Pimax Reveals Dream Air Prototypes and Answers Key Questions

A: Internally, we’ve been growing the Crystal Tremendous micro-OLED and Dream Air for over a yr now (internally, they’re largely the identical headset). We now have a completely working optical engine, and assume the remaining time to Might is sufficient to get the remainder carried out, much like the timeframe of the Crystal Tremendous’s improvement of the previous yr.

The Dream Air makes use of the identical optical engine answer because the Crystal Tremendous, together with its underlying applied sciences, however in a brand new form-factor design. You may learn right here extra about how the Dream Air and the Crystal Tremendous micro-OLED have the identical technical parts.

The principle problem is the availability of micro-OLED panels, and maybe the ringless controllers. (We at the moment assume that the primary batches of the headset could ship with ringed controllers as on the Crystal/Gentle/Tremendous, which we will alternate for ringless controllers later).

We’re assured of delivery round 200 to 300 headsets in Might. That is additionally why we needed to announce the headset now. (A number of causes addressed under.)

A: A number of causes. We introduced the Dream Air now as a result of we don’t need to announce this after the Tremendous begins delivery, after which have customers really feel they’d have ordered this one in the event that they knew. We already see this comment now in our Discord, however really—clients can nonetheless change their pre-order from the Tremendous to the Dream Air if they want.

Another excuse is the shortage of micro-OLED panels. Presently out there of micro-OLED panels, demand firmly outnumbers provide, so the supply instances for once we place an order is lengthy, a number of months. We open up pre-orders to get a greater thought of what number of headsets our customers need, and likewise to position the order for the panels for the Dream Air to be shipped in Might. This order must be positioned earlier than or in early January, as suppliers additionally take holidays throughout Chinese language New Yr.

The lengthy wait time for micro-OLED panels isn’t distinctive to Pimax. We additionally see related merchandise from rivals with the identical situation, and due to this fact they don’t supply refundable pre-orders.

That mentioned, our pre-orders are refundable earlier than delivery (and customers even have a trade-in window as soon as the headset arrives), and we have now added a $1 reservation choice.

A: We now have the sturdy ambition to be a multi-SKU firm, as VR headsets are additionally shortly diversifying. Our focus is all the time on offering the last word expertise, and for various use circumstances we’ll have the Crystal line, in addition to the brand new Dream line.

That mentioned, all our headsets share plenty of the identical core expertise, from software program to {hardware}. All headsets are focussed firmly on PCVR. We now have realized from the previous (e.g. Portal, which wasn’t PCVR.)

Pimax has a 9 years historical past of creating VR headsets, we personal two R&D places of work and are opening our second meeting line to help this multi-SKU technique.

To supply multi-SKU utilizing shared expertise permits us to pour extra sources into growing expertise that advantages all headsets. It additionally prevents us from having only one big gross sales peak within the yr, and it spreads out orders throughout an entire yr extra evenly, which makes provide and manufacturing sources simpler to handle (we personal our personal manufacturing unit with our personal workers). Peaks are typically actually unhealthy for effectivity.

A: We’ll replace some outdated fashions, however there are not any extra headsets coming which can be extra superior in specs than the Dream Air and Crystal Tremendous, apart from the 12K.

A: The internals of the headset are totally designed, and we’re testing with a completely working optical engine, and software program sensible, every thing is shared with the Crystal Tremendous, together with SLAM monitoring of the headset and the controllers, eye-tracking, hand-tracking, and all settings in Pimax Play.

On the outside: We’re at the moment testing and growing this within the Crystal Tremendous housing (micro-OLED optical engine), whereas we’re growing the Dream Air’s exterior housing.

Here’s a take a look at two prototypes made throughout improvement.

Older:

Newer:

A: We now have no actual ETA on Cobb but. Cobb is an add-on for the Dream Air and we nonetheless need to add some options that we didn’t talk in our Frontier announcement.

A: The principle factor is that it’s sturdy sufficient to carry the light-weight headset, however not sturdy sufficient to harm anybody. The inner straps are manufactured from elastic rubber. (Additionally this isn’t new expertise, the identical is utilized in self-lacing footwear such because the Nike Auto Adapt.)

A: Sure, the top strap may be taken off on the stems

There are not any plans for this. Internally it’s precisely the identical headset because the micro-OLED optical engine of the Crystal Tremendous, and so it runs with Pimax Play as a PC VR headset (additionally with OpenXR/OpenVR runtime and with SteamVR)

A: The Crystal Tremendous is able to be demoed at CES 2025, particularly the QLED 57 PPD optical engine which is delivery on the finish of January. The 50 PPD optical engine and micro-OLED optical engine are additionally nearing prepared, and delivery March and April respectively.

The non-local dimming model of the Crystal Gentle is popping out round June 2025, pushing down that worth even additional down.

The 60G Airlink for the unique Crystal can be being demoed at CES2025, and has its exterior beta check beginning nearly any second now. That is delivery in April 2025.

For the 12K, we can’t give an actual ETA now. After we introduced it, we had options for every of the important thing technical challenges. Sadly, a few of these options didn’t meet our high quality necessities. Some simply didn’t work out nicely, like a twin DP 1.4 answer, in addition to a panel answer we will’t share extra about.