A new contender for the best VR headset crown by TikTok’s sister company is heading to Europe, and it could take the Oculus Quest 2 head-on. Announced at the virtual reality showcase Laval Virtual 2022, The Pico Neo 3 will release in Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, and the UK, following its release in Asia last year.
The Oculus Quest 2 rival will release as the Pico Neo 3 Link across Europe, arriving with a price tag of £399/€449 (roughly $521 USD). While the Neo 3 Link is set to cost a chunk more than Meta’s VR current-gen headset, it packs a 3664×1920 screen that could give even the rumoured Oculus Quest 2 Pro a run for its money.
The company behind the Pico Neo 3, Pico Interactive, was acquired by TikTok’s parent company ByteDance in 2021. However, the company has released various VR headsets over the years, with the original Pico Neo making its debut back in 2016 (via UploadVR). In other words, the company has walked a similar path to Meta, as the social media giant used Oculus as a ticket to the realm of VR.
There’s no word on whether the Pico Neo 3 will launch in the US, but its presence in Europe could help shake up the VR scene. The Oculus Quest 2 is still top on Steam, but data for March suggests users are flocking to alternatives like the Valve Index.
| Pico Neo 3 Link | Oculus Quest 2 | |
| CPU | Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2 | Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 |
| RAM | 6GB | 6GB |
| Resolution | 3664 x 1920 | 1832 x 1920 |
| Refresh rate | 90Hz | 120Hz |
| Storage | 256GB | Up to 256GB |
Meta’s vice grip on the market could tighten with the release of next-gen headsets like the Oculus Quest 3 and Project Cambria. Yet, if it decides not to unveil its refreshed Oculus Quest 2 Pro device at its upcoming Meta Showcase, devices like the Pico Neo 3 Link may munch away at its large slice of VR market pie.