Pimax Issues Apology After Secret Social Media Incentive Program Raises Astroturfing Concerns

Man, oh man. Pimax. What were they thinking? You know, those slick VR headsets that make you feel like you’re stepping right into another universe? Anyway, apparently last week, Pimax went a bit rogue. They tried to pull a fast one, but… yeah, it kinda backfired. They thought they could start this sneaky little program—offering goodies for nice comments. Yup, they wanted to buy nice words. Who does that? I’m not even sure if they were just dreaming big or just plain confused.

So here’s how it all blew up. There’s this Reddit user, ‘Mavgaming1’, right? Out of nowhere—they drop some juicy details about Pimax’s shenanigans straight from Discord. What Pimax was actually doing was dangling this carrot—a “Community Engagement Program” they called it. Fancy name for, you know, encouraging people to talk them up on social media.

Now, get this—if you were a good little ambassador and played by their rules, you’d score some neat stuff. Like, tiny things—$5 here and there—but it scaled up to potential discounts over a thousand bucks. Heck, at the top, they’d even ship you off to Shanghai for cheap. Imagine that!

But there’s the catch (there’s always a catch), you had to write stuff—a happy, glowy, verifiably positive comment. And Pimax had to give you the thumbs up before it went live. A bit tight, don’t you think? ‘Mavgaming1’ even showed off some snazzy leaked guidelines. Talk about a plot twist in real life.

They gave some suggestions—like talking about your ‘First VR Experience with Pimax’, or dropping tips on getting the most magic out of their gadgets. Stuff that screams “we’re awesome!”

So, of course, Pimax quickly spins this whole tale about how it wasn’t officially their move—just some rogue employees. Hmm, that old excuse. Feels a bit too convenient. The big wigs, including their head honcho in communications, Jaap Grolleman (cool name), are all like, “Whoa! Not on our watch! This wasn’t us hiring PR hitmen.” And you know, they say they’ve never done the “pay for praise” thing before. Surprising? Maybe. Maybe not.

They owned up to contacting nine peeps on Discord. Only three got the full scoop with all the tempting bits. Whatever, it was enough to raise all sorts of legal questions, because, depending on where you are, paying for reviews without big, bold disclaimers is a no-no. The FTC in the US really loves sinking its teeth into that sort of thing. And Europe? They’re all about no-fake-love in reviews too.

Anyway, where was I going with this? Oh right—Pimax admits, “Our bad. This kinda slipped through the cracks.” They shut it down faster than someone running for cover in a storm. Reflecting on it now, it’s a case of, “What were they thinking?” Can’t help but chuckle. Only three people got the star treatment before it all fizzled out, but it sure blasted enough for everyone to notice.

And that’s the tea—or virtual reality insights, rather.