Pimax Super: The best headset for Sim Racing

Introduction 

The Pimax Super is the latest headset in the third generation of Pimax headsets, the Crystal. First came the Crystal Original, which notably featured a battery, which I tested on the channel. Then recently came the Crystal Light, which has the same specifications as the Crystal Original, but with a simpler design: no eyetracking, no battery.

The Crystal Super offers incredible resolution, 4K per eye! Plus, all the technologies Pimax has mastered, like eyetracking. For comparison, the Quest 3 is 2064×2208 and the Bigscreen Beyond 2 is 2560×2560.

So the question is: have they gone too far with this headset? Or is this the long-awaited culmination for us Sim Racers?

I should point out that Pimax sent me the Pimax Super and the Pimax Light free of charge. You can use the affiliate link below if you want to support me and enjoy a 3% discount with the code lebois3. The Pimax Light review will be out soon, so subscribe! I’ll also be posting a comparison of the two headsets.

Conception and Design

The first piece of good news is that Pimax didn’t just rehash the Pimax Light’s casing. We have a new casing, which is better finished, and above all more compact! This is quite surprising when you consider the number of features this headset has. The design is quite understated, and the color of the V on the front is customizable. We have the feeling of dealing with a premium product.

It’s not the most compact headset, but spec-wise it’s perfectly acceptable. The headset’s position is adjusted using the top strap and the dial on the back of the headset.

Foam covers all parts that come into contact with the head.

There are three buttons. Two of these buttons are used to adjust the volume or confirm choices while in the headset interface. The third is used to put the headset into standby mode.

Weight-wise, we’re at 900g. Again, this is in line with the technical specifications.

Confort 

Comfort is a significant improvement over previous headsets. The headset is lighter than the original Crystal, and the more compact shape allows for better weight distribution. The foam is effective, and you can complete laps without fatigue.

Furthermore, the fit is very good. I used this headset a lot while standing up in Arizona Sunshine, a shooter where you constantly move your head, and I wasn’t bothered by the headset’s movements. Obviously, a lighter headset will probably move less, but that’s not a problem.

The same goes for using a motion simulator. The headset moves little. In fact, when the simulator moves a lot, the headset is more comfortable than the screen. In fact, the screen is comparatively more affected by movement on my simulator than the headset.

Negative: you have to loosen the strap every time you want to remove the headset to see around you. So you lose the adjustment and have to find it again each time.

Also, the cable, which is quite thick, is not designed to go directly to the left, but rather to the right. A symmetrical configuration would have been more comfortable.

The headset has a “Pass-through” mode: by tapping the top right edge of the headset, the headset displays the image captured by a front camera: this allows you to retrieve objects around you without removing the headset. On the other hand, the image is in black and white and 2D, when the competition offers 3D generation in color… it needs to be improved.

Space tracking

The headset uses Inside-Out technology to track the user’s and controllers’ position in space. It is based on four cameras that use the environment to determine positioning.

It’s a proven technology and obviously works very well here. It should also be possible in the future to change the front panel to use Lighthouse technology, which uses external bases. I think it’s a good thing to have the choice here, because inside-out tracking will always be less efficient than Lighthouse tracking. Inside-out tracking is particularly limited for tracking controllers, which can easily end up outside the camera’s field of view and therefore not be tracked. This is the case, for example, in a standing game like Arizona Sunshine, where when I look up, the headset won’t follow the controller, which will look for a weapon at leg level.

Eye tracking 

The headset incorporates an eye-tracking solution that works perfectly. In addition to tracking pupil position instantly, it’s powerful enough to not require calibration each time the user changes.

Specifically, eye tracking is used to automatically adjust the IPD (inter-eye distance). I’ve never experienced such precise and comfortable adjustments; it’s truly very comfortable to use. The headset also uses this sensor to indicate to the user whether the headset’s position is ideal. Finally, eye tracking allows for graphical optimizations, which we’ll discuss later.

Logiciel 

To use the Crystal Super, simply install the Pimax Play driver. I didn’t have any trouble connecting the headset. I switched seamlessly from Crystal Super to Crystal Light. The software offers many options, whether for adjusting colorimetry, enabling or disabling features, or configuring games.

The software notably offers the use of the PimaxXR API. The API is the software layer between the game and the VR headset. You can choose between SteamVR, which isn’t highly optimized but is the most stable; OpenXR, which is highly configurable; and PimaxXR, which is the solution I recommend because it’s both optimized and simple. That said, there are still a few bugs to fix. For example, when launching Arizona Sunshine using PiMaxXR instead of SteamVR, the headset’s microphone is no longer recognized in-game. But this unlocks other features, which we’ll discuss later.

You can also adjust the graphics settings for each simulation, which is handy. However, you can’t necessarily launch all the games from Pimax Play. Sometimes it will launch the non-VR version, sometimes it won’t launch anything at all, so there’s still a bit of work to be done there.

There is also an interface in the headset, accessible from the controllers which allows access to very practical features such as choosing the sound device, accessing windows like discord, without leaving the game, etc. It is not yet very ergonomic, but it is practical.

Picture quality

We come to the crux of the matter… the image. 4K per eye… It’s huge, it’s close to the human eye. This allows for a sharper image than when playing on a 4K screen. It’s particularly impressive when looking at the steering wheel, on which you can no longer see a single pixel. Unfortunately, from a distance, for the moment it’s very difficult to run the headset at resolutions that allow the image to avoid pixelation, which isn’t necessarily pleasant. That being said, it’s when you switch back to Pimax Light (2880×2880) and realize that you can no longer see the apexes that you realize the difference in resolution.

The colors are vibrant, with very strong contrasts; there’s nothing to complain about there. However, there is indeed a mura effect (a washed-out window effect) present. It’s only visible when you stop and focus on it. It’s particularly noticeable on bright, uniform areas like clouds. But for our sim racing use, it’s really a minor inconvenience.

Otherwise, I wasn’t bothered by the lenses. I should point out that my headset comes with the intermediate FOV (field of view) of 127°, and 50 pixels per degree… and that seems like a good compromise. I find it easy to get used to. The Crystal Super is available with 120, 127, and 140° fields of view. But be careful! The wider the field of view, the more graphics you’ll need. In this case, the Super 50ppd/127° is already offered in two fields of view via the software, and I almost exclusively use the low FOV to gain more fps (frames per second).

You’re also wondering which field of view to choose when ordering: 50ppd, 57ppd, or UW. It’s a difficult question, especially since I haven’t tested the ultrawide. First of all, you should know that Pimax managed to offer the UW with the same sharpness as the 50ppd (intermediate FOV). So, there’s no point in getting the 50ppd. The question is between the 57ppd and the UW.

Also, it’s worth noting that the headset’s sweet spot isn’t huge, but the overall sharpness is so high that you don’t notice it. Furthermore, eye tracking allows the headset to tell you if it’s positioned incorrectly, so you’re generally always in the ideal position.

Graphics consumption.

With such a resolution, the question of minimum configuration arises. I conducted all my tests with a 5090 and an i7-14700kf (configuration details in the description). The Pimax Play software offers several graphics optimization solutions. There are NVIDIA NIS and AMD FSR solutions, as well as a proprietary sharpening filter. These solutions don’t provide any more gain than on conventional monitors; that is, beyond a 3%/5% gain in FPS, image degradation becomes visible.

Next comes DFR (dynamic foveated rendering), and especially Quadview. DFR involves degrading the resolution where the eye isn’t looking. Quadview is the same principle but visibly much more advanced because the gains are nothing like that.

But there’s a catch. A big one. Quadview is currently only supported by iRacing and DCS. The gain is enormous. I don’t have a specific figure to give, but iRacing is clearly the only car simulation where you can fully utilize all the options and fully appreciate the headset’s capabilities. Pimax has invested heavily in Lemans Ultimate, so we hope this simulation will be compatible in the future. That being said, there’s no news yet, and clearly, you shouldn’t count on it if you have a weak graphics card.

Other simulators take DFR into account, but for gains that I consider minimal, since the degradation quickly becomes visible if you want to gain significant FPS. Indeed, even if your eye isn’t looking where the resolution is degraded, you can still see flickering where you’re not looking.

So, aside from Iracing, on other simulations, eye tracking doesn’t save the headset, and we end up having to find a difficult compromise between fluidity and sharpness.

I want to emphasize that I’ve spent many hours testing, followed many tutorials, and haven’t found anything miraculous. I know some will tell me that by using OpenXR, modifying files, etc., they achieve something perfect. I don’t really believe it. And even if it were true, personally, I prefer the most stable solutions over time, which don’t depend on modifications to game files or the NVIDIA driver.

To conclude, with a 5090, you can run the headset fairly smoothly. In my opinion, with a 5070/5080, you can still run the headset, but I don’t really see the point.

To give you an idea: I find the Pimax Light’s image more pleasing than the Super’s at the moment. The image is blurrier, but much less pixelated. However, the Super is future-proof, as we know we’ll get more out of it with each new generation of graphics card.

In terms of fluidity, the software offers a 75Hz and 90Hz setting. You should select 75Hz if you plan to run the headset around this refresh rate; the fluidity will be better than with 90Hz. Personally, I’m quite sensitive to fluidity, and 90Hz, while perfectly in line with the market, is the minimum.

Sound

My headset came with the standard audio solution. It’s acceptable, but not crazy. At least it’s compact, and the sound isn’t unpleasant. Pimax also offers a more premium solution, the Deluxe Audio Strap, which mounts in place of the standard earbuds.

In my opinion, you can greatly improve the sound experience simply by using good headphones.

Controllers

The controllers are the same as those of the original Crystal Light: they are lightweight and well-finished.

They are equipped with built-in batteries that are recharged via the included USB cable. Battery life is excellent, with over ten hours of playtime.

The ergonomics are decent, although we would have appreciated more resistance to the trigger.

The tracking is satisfactory but doesn’t match Lighthouse tracking. It’s also quite curious to find several options for controller tracking, and I found that in-game they lack a bit of precision. We’ll see if it improves over time.

Motion Compensation 

The Pimax Play software currently offers only one motion compensation solution: the function that tells the headset not to move when the user moves with the simulator. The solution is to use a controller as a reference point. You need to attach it using my mount, for example. It works very well.

Depending on the motion software you’re using, as well as the API, you may have access to other solutions.

But clearly the best solution remains to disable motion tracking: you keep the rotation, and there will be no interference from the simulator. In a racing car, you’re not supposed to be able to move anyway.

I certainly hope they integrate motion compensation, for example, using a WitMotion sensor. Personally, I didn’t want to attach a controller to my simulator simply because I also use it for standing games, and it’s quite tedious to install and remove it every time.

Reliability

With such advanced technology, one might wonder if the headset is up to scratch, and if it’s durable, before shelling out the big bucks to buy it.

Connection-wise, I haven’t had any issues. I regularly switch from light to super, and each time, the headset is detected after about twenty seconds.

The software isn’t perfect, but in any case, we haven’t encountered any problems with headset detection by SteamVR or anything else.

I use a motion simulator and a tensioner, which generally cause interference, and it seems that my Fanatec direct drive also causes enough interference to disconnect my old pedalboard. And so far, I haven’t experienced any black screens with the headset, even temporary. It’s clearly a “plug and play” situation.

Furthermore, several components, such as the strap and cable, have been used since the 5k+/8KX generation, so I think the headset should be very durable over time.

I’d like to point out that before sending me this headset, I warned Pimax that I would not tolerate any defects, and I understand why they didn’t hesitate: the headset does indeed have no hardware or software defects.

Price and conclusion 

Obviously, such specifications don’t come without a high retail price. The headset costs around €1,800 in France. It’s worth noting that half the price is payable upon ordering, and the other half is due within 15 days of receipt if you’re satisfied with the headset. Otherwise, the headset will be deactivated, and you’ll have to return it to Pimax for a refund.

So, should you open your wallet for the headset with the best resolution in the world? Yes, if you have a 5090, or are thinking of getting one, and especially if you plan to upgrade to a 6090 when it’s released. Because yes, there’s no point in buying a Rolls-Royce without having the gas to put in it. If your PC holds up, there’s a good chance you’ll get a shock the first time. Then a second when you upgrade to a 6090, then a third when you upgrade to a 7090… (yes, you shouldn’t upgrade cards too quickly, it can hurt). This is truly the headset’s strength: it’s built to last, whereas many current headsets can’t.

If your build is below a 5080, wait until I get my hands on a 5070, and I’ll tell you if it’s worth it or not.

This headset isn’t without its flaws. Despite its high retail price, there are a few aspects that are disappointing (the sound, the pass-through mode). However, I believe the image quality offered makes it the best Sim Racing headset today. And probably for a long time to come.