Tried New VR Headset – First impression of the Meta Quest 2 competition
The PICO 4 has now been officially announced. But we were already able to try out the new all-in-one VR headset at Gamescom 2022. Here is our first impression.
Cologne – Gamescom 2022, the largest games fair in the world, not only had games en masse to offer. All sorts of fresh accessories and hardware were also on display there, and numerous manufacturers proudly presented their new products. Among them was the well-known VR company PICO, who showed their latest all-in-one VR headset PICO 4 behind the scenes to a selected audience. Even though this was only officially announced today, September 22nd, we were able to try out the PICO 4 at Gamescom and give you our first impression here.
| name of the fair | Gamescom |
| location | Cologne |
| First exhibition | 2009, previously as Games Convention in Leipzig |
| Visitors (2019) | 373,000 |
| Exhibitor | 1153 |
| Next appointment | August 24, 2022 to August 28, 2022 |
PICO 4: That’s in the new all-in-one VR headset
This is the PICO 4: The PICO 4 is the new generation and a logical further development of the all-in-one VR headsets from PICO. All-in-one means that the VR headset works completely without control by a PC or mobile phone (even without a cable). In short: put on and dive directly into VR. Everything you need is already integrated into the glasses. In principle, the PICO 4 embodies the direct competition to the Oculus Meta Quest 2 VR headset.
The PICO 4 focuses on immersive and interactive VR experiences. PICO not only relies on the new hardware (more on that in a moment), but also on comprehensive content from the areas of gaming, fitness, entertainment and social, which comes via the PICO Store (other titles are also available via Steam VR).
Examples of fitness content include Les Mills Body Combat, All-in-One Summer Sports VR, and Just Dance VR. Just Dance is part of an exclusive partnership with Ubisoft and will be released in 2023. Games like Peaky Blinders: The King’s Ransom, Ultimechs or The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution will be found in the gaming offer.
PICO is also collaborating with Wave, a leading provider of virtual entertainment, to offer modern live music experiences in VR. In general, however, further content from the areas of fitness, gaming, entertainment and social is planned.
The most important technical details of the PICO 4: The PICO 4 comes with the Qualcomm® Snapdragon XR2 chip, has a very light housing with pancake optics and comes with a display with 4K+ resolution – all with a pair of glasses weighing only 295 grams (586 grams in total). There are also dial-adjustable straps and padding that wicks away moisture and protects against heat and sweat.
According to PICO, a 5,300 mAh battery allows up to three hours of playtime and has a quick charge function. Incidentally, the headset is certified by TÜV Rheinland for low blue light and thus offers a gaming experience that is easy on the eyes. Interesting for people who wear glasses: The PICO 4 supports the use of a glasses spacer, which is included in the scope of delivery.
Accessories include the PICO fitness band for effectively monitoring lower body movements, carrying cases and wireless dongles for wireless transmission.
Here is an overview of the most important cornerstones:
- Weight: 295g (without strap), total 586g
- Upholstery: Replaceable fabric mask/face cushion
- Processor: Qualcomm XR2, 8 Cores 64 bit, 2.84GHz, 7nm process technology, Kryo 585 CPU, Adreno 650 GPU
- Storage: 8GB LPDDR4X RAM (2133MHz), 128GB/256GB UFS 3.0 storage
- Display: 2x 2.56″ LCD display with a resolution of 4,320 x 2,160 (2,160 x 2,160 per eye), 1200 PPI, 72Hz / 90Hz, 105° Field of View (FoV), pancake lenses and a stepless IPD adjustment between 62~72mm
- audio: 360° Surrounding Stereo Speakers with 3D Spatial Sound support, Dual Mic with up to 30dB Noise Reduction and 50dB Echo Cancellation
- cameras: 4x Fisheye Camera, a 16MP RGB camera to view the external environment outside of the virtual space
- Headset sensors: Nine-Axis Sensor, P-Sensor, Hall Sensor, Motor Driver
- Controllers: 2x 6DoF Broadband Haptic Motion Controller with 6 Axis sensors (Gyroscope Accelerator)
- Battery pack: in the back of the headset, 5300mAh, lasts 2.5-3 hours with active use. Each controller uses 2 AA batteries that last up to 80 hours of active use
- WiFi: supports Wi-Fi 6, 2.4GHz/5GHz dual band
- Bluetooth: supports Bluetooth 5.1
- Operating system: PICO OS, a specially developed operating system based on Android.
You can find more information on the official site of PICO.
The price of the PICO 4: The suggested retail price for the PICO 4 is 429 euros.
Where can I buy / pre-order the PICO 4? Members of the European Neo3 Link Beta program will be able to use the PICO 4 from September 23, 2022 best goods, VR expert, XR store and System Active preorder.
Everyone else, i.e. the general public, will then be able to pre-order in October via Amazon, MediaMarkt and Saturn, Elkjop, The Very Group and Coolblue.
PICO 4 tried – Our first impression of Gamescom 2022
What exactly could we try? At Gamescom 2022, after a detailed behind-the-scenes presentation and an introduction to the device, we had just over 15 minutes to get our own first impression of the new PICO 4. We mainly focused on games – including, for example, the popular VR title Demeo.
This is how the PICO 4 arrived: And what we were able to see and experience during this time was quite convincing. The materials used and the workmanship of the headset all made a generally high-quality impression.
The first thing that struck you in practice was how comfortable it is to wear: the design of the PICO 4 is comparatively slim. The VR headset could be easily adjusted for the eyes and head with just a few movements, then sat very comfortably and stably – no pressure on the forehead or other areas, no X-raying, no slipping, the sweet spot was found quickly. A kind of elite strap like the Oculus 2 is not even needed here. Everything sits as it should.
The PICO 4 was also noticeably light and the weight was (in contrast to the front-heavy Quest 2) very well distributed between the glasses and the back. This is likely to be even more evident with longer use. I don’t wear glasses myself, so I didn’t test the function, but in my opinion there is enough space in the housing and the fabric mask was buttery soft, so at least nothing should press here.
Now to the technical part: Here, too, the PICO 4 left a convincing impression. The visual quality was very good, the image sharp and always smooth – without having to choose between sharpness and comfort (by correct eye distance to the lenses) as with some other headsets. The colors were also lively and fresh, and the black tones, which are often problematic in VR sets, were also impressive. In addition, we did not notice any dropouts in data transmission during the hands-on time despite wireless use.
By the way, the integrated RGB camera of the glasses was very cool (was missing in the predecessor). This finally enables a sharp view of the real environment if you leave the virtual gaming area with the headset on. Unfortunately, I can’t say much about the sound, because it was so loud around our test room at the trade fair that I can’t judge it objectively. I can’t really comment on the battery life either, the test session was just too short for that.
The controllers are ergonomically designed for comfort, are lightweight and are very suitable for smaller hands (but larger hands shouldn’t have any problems either). The buttons and sticks were all easy to reach, the tracking worked perfectly. The games I was able to try out and the operating system ran smoothly except for one crash. Operation was intuitive both in the menus and in the applications, and the loading times were always short. In general, you can immerse yourself in VR with the PICO 4 within a very short time.
Conclusion: The PICO 4 made a very solid first impression on us at Gamescom 2022 thanks to the combination of high comfort and performance. Compared to the predecessor Neo 3 Link, PICO has noticeably improved here.
So if you’re thinking about getting into VR now or in the foreseeable future and are flirting with an all-in-one VR headset, then you should also include the PICO 4 in your considerations and decision-making.
Because if this new VR headset is also convincing in the store offer in the areas other than gaming (fitness, entertainment, live music and sports), then a serious alternative to the Oculus/Meta Quest 2, which is probably the current one, is in the offing most popular all-in-one VR headset – and at a lower price.
Reference-www.ingame.de
