ByteDance’s Pico debuts its Quest rival, however challenges stay

When ByteDance purchased the Chinese VR headset maker Pico a yr in the past, the message it despatched was clear: it was betting that the immersive gadget can be the place future generations spend most of their time consuming digital content material. It’s a wedding paying homage to Meta’s acquisition of Oculus again in 2014, besides the world is now in a unique place with technological advances that make VR headsets cheaper, much less laggy, and extra snug to put on.

The TikTok father or mother has lengthy aimed to compete in a market dominated by Oculus’s VR gadgets for customers. When Meta launched Quest 2 in 2020, ByteDance labored on a confidential inside undertaking to develop AR glasses, The Information reported. Pico’s product launch this week is an additional indication of its ambition to problem Quest, which has loved roughly two-thirds of the worldwide AR and VR marketplace for the previous two years.

The Pico 4, which begins at €429 (round $420 because of a powerful greenback) for 128GB and ships to Europe, Japan, and South Korea other than China, has obtained applause within the VR group. It weighs solely 295 grams with out the straps and may perform as a standalone gadget but additionally be tethered to PCs for extra superior VR experiences. It makes use of the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 processor as Quest 2 does. 

“It’s inexpensive and good quality, with specs that can match Quest 2,” says Gavin Newton-Tanzer, host of combined actuality convention AWE Asia.

“Was impressed with the weight, comfort, LCD display, pancake lenses, color AR passthrough, and controllers. All it needs now are serious triple-A VR exclusives to distinguish itself from Meta to get gamers interested,” writes a VR content material creator.

Merely “matching” Quest 2 specs doesn’t sound ok given the latter got here out two years in the past and have become an on the spot hit. Pico not solely has lots of catch-up to do on the technological entrance but additionally when it comes to content material and branding.

“Oculus’s content ecosystem is more established, providing a better understanding of what consumers want,” says Newton-Tanzer. Popular rhythm sport Beat Saber, for example, had generated $100 million in revenue on Oculus Quest by October 2021.

Pico is dealing with a chicken-or-egg drawback, the XR skilled suggests. Its consumer base throughout product traces isn’t at the moment giant sufficient that top-tier creators can be devoted to creating video games, movies, and different VR content material solely for its platform. It reportedly sold 500,000 units final yr, half of its goal. In distinction, Quest 2 shipped 10 million items within the house of October 2020 and November 2021. But with out premium content material, Pico can have a tough time attracting customers in a significant approach.

The excellent news is Pico has established a powerful foothold in China and doesn’t face a lot competitors within the dwelling market. Oculus doesn’t have an official presence in China, which means customers must undergo the effort of ordering an abroad model, getting the Oculus app from a overseas app retailer, and accessing its international app ecosystem by means of a digital personal community as Meta’s servers are blocked in China.

The technological bifurcation might permit Pico time to check and study within the dwelling market earlier than launching into the West at full steam. Expansion within the U.S. is already set in movement as ByteDance began building a team for Pico on the West Coast, in line with Protocol, with a spotlight to draw expertise in content material, advertising, and R&D.