Our headsets consist of hundreds of parts, most custom designed by Pimax, others supplied by manufacturers like Sony. Or parts, like this tiny screw, that are off the shelf.

Because we have our own factories, our own Pimax staff is doing the final assembly. They don't work in another place, and don't do other shifts, for instance making smartphones or televisions the next week. All they do, is make Pimax VR headsets.

But how does your headset get into your hands, or head? And how fast? Let's take you through it.

Assembly phase

In the factory, everything comes together. If we look at the Dream Air, some parts are pre-assembled by Pimax, such as the audio stems, the optical stack, the controllers, and these are put onto the internal frame with parts such as the tracking cameras and exterior.

Factory check

Once this final assembly is finished, we do several checks. The tracking is tested for accuracy, and in another test, the headset is hooked up to a PC, to test the panels, the microphone, audio output, the exterior, and more. The headsets are then boxed together with the cables, a guide and warranty booklet, and lens covers.

Bulk shipment

The headset is shipped, either to our HQ or a local distribution center. We ship in bulk for a few reasons, not just lower costs. Shipping a large volume of headsets internationally introduces several risks: individual orders may get held up in customs, and additional taxes or complex paperwork on shipments can be added for users. Also, by shipping in bulk, we can do a final quality check at the local distribution center. Bulk shipping is slower than direct shipping, but although we use the word 'shipping', we mostly use plane transport, rather than freight by sea, which offsets some of the time lost.

Final check

In our local distribution centers, specially trained staff go through a final inspection of the headset. This is really to make sure the headsets we ship out to customers are flawless. An inspection sheet is added into the box, with the staff's name and the supervisor's name. If, during these tests, a headset does not meet our criteria, it's not shipped to our users.

Local shipping

If it passes the check though, your the headset is dispatched to your address. This is when you receive your final tracking number. The shipment is handled by dozens of local distribution partners. Usually, within like five working days it's at your address.

Timing

We know this sequence of events can feel long. When you order something online, you want to get it as soon as possible. But with these quality checks we really want to double-check these headsets, something that has proved really useful in the last year already. And by using bulk shipment through our confirmed channels, we prevent additional costs or headsets being held by customs. It's hard to give an exact time of how long this takes. Because the Dream Air is a relatively new product, right now this whole sequence of steps takes around two weeks to one month, depending on your region. This shipping time will reduce over time, as we're now shipping out huge batches of headsets, and after the pre-orders are fulfilled, warehouses around the world will be slowly stocked. 

Any questions, please let us know on Discord, OpenMR or in the YouTube comments.