In a recent move to enhance its line of PC VR headsets, Pimax has introduced a new financing scheme for its Crystal Super and Crystal Light models, aiming to make them more wallet-friendly. While this sounds promising at a glance, the updated payment plan and returns policy might leave some potential buyers questioning the changes.
Back in April, Pimax announced the Crystal Super, their upcoming flagship PC VR headset. Set to debut with an impressive base 57 PPD version, this device features QLED panels, providing a jaw-dropping resolution of 3,840 x 3,840 pixels per eye. Add in a 120-degree field-of-view (FOV) and glass aspheric lenses with 99% reported light transmission, and it’s clear this headset means business.
Besides these features, Crystal Super is packed with eye-tracking, dynamic foveated rendering, inside-out tracking, and the ability to swap optical engines. Its newly designed, smaller form promises enhanced comfort, making it appealing to devoted VR enthusiasts who have top-tier GPUs at their disposal. It’s basically a VR aficionado’s dream once the 57 PPD version sees the light of day in Q1 2025.
Moreover, the spotlight doesn’t just stop there. Pimax has plans to introduce additional optical engines, like a micro-OLED engine priced at $699 and a 50 PPD QLED engine offering a 135-degree FOV for $399. Expect these add-ons to be available for pre-order early next year.
Following the revelation of the updated features and the opening of Crystal Super pre-orders, Pimax announced revamped pricing strategies for both Crystal Super and the existing Crystal Light model. This shift lowers the overall cost but stirs the pot by altering how payments and returns are managed.
While you could dive into another of Pimax’s notoriously complex video announcements for the marketing specifics, we’re here to break it down for you.
On the surface, the initial price tag for Crystal Super is dropping from $1,800 to $1,695. Meanwhile, Crystal Light’s price slides from $899 to $858, with both price points covering the inclusion of controllers. Yet, as with most things Pimax, it’s not that simple.
Enter Pimax’s new mandatory financing/membership initiative, called ‘Pimax Prime’. This allows customers to snag a Crystal Super for $999 upfront, or a Crystal Light for $599 upfront.
Borrowing a page from its Trial Payment scheme introduced in May for Crystal Light, Pimax presents a trial period to help you decide if these headsets fit your needs. Afterward, you’ll have to opt for one of two payment plans to retain access to the headset’s software or return it for a full refund.
For Crystal Super, the choices include a one-time sum of $696 or a $33 monthly payment spread over two years, totaling $792, to access the essential Pimax Play software. As for Crystal Light, the options are a $259 one-time payment or a $12 per-month plan for two years, amounting to $288. Missing any monthly payments results in suspended software access.
Once you’ve completed your Prime payments, access to Pimax Play becomes free for that specific headset. This could be fantastic news if everything goes smoothly, and you’re satisfied with the product, or if you realize it’s not right for you and return it during the trial period.
While Pimax Prime offers incentives like early access to software updates, exclusive invites to member-only events, and priority support, it fundamentally changes the refunds process. It seemingly provides less leeway to clients, even with the reduced price.
Under its former Trial Payment system from May, Crystal Light had a generous 15-day trial for free returns, granted the product suffered no user-inflicted damage, and also a 30-day return for transit damages. Now, Pimax reduces this window to a 10-day span for both cases, obliging consumers to commit to a payment plan after this short trial.
While return policies fluctuate across the U.S., due to a lack of overarching federal consumer protection laws, European and UK customers benefit from a 14-day no-questions-asked return policy and a two-year warranty against faulty goods, excluding typical user-induced issues.
This could be the sticking point. A sharp-eyed Reddit user, ‘TotalWarspammer’, highlights how Prime essentially becomes non-refundable after that 10-day period, unless Pimax agrees otherwise. So, if you’re on the cusp of this trial, sign up for the payment, but then reconsider later, the refund including the Prime subscription purchase hinges on Pimax’s discretion.
Importantly, Pimax’s 12-month warranty omits coverage for any software, whether self-developed or third-party, intended or labelled for use with the device.
Time will tell if this bold marketing play proves beneficial, as it might deter from the outwardly stellar hardware offerings Pimax’s niche PC VR headsets have come to represent. On the flip side, it could serve just right for someone committed to finding out if a Pimax headset aligns with their needs, as they can return the product without a fee if done promptly. However, having to pay for software that ideally should come bundled might not sit well with every potential buyer.
It’s worth mentioning that the Pimax Prime membership won’t be exclusive to Crystal Light and Crystal Super, but will expand to encompass future Pimax VR headsets, too. Thus, the gaming community will have to wait and see if Pimax’s altered approach holds fast.
An update clarified a misstep where an initial FAQ mentioned Pimax Prime as non-refundable, which isn’t correct—at least during that initial 10-day trial or possibly at Pimax’s discretion post-trial. “If a customer upgrades to Prime and decides to return the headset within the 10-day window (or sometimes at Pimax’s discretion), the base price and Prime fee would be refunded,” states Jaap Grolleman, Director of Overseas Marketing Operations. We’ve included these details in our content here, along with a note about the limited 12-month warranty.
