Pimax, the manufacturer and developer of niche, high-end VR headsets, has announced a new one: The Pimax Portal. However, the Portal isn't just a VR headset, it's also a portable gaming system, like the Steam Deck, all rolled into one. The Kickstarter is now live, and it's already drawing in a lot of interest, but is it too ambitious?
The Portal is a two part device that has a standard screen with detachable controllers, like a Switch, but then you can take the screen out and plug it into a headset, which then gives you a VR headset. It's an all-in-one device for a portable and VR gaming device. The screen is 4K and uses QLED and MiniLED for high brightness and rich colors. It has a 144Hz refresh rate and a 100 degree field of view. It's powered by a Qualcomm SRX Snapdragon SoC, with an "AMD Mini Station," for its docked mode.
The battery is 10,000 mAH, with the battery extension included, otherwise it's just 4000 mAh. There is a screen extension which is 2k, 120Hz, but it's not quite clear what that does yet.
There are two versions, the Protal QLED, and the Portal, with the former having a better screen and more storage space.
The campaign has already smashed through its funding goal and is now pushing towards stretch goals. There's a screen protector at half a million dollars, and free games at 2 and 3 million, so who knows how far this campaign can go?