ByteDance announces Pico 4 headset to challenge Meta Quest 2
TikTok parent ByteDance's VR subsidiary Pico has announced its first all-in-one virtual reality headset, called Pico 4. The much-awaited headset will be first available in select European countries, Japan, and South Korea. The company is yet to confirm anything about the device's US and India release. The Meta Quest 2 competitor has a design focused on comfort. It will be shipped on October 18.
Why does this story matter?
The VR world is waiting for Meta's much-anticipated Project Cambria VR headset. Before that, another social media giant with a huge interest in the nascent industry has released its own headset. ByteDance's Pico hasn't been able to make its mark in the VR space yet. With the Pico 4, it aims to change that. Will it challenge Meta? Let us wait and watch.
The VR headset features Pancake Optics
The Pico 4 has a compact form factor. The company has decided to go with Pancake Optics to make the headset lightweight and more comfortable. The VR headset sports dual displays with a 4K (4320x2160 pixels) resolution for each eye, a 90Hz refresh rate, and a 105-degree field of view. Dimensions-wise, it weighs 295g without the strap and 586g with it.
Pico 4 has 4 external cameras and motion controllers
The Pico 4 headset has a slew of features to enhance the user experience. It uses inside-out tracking and has motion controllers with vibrators. The headset sports four external cameras and packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 processor with an Adreno 650 GPU. The device has a full-color pass-through and can be tethered to gaming PCs as well.
Pico Store has 165 games for the headset
ByteDance has given emphasis on the content that will be available for the Pico 4. Users will be able to find 165 games with six degrees of freedom (the type of movements you can make in games) in the Pico Store. New titles are being added every week. The headset has fitness apps to track calories and comes with TikTok integration to view content.
Pico is creating a metaverse-like platform called 'Pico Worlds'
ByteDance has positioned Pico 4 as a competitor to the entry-level Meta Quest 2. Like Meta's Horizon Worlds VR platform, the TikTok parent too has a plan to create its own metaverse dubbed Pico Worlds. The Pico 4 will get live sports broadcasting and avatar concerts with future updates. It will also have mixed reality recordings for sharing on social media.
Pico 4: Pricing and availability
The Pico 4 is priced at €429 (around Rs. 34,100) for the 128GB variant and €499 (roughly Rs. 39,700) for the 256GB model. General pre-orders for the VR headset will begin in October. Pico Neo3 Link beta program members will have a chance to pre-book the device from September 23 onward. It will be first available in 13 European countries, Japan, and South Korea.
