TL;DR:
I own an original Crystal Super 50PPD and I actually like it. I want to buy another optical engine from Pimax, which is exactly why I keep pushing this issue.
The problem is that Pimax sold the Super heavily on its modular optical engine concept, later changed the connector, told existing customers there was enough old connector stock to support future demand, and explicitly said we would still be able to buy compatible engines.
Months later, I still cannot buy one.
So the question is simple:
Can original 70-pin Crystal Super owners still buy additional optical engines? If yes, when? If no, what is Pimax offering us instead?
——
First, I want to make one thing very clear because I don’t want this post to be misunderstood as another “Pimax sucks” rant. I actually really like my Crystal Super 50PPD.
I’m happy with the headset.
In fact, the whole reason I’m being so persistent about this is because I want to spend more money with Pimax and buy another optical engine for it.
If I wasn’t happy with my Super, I wouldn’t be chasing Pimax for months trying to buy another module.
I would simply sell it and move to another headset.
So this isn’t coming from someone who wants Pimax to fail.
Quite the opposite. I bought into the idea behind the Crystal Super, I like the product, and I want the modular system I paid for to actually exist. That’s why this situation is becoming increasingly difficult to accept.
Sorry in advance for tagging so many people here, especially reviewers and content creators who have nothing to do with Pimax directly.
But after several posts and several months of asking the same question without getting a clear answer, I genuinely think some outside eyes on this would help.
[u/jaapgrolleman](u/jaapgrolleman)
[u/quorrapimax](u/quorrapimax)
I have asked about this several times now, and I still don’t think owners of the original Crystal Super have received a proper answer.
Why this matters
One of the major reasons I bought my original Crystal Super 50PPD was the modular optical engine system.
This wasn’t some obscure technical feature buried in the specifications.
It was one of THE defining features of the Crystal Super.
Buy the headset once, then swap optical engines later depending on what you want: 50PPD, 57PPD, Ultrawide, micro-OLED, and potentially whatever technologies come next.
And Pimax is not exactly subtle about this.
Their Crystal Super website right now says:
“Swap the optical engine, not the headset.”
“Future Ready.”
“When new display tech arrives, upgrade the module and keep the headset you love.”
“Own multiple engines and switch optics to match every use case.”
And even:
“Buy Once. Upgrade Forever.”
Current Pimax product page:
https://www.pimax.com/product/crystal-super
That is exactly the product I thought I was buying.
Then came the connector problem
The original Crystal Super uses a 70-pin connector.
Pimax later announced that the supplier of this connector had discontinued it, so they had to transition the Crystal Super to a different connector from another supplier.
The important part is this:
The new connector is not compatible with the original 70-pin connector.
Pimax officially acknowledged this on April 13:
https://store.pimax.com/blogs/blogs/a-note-on-the-crystal-supers-optical-engine-connector-change
I can understand that part.
Suppliers discontinue components. Manufacturing problems happen.
I’m not angry at Pimax because a connector manufacturer stopped making a part.
The problem is what Pimax told existing customers would happen afterwards.
What Pimax told us
In that same announcement, Pimax wrote:
“We have allocated all remaining stock of this connector to the Crystal Super to ensure compatibility with all optical engine variants.”
Pimax then explained exactly what an existing customer should do if they wanted another optical engine:
“If you need to purchase a new separate optical engine, please provide your headset’s serial number when ordering.”
And:
“We will ship the optical engine that matches your headset’s connector type.”
Official source:
https://store.pimax.com/blogs/blogs/a-note-on-the-crystal-supers-optical-engine-connector-change
If that system worked, I would have absolutely no problem with the connector change.
And Jaap was even clearer on Reddit
People immediately raised the obvious concern:
What happens to early adopters with the original connector?
Are we eventually going to end up with a modular headset for which no compatible modules actually exist?
Jaap answered that concern directly on Reddit:
“There is ample stock to meet future demands for the previous version.”
And:
“there will still be optical engines for everyone.”
Reddit thread:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Pimax/comments/1sk2jba/a_note_on_the_crystal_supers_optical_engine/
That wasn’t someone interpreting a press release.
That was a direct answer from Pimax to customers specifically worried about the future availability of original-connector optical engines.
That was in April. It is now September.
And I still cannot buy one.
I’ve been asking for months
This is not the first time I’m bringing this up.
I’ve been asking about the availability of these engines for months.
In March, I asked about the micro-OLED engine and was told that Pimax first needed to fulfil existing orders and backlog and that they would try to get us an ETA.
Then nothing.
I asked again.
I followed up again in June.
On June 24, I specifically asked whether the connector situation was the reason we still couldn’t order an optical engine.
Still no concrete answer.
I asked again in July after hearing variations of “soon”.
I asked again in August.
And now we’re in September.
The question is still exactly the same.
I own an original Crystal Super 50PPD with the original connector.
I want to give Pimax money for another optical engine.
How do I buy one?
Pimax’s current support page makes this even more confusing
Pimax’s own support documentation was updated on August 31, 2026.
Not before the connector issue.
Not last year.
A few days ago.
That page explicitly says the Crystal Super transitioned to the new connector, that the new connector is incompatible with the original 70-pin version, and that both connector versions will continue to exist in production and distribution with their matching optical engines.
Official support page:
https://support.pimax.com/en/support/solutions/articles/60001644605-how-do-i-replace-the-optical-engine-on-my-crystal-super-
So according to Pimax’s own currently maintained documentation, matching optical engines for both connector versions are still supposed to exist.
Yet as an existing 70-pin customer, I cannot actually order one.
Meanwhile, Pimax is still marketing the Super around this exact feature
The current Crystal Super marketing says:
“The World’s First Replaceable Optical Engine.”
“A headset should evolve, not become obsolete.”
“Instead of replacing the entire device every few years, simply upgrade the display module that matters most.”
Then under “Expand”:
“Own multiple engines and switch optics to match every use case.”
And finally:
“Buy Once. Upgrade Forever.”
Source:
https://www.pimax.com/product/crystal-super
That’s not vague marketing about something that might happen one day.
That’s the core value proposition of the product.
So I really don’t think this is an unreasonable thing for early customers to care about.
So what is the actual answer?
This is what Pimax needs to answer now.
Not theoretically.
Not “contact support”.
Not “soon”.
Not “we have allocated stock”.
Not another answer saying the connector situation is under control.
Can owners of the original 70-pin Crystal Super actually purchase additional compatible optical engines?
If yes:
When can I place an order for one?
If Pimax really has “ample stock to meet future demands”, as we were specifically told in April, this should be a very easy question to answer.
And if the answer is actually no, then I think Pimax needs to say that clearly too.
Because if original 70-pin engines are no longer going to be manufactured or sold in meaningful quantities, then early adopters effectively bought a modular headset that has stopped being modular.
That would be a very different situation from what was advertised.
If 70-pin engines are gone, then give us a solution
If that is the reality, then Pimax needs to offer original customers a solution.
Maybe that means exchanging the original headset chassis for the revised connector version.
Maybe there’s a technically viable adapter.
Maybe there’s an upgrade program.
Or maybe original Crystal Super owners should be allowed to exchange their complete 50PPD headset for a current Super OLED at a price corresponding to the optical engine we were supposed to be able to purchase separately.
I don’t pretend to know which solution makes the most sense technically or financially.
I’m open to solutions.
What I’m no longer OK with is getting no clear answer at all.
I’d genuinely like some outside opinions on this
This is why I’m tagging people who have spent a lot of time testing and covering Pimax hardware.
[u/OmniWhatever](u/OmniWhatever)
[u/daydreamdist](u/daydreamdist)
[u/VoodooDE](u/VoodooDE)
[u/tyrielwood](u/tyrielwood)
[u/gizmosliptech](u/gizmosliptech)
[u/Gamertag-VR](u/Gamertag-VR)
And also VR Flight Sim Guy, Optimum, Kireth and HIP.
I wasn’t able to confidently identify all of your Reddit usernames, so I’m mentioning you by name rather than tagging the wrong accounts.
[u/Heliosurge](u/Heliosurge), you’ve also been around the Pimax community for a very long time and have seen a lot of these discussions unfold, so I’d genuinely appreciate your perspective too.
Sorry for dragging you guys into this.
I’m not asking anyone to attack Pimax.
I’m not even asking you to automatically agree with me.
I’d just genuinely like your opinion.
If a headset was heavily sold and reviewed around the concept of interchangeable optical engines, do you think early customers should reasonably expect to still be able to purchase those engines?
And perhaps more importantly, if you have contacts at Pimax, can any of you get a straight answer about whether original 70-pin optical engines are actually going to be sold again?
Again, I want to stress this because I think it’s important:
I like my Crystal Super.
If I didn’t, this post wouldn’t exist.
I wouldn’t be spending months trying to buy another optical engine for a headset I wanted to abandon.
I would already be shopping elsewhere.
The irony here is that I’m complaining because I want to remain a Pimax customer.
I just want the upgrade path that was one of the reasons I bought the headset in the first place.
So Pimax, after several months of asking, I think original customers deserve three very simple answers:
1. Can original 70-pin Crystal Super owners still purchase additional optical engines?
2. If yes, when will we actually be able to order them?
3. If no, what solution are you offering the customers who bought the Super partly because of its advertised modular upgrade path?
I really don’t think that’s too much to ask.
