Pico 4 Announced with October Launch, Aims to Compete Head-on with Quest 2

By
Ben Lang
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93

Pico today announced the Pico 4 standalone VR headset, with pricing and content aspirations that make it clear the company hopes to compete directly with Quest 2. The headset will launch in October starting in Europe and some Asian regions, with no plans for a US launch just yet.

Pico has been making VR headsets for years, though the company has primarily served the enterprise market thus far. More recently the company was acquired by ByteDance and earlier this year took its first serious step into the consumer VR space with the release of the Pico Neo 3 Link, a standalone VR headset that also has the ability to tether to a desktop for PC VR gaming.

Less than a year later the company is nearly ready to release the Pico 4, and this time around it hopes to get a leg up on Meta’s Quest 2 headset in price and features, while angling to be competitive on content as well.

Pico 4 Revealed

Pico 4 will start at €430 for the 128GB model and €500 for the 256GB model (that’s €20 and €50 less than Quest 2’s equivalents), making it clear the company is hoping to undercut Meta on price, something that may have been more difficult without Meta having raised the price on the headset just a few months ago.

While both headsets are built on top of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2 processor, Pico 4 will bring 8GB of RAM to Quest 2’s 6GB. Additionally Pico 4 aims to be more compact than Quest 2 with the addition of ‘pancake optics’ which should reduce the bulk of the headset thanks to a folded optical path. Additionally the Pico 4 is sporting a slightly higher resolution at 2,160 × 2,160 (4.7MP) per-eye compared to Quest 2’s 1,832 × 1,920 (3.5MP).

Along with a rear-mounted battery on Pico 4, those are the key hardware differences. Here’s a full look at how the headsets compare on paper:

Pico 4 vs. Quest 2 Specs
Pico 4 Quest 2
Resolution 2,160 × 2,160 (4.7MP) per-eye, LCD (2x) 1,832 × 1,920 (3.5MP) per-eye, LCD (1x)
Refresh Rate 72Hz, 90Hz 60Hz, 72Hz, 80Hz, 90Hz, 120Hz
Lenses Pancake Single element Fresnel
Field-of-view (claimed) 105° ~90°
Optical Adjustments IPD (motorized) IPD, eye-relief (via included spacer)
IPD Adjustment Range 62-72mm 58mm, 63mm, 68mm
Processor Snapdragon XR2 Snapdragon XR2
RAM 8GB 6GB
Storage 128GB / 256GB 64GB / 128GB / 256GB
Connectors unknown USB-C
Battery Life (claimed) 2.5-3 hours (5,300 mAh) 2-3 hours
Tracking Inside-out (no external beacons) Inside-out (no external beacons)
On-board cameras 4x (external), 1x 16MP RGB 4x IR (external)
Input Pico 4 motion controllers Oculus Touch v3 (AA battery 1x), hand-tracking, voice
Audio In-headstrap speakers In-headstrap speakers, 3.5mm aux output
Microphone Yes Yes
Pass-through view unknown Yes
MSRP €430 (128GB), €500 (256GB) €450 (128GB), €550 (256GB)

Pico 4 Pricing & Release Date

Starting at €430 for the 128GB model and €500 for the 256GB model, Pico 4 will begin pre-orders for the general public in October; those who purchased the Neo 3 Link will be able to pre-order as early as tomorrow. Pico 4 will be released on October 18th starting in 13 European countries as well as Japan and Korea, with plans to launch in Singapore and Malaysia later this year and China eventually. The company hasn’t revealed plans to launch Pico 4 in the US.

Pico 4 Accessories

In addition to the headset, Pico has announced plans to launch three first-party accessories for the Pico 4 in 2023. All priced at €50, they include a fitness tracker for more accurate fitness tracking, a wireless dongle for wireless PC VR, and a carrying case.

Pico 4 Content Library

Image courtesy Pico

Even if Pico 4 manages to compete with Quest 2 on the hardware front, there’s still a serious challenge ahead in getting a comparable amount of quality content onto the headset.

To that end, Pico has announced that some fresh and upcoming VR games will be available on the headset, like Peaky Blinders: The King’s Ransom, Ultimechs, Demeo, and The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners.

The company is also aiming to begin curating fitness content for the headset, including Les Mills Body Combat, All-in-One Summer Sports VR, and Just Dance VR.

We’ve reached out to Pico for a more complete list of content expected to be available on the headset.

The company also says it plans to launch its own Pico World social VR platform in 2023 and release a series of exclusive documentaries from the Discovery Channel.

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Ben Lang
Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."
  • MosBen

    So much for the people suggesting that it would be a thousand dollars. I’ll definitely be watching for the reviews of this and the Pro model.

    • Bob

      No USB-C or a native DP is a little disappointing for PCVR users but I suppose some corners had to be cut to make its cheap price. Perhaps the Pro model will accommodate this feature.

      • MosBen

        I think the idea is that the wireless dongle has PCVR people covered.

        • ViRGiN

          PCVR elitists don’t know even their tethered latency numbers for native pcvr headsets; but they will never accept wireless solution for imaginary reasons.

          • Contradict

            Well, they were so excited about their cord rigs and pulleys in the ceiling that they invested in and made videos about so how could they possible abandon that now? :P

            One you go cordless, you don’t go back. Screw tethered only headsets

  • silvaring

    I’m guessing the total weight with the battery is going to be around 380 grams, which puts it on par with the Lenovo Explorer Windows headset. I’m very curious about those pancake lenses though because we’ve heard how much they dim the image with other pancake lens headsets like the Arpara 5K.

    • Contradict

      Check out Tyriel Wood’s channel on YT. He did a “through the lenses” comparison between the Q2 and P4 and it’s almost as if the P4 has HDR or something, lol. The space game he was showing, it’s as if the orange on the ships controls just stand right out. I don’t think it being dim would be an issue

      • silvaring

        Maybe that is indeed the key, some kind of quasi HDR to boost the brightness level of the display, at the expense of battery life of course : D

  • Hussein Azmy

    It is very, very tempting. While I will not be getting one because of my stance on the CCP, I have to admit that this is not an easy decision. I absolutely love the design and think that it looks better than the Quest Pro.

    • Rogue Transfer

      Bear-in-mind, that all the Quest 2, Quest Pro, Pico and PSVR 2 headsets are manufactured by the same Chinese manufacturer: Goertek. The brand label doesn’t mean you aren’t supporting China, with tax collected from their Chinese manufacturer Goertek.

      • ViRGiN

        Nobody on the planet thinks of iPhones made in china as “chinese products”, and you understand that very well.

        It’s the same with japanese auto brands making, assembling cars outside of japan. They are still “japanese cars”.

      • Ad

        But Bytedance is part of a grand communist conspiracy to make people eat tide pods.We could just make laws limiting data collection, or we could just say “china bad.”

  • Cody Hobbs

    I don’t see how this can be seen as a true competitor against Meta when it’s not releasing in US markets, and there are no firm plans to release in US markets. I now that the US is not the only consumer market for electronics, but that limitation is likely to cause it to not court the software support needed to make this a truly viable headset.

    • ViRGiN

      They know those US neckbeards who were interested in pico before really knowing anything were only interested in using it exclusively with SteamVR, making zero sense for Pico to begin with there.

      • Contradict

        I’m a Canadian non neckbeard and I want to use it exclusively with SteamVR but I will never use a tethered headset ever. The Quest 2 and Airlink has spoiled me but I can’t stand the Fresnel lenses anymore and the pathetic FOV is an immersion destroyer. Therefore, if I’m wanting a standalone with pancake lenses that don’t cost a bagillion dollars, the Pico 4 is my only choice. Pulling the trigger on getting one from a foreign market when we’re in this age of blocking out regions is troubling

      • John Doe

        Here’s the thing: You’re a neckbeard that’s just poor. Most young people would burst out laughing to the idea you want to spend time in VR xD

        • ViRGiN

          Young people? Ah, the stupid, inexperienced ones? Who cares?
          You just clowned yourself. Surely you must have gotten all red on your face.

    • Beautifully & wonderfully put, by the way.
      A WELL-THOUGHT OUT STATEMENT BASED ON FACT AND NOT EMOTION.

      • ViRGiN

        Where Pico fails, the quartet of arpara, decagear, lynx and pimax will succeed! :) They “understand the market”.

        • lol Lynx, oh boy ….
          They haven’t called bankruptcy yet due to “unforseen circumstances” …?

  • Tadadada

    Too late to bring a headset with the same chip as the years old quest 2.
    Also, most of the good games on quest are exclusives so this will have a lot of missing games.

    • Christian Schildwaechter

      You are aware that the Quest Pro will also be released with the same XR2 in a slightly different packaging allowing for better cooling, compared to the one in Quest 2 that had to be underclocked to keep it within thermal limits? Why would a Pico 4 at Quest 2 price with many of the Quest Pro features be too late, but a Quest Pro at “significantly above USD 800” not?

      • jbob4mall

        Quest Pro isn’t really for gamers though. Meta has been saying as much.
        If you’re a quest owner why would you buy this instead of just waiting for quest 3? I’m ready for next gen headset. Pico 4 ain’t it.

        • Darkentity

          Quest owner here buying this because I am not waiting another year for a upgrade. Slightly bigger field of view, higher Res screen, lighter and it’s dam cheap!

          • number1barber

            sooooo with a limited library most of which are existing games your going to dump a load of cash to get pancake lenses and a lot less games. just install developer mode and just get FFA

          • Contradict

            Uhh, well, that pancake lense thing is a pretty big deal. Saying goodbye to god rays and pin point sweet spots is pretty damn rewarding. Wireless PCVR would make little concern for what games they have on hand

          • Contradict

            Don’t forget moving on from those awful Fresnel lenses…

        • Carlos

          Q2 owner here. Selling my Q2 to get Pico because it reaches 72mm on IPD (mine is 71mm). Still can’t belive Meta decided to set the max range to 68mm.

      • Contradict

        Roflmao, I don’t recall anyone thinking that the Quest Pro is on anyones radar in any sense. After that nose bleed of a price while barely bumping up any of the specs, I don’t think anyone has any interest, especially after Oct 11.

        Generally, just like in the CPU and smartphone market, people are demanding better and better specs with each iteration. I don’t think majority of the consumer market knows anything about the cooling discussion but mainly looks at it having the exact same chips. Let’s be real, in tech, if you are several years dated, you’re basically irrelevant. Think there’s lots of people out there talking up how their 9700k is just the best and could outpace people today? Of course not. VR improvements have been relatively stagnant and people are desiring more.

  • wheeler

    Did you get to try this Ben? Waiting for some better impressions on pancake optics than “it looks good/clear”

    • Ben Lang

      Haven’t had a chance yet

  • Did that commercial just end with a Trap? Seems like they’re leaning towards a catfish market. :/

    The stats look good, but not amazing. I can’t image how the software is going to be. We have such a refined and amazing OS in the Quest 2 because of geniuses like John Carmack. You don’t just throw money against a wall and expect genius to crawl out of the woodwork.

    No sign of eye tracking. Did Ben forget to mention that or has it been removed to reach this price level?

    • silvaring

      Eye and face tracking on the pro model. Some of us dont want companies tracking our eyeballs just by the way, especially without a damn good reason to do so.

      • xyzs

        A good reason to do eye tracking ? Well, your vision is 100 percent in a tiny zone (the fovea) that is not even 1 percent of your vision and your are almost blind on the side. By tracking your gaze, huge amounts of wasted computation can be saved and hence increase the vr optimization like a ton.

        • Contradict

          It sounds like you must be a massive advocate for Fresnel lenses as well, where everything in your periphery looks like a blurry mess of shit.

          No thanks! Pretty damn sure the Quest 2 market/owners (Myself especially) are going to adopt HMD’s like the Pico 4 for the sole factor of it not having those garbage optics, so it goes without saying that if muddying up your periphery is a pull for eye tracking, then we don’t want it.

          And for the amount that you would have to spend on the privilege’s of providing companies, like Meta, your personal eyeball data, you could save the easily >$1000, from purchasing a Pico 4 over a Quest pro/etc ,and buy a 3090 for less than that and get far more value out of that GPU than, what seems to be right now, a gimmick.

      • Gorgon Freemen

        Getting more performance is a good enough reason. Don’t act like your eyes are special. You scared they will make money off your eyes? Sorry to tell you but most corporates is already making money off everything you do right now. This site is making money off you being on it. 9 times out of 10 your DNA was already sold to China so they can to bad things with it.

    • Andrew Jakobs

      You do know that John Carmack has next to nothing to do with the Quest 2 OS anymore.

      • It shall be interesting to see his talk at the upcoming Meta event next month.

  • bluetoothbday

    So quest pro have no competition?

    • Christian Schildwaechter

      No, it is the only HMD that will work with Horizon Workrooms with all the virtual eye glances and dropped jaws you could ever dream of, hopefully fulfilling Meta’s dream of a device with huge growth numbers thanks to networking effects from VR conferencing. All the pedestrian VR users that only wanted more resolution, better lenses, higher comfort and color passthrough while not paying multiple times the Quest 2 price will have to make due with only the Pico 4 and RecRoom or VRChat, fully aware that the Quest Pro has even more features, as the Pico 4 Pro will not be available to consumers outside of China.

      So yes, the Quest Pro has no competition for the targeted use case that Meta seems to be pushing for, so have a lot of fun with the most advanced mobile social VR experience that will soon become available at a yet to be defined USD 800++ price.

    • lol Sure looks that way!

  • Steve G

    62-72mm … fail.

    • Andrew Jakobs

      for you maybe, but not for most people.

    • Carlos

      Why fail? Q2 max IPD is 68mm, mine is 71mm. I’m selling my Q2 to get Pico. The right IPD makes a HUGE difference.

  • Rudl Za Vedno

    Now this looks like a Meta Quest 2 killer. At 429€ price tag it’s a bargain for what it offers. If it has a display port option for uncompressed image via SteamVR like Pico 3 it’s an instant buy for me.

    • ViRGiN

      no, you said you will buy it knowing very well there is no word on DP.

      Carry, get him boy!

  • xyzs

    OMG a news that is introducing a new real product !!!
    It happens twice a year, if even, so let’s celebrate.

    This looks really neat and it’s sold at reasonable price!
    I hope they sell millions of them to kick the market and bring competition.

    • ViRGiN

      Those “millions” are already crying out loud about not being able to plug a dogleash into the headset without “mah compression”, and they have zero interest in standalone capability.

      This product is a failure, especially without USA market which dominates VR worldwide outside of china.

  • Octogod

    Who is this device for?

    Quest 2 has been out for years. Quest Pro is likely close to reveal. The minimal spec bumps here aren’t worth a marketplace that has a half dozen older apps ported to new tech.

    • Andrew Jakobs

      Uhm, for people who wanted the Quest 2, but want better visuals and again a native DP link for PCVR. Personally I’m really looking forward to buying this new headset and finally replace my trusty HTC Vive Pro (with wireless module). But I’m also very much interested in the Pro version, although that one will be 800+ more expensive probably, so that’s too much for me as it’s actually only the eye/facetracking and auto IPD setting (which is actually why I want it, not having to bother with setting the IPD manually).
      I do think it’s a shame it didn’t come with a slightly better SOC, as the SOC is the same as in the Quest 2/Pico Neo 3, only with 2GB more memory.

      • jbob4mall

        It’s not better visuals. It’s using the same exact chip…

    • Mr.Philgood

      The asian and german market, where you can’t get a Quest

      • MasterElwood

        You can get a Q2 in Germany from Amazon without problems. You just have to order from a different Amazon-country. They ship without problems.

    • David

      This isn’t competing with the Quest Pro, that’s a totally different segment of the market.

    • RR2303

      I know that tinfoil hats are a bold fasion statement, but the sole reason I didn’t buy quest is because I’d have to set up a facebook account. Meta isn’t the most data gathering company out there, but it’s very close. They literally sold and continue to sell their VR headsets at a loss because there’s a chance to get that money back. I’d much rather just pay the money upfront and not care about having loaned the product at the cost of my privacy.

      Pico 4 would be literally the first headset that’s actually affordable *to make*, and just that makes all the difference to me.
      All in all, this device is probably for people either paranoid over or just careful about what they actually pay for the ownership of a headset they bought.

  • hells86

    Damn, this release is making my excited for Apples and Meta new headsets

  • Successful in Asia …? Absolutely.
    Successful in Europe …? Eh, maybe.
    Successful in America …? Um, no.
    Pico knows what’s what, that’s why they’re not releasing in America just yet.
    And if they’re positioning this as a Quest 3 [???] killer, that’s a HUGE mistake.
    By the time Pico 4 releases in America, IF it ever releases in America,
    the hypetrain for Quest 3 will be at full steam [haha] ahead, thereby crushing Pico 4.

    Ah, but there are those who still stubbornly cling to the anti-Meta/Zuck nonsense.
    Out of sheer spite, they might pick one of these up.
    But anti-Questers does not a market make: the Ordinary Joe has to buy one, too.
    And do you see Ordinary Joes choosing Pico 4 over Quest 2/3 …??
    I don’t.

  • ViRGiN

    It’s a hit in Asian markets, because they don’t really have Meta there.
    That’s all there is to it. It’s the Quest 2 for Asians, if Meta never existed.

    Whenever someone is talking about ‘success’, it’s exclusively about Western markets, “first world” so to say.

    Pico has set up a 12 million dollar dev fund, which is a laughable number, with maximum grant of 2 millions per developer. So 6 big games and boom, no funds. And that’s coming from owner of a company estimated to have value of 50 billion dollars, which is five times as much as Valve is “worth”.

    Safe to say, they have already done quadrilion times more for VR than valve ever did or will :)

  • tc tazyiksavar

    I would only invest into this if it had a lossless PC VR connection through HDMI. Pico 3 solution was so much better. As for the Quest 2 owners in the West and US, there is no reason buying this hmd, but it is good to see new VR tech. Wait for Quest 3 while enjoying Quest 2, also look into PSVR2 as it will be a quality headset.

  • ApocalypseShadow

    Very interesting that they have come in and matched, and in some ways, outdone Facebook. Can play Steam games and Oculus games with a PC. Has its own exclusive music dance game. Has many young followers on Tik Tok to advertise to. Has a reasonable price. Now that’s competition.

    Those saying what’s the point if they aren’t releasing in America… Yet…? The point is taking over the rest of the world in market share and minimize Facebook’s reach. With a product near identical to Facebook’s.

    Only things that hold it back are memory for storage and power. It’s definitely pushing for the CASUALS in a big way. Not a bad thing. But I’m sticking with high end. I’ve seen these graphics for years. I’m ready to move up to what’s not possible on mobile. Pico World does look family friendly. But I’ve seen more detail in PlayStation Home years ago. This is too saccharin sweet.

  • ManFredMann

    It’s all about the games. Where’s the list?

  • ViRGiN

    Newer and smaller, not exactly better. Specs are just one part of equation.

    • NL_VR

      Try to think from a new user perspective

      • ViRGiN

        think of the marketing, and dozens of million of views on biggest vr videos on youtube. the headset to get is the white one from facebook, not white with black panel from tiktok.

        • NL_VR

          Nonsense The Quest will not be the only headset out there,you better realise this.

          • ViRGiN

            Yup, and PCVR will dominate the market because people are not interested in mobile phone games.
            Oh boy.

          • NL_VR

            Exactly

          • ViRGiN

            40XX series will finally bring quadruple AAAA quality to PCVR. It was always limited by power of hardware. This time around it will work out. I promise. Totally.

          • NL_VR

            shut up you pleb.
            /PC MASTER RACE

          • ViRGiN

            another excrement bites the dust!

          • You elitist swine ….

          • NL_VR

            Being elite doesnt make you a swine. Crying in comments make you a crybaby thou.

  • ViRGiN

    Then the favorite topic of pcvr elitists pops in.
    Non-native connections adds performance overhead for adding compression.

    Suddenly it will turn out there is no computer in existence that can truly play PCVR games at upscaled or even native resolutions, making any real benefits negligable. When 20xx was the highest end, 30xx was supposed to solve all the issues. It never did.

    • NL_VR

      Wall of text that has nothing to do with what I said

      • Andrew Jakobs

        Huh?

        • NL_VR

          Yes?

          • Andrew Jakobs

            the ‘huh’ was in reference to ‘Wall of text that has nothing to do with what I said’, but maybe that was in reference to some content that is now unavailable, otherwise I have no clue as I wasn’t commenting on something you said.

          • NL_VR

            It was an answer to a comment to your comment

      • ViRGiN

        wall of text? lmao. do you primarily communicate in emojis?

        • NL_VR

          No but if you have a point its lost in all the bull crap you writing all the time.

  • Guest

    Why does the above table say pass through view unknown after them showing it with that 16 Megapixel camera?

    • Andross

      i came here for saying the sameì thing. but the bad thing is… only one RGB camera? so only 2D AR and passtrought? i was excited for pico neo, but with this and also no DP connector for PCVR, well… it’s a big no.

      • Guest

        So is that why Ben left it as unknown? 3D pass through is just going to make a larger percentage of people sick. In the release footage it sure looked like they were passing through the 16 MP camera, but then, it was not a livestream so they could have baked-in anything into the video.

  • Kenny Thompson

    Granted, this isn’t really a next gen headset and is simply a Q2 competitor but even still…. They’ve put the best chipset they can into the thing. There isn’t any other options unless they went with a full laptop chipset so I will take it. I am excited about this one… On paper it looks really nice. IPD that is granular… pancakes… larger fov… better comfort. Lots of check boxes. I can’t use Q2 for more than 30min before my eyes bleed. Here’s to hoping it will work well with steam!

  • poltevo

    I’m not feeling this one. The Pico might be a bit better hardware wise then Quest, but I suspect its software and overall experience will be significantly worse. Any concerns someone might have with Meta should be amplified 10X with ByteDance, who own the cesspool that is TikTok & have clear links with the CCP.

    • Andross

      that’s my case. I have a CV1 but I still hate Meta/Facebook for creating another console always avoiding in fact the PC open market.
      and the kick in the ass i received after i bought my VR headset was unbearable, despite it’s still good to use and my love for OLED in VR.

      Pico is pretty interesting with it’s hardware, still I don’t trust Pico so much.

      I’d love to go with pimax, but i read pretty bad things about them too, with support, compatibility and so on.

      Maybe a good choice is to wait an Index 2 at a better price, but we are talking about Valve, it’s like waiting Half Life 3 probably.

      I don’t have much money but i’m lucky to have now a pretty good PC, I hope to see a suprise with a new good PCVR model, but i think it will not come so soon.

  • I can’t wait for the Pico 4 to come out in the U.S.!!! But I’m also waiting for PSVR to release their VR to choose which one to buy.

  • johann jensson

    Does anyone know if the Pico 4 will have two displays or just one (like Quest 2)? I have IPD of 68mm and due to the single display i lose quite a bit of FOV on the outside (i see the edges of the display).

    • Carlos

      2 displays.

  • johann jensson

    I see you finally repaired your “keyboard”. Now i can read your comments again, without eyestrain. :)

  • number1barber

    Most of the games are the same ones that are on the quest 2 but much less quantity. If your going to build something better in everyway don’t bother if you don’t have the content its a waste of time. Employ teams like doctor beef or similar and build a large collection of AAA games from the last era then launch with that. If they did that they would takeover the market as most quest games are mobile games lacking full campaigns. So load up the remakes of the classics and all the adults that have played those games will flock to buy the headset

  • Please add a ‘narrow’ facial interface to that accessory list, preferable with more ‘nose’ room. :P

  • Contradict

    “a wireless dongle for wireless PC VR”

    Does that mean that it wouldn’t support a wireless solution (like Airlink, ALVR, Revive, etc) right out of the box or is that meant for more stable use?

    Not having that ability right on the headset really kills it for me. I don’t imagine that the headset is completely void of a wifi module, so what gives?