Pimax Alters Payment Strategy to Offer More Affordable Flagships with Limited Refund Options

In a recent move to enhance its PC VR headset offerings, Pimax has introduced a fresh financing initiative aimed at making the Crystal Super and Crystal Light models more accessible to consumers. This approach not only lowers the price points but also brings some interesting changes to their payment and return structures, potentially stirring up some discussions.

Announced earlier this year in April, the Crystal Super is poised to be the crown jewel of Pimax’s PC VR lineup. This flagship headset boasts a base version equipped with QLED panels, delivering an impressive resolution of 3,840 x 3,840 pixels per eye, a 120-degree field of view, and glass aspheric lenses touted to have 99% light transmission. In addition to these robust specs, the Crystal Super features eye-tracking, dynamic foveated rendering, and inside-out tracking. It also offers interchangeable optical engines and a more compact design for better ergonomics. This tech wonder is primarily designed for VR enthusiasts who already possess high-end GPUs, ticking nearly every box on the wishlist when it hits the market in the first quarter of 2025.

Even more enticing is the promise of additional optical engines, expected to arrive later, including a micro-OLED engine priced at $699 and a 50 PPD QLED engine with a 135-degree field of view for $399. Pre-orders for these add-ons are anticipated to open early next year.

Accompanying the release of the Crystal Super’s detailed specs and the kickoff of pre-orders, Pimax also unveiled a revised pricing and payment strategy for both the Crystal Super and the previously launched Crystal Light. While effectively reducing costs, these changes come with a twist in how payments and returns are handled, a nuance worth exploring.

For those eager to skip watching one of Pimax’s typically complex video releases, we’ve dived into the real-world implications for users.

To begin with, Crystal Super’s base price is dropping from $1,800 to $1,695, while Crystal Light sees a reduction from $899 to $858. Both packages include controllers, yet as with anything Pimax-related, there’s more beneath the surface.

Now introducing a compulsory financing and membership scheme dubbed ‘Pimax Prime,’ Pimax offers Crystal Super at $999 upfront and Crystal Light at $599 upfront. Following a similar method tried in May with their Trial Payment for Crystal Light, users have a trial window to decide if the product suits them. After the trial, users must commit to a payment plan to keep the headset’s software operational or simply return it for a full refund.

With Crystal Super, users can opt for a one-time payment of $696 or opt for a $33 per month plan over two years, totaling $792, to maintain access to the Pimax Play software. For Crystal Light, the one-time payment is $259, or $12 monthly over two years, equating to $288. Of course, missing payments during these plans leads to suspended software access.

Once the Prime payments are settled, Pimax Play software becomes free for the specific headset, assuming everything runs smoothly and you’re satisfied with your purchase—or decide within the trial that you want a refund.

Prime sweetens the deal with perks like early software feature access, exclusive event invites, and priority support. Nonetheless, this change complicates the refund process compared to before, reducing consumer flexibility despite lower overall prices.

Previously, Pimax’s Trial Payment allowed a 15-day trial for Crystal Light returns, damage-free, and 30 days for transit-damage cases. Now, the return period is trimmed to 10 days for either scenario, binding customers to a payment plan beyond that point.

While US return policies vary due to the absence of federal consumer protections, the EU and UK regulations allow for 14-day returns without a reason and offer a two-year warranty against faults, excluding user mishaps.

Reddit user ‘TotalWarspammer’ pointedly notes that Prime is effectively non-refundable after 10 days unless Pimax gives special consideration post this window. Therefore, if you opt for the one-time payment and suddenly change your mind after 10 days, it’s up to Pimax whether they provide a refund, including the Prime subscription.

Additionally, Pimax’s 12-month warranty doesn’t cover any of the software aspects, whether produced by them or a third party.

Whether this strategic gamble proves wise is yet to be seen, as it might overshadow the actual hardware quality, which has traditionally been a strong point for Pimax, offering niche VR headsets at competitive prices. Alternatively, this could be exactly the kind of trial you need to decide if a Pimax headset fits your needs—with a few trial days to spare. Nevertheless, the notion of essentially paying for middleware that arguably should be part of the package might not sit well with everyone.

Pimax plans to extend the Prime program beyond just the Crystal Light and Crystal Super models, incorporating upcoming Pimax VR headsets. As always, how the community reacts will be pivotal in determining if this new strategy will stick around for the long haul.

Update (November 26th, 2024): Initially, FAQs indicated that Pimax Prime was non-refundable. However, this isn’t accurate—returns within the 10-day window, or at Pimax’s discretion after, qualify for a refund of both the base price and Prime subscription, according to Jaap Grolleman, the company’s Director of Overseas Marketing Operations. This clarification has been added to the text, along with a note on the limited 12-month warranty.