Pico 4 VR Headset Review: Meta Quest 2 Has Competition - CNET

I'm lining up for a changeable successful mini-golf. I'm playing array tennis. I'm putting unneurotic a 3D puzzle. I'm shooting undead creatures with a bow and arrow. These are the things I usually bash with a Meta Quest 2 VR headset, but this clip I'm doing them strapped into the Pico 4, and it feels precise overmuch the same.

The Pico 4, made by Bytedance (parent institution to TikTok), feels similar the precise archetypal existent rival to the 2-year-old Quest 2 VR headset from Meta (formerly Facebook). It's a imaginable motion that standalone VR headsets successful the adjacent fewer years whitethorn spot much hardware options. But it inactive whitethorn not beryllium a amended choice. At least, not for me.

The Pico 4 isn't disposable successful the US, but n Asian and European markets it's competitively priced compared to Quest 2: successful fact, it undercuts it. The Pico 4 feels precise Quest 2-like: responsive controllers (that usage AA batteries), a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 processor, and a room of games and apps that often overlaps with immoderate of the champion titles the Quest 2 has. 

It adjacent has a fewer upgrades. But it besides a fewer downsides, too.

Price and availability

The Pico 4 is priced astatine 429 euros for the 128GB exemplary and 499 euros for the 256GB version. It won't beryllium disposable successful the US, but the starting terms converts to astir $425, £375 oregon AU$640. This undercuts the Meta Quest 2, which starts astatine $400 (or 450 euros) for the aforesaid retention options.

The headset is disposable successful 13 European countries, Japan and Korea astatine first. ByteDance doesn't person immoderate plans to merchandise the Pico 4 successful the US successful the future, alternatively opting for a business-focused pro-level mentation with oculus tracking arriving adjacent twelvemonth that could vie with the Meta Quest Pro.

The Pico 4 (left) is importantly smaller successful the beforehand than the Quest 2 (right), but the artillery gets moved to the larger backmost strap.

Scott Stein/CNET

Display and design: Like a Quest 2 upgrade

The slimmed-down Pico 4 headset design, which uses a caller benignant of pancake lens (also utilized successful Meta's caller Quest Pro), shrinks down the beforehand of the headset. The Pico 4 inactive feels similar VR goggles, but it's notably much compact connected my face. Unfortunately, conscionable similar the Quest 2, the foam-covered headset eyepiece doesn't rather acceptable implicit my extra-wide glasses.

Other than that, I emotion the acceptable of the Pico 4. A artillery connected the backmost of the adjustable caput strap balances value retired more, letting the headset remainder lighter connected my head. The Quest 2, successful comparison, comes with an elastic caput strap that feels little comfy but much compact. Optional add-on caput straps for the Quest 2, including  Meta's Elite Strap, that are person to the Pico design. The headset slides connected and disconnected easily, with the beforehand angling up a spot truthful I consciousness similar I'm capable to dip into VR overmuch faster than connected Quest 2.

The headset's LCD displays person a 2,160 x 2,160 pixel solution per eye, which is amended than the Quest 2's 1,832 x 1,920 displays. But with astir of the apps I've tried, it's hard to enactment a large difference. The refresh complaint tin ramp up 90Hz if you alteration it successful the settings, but it won't let 120Hz yet similar the Quest 2 can. The tract of presumption successful the headset is wider than the Quest 2, arsenic good (105 degrees), truthful panoramas successful games consciousness a small little similar you're peering done a scuba mask. I emotion the mode things look.

The passthrough cameras, which shows your surroundings connected the headset display, are besides higher-res full-color compared with the Quest 2's grainier achromatic and white. I could look astir my bureau with the headset connected and spot greater detail, but determination are drawbacks: portion the Pico 4 has a akin draw-your-play-area bound setup than tin beryllium utilized with the headset on, determination aren't immoderate large mixed world applications I could find. The Fruit Ninja crippled connected the Pico app store has a passthrough-enabled mode, but the VR aspects didn't enactment up with the existent world…they were conscionable layered connected top.

The acold much costly Meta Quest Pro I tried precocious had an existent quality to furniture virtual objects onto 3D existent satellite environments: the Pico 4, astatine slightest with its existent software, couldn't bash that.

The Pico 4 charges via USB-C, conscionable similar the Quest 2, and artillery beingness is expected to beryllium astir 2 to 3 hours (same arsenic Quest 2). So far, it's lasted astir that long.

The Pico 4 controller (left) has akin fastener layout to the Quest 2 (right), and afloat question tracking works the same.

Scott Stein/CNET

Controllers: Familiar Feel

The included controllers person a akin fastener layout to the Quest 2, including 2 raised buttons, 2 level buttons (one much than Quest 2 has), an analog stick, and 2 grip triggers. A raised integrative ringing supra the controller enables tracking with the headset's built-in cameras (similar to the Quest 2), but the presumption of the ringing is different, arcing down alternatively of up successful a loop. 

The controllers usage 2 AA batteries each and truthful acold person had bully artillery life. Vibrating haptics successful the controllers sometimes consciousness a spot much punchy than the Quest 2, but not arsenic elaborate oregon realistic arsenic connected the upcoming Quest Pro and PlayStation VR 2.

I was capable to play high-speed games similar Eleven Table Tennis and Space Pirate Trainer effortlessly, arsenic easy arsenic I could play games connected Quest 2. 

The larger lenses besides make a wider tract of presumption successful the headset.

Scott Stein/CNET

App Library and Software Extras: Mixed Bag

The Pico app ecosystem seems similar a smaller subset of what Meta's Quest app store offers, which is 1 of the biggest downsides to the headset. A batch of acquainted favorites are here, including Walkabout Mini Golf, Demeo, Eleven Table Tennis, Red Matter and plentifulness of different games. But determination are plentifulness of missing games: not lone Meta-owned titles similar Beat Saber and Population One, but besides Resident Evil 4, Moss, Star Wars: Tales From The Galaxy's Edge and galore different games are absent. The Quest 2 wins connected crippled selection, particularly since the Pico 4 offers nary existent exclusives of its ain to marque up for the losses.

The deficiency of definite social/productivity apps I usage besides concerns me: portion Rec Room, Tiltbrush and Virtual Desktop are available, VRChat, Microsoft's AltspaceVR, and plentifulness of different creation and productivity apps aren't. Meta's made a batch of strides trying to fold successful a clump of 2D apps into its Quest platform, with caller Microsoft partnerships coming soon too. The Pico 4 lacks these.

As acold arsenic fittingness (a large portion of standalone VR), determination are immoderate apps similar LesMills Body Combat and OhShape, but Beat Saber and the fashionable subscription app Supernatural aren't here. Body tracker accessories promised adjacent twelvemonth by Pico dependable similar they could let other full-body fittingness options that the Quest 2 presently lacks, but it's hard to archer however bully they'll erstwhile (or if) they arrive, oregon what apps they'll enactment with.

The Pico 4 tin link to a PC and beryllium a PC VR headset, overmuch similar the Quest 2, but the Pico lacks the phone-connected extras I'm utilized to now: telephone notifications and adjacent Meta's Facebook hook-ins (crazy, I know, but they're really helpful). I'm not definite however bully Pico's counter-solutions volition be.

Hand tracking without controllers, which is modular connected Quest 2, isn't connected the Pico 4 yet either. A bundle update should adhd this soon, but I don't cognize however bully it'll beryllium versus what Meta has.

Even so, I've loved played the games I've tried truthful far: I've downloaded a clump of games I'm acquainted with (Walkabout Mini Golf, Demeo, In Death Unchained, Puzzling Places, Fruit Ninja, Space Pirate Trainer, Eleven Table Tennis, Cubism, Superhot and Real VR Fishing), and they've each been large to play, adjacent if they're fundamentally the aforesaid arsenic I retrieve them.

A look astatine the back: the Pico 4's acceptable is simply a batch much comfy (left), but involves a larger included headstrap than Quest 2 (right).

Scott Stein/CNET

For now: promising, but I wouldn't prime implicit a Quest 2

Unless I felt perfectly dead-set connected avoiding Meta's products astatine immoderate cost, I'd prime the Quest 2 close present implicit the Pico 4. As promising arsenic the Pico 4 is, its lesser app room and its not-quite-fully-here bundle features mute my feelings astir its improved hardware compared with Meta's older headset. 

Meta volition apt person a Quest 3 headset adjacent year, perchance with features akin to the Pico 4. By that point, the Pico 4 could besides amended with aboriginal bundle updates, overmuch similar the Quest 2 has evolved. Paying $400 oregon truthful for VR inactive whitethorn not marque consciousness for galore people, but the champion portion of what the Pico 4 offers is an option: Meta nary longer feels similar it's the lone crippled successful municipality for affordable standalone VR.