Pimax Unveils Dream Air Prototypes and Addresses Essential Inquiries

When Pimax unveiled their upcoming Dream Air headset, it sparked curiosity and questions within the VR community. To address these, we reached out directly to Pimax and also got a sneak peek at early prototypes, along with a comprehensive list of specifications and updates on some yet-to-be-released products.

Pimax has been in the VR headset game for a while now, but the company often faces criticism for issues like product refinement, strategic focus, delayed releases, and announcing new gear before fulfilling prior commitments. Their announcement of the compact Dream Air headset rekindled these concerns, prompting us to seek answers directly from the company. Here’s what they shared with us, featuring images of the Dream Air prototypes, a full spec list, and updates on previously announced products still on the horizon.

Q: What’s Pimax’s confidence level in delivering the Dream Air by May 2025?

A: We’ve been working on the Crystal Super micro-OLED and Dream Air for over a year—it’s essentially the same headset in many ways. With a fully functional optical engine already in place, we’re optimistic that the remaining time until May is sufficient to complete the project, much like the Crystal Super’s development timeline over the past year.

Dream Air incorporates the same optical engine solution as the Crystal Super and its foundational technologies but introduces a new design. You can find more details on how Dream Air shares technical components with the Crystal Super micro-OLED here. A key hurdle is ensuring a steady supply of micro-OLED panels and possibly the ringless controllers. Initial headset batches might ship with ringed controllers as seen on the Crystal/Light/Super models, with the option to swap for ringless ones later.

We’re aiming to ship about 200 to 300 units in May. This urgency is why we announced the headset now, for reasons explained further below.

Q: Why announce the headset so soon after Super, and why open pre-orders already?

A: There are several factors at play. We chose to announce Dream Air now to avoid surprising users post-Super shipments who might feel they would have preferred ordering Dream Air had they known then. We’ve already noticed this comment on our Discord, but users are still able to switch their pre-orders from Super to Dream Air if they choose.

Another reason involves the scarcity of micro-OLED panels. There’s a higher demand than supply, leading to long lead times after placing orders. By opening pre-orders now, we can better gauge user demand and secure timely panel orders to enable May shipments. This order must be in by early January, considering suppliers take time off for Chinese New Year.

The extended wait for micro-OLED panels isn’t solely a Pimax issue; competitors face the same challenge, and therefore, they typically don’t offer refundable pre-orders. Our pre-orders are refundable before shipping, and there’s a trade-in period once the headset is received. We’ve also included a $1 reservation option.

Q: What about the critique that Pimax should narrow its product focus?

A: We aim to be a company with a diverse range of SKUs as VR headsets are diversifying rapidly. Our core goal remains delivering the ultimate experience. To cater to various usage cases, we have the Crystal line and the emerging Dream line.

All our headsets rely on similar core technology, blending hardware and software, with a strong focus on PCVR. We’ve learned from our past, such as with the Portal, which wasn’t PCVR-focused. Pimax boasts nine years in VR headset development, operates two R&D offices, and is expanding our assembly line to support this multi-SKU approach.

By sharing technology across multiple SKUs, we can funnel more resources into developing advancements beneficial to all headsets. It also prevents us from experiencing a single massive sales peak yearly, distributing orders more evenly year-round, making supply and production management smoother since we own our factory with dedicated staff. High sales peaks typically hinder efficiency.

Q: Are more headsets from Pimax on the horizon?

A: We have plans to update some older models but do not anticipate releasing headsets with specs surpassing Dream Air and Crystal Super, except for the 12K.

Q: How advanced is Dream Air’s design? Were the announcement renders mere mockups or actualized designs? Is a functional prototype available?

A: The headset internals are completely designed, supported by a working optical engine. The shared software base from Crystal Super includes features like SLAM tracking, eye-tracking, hand-tracking, and settings within Pimax Play.

Externally, while testing and developing within Crystal Super’s housing (micro-OLED optical engine), we’re crafting Dream Air’s exterior housing. Here’s a look at two prototypes created during the development process.

Q: Will the standalone module Cobb for Dream Air ship in 2025?

A: At this point, we don’t have a concrete ETA for Cobb. It’s an add-on for Dream Air, and we’re keen to integrate additional features beyond what’s been mentioned in our Frontier announcement.

Q: What safety measures ensure the auto-tightening headstrap can’t cause harm if it malfunctions?

A: The design ensures it’s robust enough to support the lightweight headset yet not strong enough to cause injury. The internal straps comprise elastic rubber. This isn’t new tech—similar mechanisms are used in self-lacing shoes like Nike’s Auto Adapt.

Q: Can the head straps be replaced, and how?

A: Yes, they can be removed at the stems.

Q: Could this headset potentially run HorizonOS or AndroidXR in the future?

There are no such plans. Internally, it’s the same as the Crystal Super’s micro-OLED optical engine, operating as a PC VR headset with Pimax Play (also compatible with OpenXR/OpenVR runtime and SteamVR).

Here’s the detailed specification of the Pimax Dream Air for those interested:

Pimax Dream Air Specifications

• Display: 2 × micro-OLED 100% DCI-P3 colors
• Resolution per-eye: 13MP (3,840 × 3,552)
• Pixels per-degree: Unknown
• Max refresh rate: 90Hz
• Optics: Pancake
• Field-of-view: 102°H
• Pass-through view: Black & White
• Optical adjustments: Continuous IPD (automatic), Prescription lenses (optional)
• IPD adjustment range: 58–72mm
• Connectors: DP 1.4 (PC) to USB-C (headset), 1 × USB-C accessory port
• Input: Dream Air controllers (rechargeable battery), Hand-tracking
• Audio: In-headstrap speakers
• Microphone: Dual-microphone
• Weight: 200g
• Headset-tracking: Inside-out, SteamVR Tracking (optional)
• Controller tracking: Headset-tracked (LOS needed)
• Eye-tracking: Yes
• Expression tracking: No
• On-board cameras: 4 tracking, 2 passthrough
• Depth-sensor: No
• MSRP: $1,900

Pimax Product Shipping Update

Q: Can you provide the latest estimated shipping time for all unreleased Pimax products?

A: The Crystal Super will be showcased at CES 2025, featuring the QLED 57 PPD optical engine, scheduled for a late January release. The 50 PPD optical and micro-OLED engines are nearing readiness, with shipments expected in March and April, respectively.

The non-local dimming version of the Crystal Light slices pricing further and is anticipated for June 2025. The 60G Airlink for the original Crystal will also debut at CES 2025, with external beta testing set to kick off imminently, targeting an April 2025 release.

For the 12K, we can’t commit to an exact ETA. Announcing it, we had sorted key technical solutions, some of which later failed to meet quality standards or fell short, such as a dual DP 1.4 solution and an undisclosable panel solution.

If you have more questions for Pimax, feel free to leave them in the comments below.