Pimax 5K Super — specification and verdict
The 5K Super drives two 2560x1440 LCD panels through Fresnel lenses at 160 Hz, with a 180 Hz mode Pimax itself calls experimental. Pimax advertises 200 degrees diagonal; VRcompare measures roughly 150 degrees horizontally visible, so the real gain over a normal headset is peripheral awareness, not detail. At 2560x1440 per eye spread across that width, pixel density is low by 2026 standards: a trainee reads large signage and hazard pictograms comfortably, but small procedure text or instrument scales will be soft. It is a DisplayPort 1.4 plus USB 3.0 device, so every seat needs a gaming PC. There is no passthrough, no eye tracking and no hand tracking.
This is not a fleet device. Tracking is lighthouse-required: you mount one or two SteamVR 1.0 or 2.0 base stations per room, power them, and align them, which rules out moving a station between sites in a bag. Controllers are not in the box at the 749 USD headset price; the full kit with two Valve Index controllers and two SteamVR 2.0 base stations was 1299 USD. There is no vendor MDM, no kiosk mode and no enterprise licensing programme, so content launch and updates happen per PC. The facial interface is foam and the strap a rigid halo-style SMAS, which is wipeable but not a per-trainee swappable liner.
Do not buy one for training in 2026. Pimax ended after-sales support for the 5K series on 30 June 2025 after its cable supplier stopped producing the 5K connection cable, so a broken tether ends the headset's life. Our Android-based standalone courses do not run on a PC VR headset at all. If the wide field of view is what you are after, look at Pimax's own current Crystal line; if you want our courses, buy a standalone headset instead.
How it compares within its class
The axis runs from the lowest to the highest published figure among the VR — PC-tethered devices in this catalogue. The grey tick is the median of that class.
Median for this class: $899, from 45 models that publish the figure.
Controllers and hand tracking
Valve Index Controller
6DoF
Straps to the palm, so you can open your hand without dropping it — still the reference for throwing and catching. 87 sensors read all five fingers and how hard you squeeze, and base stations rather than the headset do the tracking.
Sold separatelyHow it is tracked
Base stations (Lighthouse)
Base stations sweep the room with lasers. Coverage comes from where the boxes are mounted rather than from what the headset can see — occlusion stops being a problem, and the boxes are a second purchase.
The controller itself
- Controller weight
- 196 g
- Controller power
- Built-in rechargeable
- Controller haptics
- Yes
- Finger tracking on the controller
- Full
- Controller inputs
- capacitive thumbstick · trackpad · capacitive face buttons · capacitive index trigger · pressure-sensitive grip
Other controllers
Any SteamVR (Lighthouse) controller
Index Controller · HTC Vive controller
Bare hands
No hand tracking — a controller is the only way in.
Full specification
An em dash means the manufacturer does not publish that figure.
- ManufacturerWho makes it — and who you buy support from.
- Pimax
- CategoryWhich kind of product this is. It decides which rows below make sense at all.
- VR — PC-tethered
- Device typeWhere the computing happens, and therefore what you need to run it.
- PC-powered VR
- AnnouncedThe day it was shown, which is not the day it shipped.
- 2020-01-01
- ReleasedYear the model went on sale. Older is not automatically worse in this category.
- 2020
- AvailabilityWhether you can still order it new today.
- Discontinued in 2025
- Support endsThe date the manufacturer stops supporting it. Decisive for a fleet you are about to buy.
- 2025-06-30
- PanelThe screen type. micro-OLED gives deeper blacks and higher contrast; LCD is brighter and cheaper.
- LCD
- OpticsThe lenses in front of the panel. Pancake stays sharp closer to the edges than older Fresnel, which decides how much a trainee has to aim their head to read something.
- Fresnel lenses
- Eyes coveredOne eye or both. Over a full shift this is a real difference in fatigue.
- Both eyes
- Resolution per eyePixels delivered to each eye. Higher means small text and labels stay readable.
- ≈2560x1440*Road to VR launch report
- Refresh rateImages per second. Higher feels smoother and helps people prone to motion discomfort.
- ≈90/120/144/160/180 Hz*Road to VR launch report
- Field of viewHow much of your view the image covers. Bigger is more immersive, not automatically better for work.
- ≈200° diagonal*Road to VR launch report
- Pixel densityPixels per degree of view — the honest way to compare sharpness between a headset and a pair of glasses. Higher is sharper. Only shown where somebody published it; we never compute it ourselves.
- Pixel density: not published by the manufacturer
- BrightnessIn a plant or outdoors, brightness decides legibility more than resolution does.
- Brightness: not published by the manufacturer
- WeightThe device alone. Anything above roughly 150 g is felt within an hour.
- ≈500 g*VRcompare spec sheet
- Visible field of viewWhat the eye actually sees through the optics, by axis.
- 150° horizontal · 103° vertical
- Rendered field of viewWhat the device draws. Never smaller than what you see.
- 170° horizontal · 115° vertical · 200° diagonal
- Binocular overlapWhere both eyes see the same thing — this is where depth happens.
- Binocular overlap: not published by the manufacturer
- Average pixel densityPixels per degree across the image. More is sharper.
- Average pixel density: not published by the manufacturer
- Peak pixel densityThe sharpest point, usually the centre of the lens.
- Peak pixel density: not published by the manufacturer
- Subpixel layoutHow the coloured dots sit in a pixel. A stripe looks cleaner on text than PenTile.
- RGB stripe · 3 subpixels per pixel
- Foveated renderingWhether detail is dropped outside where you look, to save performance.
- None
- PassthroughWhat the front cameras give you: colour, grayscale, or nothing.
- None
- Passthrough camerasResolution, density and frame rate of that camera feed.
- Passthrough cameras: not published by the manufacturer
- IPD adjustmentMatching lens spacing to the eyes. Motorised is fastest when one headset passes between people.
- Manual
- IPD rangeHow far the lenses travel to match eye spacing. A narrow range excludes part of any group of adults, which matters when one headset is shared.
- 60–72 mm
- Works with glassesWhether people who wear glasses can use it — fits over them, or takes prescription lens inserts.
- Works with glasses: not published by the manufacturer
- Vision correctionHow somebody who wears glasses uses it, and in what dioptre range.
- Vision correction: not published by the manufacturer
- DimensionsWidth, height and depth of the device itself.
- ≈280 × 108 × 136 mm*VRcompare spec sheet
- Weight with strapWith the strap it ships with — the weight you actually wear.
- ≈750 g*VRcompare spec sheet
- Head strapSoft band or a rigid one. Decides how the weight sits over an hour.
- Rigid halo strap
- MaterialsShell and facial interface, in the vendor’s words.
- plastic · foam facial interface
- ColoursColours the manufacturer sells it in.
- Blue
- Haptics in the headsetVibration in the headset itself, not in the controllers.
- No
- TrackingWhether content stays put in the room (6DoF), follows head rotation (3DoF) or is simply fixed.
- SteamVR 1.0/2.0 base stations
- Base stationsWhether boxes have to be mounted on the walls before it works.
- Required
- Tracking camerasHow many cameras it uses to know where it is.
- Tracking cameras: not published by the manufacturer
- Tracking rateHow often position is recalculated. Higher is steadier.
- ≈1000 Hz*VRcompare spec sheet
- Depth sensorA dedicated sensor for distance, on top of the cameras.
- No
- Hand trackingWhether bare hands can operate the interface, without a controller or the phone.
- No
- Eye trackingThe headset knows where the trainee is looking. Enables sharper rendering where they look, and attention analytics.
- No
- Face trackingTracks facial expression — for avatars, not for training scenarios.
- No
- Body trackingHow much of the body the device knows about. Estimated legs are not tracked legs.
- None
- Controllers includedWhether motion controllers come in the box, or are bought separately — or the device is hands-only.
- No
- Controller modelThe manufacturer's own name for the controller.
- Valve Index Controller
- Controller tracking6DoF controllers track position and rotation, so a hand reaches in space; 3DoF only point. “None” means hands only.
- 6DoF
- Controller tracking methodWhat establishes where the controller is. It decides whether the controller keeps working behind your back or down at your hip — “6DoF” on its own does not say.
- Base stations (Lighthouse)
- Other controllersWhether the headset works with controllers other than the ones it ships with.
- Any SteamVR (Lighthouse) controller — Index Controller · HTC Vive controller
- Finger tracking on the controllerWhether the controller senses individual fingers, and how.
- Full
- Controller inputsButtons, sticks and triggers the controller offers.
- capacitive thumbstick · trackpad · capacitive face buttons · capacitive index trigger · pressure-sensitive grip
- Controller hapticsVibration feedback in the hand.
- Yes
- Controller powerDisposable cells or a built-in rechargeable — a fleet question.
- Built-in rechargeable
- Controller weightOne controller, as the vendor weighs it.
- 196 g
- Other input methodsWays in beyond controllers and bare hands.
- Other input methods: not published by the manufacturer
- Runs Skillsive appsOur own statement about whether Skillsive training applications run on it today.
- No
- Suitable for trainingOur judgement on whether it survives real deployment: comfort, hygiene, fleet management.
- No
- Kiosk mode / MDMVendor tooling to enrol devices, push an app and lock the headset to it. Practically required above ten devices.
- No
- Business tierAn official business tier, so devices belong to the company rather than to employees’ personal accounts.
- No
- Swappable facial interfaceRemovable, wipeable face padding. A consumable, and the difference between shared use and complaints.
- Swappable facial interface: not published by the manufacturer
- CertificationsIndustrial certifications stated on the manufacturer's own page. Empty means unconfirmed, never "probably fine".
- Certifications: not published by the manufacturer
- PortsPhysical sockets and charging contacts.
- DisplayPort 1.4 · USB 3.0 · headphone jack
- Wi-FiThe Wi-Fi generation — it decides how well wireless streaming holds up.
- Wi-Fi: not published by the manufacturer
- BluetoothFor controllers, headphones and accessories.
- Bluetooth: not published by the manufacturer
- Video from a computerWhether a computer can drive it, over a cable or wirelessly.
- Over a cable (DisplayPort 1.4, USB 3.0)
- AudioBuilt-in sound. Matters most where somebody has to hear a remote expert while working.
- Built-in speakers · Headphone jack
- MicrophoneBuilt-in microphone — the other half of talking to a remote expert.
- Yes
- MicrophonesHow many. An array picks a voice out of a noisy hall; one does not.
- Microphones: not published by the manufacturer
- Price bandThe band it sits in, rather than a price that goes stale.
- Premium
- Launch priceThe manufacturer's launch price. Fixed history, so it never goes stale.
- $749
- Price by configurationWhat each configuration cost at launch.
- Headset only $749 · With two Valve Index controllers $1049 · With controllers and two SteamVR 2.0 base stations $1299
- Price todayApproximate current net price in USD — a general figure, since these barely differ between regions once tax is stripped out. A snapshot from the date shown, not an offer.
- Price today: not published by the manufacturer
- Comfort (from reviews)How it wears over a full session. Scored from agreement between independent reviewers, not from our own testing.
- Comfort (from reviews): not published by the manufacturer
- Edge clarity (from reviews)Sharpness away from the centre of the lens. Scored from agreement between independent reviewers.
- Edge clarity (from reviews): not published by the manufacturer
- Tracking reliability (from reviews)How tracking holds up in poor light and fast movement. Scored from agreement between independent reviewers.
- Tracking reliability (from reviews): not published by the manufacturer
- Hand tracking quality (from reviews)How usable controller-free hand tracking is in a training scenario. Scored from agreement between reviewers.
- Hand tracking quality (from reviews): not published by the manufacturer
Who this device is for
Only useful now to PC VR enthusiasts and simulator hobbyists who already own SteamVR base stations and Index controllers and specifically want the widest field of view they can get second-hand. Anyone deploying training to more than one room, or without a gaming PC per seat, is in the wrong place.
What is missing, and what the manufacturer does not publish
Pimax never published a pixels-per-degree figure, a lens-to-eye relief range, or an official discontinuation notice for the 5K Super specifically; what exists is the 5K series after-sales end date. The company's own launch article says 170 degrees diagonally at 160 Hz, while its marketing and Road to VR both say 200 degrees, and we could not reconcile the two. Prices also differ between sources, 749 and 1299 USD on VRcompare against 750 and 1250 USD in Road to VR's launch report, and the Pimax store page is script-gated so current outlet stock could not be read.
Pimax 5K Super in independent reviews
Reviews we consider worth your time, each with a note on what the reviewer actually tested and why it matters for a training rollout. We do not own this hardware, so the tests are theirs — the reading of them is ours.
- GAMINGTREND2022
The most complete account of what this headset was for: an unusually wide field at unusually high refresh rates, and a discussion of what it costs to get both at once. That trade-off is the whole product.
Watch on YouTube - Barefoot Gaming2021
A review from a channel that has worked through most of the headsets of that era — Vive, Rift, Index, WMR and PSVR — which makes its comparisons better grounded than a single-device take.
Watch on YouTube - Karl Gosling2021
Sets the 5K Super against Pimax's own 8KX rather than against other makers, which is the comparison an actual buyer of this line faces. Note the description carries a Pimax affiliate code.
Watch on YouTube
Nothing is sent to YouTube until you press play. Once you do, Google receives your IP address and device data and may process them outside the EEA — see our privacy policy for the details.
Pimax 5K Super — frequently asked questions
- Does Pimax still support the 5K Super?
- No. Pimax ended after-sales support for the whole 5K series on 30 June 2025, after the supplier stopped making the 5K connection cable in early 2025. The headset keeps working, but there are no official spare cables or repairs, and Pimax offers a trade-in towards the Crystal Light instead.
- Do I need SteamVR base stations for the Pimax 5K Super?
- Yes, it has no inside-out cameras. It tracks against SteamVR 1.0 or 2.0 base stations, which you mount and power in each room, and the 749 USD headset price does not include them or controllers. The full bundle with two Index controllers and two SteamVR 2.0 stations was 1299 USD.
- Is the Pimax 5K Super really 180 Hz and 200 degrees?
- Partly. 160 Hz is the standard mode and Pimax describes 180 Hz as experimental, with 90, 120 and 144 Hz also available. The 200 degrees is a diagonal marketing figure; VRcompare puts the visible field at about 150 degrees horizontal and 103 degrees vertical, and Pimax's own launch article quotes 170 degrees diagonally at 160 Hz.
Compare this device
Consider these too
The nearest devices in the same class, ranked by availability and launch price — not by our opinion of them.
Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08. Manufacturer's specification
Product and company names used here are the trademarks of their respective owners and appear only to identify the hardware being compared. We are not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by any of these manufacturers. Illustrations are our own.