This New VR Headset Beats the Quest 3 In Two Huge Ways — But With One Big Caveat
Pimax's latest Crystal Super PC VR headset offers a ridiculous resolution and an OLED display, but it still doesn't support mixed-reality applications.
The Quest 3 represents a solid balance between specs, price, and capability. For most people, Meta’s headset is plenty, but for other VR gamers, only the highest-quality resolution will cut it. That’s where Pimax comes in with its latest VR headset, the Crystal Super.
As the name implies, the Crystal Super comes with more resolution and a much better OLED lens for each eye when compared to the Quest 3. You’ll have to pay more than triple the price of Meta’s headset, but your money should translate to a much better viewing/gaming experience.
You can swap between the two lens options for the Crystal Super VR headset.
Choose Your Lens
Unlike other VR headsets, you get two choices with the Pimax Crystal Super when it comes to lenses. You can either go with a QLED lens setup that allows for 3,840 x 3,840 resolution per eye with a 120Hz refresh rate or a 4K resolution in each eye and a max of 90Hz refresh rate with micro-OLED lens, depending on which style of OLED you prefer. Pimax even lets you swap between the two since the Crystal Super has an interchangeable lens design. With 29.5 million pixels, you’ll get between 50 to 57 pixel-per-degrees depending on which lens you go with for the Crystal Super.
As a more affordable option, Pimax also revealed the Crystal Light, which is significantly more tame with 16.6 million pixels and 2,880 x 2,880 resolution per eye. Combine that with its crisp refresh rate of 120Hz, and the Crystal Light should be plenty for most VR tasks.
Unfortunately, both new Crystal headsets are still held back by their design that keeps them tethered to a PC. Some VR gamers might not mind this, but there are plenty who are too used to the wireless capabilities of the Quest 3, or even the battery pack workaround of the Apple Vision Pro.
That means, unlike the Quest 3, the Crystal Super is meant for PC VR and not XR applications. This feels like a major drawback since most VR headset makers are embracing mixed reality like the Apple Vision Pro. It’s clear that Pimax wants to focus on VR, but seeing the incredible passthrough uses for both the Quest 3 and Vision Pro makes it feel like the Crystal Super is missing something.
The more budget-friendly Pimax Crystal Light is still an investment since it starts at $699.
A Pricey Upgrade
With its minimal design that removes the battery, processor, eye tracking, and standalone capabilities, the Crystal Light starts at $699 and is up for preorder already on Pimax’s website with first shipments starting in May. That’s still more expensive than the Quest 3 but you’re getting a slight bump up in resolution.
For the flagship Crystal Super, you’ll have to pay $1,799 for the model that comes with QLED lenses and $1,999 for the micro-OLED version. If you want to swap between the two, you can bundle the lens options together for $2,399. Pimax says it’ll start shipping its high-end headset in the fourth quarter of this year.
Alongside its two new headsets, Pimax also introduced its 60G Airlink module for its original Crystal headset. The $300 accessory will finally free the VR headset of its wires and is expected to ship later this year. It may only work with the Crystal for now, but we don’t doubt Pimax has plans to implement the wireless module for its upcoming headsets.
