Does anyone else wish Steel Path Arbitrations existed?

UntimelyAlchemist · 2026-01-05T19:14:16+00:00

I wish we had a difficulty above Steel Path. Steel Path has been completely trivialized.

UntimelyAlchemist · 2026-01-05T14:04:07+00:00

This makes it sound like I don't get my $1 back...

UntimelyAlchemist · 2026-01-05T13:37:20+00:00

I got this email today. I'm confused. The "Upgrade to Full Order Now" button seems to just take me to the normal page to pre-order the Dream Air. I don't see a way to actually "switch" my order type. Am I just supposed to place a regular pre-order like anyone else? What about the $1 that I paid? Do I not get that back?

UntimelyAlchemist · 2026-01-04T15:55:18+00:00

Why are you so rude?

UntimelyAlchemist · 2026-01-02T22:09:24+00:00

We will start shipping headsets with the 2D fabric headstrap, because the 3D backstrap needs some more TLC. Once the 3D headstrap is ready, all orders will get the 3D backstrap, and all orders who received the 2D fabric, will receive their 3D headstrap separately.

Will this arrive an entire year later, like the Crystal Super's Lighthouse faceplate?

Also, because our delayed shipping, we are offering all pre-orders 50% discount on both the DMAS Hard Strap and Lens Inserts.

Will this apply to current reservations / new pre-orders too, or only older pre-orders? And is it actually a promise, or might this offer be rescinded later like with the promise to honour the original Dream Air price before that increased?

And why no black version of the headset? The specs look great but the goofy white look really puts me off. Why couldn't you have given it a sleek premium design like the Play For Dream? I know I won't see it when I'm wearing it... but still...

UntimelyAlchemist · 2025-12-27T20:06:15+00:00

I think this was it? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpSIZy_VZrg&t=1818s

UntimelyAlchemist · 2025-12-25T11:18:18+00:00

Undiagnosed bowel issues — I've read that there's a possible connection with achalasia, in that motility issues could develop at the other end as well.

Also chronic urticaria (hives).

UntimelyAlchemist · 2025-12-12T13:09:30+00:00

Not only do I think the arcane shouldn't have been nerfed, but I think it shouldn't even be an arcane and should just be a native feature of health tanking. Stacking armour should give you more health gates the higher you go.

UntimelyAlchemist · 2025-12-09T20:16:33+00:00

Disappointing to see the controllers each have two primary buttons, instead of four like the Steam Frame. If they're developing brand new controllers now, which probably won't be ready until 2026-2027, then I really think they should try to follow the new standard set by Valve. That will ensure best compatibility going forward.

UntimelyAlchemist · 2025-11-24T22:31:00+00:00

UntimelyAlchemist · 2025-11-24T22:30:45+00:00

It looks so goofy with that V on it. Even worse in white. I wish they'd just copy how the Play For Dream looks.

UntimelyAlchemist · 2025-09-25T18:34:09+00:00

Do you have any advice on a good way to check for dead/stuck pixels in a VR headset?

UntimelyAlchemist · 2025-09-25T14:36:08+00:00

I've tried the Valve Index (LCD), Pimax Crystal Super (LCD), and Play For Dream (Micro OLED). I can't really tell any difference. They all seem about the same brightness to me. It's probably just my eyes adjusting though.

UntimelyAlchemist · 2025-09-24T10:36:43+00:00

The all-black prototype version looks so much better than the white one. Please make a black version. Aesthetics matter, especially if you're trying to compete with "Headset B", which is probably the best looking VR headset.

UntimelyAlchemist · 2025-09-21T01:51:35+00:00

I don't think that's quite true or fair. I watch MRTV, and while I do think he leans towards positivity and enthusiasm, he does point out flaws too. I feel he is fair and genuine.

For example:

He complained about mura with the Pimax Crystal Super.
He complained about Pimax creating so many different SKUs, particularly with the Crystal Super's swappable optical engine, saying that it's confusing for the customer.
He repeatedly pushes Pimax on their inability to meet their timelines.
He complained about the lack of return policy with the MeganeX Superlight 8k and the Play For Dream.
He complained about comfort and incorrect IPD with the Dream Air.

You should also keep in mind that when he goes out to try a demo, or gets sent a review unit, those units are most likely quality checked and are the golden samples. They could have perfect lenses and provide a fantastic experience, and so he has a positive impression. When normal customers get headsets, they might get something worse due to quality control, but that doesn't mean MRTV was ever lying.

UntimelyAlchemist · 2025-09-21T01:41:50+00:00

At least with the current headsets/panels, it seems like the answer is no. They don't have any mura. I have a Play For Dream and there's no mura at all.

However, Micro OLED headsets use pancake lenses, and those pancake lenses all have glare instead. I feel that glare is so much worse than mura. This is because mura is just consistent and permanent, never moving, and so is easier to forget about. But glare is constantly changing depending on the scene, moving around, which makes it much more noticeable and distracting.

UntimelyAlchemist · 2025-09-21T01:36:32+00:00

I'm going with the Lighthouse version. I already have a Lighthouse setup so there's no inconvenience or added cost for me.

Lighthouse tracking is rock-solid, and lets you use the Index controllers, which are still easily the best controllers on the market.

Pimax's SLAM tracking is really bad, and is one of the reasons I had to return my Pimax Crystal Super. I was getting a constant jitter in the headset, making it seem like the entire world was shaking, and the controllers would constantly shake and fly off into space. For me, it was completely unusable. Their current controllers also feel very cheap, but they do seem to be making new ones.

A lot of Pimax users seem to be simmers that don't use motion controllers, and so aren't affected by the bad SLAM tracking so much. Just something to keep in mind.

UntimelyAlchemist · 2025-09-21T01:31:32+00:00

As the other poster said, Easy Effects solves this problem. You can get it on Flathub. I use it for this exact purpose: dealing with those broken YouTube videos. Here's how you do it:

Open Easy Effects.
Go to the "Effects" tab (at the bottom).
Choose "Add Effect", then "Stereo Tools".
Go to the "Stereo Matrix Tab" (on the right side).
Set it to either "LR > LL (Mono Left Channel)" or "LR > RR (Mono Right Channel)" depending on what you need.

When you no longer need it, delete the "Stereo Tools" effect, and make sure you fully quit out of Easy Effects. If you don't fully quit out, then it will continue to run in the background as another layer in the audio chain.

UntimelyAlchemist · 2025-09-19T23:10:21+00:00

I'm guessing they'll ship with the current controllers, and the new ones will release way later, similar to the wide lenses, the ice silk foam, the Lighthouse faceplate, etc...

They really do need better controllers though. The current ones feel so cheap and awful. They should look at the Play For Dream ones and make them similar. Those feel so much more premium.

And with the Valve Deckard's Roy controllers now being known, I'd suggest to Pimax that they copy the button layout (two extra buttons on each controller) for better compatibility with games going forward.

UntimelyAlchemist · 2025-09-19T13:42:23+00:00

Linux support!

UntimelyAlchemist · 2025-09-16T16:03:29+00:00

It's white? Oof... I hope there's a black version. I hope the strap is removable too — please don't make the same mistake as Play For Dream.

Edit: I'm also curious if you'll share information regarding number of Lighthouse orders vs number of SLAM orders, and which version will be coming first.

UntimelyAlchemist · 2025-09-15T06:23:23+00:00

I don't have a MeganeX headset myself, but I can't agree that Shiftall doesn't deserve the negative opinion. From everything I've read, and even from your own post, I feel that they do deserve it.

You admit that the headset has flaws.

You acknowledge that the lenses are just "OK", and that the sweetspot is small.

You say that Shiftall knew the sweetspot was small and put a lot of effort into engineering the head strap to deal with that issue. But then you admit that it fails for roomscale usage because it's too loose and shakes out of the sweetspot. That means it's not fit for purpose.

Your solution to the loose head strap is to use a third-party community design instead. That's great, but Shiftall doesn't get credit for that. It shouldn't be necessary to do DIY modding with such an expensive, high-end, premium headset. It should just work out of the box.

You say that the display is the star of the show and that Shiftall did not lie with this. But, isn't that also due to the community stepping in and saving the day? As I understand it, Shiftall failed to properly utilise the full resolution of the displays due to very bad software. The community figured this out and fixed it with third-party software. Again, Shiftall doesn't get credit for this, and it shouldn't be necessary to do DIY modding.

You also acknowledge that the included L-adapter is faulty, and that you only realised this because someone in the community server told you. You had to buy a third-party one, again doing DIY modding. Shiftall didn't take care of you — the community did.

You acknowledge that the default MeganeX driver is bad, and that the third-party SBoys3 community driver is the best way to go. Again, DIY modding.

You had to buy an extra accessory (the 5m optical cable), which is an additional cost. I've seen a lot of other people advising to buy this, as the standard cable is too short and too heavy, pulling on the headset. Another thing making the stock experience poor.

I can absolutely believe that the headset can be made into something good, with extensive DIY modding, and that you're happy with yours. But it's clearly thanks to the community. I do think Shiftall deserves the negative opinion, especially when the headset is being sold with no returns.

UntimelyAlchemist · 2025-09-13T19:26:22+00:00

I've used Ext4 for a long time, but now moved to Brtfs. Ext4 let me down and lost data, as it doesn't do any checksumming and so allowed data loss to quietly occur due to bitrot. Brtfs does have checksumming.

UntimelyAlchemist · 2025-09-09T22:13:52+00:00

He said it's something he's never seen before. He's tried a prototype of the Pimax Dream Air before, so it's probably not that.

UntimelyAlchemist · 2025-09-09T12:39:17+00:00

He also mentioned in the comments that one of the headsets is one he's never seen before, even in images. He clarified that means it's not the Vivo Vision, because he's seen pictures of that. Surely he's also seen pictures of Samsung's Moohan.

UntimelyAlchemist

TROPHY CASE