Few can deny that Meta Quest 2 (formerly Oculus Quest 2) has been VR’s most dominant headset in recent years. Selling over 10 million units since its launch back in 2020, Meta’s standalone VR headset stormed ahead of PC-only alternatives and PSVR. However, ByteDance subsidiary Pico looks set to challenge this with Pico 4, a new standalone headset arriving later this year.
Joining the race for the best VR headset, Pico 4 was widely expected after pre-orders previously appeared for this Quest 2 rival. Utilising a Qualcomm XR2 processor, Adreno 650 GPU, 90Hz display and inside-out tracking, Pico’s revealed that Pico 4 has a three-hour battery life on a single charge. Weighing 586 grams with the strap attached, Pico’s also revamped the motion controllers from the Pico Neo 3 Link.
There are a few key improvements over Meta’s popular headset here, packing specs that could potentially rival the rumoured Oculus Quest 3. Offering a higher LCD screen resolution at 2,160 × 2,160 per eye, compared to 1,832 × 1,920 for Quest 2. Pico 4 also promises a wider field-of-view (FOV) at 105° and 8GB of RAM, whereas the Quest 2 uses 90° FOV and 6GB of RAM.
That’s not all, either. Joining Pico 4 is the Pico 4 Pro, a separate VR headset packing specs that could match Project Cambria. Featuring eye and face tracking sensors, the Pro can automatically detect your interpupillary distance (IPD) and adjust its display. Unfortunately, that’s only available for business use outside China as the Pico 4 Enterprise, though we’ll learn more about it during AWE Lisbon next month.
Much like the Meta Quest, Pico 4 even has exclusive games. On the Pico Neo 3 Link, we’ve already seen it share many titles with the Quest library, such as Ultimechs, After The Fall and Demeo. However, Ubisoft has revealed Just Dance VR, which launches as a Pico exclusive in 2023. We’ve only had a brief teaser trailer but you can watch that in full below.
Pico 4 begins shipping across the UK, Japan, South Korea, and twelve European countries on October 18, though a US launch remains unconfirmed. While pre-orders haven’t opened, the 128GB model costs €429 ($415 USD), while the 256GB model comes in at €499 ($482 USD). So, even with the recent Oculus Quest 2 price increase, it’s slightly more expensive. Dedicated accessories like a wireless dongle for PC VR and fitness tracker also arrive next year, both retailing at €50.