Anyone in Seoul?
 
Our Korean partner is exhibiting v5 for us at the event SEOUL VR AR EXPO 2018 this weekend.
 
주소 : 513, Yeongdong-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
 
Location : Coex 3F Hall C
 
Booth no. : C07

Hi Futurists,
 
We have fixed all the issues of v5 in the new prototype.
 
After v5, we have adjusted the lens design three times. Each adjustment requests a new tooling. It costs over $50,000 － $100,000 and a few more weeks for a new tooling each time, but we believe the improvements in visual quality worth the cost. Given the vendor will deliver the newly designed lens in early May, we are looking to ship M1 to testers in May, when the units have been assembled and tested.
 
Two major reasons that may cause schedule delay:  
1. Change design for the better result.  
2. Components delay
 
The holidays have some impact over the delivery of raw materials. There are dozens of components, delay of any of these may impact the schedule as a whole. When we become a more established company, we would have stronger support from our vendors.
 
The good news is, all the materials for M1 are now ready in the factory, which means we have better control over the timeline.
 
Worth to mention that moving production line also takes some time. Yes, we have moved our production line from the current one to a world-class line that has the most strict standard for optical devices.
 
Thanks again, 8K backers! We cannot deliver the best VR experience without your support.
 
Best regards,  
The Pimax Team

Hi Futurists,
 
As promised, here is the new ID of the controllers:
 
The ID is designed for new controller prototypes. To make the prototypes compatible with all Steam and Oculus content, we have included the grip button, menu button, system button, and trigger. When the prototype finished (estimated in Q3), you can test with real workable units and we can improve based on your feedback.
 
Taken all your feedback into consideration, we have incorporated the thoughts into our new design, so we can create the controllers that meet your expectations. Controller suggestions from the community: http://forum.pimaxvr.com/t/control [...] nity/5623/
 
We are looking to make a super comfortable controller with all fingers tracked. You do not need to hold it, you can relax in the games with your hands open, grab objects when close your hands, and release hands to throw objects naturally. There are sensors over the grip button. The controller tracks all your fingers while you hold it, and you can squeeze further with the grip button as well.
 
Just like the headsets, the controllers will be tested carefully before sending out. The hardware implemented in the controllers will be updated with new software versions.
 
You can find a family photo below of all the past models (3D printed) through all the iterations, we are trying to find the best fit for a complete and immersive VR experience, while adding some innovations to the new design. It is not easy to find the balance and meet all the expectations, but we are confident to make the best possible solution together with the input from you, the mavens of immersive experience.
 
 
Pimax controller design iterations
For controller backers - We understand some of you are swaying between thumbstick and trackpad. You will still have a chance to switch your option when the controller prototype comes out.
 
We will announce here when we are about to prepare the mass production of the controllers.
 
Bests,
 
The Pimax Team

Hi Futurists,
 
It was a pleasure reading your comments! We have collected your feedback regarding the new controller ID and discussed with the team, here are the responses to your suggestions:
 

• Potenial collisions in some scenarios, e.g. adjust the headset, archery, eating, clap etc. Raised by @Aneurism @Jean-Mehdi @Cdaked @ChrisVL @Sofian @GameMaker @kons @SWAT @Skynet in the forum, @Rob Khonsu via Kickstarter, @TITANVR @KenZed @reptilexcq2 @EdisLeaso via youtube comments.  

We got the idea of lowering down the possibility of collisions with a smaller ring or different positions/shapes. At this stage, we are trying not to make major changes unless necessary. We plan to move on to build the prototype based on the current design and then evaluate the performance of the controllers as a whole in the testing phase.
 

• Interchangeable module to switch between tumbstick and trackpad style. Raised by @Lance in Kickstarter, @Cdaked @tristanc @MildlyConfused @cocorickoo @bubbleball @john2910 in the forum, and fb group members @Peder Simonsen @Owen Blades @Matt Zen  

That's a very smart idea but it requests changes in hardware and structure. Given the tight development schedule, we will still offer two versions, thumbstick and trackpad, as promised during Kickstarter.
 

• It might be easy to break as there in only one spot to connect the ring and the other part. by @ChrisVL  

The team will consolidate the point of junction to avoid potential damage, and conduct more drop tests.
 

• As suggested by Raphael Zerbinatti in the fb group, It would be more comfortable with concave trackpad like windows MR and Vive controllers.

We will make the trackpad concave to fit into the movement of the thumbs.

• @Grebo mentioned, people may press the wrong button because the menu button and system button are too close.

We have considered the possibility, so we distinguish the two buttons with different shapes (the menu button is concave and system button bulged) to help people to find the right button in a second. You may refer to the rendering image as below:


 
 

• As @Heliosurge suggested that there should be an option to switch between vive tracking and inside out tracking.  

That is a very cool idea, but there haven't been a satisfactory inside out tracking solution in the industry yet. We will review the design again when the inside out tracking solutions ready and interactive mode confirmed.
 

• Let's use standard AA(rechargeable) battery instead of waiting the cable recharge. @migliorare @Century  

We plan to use lithium batteries.

Remind us if we missed anything. Thanks again for all your input!
 
Best Regards,  
The Pimax Team
 
 

We will have M1 testing units assembled this month. About Kickstarter shipping: the best scenario is the testers give greenlight, then we can move on to ship asap based on the M1 model. If there is anything highlighted that subject to change, we will work with testers to identify and fix them.
 
Brainwarp is proven feasible. We will implement the feature in the final product, the next step is to test it with the most recent hardware design.
 
The refresh rate is still 80Hz, but we are still trying.
 
The specs of 8K, e.g. weight, will be announced when the final version locked down.

Hi Futurists,  
 
We have recorded all your questions and double checked the progress with the team. There are quite a lot to share today:  
 
M1 closed beta We will ship M1 to the closed beta testers this month. There will be around 10 Pimax 8K testing units in total.  
 
Kickstarter shipping After super intensive development and testing, now we are very confident about M1. The plan is to start the shipments in June if the testers give the green light. As always, we will take the suggestions from the community into consideration to finalize Pimax 8K.  
 
5K shipping time We will ship 5K and 8K in the same time frame.
 
Brainwarp Brainwarp is proven feasible in the lab. We will test it in the new hardware structure and will adopt Brainwarp in the final version.
 
Refresh rate 8K is stable at 80Hz. The team is still trying to improve the refresh rate. The worst case is 80Hz when we start to ship. 5K can reach 90Hz.
 
Roadshows We plan to hold meetups in different cities when the working units of the controllers are ready.
 
Controllers The working units (prototype v1) will be ready in June/July, and the shipping time will be Q4.
 
Lighthouses We plan to ship the lighthouses in Oct.
 
Pi-tracking We have been working on Pi-tracking. The prototype has passed the internal test. We are testing a new prototype for public demo and will showcase our solution when ready.
 
Audio quality and specs We have finished the design and will demo the mockup when ready.
 
Oculus games Pimax 8K supports Oculus games, we will make an Oculus gaming video with M1.
 
Stretch goal gifts and add-ons
 
- Modules  
 
We are working with partners for the modules. The top priority is the hand tracking module and eye tracking module. We are working with several wireless partners as well.  
 
- Free content  
 
We plan to have one content for controllers, one content for hand motion, and another tbc. We have locked a great controller game and will disclose more info when we have the permission.  
 
- 10m cable  
 
The cable has passed the internal sample test. We are doing more tests and will disclose more info later.  
 
- Headstrap  
 
The team is refining the design of the headstrap for better ergonomics.
 
- Face cushion, cooling fan, VR frame  
 
Not hard to produce at all, we have mockups ready. With limited resources, we are now focusing on the headset. We will update the progress when ready.
 
Thanks for your passion and patience! While you are waiting for your packages, please join our discussion in the forum: forum.pimaxvr.com and the closed facebook group 8K VR CLUB.  
 
If you have any question, please let us know and we will give the answers in the next update.  
 
Best Regards,  
 
The Pimax Team
 

The team is assembling the M1 units, we will update more info next week.

M1 tracking info Pimax 8K
 
Two of the M1 prototypes are about to arrive!  



 
The travel route of M1 testing units: Pimax factory -> Shanghai office -> Hong Kong -> M1 Testers