Pico 4

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PICO 4
Pico 4 - 2.jpg
PICO 4 headset
Developer ByteDance
Type Virtual reality headset
Release dateOctober 18, 2022
Introductory price 429 / ¥2,499 (128 GB)
€499 / ¥2,799 (256 GB) [1] [2]
Operating system Pico system software, based on Android 10 source code
System on a chip Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 [1]
Memory8 GB LPDDR4 [1]
Storage128 GB
256 GB [1]
Display LCD 2160 x 2160 per eye @ 90 Hz [1]
Graphics Adreno 650 @ 587 MHz (Up to 902 GFLOPS FP32) [3] [4] [5]
Connectivity
Power Lithium-ion battery
5300 mAh
Mass586 g
Website Official website

PICO 4 is a virtual reality headset developed by ByteDance. [6] It is designed for virtual reality games and is only available in Europe and East Asia (China, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore). [7] [8] It is currently not available in the United States. [9] PICO 4 is a competitor of Quest 2. [10] [11] In November 2023, VRChat was launched on PICO 4. [12]

Contents

Specifications

The PICO 4 uses pancake lenses in combination with two small LCD displays, [13] one for each eye, in the head-mounted display. This technology allows for a lighter headset with an increased image resolution.
The pancake lenses have some drawbacks introduced by the light bouncing between the lens layers, but are generally considered to have fewer artifacts than the previously used Fresnel lens. [14]
There are a few features that have been introduced in this product: real-time hand tracking and a see-through mode in low resolution.

Images

Pico 4 Ultra

On September 2, 2024 ByteDance released Pico 4 Ultra. It has new Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip (same as in Meta Quest 3), 12 GB of RAM, 45W charging speed and spatial video capture. [15]

Reception

PC Gamer writer Katie Wickens noted that Pico 4 has sharp visual quality, lower price compared to Meta Quest 2 while still retaining similar or higher performance than the Quest 2, accurate tracking, easy IPD and headset adjustment, and good color passthrough. They also pointed out that the headset is slightly front-weighted and also struggled to stream wirelessly. Finally, they mentioned that getting a Pico 4 headset may be difficult for citizens in the U.S. [16]

IGN Southeast Asia writer Syazwan Bahri claims that the Pico 4 headset “blew his socks away,” adding that the headset offers comfort with balanced weight, since the headset has its battery embedded in the strap adjuster of the headband while all the other hardware is stored in the goggle. The writer also mentions that the padded foam helped secure the headset firmly without feeling restrictive. However, the writer stated that Pico 4 lacked content in the store and also mentions the company’s efforts in growing the store. He also mentioned that although battery was not as much of an issue, battery life could have some room for improvement. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virtual reality</span> Computer-simulated experience

Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs 3D near-eye displays and pose tracking to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment, education and business. VR is one of the key technologies in the reality-virtuality continuum. As such, it is different from other digital visualization solutions, such as augmented virtuality and augmented reality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metaverse</span> Collective three-dimensional virtual shared space

The metaverse is a loosely defined term referring to virtual worlds in which users represented by avatars interact, usually in 3D and focused on social and economic connection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reality Labs</span> Virtual and augmented reality products company

Reality Labs, formerly Oculus VR, is a business and research unit of Meta Platforms that produces virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) hardware and software, including virtual reality headsets such as the Quest, and online platforms such as Horizon Worlds. In June 2022, several artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives that were previously a part of Meta AI were transitioned to Reality Labs. This also includes Meta's fundamental AI Research laboratory FAIR which is now part of the Reality Labs - Research (RLR) division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Windows Mixed Reality</span> Mixed reality platform

Windows Mixed Reality (WMR) is a discontinued platform by Microsoft which provides augmented reality and virtual reality experiences with compatible head-mounted displays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HTC Vive</span> Virtual reality headset

HTC Vive is a line of virtual and mixed reality headsets produced by HTC Corporation. The brand currently encompasses headsets designed for use with personal computers as well as standalone headsets such as the Vive Focus line, Vive Flow glasses, and the Vive Elite XR mixed reality headset.

Oculus Touch is a line of motion controller systems used by Meta Platforms virtual reality headsets. The controller was first introduced in 2016 as a standalone accessory for the Oculus Rift CV1, and began to be bundled with the headset and all future Oculus products beginning in July 2017. Since their original release, Touch controllers have undergone revisions for later generations of Oculus/Meta hardware, including a switch to inside-out tracking, and other design changes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virtual reality headset</span> Head-mounted device that provides virtual reality for the wearer

A virtual reality headset is a head-mounted device that uses 3D near-eye displays and positional tracking to provide a virtual reality environment for the user. VR headsets are widely used with VR video games, but they are also used in other applications, including simulators and trainers. VR headsets typically include a stereoscopic display, stereo sound, and sensors like accelerometers and gyroscopes for tracking the pose of the user's head to match the orientation of the virtual camera with the user's eye positions in the real world. AR headsets are similar to VR headsets, but AR headsets enable the user to see and interact with the outside world. Examples of AR headsets include the Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3.

Virtual Desktop is remote control software for Android-based virtual reality headsets. It allows users to control a PC over a wireless LAN from the headset, including the ability to stream VR games and software.

OpenXR is an open-source, royalty-free standard for access to virtual reality and augmented reality platforms and devices. It is developed by a working group managed by the Khronos Group consortium. OpenXR was announced by the Khronos Group on February 27, 2017, during GDC 2017. A provisional version of the standard was released on March 18, 2019, to enable developers and implementers to provide feedback on it. On July 29, 2019, OpenXR 1.0 was released to the public by Khronos Group at SIGGRAPH 2019 and on April 15, 2024, OpenXR 1.1 was released by Khronos.

<i>VRChat</i> Virtual reality social platform

VRChat is an online virtual world platform created by Graham Gaylor and Jesse Joudrey and operated by VRChat, Inc. The platform allows users to interact with others with user-created 3D avatars and worlds. VRChat is designed primarily for use with virtual reality headsets, being available for Microsoft Windows PCs and as a native app for Android-based headsets such as the Meta Quest, Pico 4, and HTC Vive XR Elite. It is also usable without VR in a "desktop" mode designed for either a mouse and keyboard or gamepad, and in an Android app for touchscreen devices.

<i>Rec Room</i> (video game) 2016 virtual reality social game

Rec Room is a 2016 virtual reality massively multiplayer online game with an integrated game creation system. It is released on Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PS VR, Meta Quest 2, Oculus Quest, Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest Pro, Oculus Rift, Pico 4, iOS, Android and Nintendo Switch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oculus Go</span> Untethered virtual reality headset by Oculus VR

The Oculus Go is a discontinued, standalone virtual reality headset developed by Meta Reality Labs in partnership with Qualcomm and Xiaomi. It is in the first generation of Facebook Technologies' virtual reality headsets, and the company's first device in the category of standalone VR headsets, which was a new category at the time of the Go's release. The Oculus Go was unveiled on October 11, 2017 during the Oculus Connect developer conference, and released on May 1, 2018. Xiaomi launched their own version of the headset in China as the Mi VR Standalone on May 31, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oculus Quest</span> Virtual reality headset

The first-generation Oculus Quest is a discontinued virtual reality headset developed by Oculus, a brand of Facebook Inc., and released on May 21, 2019. Similar to its predecessor, Oculus Go, it is a standalone device, that can run games and software wirelessly under an Android-based operating system. It supports positional tracking with six degrees of freedom, using internal sensors and an array of cameras in the front of the headset rather than external sensors. The cameras are also used as part of the safety feature "Passthrough", which shows a view from the cameras when the user exits their designated boundary area known as "Guardian". A later software update added "Oculus Link", a feature that allows the Quest to be connected to a computer via USB, enabling use with Oculus Rift-compatible software and games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quest 2</span> Virtual reality headset

Quest 2 is a standalone virtual reality headset developed by Reality Labs, a division of Meta Platforms. It was unveiled on September 16, 2020, and released on October 13, 2020 as the Oculus Quest 2. It was then rebranded as the Meta Quest 2 in 2022, as part of a company-wide phase-out of the Oculus brand following the rebranding of Facebook, Inc. as Meta.

<i>Horizon Worlds</i> Virtual reality platform developed by Meta Platforms

Meta Horizon Worlds is an online virtual reality game with an integrated game creation system developed and published by Meta Platforms. On this multi-player virtual platform, players move and interact with each other in various worlds that host events, games, and social activities. They can also build and publish worlds similar to Rec Room. Horizon Worlds works on Oculus Rift S, Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest Pro and Meta Quest 3 headsets.

The Meta Quest Pro is a mixed reality (MR) headset developed by Reality Labs, a division of Meta Platforms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meta Quest 3</span> Mixed reality headset

Meta Quest 3 is a standalone virtual reality (VR) headset developed by Reality Labs, a division of Meta Platforms. It was unveiled on June 1, 2023, and released on October 10, succeeding the Quest 2 as the third generation of the Meta Quest line.

Meta Quest 3S is a standalone virtual reality (VR) headset developed by Reality Labs, a division of Meta Platforms. It was unveiled on September 25, 2024, and released on October 15, 2024, as part of the third generation of the Meta Quest line, serving as a cheaper option for budget VR players.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "vr-compare.com". November 1, 2022.
  2. Feng, Coco (October 23, 2022). "ByteDance sells 46,000 Pico 4 VR headsets online in China since launching sales last month". South China Morning Post . Archived from the original on October 30, 2022.
  3. "vr-compare". www.vr-compare.com.
  4. "GPU GFLOPS Calculation". azcalculator.com.
  5. "What does Meta Quest 2's performance boost mean for VR games?". www.mixed-news.com.
  6. "Pico 4: Full Specification". VRcompare. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  7. Where can I buy PICO products?
  8. Heaney, David (September 22, 2022). "Pico 4 Ships October 18 To Europe, Japan & South Korea For €429". UploadVR. Archived from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  9. McMillan, Malcolm (September 22, 2022). "Meta Quest 2 just got a new rival with the PICO 4 VR". Tom's Guide . Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  10. Stein, Scott (October 18, 2022). "Pico 4 VR Headset Review: Meta Quest 2 Has Competition". CNET . Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  11. Robertson, Adi (September 22, 2022). "ByteDance's new Pico headset is a Quest 2 competitor for Europe and Asia". The Verge . Archived from the original on October 2, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  12. "VRChat Is Now Available On Pico 4", www.uploadvr.com
  13. "'Breakthrough' Pancake Lenses Could Bring Compact Headsets". June 17, 2021.
  14. Pawluczuk, Mat (February 20, 2023). "Pico 4 Versus Meta Quest 2". AR/VR Magazine. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  15. "Pico 4 Ultra Launches In China With Specs Superior To Quest 3", www.uploadvr.com
  16. Wickens, Katie (May 19, 2023). "Pico 4 VR headset". pcgamer. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  17. Bahri, Syazwan (November 14, 2022). "Does The Budget-Friendly PICO 4 VR Headset Live Up To The Hype? Let's Find Out". IGN Southeast Asia. Retrieved October 14, 2024.