing with just a monitor. In fact, when I did my first race using my Crystal Light, it was so good it nearly felt like I was cheating; and I don't mind turning my head to look around because that's all part of the immersion. In an open wheeler, if Jim the spotter, tells me I have a damaged front wheel. I can actually lean out of the cockpit and look at the damage as if I'm actually sitting in the car. BRILLIANT. The Pimax Crystal Light is my very first VR headset, and all I can say is, fuck me it is absolutely fucking brilliant. Every time I put on my headset and race, no matter the outcome of the race, which can often end in tears so to speak, I always come away with a massive smile and an uplifted feeling. If you race sims for the immersion you can't go wrong with the Pimax crystal Light, as long as your computer can handle it. P.S. Even though I don't actually need it, I am still thinking about the thicker face pad because when I occansionally tighten the the fit, I get some smearing on the outer edges of my aftermarket lenses, probably from my eyebrows. Another note: If it is possable, I would even go for the after market lenses, that have no correction, if available, simply because, as you said, they protect the Crystal Light lenses. This rant I've just given about the Pimax Crystal Light is my own opinion as just another humble racer that is blown away by the immersion this brilliant device gives me, and no, I'm not affiliated with anyone, this is my honest opinion. Now fuck off, I've got some racing to do. 😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄

[@DDFRacer]

The thought of adding _another_ 400g of weight to the headset doesn't sound too appealing I'll be honest 😅 but I'll rig something up and give it a try before committing to purchasing some kind of mod. Never say never until you give it a go, right? I also tightened up the default topstrap a lot since making this video which distributes the weight a lot more evenly and takes the pressure off the front of my face which is nice 👍 although still nowhere near as comfortable as my CV1 sadly. Absolutely agreed about the immersion and experience though. I've been using VR for 8 years and it's perfect for sim racing, hard to get anywhere near the same level of enjoyment on the rare occasion I need to use a monitor to drive instead. That said, even after so many years, the Crystal Light still blew my mind. It'll be a good day when I can afford a GPU upgrade and *really* see what it's capable of.

[@adrianthompson7033]

@@DDFRacer My idea of adding a counter weight came from the headset being unbalanced and putting a lot of pressure on the bridge of my nose. I only made a suggestion, which works for me, it may not suit anyone else because it does add weight and it feels heavier on your neck, but I've become used to the extra weight fairly quickly. When I tried the Pimax Crystal prior to ordering my headset I was quite surprised by the weight, and I guess that's why they removed the battery with the new version. Even so, having the headset balanced rather than being quite front heavy just makes more sense to me. Like I said it may not work for anyone else.

[@adrianthompson7033]

I can see the red marks on your face from the Crystal Light being pulled in tight because of the weight. Like I said in my previous post, if you add a counter weight of about 400 grams it balances the headset and the need to pull it in tight is no longer required. The 400 gram counter weight suits me with my Apache Strap, but with different shaped heads the centre of gravity might be a little different requiring a slightly lighter or heavier weight. If you use a counter weight you will find the experience much more pleasant. It was the weight on the bridge of my nose that made me decide to try a counter weight, and now I can race for hours, with the madatory wait between races on iRacing of course, without that issue. In fact, I'm quite sure that when I finally do my first endurance race my biggest issue will be a full bladder and not discomfort of my Crystal Light. Try a counter weight and then redo your review, I think you will be quite impressed.

[@DDFRacer]

As mentioned in my other reply to your first comment, I'll give this a go 👍 thanks again for the suggestion.

[@phreshxmetal]

Redo the review? That's a bit silly 😅 Make a community post MAYBE. it seems crazy to me to spend this much money on a headset and need to start adding weights to it, not doubting that it would work but still

[@adrianthompson7033]

@@phreshxmetal You obviously have no understanding of the benefits I gain from balancing my headset. That's fine, but I'm not changing my honest point of view because it doesn't suit your lack of knowledge or biased refusal to accept a different perspective. If you don't like honesty, that's your problem, not mine.

[@adrianthompson7033]

@@phreshxmetal You obviously have no understanding of the benefits I gain from balancing my headset, or the circumstance in which I use it. I guess you don't understand simple physics, and you're obviously not very intelligent, because I didn't provide a review, I commented on a review with my honest perspective. Your arrogance at believing you can demand that I lie instead of being honest, I find rather obnoxious, because you think you can intimidate and bully me. Oh dear fool, you've got that wrong too. See, I told you you're not very intelligent. If you are incapable of handling honest, that's your problem, not mine.

[@DDFRacer]

Take a breath mate, no one was asking you to change your point of view 👍 or refusing to accept a different perspective, they even said they don't doubt it would work. The point they were making was that such an expensive headset has this problem in the first place, and that needing to redo the entire video review is a bit silly, which I probably agree with on both counts 😅