Pico 4 VR headset takes on Meta Quest with light weight and fitness focus
Standalone virtual reality goggles also promise peak performance
Fancy an untethered virtual reality experience that won’t give you neck ache? The Pico 4 is a featherweight 295g sans strap, making it the firm’s lightest ever headset. It’s packing a better-than-4K display, 6DoF movement tracking and Qualcomm internals for seriously immersive VR.
Shipping to customers from the 18th of October, the Pico 4 will land at a Meta Quest 2-rivalling £379. It uses smaller, lighter pancake optics to keep bulk under control, but still finds room inside for four integrated motion-tracking cameras, plus a 16MP RGB cam for room passthrough. It’s held in place by an anti-slip strap and bespoke fabric cushions that should help keep sweat build-up to a minimum.
The 2160×2160-per-eye display has a 90Hz refresh rate and 1200ppi pixel density. It has been given the thumbs up from testing experts TÜV Rheinland for low blue light levels, and the counterweight design should deliver comfy gaming until the 5300mAh battery runs dry. Up to three hours between charges should be doable, with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 on hand for speedy top-ups. Power comes from a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 chipset and Adreno 650 graphics.
As well as having support for Steam VR titles via an optional wireless dongle, Pico’s own on-device content store includes a handful of big-name games such as Peaky Blinders: The King’s Ransom, Ultimechs, and The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners. The firm is also going big on fitness with apps like Les Mills Body Combat, All-in-One Summer Edition, and boxing sim Creed: Rise to Glory.
You’ll be able to track your historical VR play data, set fitness goals, and track your energy output through VR motion tracking. The app can then recommend specific exercise plans.
Live music experiences will follow later down the line, thanks to a partnership with VR entertainment pioneers Wave, and exclusive documentaries will come courtesy of the Discovery Channel. In 2023, full avatar-based interaction will land in the Pico Worlds app.
Each controller has a rotating column with infra-red sensors for freedom of movement, along with all the usual triggers, joysticks and face buttons for VR gameplay.
The Pico 4 will be up for pre-order tomorrow for anyone signed up to Pico’s Neo3 Link Beta, via online specialists VR Expert, XR Shop, System Active and Bestware. Everyone else will be able to order one in October through the usual channels, including Amazon and Very in the UK.
Prices are set to start at £379, with 128GB of on-board storage. A pricier 256GB model is also on the way. Upgrades including a fitness band for monitoring lower body movements, wireless dongles for stronger signal transmission and carry cases for taking the headset on the move will join the line-up early next year.
Tom Morgan-Freelander
Deputy Editor 
