When Pimax unveiled their upcoming Dream Air headset, the VR community buzzed with curiosity. Eager to clarify things, we reached out to Pimax for answers, gaining insights into their developing prototypes, complete specs, and updates on yet-to-be-released products.
A seasoned player in the VR arena, Pimax hasn’t been without its share of scrutiny—criticism has often targeted the polish of their products, strategic missteps, delayed launches, and a tendency to announce new gadgets without delivering on previous promises.
Their latest announcement concerning the compact Dream Air headset brought some of these concerns back into the spotlight. Naturally, this prompted questions about how Pimax plans to make improvements this time. We directed these queries straight to the company, and here’s what we found out, complete with prototype images, a specs list, and news on postponed products.
Question: How assured is Pimax about the Dream Air being ready and shipping significantly by May 2025?
Answer: Internally, we’ve devoted over a year to developing both the Crystal Super micro-OLED and the Dream Air, which are mostly similar. With our optical engine in working order, we’re optimistic about meeting the May completion date, aligning with the timeline for the Crystal Super’s development over the past year.
Both headsets share the same optical engine and core technologies, though Dream Air comes with a new design. Learn more about their identical technical components [here]. The primary hurdle is acquiring micro-OLED panels, alongside potential challenges with ringless controllers. Initial headset batches might feature ringed controllers, which we plan to replace with ringless ones later. We’re aiming to ship around 200 to 300 units in May, which is partly why we’ve made the announcement now. (More reasons explained below.)
Question: Why announce this headset so soon after the Super, and why start pre-orders early?
Answer: There are several reasons. We wanted to avoid announcing Dream Air after the Super starts shipping and potentially causing regret among our users. This sentiment has surfaced in our Discord discussions, but users can still switch their pre-orders from Super to Dream Air if desired.
Another factor is the limited supply of micro-OLED panels. In the current market, demand exceeds supply, leading to lengthy delivery times after placing orders. Opening pre-orders gives us a better gauge of demand, allowing us to order enough panels for a May launch. This process needs to be wrapped up by early January, accounting for holiday closures during the Chinese New Year.
The prolonged wait times for micro-OLED panels aren’t unique to Pimax; we see our competitors facing similar challenges, which is why some don’t offer refundable pre-orders. However, at Pimax, our pre-orders are refundable until shipping, and users have a trade-in window once the headsets arrive. We’ve also introduced a $1 reservation option.
Question: What do you say to critics suggesting Pimax should narrow its focus to fewer products?
Answer: We aspire to develop a diverse range of products, especially as VR headsets continue to evolve rapidly. Our mission is to deliver ultimate experiences, tailored to varied use cases with both our Crystal and Dream lines.
Despite this diversity, our headsets share foundational technology, both in software and hardware, with a clear focus on PCVR. Past lessons, like those learned from the Portal venture, guide our focus. With nearly a decade of experience producing VR headsets, we possess two R&D offices and are expanding our assembly capabilities to sustain this multi-product strategy.
Leveraging shared technology across multiple product lines maximizes our resource allocation, enhancing overall tech development for all headsets. It also prevents sales spikes, ensuring a more stable order stream throughout the year, which simplifies supply and production logistics. Managing peaks can be inefficient, so our approach is to ensure steady demand.
Question: Any more headsets expected from Pimax?
Answer: We’ll update some older models, but no new headsets surpassing the specs of the Dream Air and Crystal Super are planned, apart from the 12K.
Question: How advanced is the Dream Air’s design? Are the announcement visuals just mockups or is there a working prototype?
Answer: The headset’s internals are finalized, equipped with a fully operational optical engine. Software aspects are consistent with the Crystal Super, encompassing SLAM tracking, eye and hand-tracking, and various settings within Pimax Play.
Externally, we’re conducting trials using the Crystal Super housing while designing the Dream Air’s unique exterior.
Here are images of two prototypes developed:
- Newer:
- Older:
Question: Is there an ETA for Cobb, the standalone module for Dream Air, in 2025?
Answer: We don’t have a specific ETA for Cobb yet. It’s an add-on for Dream Air, and we’re integrating additional features not communicated in our Frontier announcement.
Question: Are there safety mechanisms for the auto-tightening headstrap should it malfunction?
Answer: The strap is robust enough to secure the lightweight headset, yet not strong enough to cause any injury. Made from elastic rubber, this technology mirrors what is used in self-lacing shoes, like the Nike Auto Adapt.
Question: Can the head straps be replaced, and how so?
Answer: Yes, the head strap is removable at the stems.
Question: Could we eventually see this running on HorizonOS or AndroidXR?
Answer: There are no plans for this. Internally, it shares its optical engine with the Crystal Super, functioning with Pimax Play as a PCVR headset alongside OpenXR/OpenVR runtime and SteamVR.
Pimax also shared a comprehensive list of the Dream Air’s specifications, detailing everything from the visuals to input/output features.
Pimax Dream Air Specs:
- Display: 2 × micro-OLED, 100% DCI-P3 colors
- Resolution per-eye: 13MP (3,840 × 3,552)
- Max refresh rate: 90Hz, with pancake optics
- Field-of-view: 102°H
- Weight: 200g
- Price: MSRP $1,900
Product Shipping Update:
Question: Could you provide an estimated shipping timeframe for all unreleased Pimax products?
Answer: The Crystal Super is ready for demos at CES 2025, notably its QLED 57 PPD optical engine, shipping at January’s end. The 50 PPD and micro-OLED engines closely follow, with release in March and April, respectively. An affordable version of the Crystal Light will debut in June 2025.
A demo at CES 2025 for the 60G Airlink for the original Crystal is under way, with external beta tests imminent. It should ship by April 2025. For the 12K, an ETA isn’t available yet due to challenges not meeting our quality benchmarks.
Got more questions for Pimax? Feel free to drop them in the comments below.
