u/Expert_Drag_5981

I’m hoping some fellow Pimax users can help because I’m running out of things to tweak.

System:
RTX 5090
i9-14900K
64GB RAM
Pimax Dream Air
PimaxXR OpenXR runtime
Latest Pimax Play
REFramework VR

Current settings:
PimaxXR OpenXR
No DFR / Quad Views
No GPU upscaling
0.75 render resolution
DLSS Quality
Ray Tracing Off

The strange thing is that changing settings makes almost no difference. Whether I run higher or lower render resolutions, the game still feels jerky when turning my head.

The image quality is fantastic when standing still, but head movement doesn’t feel smooth. I also sometimes get what feels like small tracking/camera jumps where the view suddenly shifts for a moment.

What’s confusing me is that the same RE9 VR setup feels smoother on my Quest 3 via Virtual Desktop, despite the image quality being noticeably worse than the Dream Air.

Other VR titles are fine on the Dream Air:
Half-Life Alyx runs great
Le Mans Ultimate runs great
Cyberpunk runs really smooth

General headset tracking seems normal
So this appears to be specific to RE9 VR rather than the headset itself.

A few questions:
Is anyone else running RE9 VR on a Dream Air, Crystal Super, Crystal Light or other Pimax headset?

Are there any recommended REFramework settings I’m missing?

Is there a known issue between REFramework and PimaxXR/OpenXR?

At this point it feels less like a GPU performance issue and more like a frametime, reprojection or runtime issue, but I’d love to hear what settings are working for others.

Thanks!

TL;DR: Dream Air has the best visuals I've seen in VR, is dramatically more comfortable than Crystal Super and is good enough that I'm keeping it. However, coming from Quest 3 + Virtual Desktop, the software experience still feels significantly less polished and plug-and-play.

Background

So for some context, my VR experience over the past two/three years is pretty much Quest 3 + Virtual Desktop - Turn on PC, load VD, select the game and Go. RTX 5090 with Intel i9 14900 CPU.

That setup has been great, good visuals, smooth and just works - yes there was some tweaking at the start Open XR toolkit, Open Composite but VD really has spoilt me and I have rarely had to dive into the depths of Steam VR.

So much that when my Pimax Crystal Super got delivered a few months back, the shock of how much configuration was required, faff of taking it off my head, back on my head, terrible pass through, some games working, others not.. it went back within the 14 day period.

But I wanted better visuals, a lighter headset that I could sim race with and I put in my pre-order for the Dream Air last year. It arrived last week and I've spent a few days with it now. A lot of my review/thoughts will compare against that experience - thats the only objective reference I have but I think its important for others doing the same.

I will just say here, I am keeping the Dream Air SLAM, but it isn't perfect.

Comfort

Suprisingly better that I thought having read other reviews and experiences. The face mask sits ok on my face, but it is a bit rigid and i've found it needs to sit right down on the bridge of my nose. It is harder to wiggle/adjust precisely on your face once you've tightened the head straps. I have ordered the studioform face mask as I feel I need to get closer to the lenses.

The head strap is ok, but I want a quick way to put it on without having to undo the velcro and normally means the straps get twisted on your head trying to pull it on. It's ok once set, but I have ordered the AVP dual knit band and connectors to give that a try.

I have heard a lot about the dual cables and cable box, but actually if you use the velcro wraps on the head strap to pull them in, its not that bad and i think the box is ok where it is - any lower and it would be digging into my back on my sim rig - so it either needs to go on the floor or they need a different solution. Did not experience any significant heat coming out of it.

Weight wise, I love it and have comfortable worn it for 2-3 hours without any problems even with the stock mask and head strap.

Setup

Super easy, download Pimax Play, plug it in and connected straight away, eye calibration smooth and headset and controllers firmware updated without any issues. Disabled Pimax Home as didn't see the point in it. I had an initial wobble on that first day that any game I jumped into just ran really slow and looked terrible, changing the USB port seem to clear that up.

Lenses&Panels

What I noticed is the sweet spot is much bigger than the Crystal Super 50 PPD or at least easier to find. Is it as seamless as the Quest 3 lenses? I don't think so, but it is not far off. I didn't notice any excess glare, a slight bit of fish bowling but I think that is the distortion profile not the lenses - if I hadn't been coming from the Quest 3, i don't think I would have noticed it. Edge to edge clarity is good until the last c5% of outer rim of the lenses in my view.

The panels are just wow.. brightness, blacks, the colour saturation combined with the higher resolution - the visuals are just on a another level even at just native resolution - this was probably the biggest reason that I persisted with getting to know the headset and constantly tweaking the settings.

Ease of Use

I was going to cover performance here as well, but I haven't measured anything so it is all on feel and obviously depends on the settings. The main games tested were LMU, AC Evo, No Mans Sky, Half Life Alyx, AMS2, RE9 VR Mod and Cyberpunk - so a broad selection**.**

Tracking both head tracking and controller tracking again was better than I expected. It's not quite Quest 3 level, but it's close enough that I never noticed it affecting gameplay in any of the games I played above. I don't like the pass through cameras - they are rubbish, and I haven't figured out how to zoom in on desktop view as the text is small.

Controllers are terrible, cheap and plasticky and they seem to just slip off everything like when I put them down on my lap or anything!

What I haven't go to yet is that pick up and play feel. It still seems like a faff.

I'm also struggling with Steam VR, its good to have Pimax XR but for example if I load up Half Life Alyx with the Steam VR runtime it works fine. If I switch to open XR I get the Mongoose/other error and it won't load - but for some reason it has run Steam VR which then crashes! LMU runs great, AMS2 has been flaky, Cyberpunk runs fine whilst RE9VR despite all the tweaking runs worse than it did on the Quest 3.

My biggest frustration isn't performance or image quality, it's understanding the software stack. With Quest 3 + Virtual Desktop, I never really had to think about runtimes. With Dream Air I'm constantly asking myself:

-Should this game be running through OpenXR or SteamVR?

-Which settings should I change in Pimax Play?

-Which settings should I change in SteamVR?

-Why does one game launch perfectly while another crashes?

The Dream Air hardware has exceeded my expectations. Most of my frustrations have actually been software, runtimes, SteamVR/OpenXR interactions and understanding which settings live in which application.

That's the bit that's still getting to me.

Conclusion

If you're coming from a Crystal Super, Bigscreen Beyond or an older PCVR headset, there is lots to love.

If you're coming from a Quest 3 + Virtual Desktop setup, be prepared for a step-change in image quality but also a steeper learning curve and more tinkering than you're used to.

So I am keeping it, but I'm hoping I get it to the same easy pick up and play I got the Quest 3 to with VD. I'm not there yet, but the form factor, visuals etc are making me put in the effort - ay tips or observations on what I'm doing wrong would be appreciated.