Two and a half years ago, Pimax announced VR Station, a compact, console-like computer for running PC VR content that would be wirelessly streamed to its Reality “12K” and Crystal headsets. And while the “12K” still hasn’t shipped (and the Crystal still doesn’t have its wireless streaming add-on), Pimax insists the VR Station is still in the works.
Pimax announced two new headsets last week, but the company still hasn’t delivered much of what it announced years prior, including the VR Station.
The VR Station was announced in late 2021, and is said to be a compact PC that’s designed to play PC VR games wirelessly thanks to a high-resolution 60GHz accessory.
In its announcement last week, Pimax offered an update on the 60GHz ‘Airlink’ wireless accessory: it should ship later this year with a $300 price tag. While it can be used with any PC, the Airlink tech is an essential part of the VR Station.
But there was no update about the VR Station itself, so we reached out to ask. Pimax tells Road to VR that VR Station is still in development.
“Currently, the development of the VR Station is progressing smoothly. We are focusing on optimizing software usability, and our collaborating PC case manufacturers are producing a new batch of PC cases. Once delivered, we will assemble some VR Station prototypes,” a spokesperson says. “We believe that we will soon have further updates to share with everyone. For now, we can share that VR Station is a comprehensive solution combining a portable desktop PC with a [wireless transmitter for streaming VR games]. With VR Station, we aim to enhance the PC VR user experience and ultimately achieve a “plug-and-play” experience similar to gaming consoles. In our planning, both software usability and hardware stability are top priorities. Therefore, we are still in contact with several PC manufacturers to explore the possibilities of VR Station.
So there you have it. It’s still not clear when, but Pimax still expects to eventually deliver the VR Station.
When it does launch, it unfortunately won’t be compatible with either of the company’s latest headsets (Crystal Light and Crystal Super), because only the original Crystal headset is compatible with Airlink. But perhaps the Reality “12K” headset—which Pimax also says is still in development—will be ready by the time VR Station launches.
Note: We put the “12K” part of the headset’s name in quotes because Pimax isn’t referring to the same 12K that is often used to describe TVs and monitors. The headset’s total horizontal resolution is near 12K, but this is split across each eye. Additionally, the resolution height is just half the height of what one would expect from a 12K TV. When referring to the headset’s name, we put “12K” in quotes to help our readers understand that it’s being used differently than they might expect.