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Not enough resolution is one of the near common complaints nigh the current crop of VR headsets. They're all more than or less roughly 1080p (or 2K), split betwixt the two lenses. So I was really interested when Aukey came out with the Cortex 4K VR headset at $399.99 — substantially below the Rift or Vive. Withal, while specs are one thing, real world operation is some other. I've been taking an Aukey Cortex 4K through its paces. So far, my test results have been mixed.

Unboxing the Aukey Cortex 4K

The Aukey VR headset has a pretty typical design with detachable headphonesThe headset weighs in at 17.6 ounces — an ounce heavier than the Rift and a picayune over an ounce lighter than the Vive. I establish it easy to apply over my prescription spectacles, which was a squeamish benefit. The unit of measurement is well put together, with side straps and a superlative strap. Yous can become information technology with matching over-ear headphones, that plug into audio jacks on the unit. You get together those past routing the straps through them. The headset itself is nigh the aforementioned comfort level as a DK2, but non quite as nice as a product Rift or Vive. Some other reviewers complained nigh the hard-plastic nose slice, but in my case it didn't actually sit down on my nose at all, so it didn't bother me.

Cable-wise, the Cortex 4K has an HDMI and a USB cable. The USB cable is apparently fine going into either USB two or USB 3 ports. Before you first using the headset, yous demand to download and install the Piplay software. Information technology includes drivers for the device, equally well as an intermediate layer that allows it to work with some Steam and Oculus-native titles, and access to the Piplay library of 3D and 360-degree content. In one case I disconnected my Oculus headset, the Piplay software recognized the Cortex 4K immediately. Information technology automatically prompted me to update its firmware, which was quick and painless. One quick tip is that for full functionality, yous'll want to launch Piplay as Administrator.

A selection of Steam games can also be downloaded and launched from Piplay but you can also use the SteamVR software

The unit has 1000Hz dual gyroscopes, and an adequate 110-degree field of view. It can operate at upward to 60fps (or upwardly to 90fps in async way). However, the gyros accept an 18ms response, which may have contributed to the motility issues I felt while using it. It appears to be essentially equivalent to the Pimax 4K headset, and uses the same software. It can operate in Video mode (extended brandish), Direct Manner (more mod interface where applications can drive it direct), and Pimax mode (which is an enhanced version of Direct Mode that helps information technology do its emulation of other headsets).

If you demand to access the support resources, you'll find that many of them are in Chinese. Fortunately there is an active user community, so answers to many mutual questions can exist plant by searching, but Aukey clearly hasn't invested much in polishing its user experience for the English language-speaking market.

Aukey Cortex VR

For epitome quality, 4K matters, but information technology isn't all that matters

The good news is that 4K resolution really does assist eliminate the "screen door" (visible pixels) problem that is common with typical 2K VR headsets. Even so, the image on the Cortex isn't as bright as the ones I'm used to seeing on a Rift or Vive. Image quality also seemed to fall off faster towards the edges, but that's pretty subjective. In some cases, at that place was too a subtle vertical banding, but I couldn't pivot downward what acquired it to exist visible in certain games or videos and non others.

The biggest unmarried drawback of the Cortex 4K is that information technology doesn't have full motion tracking. The internal sensors can follow rotation, but at that place is no tracking of left-correct, forward-back, or upwardly-downwards motion of your head. You can employ your game controller to manually move yourself, just of course that isn't the same thing as moving around and having your virtual presence motion with y'all. That means the Cortex is best suited for 360-caste content (which I'm defining here as content that has a fixed perspective), including photos and videos.

Piplay's Pimax offers a library of games but the headset can also play many Oculus and Steam compatible titles

Entertainment, yeah. Gaming, peradventure not

The biggest problem I had using the Cortex 4K was an most instant queasiness when starting a game. I had a difficult time finishing more than a couple laps in Project Cars, for example. With an Oculus Rift, I can drive for 20 or 30 minutes without whatsoever real issues. Role of the problem seems to be lag. The headset is rated as 60fps, the same as a DK1, and lower than the 75Hz of the DK2, which doesn't have this upshot. But it definitely feels like information technology lags more, and movement seems little more hasty than the pure frame rate would suggest. The lack of full motion tracking probably also contributes.

This trouble is pronounced for whatsoever kind of motion-based gaming. Now, I'm definitely on the wimp side of the VR gaming scale when it comes to motion issues, so for hard-core gamers there may non be a problem. But for well-nigh people, the Cortex 4K volition probably be more useful for entertainment (360 videos and 3D movies) than for whatever kind of serious gaming.

You can launch many Oculus titles directly on the Cortex from Piplay

High marks for Steam and Oculus back up, only 4K content is lacking

My testing of Steam and Oculus titles was definitely non conclusive or exhaustive, only virtually of the ones I tried seemed to run fine — with the limitation that y'all don't have motion tracking or touch controllers, of course. I wanted to check out Realities.io, as it features highly-immersive environments, but couldn't get it to run with the Aukey. As I mentioned higher up in the content section, though, the native Oculus and Steam titles are aimed at 2K VR headsets, and then don't wait a big bound in image quality simply from looking at them on a 4K display.

Without question, the 4K image of the Cortex 4K helps eliminate the "screen door" effect you can come across with typical 2K headsets. Simply that by itself doesn't improve the apparent paradigm resolution. While the headset does automatically upscale the image to 4K, information technology isn't skillful enough to provide the quality of truthful 4K source textile. Since the other major headsets are just 2K, almost all the online content aimed at VR users is currently only available in 2K (or less) resolution. There is plain also a driver and HDMI spec issue that makes it difficult to get 4K experiences in full resolution to the headset. Aukey is actively working with Nvidia on solutions.

The device's native PiPlay library'south videos are a worst-instance example of the content upshot. Most of the videos there are bootleg and look to exist less than 1080p. Equally a event, they're unimpressive. The library's drove of 3D movies is better, but they aren't full 360-degree content, and only play in the older Video manner that treats the headset every bit an extended display. Video in Steam and Oculus apps is definitely less pixelated than when viewed through an Oculus or Vive, but certainly didn't await similar information technology was using the full 4K resolution natively. In racing games, for example, I had a better sense of detail in the distant background, but it wasn't a dramatic difference.

8K is next for Pimax and Aukey. They're starting a Kickstarter for an 8K unit with motion tracking soon.

Is the Aukey Cortex 4K right for you?

In my opinion, gamers are ameliorate off saving upward for a Rift or Vive with full movement tracking and affect controllers. Especially with the recent Rift price cuts, it isn't that much more than money. You'll as well go a more than polished user experience. Still, budget-conscious users who want to experiment with VR for amusement and would like to get something more powerful than a Samsung Gear VR can save some money and get a higher-resolution experience with the Cortex 4K. Interestingly, the visitor is already teasing a Kickstarter for its Cortex 8K, which will also feature full motion tracking.