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[PIMAX] All about the VR headsets

Discussion in 'VR Headsets and Sim Gaming - Virtual Reality' started by Pit, Sep 19, 2017.

  1. Pierre Lalancette

    Pierre Lalancette Sir Lalancelot Gold Contributor

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    It reached the 2.5 millions and still 6 days to go. The reward for that goal was kinda lame. I am not even sure what it is.

    If it reach the 3 millions, we get the eye tracking system. That's more like it.
    • Agree Agree x 1
  2. Zed

    Zed VR Simming w/Reverb Gold Contributor

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    I don’t remember where I saw it but I’m less worried about the stretch rewards slowing things down. The eye tracking is a module that secures in with magnets, same as the corrective lenses. Hopefully both will be able to be used together. I don’t need lenses but I got in on the VRLensLab lenses and got flat plate glass and have never had to worry at all about scratching my plastic lenses. It’s wonderful peace of mind and is justified every time I see posts from people who scratch their headset lenses either through cleaning or accidentally with glasses.

    The point is that things like eye tracking may be able to ship late if not ready when headsets are. On the other hand, there isn’t much to eye tracking hardware. It’s a ring of near-IR illuminators around each lens and a tiny camera. As long as the add provision for the camera and LED connections, it should be pretty simple. But time will tell.
  3. noorbeast

    noorbeast VR Tassie Devil Staff Member Moderator Race Director

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    My concern @Zed is that attention and resources get redirected to eye tracking, delaying the HMD itself as they will want to minimise shipping costs.

    We have not seen a working Pimax eye tracking prototype, so I am guessing they may be starting from a very low base. And precision VR eye tracking is actually not easy to do, compared to general gaze tracking, as the pupil shape can vary with genetic differences and also changes shape when subjected to forces generate by fast movement.
    • Agree Agree x 1
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2017
  4. Zed

    Zed VR Simming w/Reverb Gold Contributor

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    Good points about minimizing shipping cost and the starting point. But they would at least have the option of splitting shipments until eye tracking was ready. SMI had a complete solution ready to go and rumors were this last spring they were working with Valve, but then last June apparently Apple bought them. Not sure how available that solution still is with Apple looking at their own VR/AR headsets.

    Another company (Tobii - https://www.tobii.com/tech/products/vr/) is making eye tracking kits for the Vive (https://blog.tobii.com/eye-tracking-vr-devkit-for-htc-vive-311cbca952df), have their own ASIC to process camera images, and might be a resource for Pimax, or maybe it’s yet another solution. I really don’t see Pimax doing it on their own, or if they are, then I agree completely - it could be a big time and resource sink and could even derail the project. For Pimax to include eye tracking for free would make whatever solution need to be inexpensive.

    For me the biggest risk on foveated rendering is Nvidia. It takes them forever to get big new features in their drivers. But as long as the capability is in hardware, we're good. I’d like to see it used though.

    It’s a gamble and the most I’ve invested in a Kickstarter. Fingers crossed it was a good one. That review was what put me over the top. I want the wide fov, better resolution, and less SDE. :thumbs
    • Informative Informative x 1
  5. noorbeast

    noorbeast VR Tassie Devil Staff Member Moderator Race Director

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    I have the original Tobii dev eye tracker @Zed and agree partnering would make more sense in such a specialized area.

    The trouble is that it is not really clear about how the shipping roll out would work. If it was confirmed the HMDs ship separately then I would be more comfortable, as we know there are working prototypes already in the wild.

    I am more interested in the HMD as an upgrade and am not concerned if stretch peripherals take time and perhaps even become irrelevant when other offerings roll out.
  6. SeatTime

    SeatTime Well-Known Member

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    All kick start backers should have got this info but for others ... Looks like the hardware IPD adjustment and upgraded interface has been implement in V3 . And they say that mass production will not begin before V5 :).

    10
    Pimax 8K on DVT
    Posted by Pimax 8K VR (Creator)
    Hi Futurists,

    We will move on to v4 and v5 prototype before mass production.

    Here is the v3 prototype:

    [​IMG]





    We have added hardware IPD adjustment and changed HDMI to DP interface.

    Our goal is to create the best PC VR experience ever. Manufacturing is not an issue at all with our partners, many of those are public companies with hundred thousands of workers.

    [​IMG]




    Regarding your Kickstarter package:

    • We won't start to ship any more unit until we have fulfilled all your orders.
    • The Kickstarter version will be the final consumer version.
    Have a great weekend!

    Best Regards,

    The Pimax Team
    • Informative Informative x 2
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2017
  7. SeatTime

    SeatTime Well-Known Member

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    Toot, Toot,




    :).
    • Like Like x 2
    • Agree Agree x 1
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2017
  8. SeatTime

    SeatTime Well-Known Member

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    I don't expect to see mine until around the middle of next year as I ordered the 8K 'X' full package. But I'm happy with that, as I expect any teething issues should be sorted out by then and any hardware updates/fixes included in the 'X' version.
  9. Zed

    Zed VR Simming w/Reverb Gold Contributor

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    Edit: looks like $3,000,000 is about to happen. Way sooner than it looked earlier today.

    At least for now, the Pimax is the only real hope for high display resolution and wide fov. The Acer/Starbreeze shows promise and the investment provides about $5 mil to get going, but any product might be a while to see market. Meanwhile, not a peep from HTC or LG.

    Waiting is never easy for stuff like this...
    Last edited: Oct 29, 2017
  10. Zed

    Zed VR Simming w/Reverb Gold Contributor

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    Someone posted a through-the-lens video of DCS on the Chinese BiliBili video website. Looks a little blurry but hard to know if that’s poor camera work or what. They have to still lean in to read gauges. So this is a cap on the bottom end and I bet it’s better than this.

    https://www.bilibili.com/video/av15570693/
  11. noorbeast

    noorbeast VR Tassie Devil Staff Member Moderator Race Director

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    Limits are now being imposed: http://forum.pimaxvr.com/t/400k-more-pledge-and-we-meet-the-3m-stretch-goal/3742

    Dear Pimax Kickstarter backers,

    Thank you all for your support! We only have $400k left towards the $3 million stretch goal!

    The first group of backers will become part of our core community and your demands/requests will always be our top priority;

    After the campaign, we won't consider retail until we have fulfilled all the Kickstarter packages;

    We made the price on Kickstarter merely cover the cost - and this will always the lowest possible price you can pick up Pimax 8K;

    The gifts for the 5 past stretch goals are already included in your KS package. Every backer will get a free eye tracking module when we meet $3m on Kickstarter.

    Notice: We have limited screens here, so we decided to limit the number of backers to make sure we can fulfill your packages ASAP -

    First 8K Ever: Limited (574 left of 2500)

    First 8K Full Package Ever: Limited (239 left of 1000)

    bests,

    The Pimax Team
  12. SeatTime

    SeatTime Well-Known Member

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    I have tried to do though the lense videos of CV1 and PIMAX in the past to demonstrate the differences, but they always looked like crap irrespective of what type of camera I used ;).
    • Like Like x 1
  13. Zed

    Zed VR Simming w/Reverb Gold Contributor

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    Which sounds like it bodes well for how things will actually look for users. When that person was moving close to the gauges they looked fantastic!
  14. Pierre Lalancette

    Pierre Lalancette Sir Lalancelot Gold Contributor

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    5 days to go and less than 58k to reach the 3 millions. It's almost certain they will reach it.
    I thought it was a bald move to put the eye tracking as the 3 millions goal, and they win their bet.
    If they don't reach it, it would be even better for them, but I bet they will.
    • Agree Agree x 2
    • Like Like x 1
  15. noorbeast

    noorbeast VR Tassie Devil Staff Member Moderator Race Director

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    Pimax 8K kickstarter hit $3 Million just a short time ago, so the free eye tracking stretch goal will be unlocked!
    • Like Like x 3
    Last edited: Oct 29, 2017
  16. Zed

    Zed VR Simming w/Reverb Gold Contributor

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    I think if all works out, this will be a watershed moment for the industry. Everything else has just been extensions to current technology with lighter headsets, wider fov, and higher resolution. Eye tracking is new for consumer VR and opens the door to foveated rendering and performance boosts that help keep hardware requirements down while making the experiences better. Now we just need support for it. Hopefully it doesn’t go unused and hopefully other high end headsets start including it as well to compete on features.
    • Like Like x 1
  17. Grizus

    Grizus Member Gold Contributor

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    impossible became possible, internet network is scary ;)

    One [Early Bird] First 8K Full Package Ever set will come to me, i can't wait :)
    • Winner Winner x 2
  18. noorbeast

    noorbeast VR Tassie Devil Staff Member Moderator Race Director

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  19. Zed

    Zed VR Simming w/Reverb Gold Contributor

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    Definitely. 75 Hz would be a disqualifier for me but I don’t know if that is something they can sort by the end of the Kickstarter. Might have to just risk it on the faith/hope they do fix before finalizing the design. But 90 Hz has been such a feature that they have in all their bullet points I can’t see them being able to back away from it or at least addressing the final spec they will guarantee.
  20. noorbeast

    noorbeast VR Tassie Devil Staff Member Moderator Race Director

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    They advertised 90hz but supposedly admitted that the demos have been 75hz and there are some technical issues to resolve.

    I think it will be a Herculean task to get the HMD sorted by January, with two more prototype iterations to go, I personally don't see how things like eye tracking can be done, tested and included by then. Apparently the headstrap prototype is in China, but has not yet had a public showing.