The retina-level VR headset Crystal Super has been released. PiMAX Technology aims to become the "DJI" in the VR field. | The Frontline
Written by | Tian Zhe
Edited by | Su Jianxun
The VR industry is ushering in a new round of technological upgrades. Higher-resolution screens, wider field of view, and more comfortable wearing experience have become the core elements of competition among major VR device manufacturers.
Recently, Pimax Technology has released its latest VR headset - Crystal Super. This device has 57 PPD per degree of pixels and is said to be the world's first retinal-level VR device.
The so-called retinal-level screen means that at a normal viewing distance, the human eye cannot distinguish individual pixels on the screen. When the PPD value reaches or exceeds 63, the screen pixels will be difficult to recognize, and the picture presents a seamless and coherent effect like the real world.
Zhang Chong, the founding partner and president of Pimax Technology, told 36Kr that Crystal Super will begin mass production in January 2025 and is mainly targeted at high-end game users. Compared with other VR headset devices, its picture is more delicate and realistic, and it can meet the needs of users who have high requirements for game image quality.
Crystal Super QLED
In the hardware selection of retinal-level devices, Qled screen combined with Mini-led backlight and Micro OLED is the current mainstream solution. Micro OLED has a higher contrast ratio and fine picture performance, but the production cost of this type of screen is extremely high, and the yield is low, which limits the speed of its large-scale popularization. And Qled is still the display solution for mainstream high-end VR devices due to its wider color gamut and lower cost. Therefore, how to control the cost while ensuring performance has become the key to the landing of retinal-level VR devices.
Zhang Chong said that Pimax Technology uses aspherical glass lenses and dual-eye 8K-level resolution screens to improve clarity and visual experience. On this basis, through platform-based research and development, it can not only extend downward to launch a lightweight version to reduce the entry threshold for users, but also develop a high-end version upward to further enhance the competitiveness of the high-end market. The platform-based R & D strategy makes the product life cycle longer, and it is expected to be able to cover the market demand for five to six years.
In addition, Pimax Technology is also studying to use cloud computing to enable the user's local device to only undertake lightweight processing tasks, thereby achieving a lighter and more efficient terminal hardware design.
Zhang Chong believes that the advantage of Pimax Technology is that since the company was established in 2015, it has been continuously focusing on hardware research and development. Through long-term R & D investment, Pimax has established a solid technical reserve in core fields such as screens, lenses, and computing power optimization, and has become one of the first manufacturers in the market to launch 4K, 8K, and retinal-level VR headsets.
The VR market is fiercely competitive, with both start-up companies such as Thunderbird Innovation and technology giants such as ByteDance making layouts. However, Zhang Chong believes that currently, there is no direct competitor to Pimax Technology in the game market, especially in the simulation flight and racing market. The market strategies and technical accumulations of other companies are different from those of Pimax Technology.
He said that Pimax Technology does not blindly pursue the market scale at present, but builds a sustainable business model through technological breakthroughs and differentiated advantages. Currently, according to the survey and statistics, the daily online duration of Pimax Technology VR headset users has reached 2 hours, with a high user stickiness.
Zhang Chong hopes that Pimax Technology can become the "DJI" in the VR market and make the use of VR devices a way of life for people.