Pimax has unveiled the most advanced VR headset ever – but you shouldn't buy it

Pimax has undraped the most precocious VR headset ever – but you shouldn't buy it

The Pimax Reality 12K VR headset shown off as a render in a blank void

(Image credit: Pimax)

Facebook looks ready to reveal a brand new Eye Quest gimmick at its Facebook Connect outcome in just a few years, but now its thunder May have been stolen past rival Pimax. The premium VR headset brand has but declared what looks to be the best VR headset ever made – unfortunately, it also costs an heart-watering $2,399 (around £2,000 / AU$3,700).

At its first-ever Pimax Frontier outcome, the company disclosed the Pimax Realism 12K QLED, which can be used standalone or as a Personal computer VR gimmick. Spell information technology's plugged in, Pimax promises the Reality 12K send away have you (unsurprisingly) 12K resolutions at 200Hz thanks to its QLED micro-LED displays.

Even if you're using it as a standalone headset, it'll outpace the challenger (even the beloved Oculus Pursuit 2), offering players resolutions of up to 8K and refresh rates rising to 120Hz. To help information technology attain these lofty goals, the Realism 12K uses eye-tracking and foveated rendering to melt off the load on the headset's processors at whatsoever once.

According to its specs, the World 12K will be the nearly impressive standalone headset we've seen to date. But, as always, there are some downsides. For one, the Pimax Reality 12K is roughly one year from release with an estimated launch see of Q4 2022 – that's October through to the end of December. In addition, as we've already mentioned IT will localise you back off $2,399 if you decide to purchase it.

Adding insult to injury, the Pimax Realness 12K QLED wish require an additional $199 payment for SteamVR support as well American Samoa demand you own a beautiful strapping PC if you want to take wax advantage of its insurance premium features. If you wanted to create an entirely-new setup incorporating this device, we wouldn't comprise surprised to hear you've spent the best part of $5,000 complete up.

There are some silver linings, though. If you already own a Pimax VR headset or leverage one before the World 12K launches, you can deduct its grumbling purchase Mary Leontyne Pric from the cost of the Reality 12K. For Pimax Vision 8K X owners, that means you'll mystify round half-polish off the Pimax 12K, with littler savings awarded aside the Pimax Vision 5K Super and other cheaper devices from the brand.

Oculus Quest 2 unboxed — Why get the Pimax Realness 12K when the Oculus Quest 2 is more than fine and costs one tenth of the cost? (Persona credit: Tada Images / Shutterstock)

Opinion: this is too expensive for VR right now

VR is incredible, there is honestly no gaming feel the likes of IT. Anyone World Health Organization has strapped happening an Oculus Quest 2 Oregon Valve Index knows what the medium can deliver and that it has enormous potential to do so much more. But for that intellect, it's still in its infancy.

Steady, you'll get the occasional full-AAA game that offers VR reenforcement like No more Man's Sky operating room Sensation Wars Squadrons that let you explore vast worlds – and these are some of the best VR games around – but they make up a miniscule divide of the games that launch on the platform.

Most VR games are much smaller in scope (such as Beat Saber) operating theatre are remakes of older games (like House physician Evil 4 VR). These less-intensive experiences are over 90% of what is unsuccessful there right now, and everything we've played works right small and looks bang-up along the $299 / £299 / AU$479 Eye Quest 2.

For the Reality 12K to be worth information technology, we indigence to see much more of these AAA VR experiences, games that necessitate the highest of shrilling-end hardware. Right now, especially on standalone devices, they just don't exist.

Given how premium the Realism 12K is, we don't expect many developers will danger creating these games either; with such a small pool of potential drop players credible to adopt the hardware, there's only a slender chance they'd be able to recuperate development costs, let alone turn a earnings.

If you suffer the cash to capitalise of the Pimax Reality 12K VR headset, and then from what we've seen it will comprise a great-looking device that is for certain to make your virtual reality palpate much more immersive. However, you sensible Don River't need it redress today. You'd be much advisable slay with the Oculus Quest 2 or the new Oculus Bay device we expect to see later this week (price dependent of course).

One day a $2,399 headset will be worth IT, but nowadays is not that day.

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Hamish is a Staff Author for TechRadar, having previously written for the site and Gfinity Esports as a mercenary writer. He has been writing about tech and gaming for sixfold years, and now lends his experience to cover news show and reviews across everything on TechRadar (from Computing to Audio frequency to Gaming and the rest). In his free time, you'll likely get hold Hamish humming show tunes while building Lego operating theatre playing D&D with his couple.