Pimax Crystal Review: First Experiences in DCS with a VR HMD

[@Pricklyhedgehog72]

Since specs are a question that comes up. I'm running an i-9 11900K 64gigs RAM and a 4080 RTX GPU. Apologies for the weird transition towards the end of video, not sure why that haywire.

[@VR_Aviator]

I can't imagine going from zero to Pimax Crystal. What a great first VR experience. In DCS there are settings in the UI controls that let you map mouse functions to joystick buttons. In the VR settings tab you can set the mouse cursor to follow your headset. With both of these you rarely need the mouse and keyboard. Map the comms menu to a button as well.

[@Pricklyhedgehog72]

Great tip, thanks!!

[@ACG_Jaydog]

I'll never go back to a flat screen..Started VR with the Rift S, then G2 and now I have the Pimax Crystal. Immersion trumps a graphics for me

[@Scoop1_1]

The pro’s of VR outweighs the con’s. Use trackball (LH so you can still hold the stick RH), use the ‘modifier’ option in DCS so you can assign double functions to buttons on your HOTAS and bought myself the cheapest WACOM tablet so together with OpenKneeboard you can doodle and write on Kneeboard pages with VR headset on.

[@brianhttube]

@Pricklyhedgehog72 Definitely get Dynamic Foviated Rendering in your Crystal along with Quad Views in DCS as soon as you can. You will get a substantial performance boost. This feature finally got DCS up to the level where I was willing to jump into the sim. I am consistently locked at 90fps and with a very sharp image that allows me to read all the dials with ease. P.S. For reference I have a 4090 system with a 7800x3d CPU.

[@ben433]

Yeah, quad views makes a huge difference. I also hold a solid 90 fps with a 200% supersample!

[@dunbar555]

is there any good set up video somewhere. ? I want to buy this crystal, but I am affraid of not being able to configure it properly

[@Mightymoose02]

@@ben433Solid 90fps with low level flying Apache on Marianas with FLIR enabled?

[@colinkelly990]

Agreed noticed big jump with DFR. I9900k and 3080ti. Better with the Crystal than my old Reverb. Comfort not quite as good but I did buy the comforter liner from Pimax noticed a big improvement as well with it.

[@ben433]

@@dunbar555 The best one stop is TallyMouse’s setup video, I think. There is some tweaking to be sure.

[@vampolascott36]

I've been using the Crystal for a few months. If you start feeling sick, stop your VR session. Take it a little at a time and chances are you will get used to it. Dogfighting is a blast with the Crystal. You move your head just like an actual fighter pilot and that is some real immersion dude.

[@Boots3862]

Voice Attack (or FoxVox which is free...) are great additions. Make Comms menus MUCH more realistic ("Jester, Shut-up!"; and talking to a JTAC is just sublime), and can also be adapted to controls of the system ("virtual: center" to center the view, or "virtual: escape" to hit the escape key, "Mouse:center" to center the mouse) without any real issues. I keep a trackball on a pad on my chair arm, so I can use my right hand (left on stick) to actuate controls (just like real life, except that you'd need a left handed trackball on the left side, too).

[@charlessparks3184]

Congratulations on having a wonderful experience with the Pimax. Great video and review. I recently got a Pimax Crystal to replace my HP Reverb G2. For added comfort I had the Studio Form Apache head strap for my HP that I was able to use on the Crystal and love it. The visual upgrade is quite impressive. Also my system is running better with the Pimax Crystal due to the DFR. I have decided to get the hand tracking unit and will need to report back once I have had a chance to evaluate it. Since I wear glasses I got the VR-Rock inserts, took several weeks to get but they work great. Due to the nature of lens inserts my eyelashes will touch them from time to time. Overall great experience. Love the depth perception. My rig is a 10900k with a 3080 and I am still getting FPS around mid 40's to 60's with the Apache and 60 to 90 FPS with fixed wing aircraft.

[@skyhorseprice6591]

Suggestion for access to your keyboard for setup & menus: Virtual Keyboard. It can pop up when you need to input commands, then disappear when you aren't typing. I imagine Pimax would have to implement this, but it would surely fix that problem.

[@nicholasrjabow8709]

I'd also say that having a buttkicker adds a further level of experience. I also have read/seen that PIMAX is working on a passthrough - how good or bad it is we won't know until they release it. Might be useful to view your controls. I think they were saying you would need to tap the head set to activate it. I use voice attack for controls not mapped to my HOTAS

[@rampantcoyote3136]

Haven't tried the Crystal yet. But I've been a huge fan of Pimax's previous flagship, the Pimax 8KX. I will upgrade at some point, and the crystal with the wide FOV lenses or (if it ever sees the light of day) the "Pimax Reality 12K QLED" (what a mouthful) will be high on my list of candidates.

[@astralnut6313]

I have a Pimax 8KX and it works great in DCS. My 2950 Threaddripper and 4080 16 gig perform great, very smooth and at high detail.

[@SPATZ33]

One thing I can't recommend enough ...start with the VR preset from ED and dial up little by little till FPS drop - gave me the best quality/performance setting

[@Mark_Point]

👍👍👍 Its the only way to fly DCS, but you really do need a few hours or days to do a few of your favourite things to really see how good it is. There are so many who have tried it quickly and pushed it away, so they miss out on this great experience. Im three years into DCS VR and the experience still blows me away. Eventually you will have modules and maps that you only know in the VR world, that is the true point of no return! Also its nice that you can watch YT videos but still have your own first time magic. Now when I run 2D to test something quickly it feels like an interactive youtube video 😂

[@ben433]

VR changed flight stimming from a game to a passion for me. Welcome to the club! I suggest a mounted mouse pad like the Monstertech one to keep the mouse in a consistent position. I’ll tape down the cord so it real can’t leave the pad.

[@rainerbehrendt9330]

Same for me. My HP Reverb is okay, but i need an Upgrade soon. I use a Logitech MX Ergo Trackball as Control. Nice Plays behind the Joystick and no need for a Mousepad.

[@colinkelly990]

With the Crystal and DFR I have seen a substantial increase in FPS. My system is an I9 9900k 3080ti, 32gb RAM. You don’t really notice the DFR either unless you are looking for it.

[@nuggetz9857]

Most functions can be mapped to your HOTAS but for the half dozen you can’t I find a small blob of bluetac on the essential keyboard keys helps to find the correct key without having to raise the Crystal. Muscle memory will take over quite quickly and you are all set. Great videos as always keep up the great work 👍

[@unotoli]

1) VoiceAttack for all comms are so immersive! I hope ED will absorb the functionality. 2) Get LeapMotion controller - you get hands tracking which is extra immersion in clickable cockpits 3) Checking your six becomes whole new experience :) Rather healthy, but in case of problems there is way to add a curve to control your movement interpretation. 4) FOVeated rendering saves FPS, use it 5) For KZbin record crop and stabilized picture. P.S. Pimax Crystal is overpriced (standalone part at least). Quest3 is 1/2 price. Pico4 1/3 price. HP G2 1/4 price (bad edge screen clarity).

[@British_Dragon-4K-Simulations]

I also excitingly grabbed my wife to take a look in the F-14 in DCS as soon as it loaded up. She likes the Star Wars movies (not the new ones) so I quickly setup Star Wars Squadrons for her and let her have a go in the Pimax Crystal first with an X-Box controller and I just watched her have fun for an hour until the battery ran out. She's not really a gamer either but she does play Hogwarts Legacy occasionally. I fixed the battery problem so I no longer need to change battery's at all now.

[@Sandboxcode]

Also, this the first time I've seen what you look like!! Very awesome review it adds to it

[@corsair3224]

Real-size vision in relief, immersion in movements, appreciation of distances, the real size of objects, speed... personally I've been doing VR on DCS for 5 years, it's impossible to go back. And you prickly ? now ? There are other hyper-immersive devices like the buttkicker ! advice ! try too.

[@twistedfingersproject]

Pimax (and other VR vendors) need to adopt AI to continuously tweak the visual settings for the best user experience. Setup can be a long trial and error experience for users depending on your systems hardware combinations. Some simply give up and go back to using wide screens.

[@jadensweetwood9246]

Ooo watching this later. Was wondering how you liked it

[@simtaylor61]

Love the video, and I'm glad you're jammin on VR. Would like to hear more of your insights and progress in shooting video in VR, as most everybody that does, well, ends up with the distorted "wierdness" you describe, no matter what headset they're running. I personally have a Quest 3, and am LOVING it. One little hack that might help you out. I learned years ago how to use a mouse with my left hand (Back in my Falcon 4.0 days, when VR was just a fantasy). It let me keep my right hand on the stick at all times. Fast foreward to today. I have two benches, on either side of my flight seat. Right hand is stick. Left hand is throttle. DIRECTLY below my throttle is my mouse and mouse pad. I can find it no problem EVERY time. AND I can tell when I'm getting close to the edge of the pad by feeling with the heel of my hand and my fingertips. Doesn't take much practise. Give it a shot.

[@man_vs_life]

An interesting vid. And good to have a face put to the name.

[@jambo72nd]

I didn't hear you mention it. But you need to use Quad Views with DCS. I have DCS maxed and get great frames.

[@Pricklyhedgehog72]

Thanks. That's what I'm going to explore next. There's a lot to mess with yet.

[@tonyhall5751]

Nice to put a face to the voice of Mr PHH72

[@danrossi8753]

Welcome to the VR hell of endlessly tweaking your settings! I love vr never going back but I’d LOVE to finally have a no BS out of the box no tweaking plug and play VR headset. Trackball mouse works very well for cockpit switches. I have mine on the RH side opposite my throttle. Finally…”sim sickness’ a thing even in real life full motion simulators…..your eyes are telling your brain that things are happening and your body is telling your brain a totally different story. You get used to it.

[@d1fballplayer]

Motion sickness is about the most realistic sensation one can feel in a sim pit. Also, bind at least the left and right mouse clicks to your hotas.. yes you give up 2 buttons but you will use them more than any other buttons and will love not feeling around for your damn mouse

[@d1fballplayer]

The mouse clicks binds are in the ui layer.. also note that in vr to turn knobs you click and hold and move you head... it works OK unless it's a knob that requires very fine movement...ie the qfe knob in the viggen, but I just bound that to a knob on my throttle

[@markf.3617]

Try using Voice Attack, then you can Say commands without fumbling on keyboard.

[@Mark_Point]

Possibly the biggest help for VR use. My most needed voice command is "Ready Pre Contact" 😂

[@markf.3617]

@@Mark_Point Mine is "Eject! Eject!" Lol

[@Sandboxcode]

love voice attack!

[@Sandboxcode]

Awesome video! Good to see more DCS pilots getting exposed to VR! Btw I recently uploaded a video on how to render 4k using 2 different methods. one method involves using OBS + OpenXR Layer by Jabba. From there, just zoom in a little to make nice 4K VR videos. Hope that helps

[@Pricklyhedgehog72]

Gonna have to check that out!!

[@Mightymoose02]

I find motion sickness to be worst when turning or braking on the ground.

[@andrewculley8524]

I find I only get motion sickness when the frame rate drops. Apache will do it to you. Turn down the graphics settings helps massively for me on the more demanding aircraft.

[@British_Dragon-4K-Simulations]

I watched the first modern Dune part 1 the other day and I noticed that the assassin that was trying to kill Paul in his room, with the Hunter Seeker flying dart, looked like he was wearing a Pimax Crystal when he was laying inside the wall dead lol Did anyone else notice this?

[@paulsheather7657]

Some people I fly with in DCS say the software is still problematic.

[@diggler64]

received the pimax yesterday... the part where the overhead strap is attached to the headset was sheared off... so no headstrap on a 1 kg headset...this killed the testing and the confidence (2500$ cad for something that can become useless at a moments notice...) ... returned... so i'm back to g2.

[@Pricklyhedgehog72]

That sucks. Must have happened in shipping?

[@BryanDenham]

is the Pimax Crystal really as big as it looks in the thumbnail or has the thumbnail been modified ?

[@Pricklyhedgehog72]

It's that big

[@Pricklyhedgehog72]

The base station is built into the unit...no need for light houses etc

[@mikeck4609]

I use an oculus 2. If I switch to an oculus 3, will I see improved graphics or visual quality WITHOUT increasing any of the many settings in DCS and OTT? In other words, I will I still see improvement without an increase is resource demand? Right now, I have my various settings up as high as I can and still get a constant smooth 36fps (each eye). If I have to increase something in order to see a benefit in visuals with the 3, it’s a no go.

[@Sundowner111]

Yes you will. The new screens with new optics improve image clarity a lot. Headset is also lighter and its center of mass is closer to your face. And you can actually run it wireless if you have decent Wi-Fi6 router. I bought Q3 to use as standalone headset alongside the HP Reverb G2... but when trying the Q3 with DCS, and especially flying the F-16 (tiny MFDs). I've packed the G2, and use Q3 with everything.

[@mikeck4609]

Thanks. Wife will flip out if I spend $700 on a new VR at this point so I’ll half to wait. Does it matter if I get the Oculus 3 with the higher RAM or is that not needed?

[@Sundowner111]

@@mikeck4609 If you intend to use it mostly with a PC, the amount of memory doesn't matter.

[@generalgrevous2458]

How about a straight out trade for a Pico 4? 😆

[@lvx4408]

Nah, keep Crystal, by far

[@kalifornia909]

what were the pc specs you were running this on. I tried getting a good vr experience out of my quest 2 an 3070, but the tearing was horrific. This was on multiplayer servers, and it was a deal breaker for me. This drove me to headtracking, but i would love to get a good vr experience.

[@Pricklyhedgehog72]

4080 ASUS RTX

[@natekott]

I'd like to know the specs and performance as well. One of the main reasons I haven't replaced my valve index is that I doubt my 3080 is enough to run DCS on one of the higher resolution displays.

[@d1fballplayer]

😂thats what Ive used for the last 2 years... its beautifully frustrating to say the least. Got a 4090 I'm pitting in next week, fingers 🤞😬

[@d1fballplayer]

​@@natekottit is not enough ..sadly its 4090 or bust for vr imo

[@rainerbehrendt9330]

@@natekott Same with my Reverb. Need also a new Case because my Meshify C is too restricted. My TUF 3080 is a good fit but newer Cards are too long. It's a learning Curve. I thought it would be big enough but you never stop learning.

[@silentone11111111]

What about if you wear glasses? I’m no spring chicken 🍗

[@pinkfloyd7572]

We're all old farts here, muh baruthuh. 😉

[@brianhttube]

Get prescription lens inserts. I got mine from Hons VR and they are excellent. They have magnetic attachments so you can easily pop them in and out if for example you want someone else to use your headset. You can of course still wear your glasses in the HMD.

[@nicholasrjabow8709]

You can purchase a thicker face cushion and I find that provides enough of a gap to allow glasses (the standard face cushion did rub my glasses against the lenses. Before getting the thicker cushion, I used a cheap store bought reading glasses which were thinner than my prescription glasses)

[@mururoa7024]

"this is all you're gonna wanna do now" was a criticism, not a compliment. Ask me how I know! 😉😂

[@dunbar555]

what kind of framerate do you get ?

[@Pricklyhedgehog72]

I haven't measured that yet, as more experimentation is required before I feel like I'm happy with the view I'm getting.

[@joejoe2658]

next video he will finally upgrade from a horse to a car. i was flying dcs on a rift 7 years ago.

[@Pricklyhedgehog72]

Woah, woah, woah there. Let's not put the horse before the cart, buddy.