After my original Crystal started having regular disconnection problems with the lighthouse faceplate, it was time to start using my Light.
Honestly I hadn’t used it much as I’d been very satisfied with the original Crystal, having put 300+ hours playing into the radius 1 and 2 ea plus many hours other games.
I retired the original Crystal (and whilst removing the lighthouse faceplate noticed it had cracked in several places) and boxed it up for posterity. Overall I was very impressed with the original Crystal and perhaps could use the standalone mode as a curiosity for guests to try.
Taking the Crystal Light out of storage I fitted my headset harness rear mod and moved the lovely black foam cushion (Valve index spacer) from the original to the Light.
Pimax comfort top strap with Studioform creative top strap cushion and face cushion. Dmas speakers and lighthouse faceplate.
Been playing a lot of Compound and Pavlov at full render resolution and 120hz which certainly stretches the RTX5090. Using at 90hz for demanding games, the lack of eye tracking/Dfr is actually noticeable even with the 5090 but generally it’s providing a very impressive experience.
Lighthouse faceplate with multiple base stations and index controllers.
Probably the only downside (apart from no Dfr) is the shorter and stiffer copper DP tether, I was spoiled by the amazing 6.5 metre fibre optic tether on the original Crystal. I’ve adjusted my pcvr rigs location to bring it closer to my play space but will look at some active extensions to give another 1-1.5 metre length similar to Valve index which seems to be a sweet spot.
Overall I’m super impressed with the image quality I’ve got a really good set of lenses in this particular headset actually superior to the original Crystal lenses which makes sense as the light was a later iteration of the lens production.
Admittedly with the upgrades it well over £1k so not a budget headset as such but the visual/audio and tracking are first class with a big generous looking rectangular field of view I get no glare or artifacts the only note would be slight chromatic abberation (color fringing) on edge of overlay but otherwise just looks really sharp and clear, brighter too.
It’s a bit hard to see from the photos but I’ve modified the rear harness to mount the vertical headset strap to the very rear of the harness using a moulded plastic piece, Velcro and two cable ties.
The vertical strap is flipped around to allow adjustment at the rear otherwise the pimax comfort top strap fouls the adjustment if used at the front as stock.
I removed all the stock padding from the rear and installed the Valve index rear head spacer black foam cushion (Velcro) onto the pivoting cradle plate which previously had the vertical headset strap connected to it by a slot at the top.
This modification allows that rear cradle to freely pivot independently of the vertical headset strap. This lets the harness naturally find the correct angle to suit the rear of the head and top of the neck. Whilst using it “tracks” the constantly changing shape and nape angle to let the headset grip this area without riding up or causing discomfort.
It’s a non destructive mod so something that won’t damage your equipment or invalidate your warranty or resale value
