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Pimax Launches Kickstarter for "8K" Virtual Reality Headset

Accepted submission by takyon at 2017-09-22 01:28:42
Hardware

The China-based VR company Pimax has launched a Kickstarter [kickstarter.com] for what they call "8K" and "5K" VR headsets [roadtovr.com]. The cheapest version of the "8K" headset is listed at $500 and the company has more than quadrupled its funding goal. The Pimax 8K has a 3840×2160 resolution per eye for a total resolution of 7680×2160 and 32:9 aspect ratio (an actual 8K resolution would be 7680×4320). The field of view (FOV) for the headset is 200°, and is similar in design to the StarVR headset [roadtovr.com] which has an FOV of 210°. By comparison, the latest HTC Vive [wikipedia.org] and Oculus Rift [wikipedia.org] headsets have a 110° FOV.

While the headsets have a listed refresh rate of 90 Hz, Pimax claims that its "Brainwarp" software technique can effectively double the perceived frame rate:

You may be asking yourself how a VR-ready gaming computer could possibly drive these sorts of graphically demanding resolutions. Pimax's answer is a software technique they call 'Brainwarp', which renders a 4K image only on a single display at time, doing it 150/180 times per second. Pimax says users "perceive a complete 8K at 150/180 Hz with high frame rate," and that it "boosts refresh rate, reduces latency and decreases GPU pressure for Pimax 8K."

Pimax showed off its headset prototypes at [360rumors.com] CES [roadtovr.com] in January. The company is also developing modular accessories [tomshardware.com] for its headsets.

Just 4.73 times more pixels to reach the "ideal" resolution. [soylentnews.org]


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