Pimax issued a statement on their forums stating that their 8K headset will not be shipped to all backers this month as previously claimed. The statement was also sent out via email.
The company explained that the 4K LCD panels used in the Pimax 8K have been rejected at a much higher rate since they enacted stricter QA testing.
So when will the remaining backers of the 8K model get their headset? Pimax made clear that it would not be before the Chinese Spring Festival which runs until February 10th. This means it’ll be weeks or months before all are produced & shipped.
The 8K headset isn’t the company’s only offering however. There is also the ‘Pimax 5K+’. Despite having lower resolution (1440p) panels the visual quality of the 5K+ is actually preferred by many. This is another reminder of the important fact that resolution is only one spec of a panel. While marketing departments everywhere would have you believe otherwise, a lower resolution can look superior if the other specs of the panel are better by enough of a degree.
The 5K+ headset isn’t free of QA issues either however. Pimax now has a replacement program for a “black dots” issue. This is a flaw in some 5K+ units where, as in the name, black dots appear over the panel.
It’s now 16 months since the Pimax kickstarter launched. While the company claims to have finally shipped the majority of its 5K+ model, backers of the original 8K are still waiting.
As we stated when we analyzed Pimax’s shipping record, the company’s repeated inability to meet self-defined deadlines means that we strongly recommend not ordering a headset until they completely fulfill backer orders, clear their current backlog, and demonstrate the ability to consistently ship at scale.