Pimax Technology was founded in November 2015, with its first product released in 2016. The company’s portfolio includes 15 patents, 6 trademarks, and 9 software work certificates, showcasing its technical expertise in the field of virtual reality and augmented reality technology.
The Pimax 4K, released in 2016, was the company's first foray into the VR scene, boasting a resolution of 1920×2160 per eye, for a combined total of 3840×2160. The Pimax 8K, a virtual reality head-mounted display, features two 4K displays, one for each eye, with an advertised field of view of 200 degrees. The Pimax 8K does not use the standard 8K UHD resolution; its two 4K UHD displays result in half the total pixel count of 8K UHD.
In 2017, Pimax ran a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter for the Pimax 8K headset, raising approximately $4.2 million, which held the Guinness World Record for the most successful crowdfunded VR project. The company announced a $15 million series A funding round in December 2017. On 8 January 2020, Pimax’s flagship headset, the Vision 8K X, was selected as Top Tech of CES: AR/VR by Digital Trends. In October 2020, Pimax received $20M (USD) series B funding round, announced at World Conference on VR Industry (WCVRI) 2020.
The Pimax 8K headset was initially planned to start shipping in January 2018 but was repeatedly delayed due to design tweaks and manufacturing refinements. As of July 2019, all backers with verified addresses had received their Pimax 8K and 5K+ headsets. The company has announced partnerships with third parties to develop expansion modules for the headset, including inside-out tracking, eye tracking, wireless transmission, and scent. At CES2019, Pimax disclosed strategic partnerships with Leap Motion and 7INVENSUN on the development of hand motion tracking and eye tracking modules, respectively. Leap Motion was later acquired by UltraHaptics, forming Ultraleap, and Pimax signed an agreement to offer Ultraleap hand tracking for its VR headset range.
Pimax has developed various VR headsets, including the Pimax 5K PLUS, Pimax 5K XR, and Pimax 5K SUPER, each with unique features and specifications. The Pimax 5K PLUS features 2560×1440 displays per eye. The Pimax 5K XR utilizes OLED screens, offering a wider dynamic color range. The 5K SUPER has a standard refresh rate of 160 Hz and an experimental 180 Hz mode.
The Pimax Vision 8K X solves the cable bandwidth limitation by using the highest data transmission mode with Displayport 1.4a, allowing native 4K resolution per eye without upscaling. The total native resolution of a Pimax Vision 8K X is 7680×2160. The Pimax Vision 8K PLUS is similar to the Vision 8K X but upscales a 1440p input to its 4K panels.
Pimax also announced the Pimax Artisan, touting 120 Hz refresh, 140º FOV, and 3200×1440 resolution, with a price starting at $449. The Pimax Portal, a portable handheld gaming console that can slot into a VR headset, was announced in November 2022 and launched on Kickstarter.
The Pimax Crystal, a 6K virtual reality headset, was announced in May 2022 and released in May 2023, featuring 2880×2880 px displays with up to 160Hz refresh rate and a 140-degree diagonal field of view. The Pimax Crystal Super, an 8K version, was introduced in April 2024, with a choice of a 3840×3840 px QLED panel or a 3840×3552 px micro-OLED display panel. The Pimax Dream Air, a lightweight PCVR headset, was introduced in December 2024, featuring a micro-OLED display with 3840 × 3552 pixels per eye and a 90 Hz refresh rate.
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