PICO 4 Ultra now globally available — Apple Vision Pro but wayyy cheaper?

September 4, 2024

PICO is one of the brands under the wings of ByteDance. Established in 2015, they have launched a handful of VR offerings. Recently, they announced a new headset with similar looks and functionality to the Apple Vision Pro. Let’s delve into the PICO 4 Ultra and discuss its expected price in Nepal as well while we’re at it.

PICO 4 Ultra Overview

Design and Display

As you may have figured, the PICO 4 Ultra looks like the Vision Pro — sort of. To be brutally honest, it looks like a cheap knock-off of the Apple headset. That is likely because the cameras and sensors are not well hidden like Apple’s. But due to that very reason, it gives EVE from WALL-E kinda vibe. It weighs 580 grams including the battery, which is considerably lighter than Vision Pro. Talking of the battery, PICO has integrated it into the back of the headset itself. This means the power source acts as a counterweight to the headset and there are no dangling wires! Nice!

Inside it packs a 2.56-inch screen for each eye with a a pixel density of 1,200 PPI. Though the screen resolution is 2,160 x 2,160 pixels, the headset renders and displays the content at 1,920 x 1,920 pixels. Other than that, it offers a 90Hz refresh rate, is equipped with Pancake lenses, and has a 105° field-of-view. The PICO 4 Ultra seamlessly adjusts the distance with pupils between 58mm to 72mm as well. Furthermore, the headset has dual stereo speakers as well as four microphones that support spatial audio recording.

The Hardware

Under the helm, the PICO 4 Ultra has the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 doing all the processing duties. It is obviously a chipset from Qualcomm targeted at VR and MR headsets. This chipset has 4 + 2 performance cores clocking in at up to 2.4GHz and 2.0 GHz. It is also capable of on-device AI. The processor is coupled with 12GB LPDDR5 memory and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage. It boots on PICO OS featuring a 360° screen. A 5,770 mAh rated battery powers all this and supports QC 4.0 and PD 3.0 charging protocols. Given that, it can charge at speeds of up to 45W.

Let’s talk about sensors, the first of which are four environment tracking cameras, that scan the environment and also recognise hand gestures. Yes, you can use the PICO 4 Ultra without any remotes too! Next, there are two 32MP colour see-through cameras, which help project real-life scenarios onto the screen and capture spatial videos/photos. Lastly, there is an iToF depth-sensing camera that hides underneath the front panel.

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Features

Firstly, the PICO 4 Ultra can be used as an extension of your computer. This feature is dubbed as “PanoScreen Workspace”. It can connect and mirror all major platforms, which includes Mac, Windows, iOS, as well as Android. You can display up to three desktops or home screens at the same time. Additionally, it supports interaction through external keyboards, controllers, and hands as well. You can easily switch between the interaction methods and resize the window you are working on up to 280 inches.

I have already mentioned that the PICO 4 Ultra is capable of snapping spatial photos and videos. Not only that, it can play such media shot through an iPhone or a Vision Pro as well — thanks to MV-HEVC decoding. The headset is also capable of real-time environment and object mapping with its proprietary environment perception algorithm. If you are not a fan of projecting your windows on top of the real environment, you can opt for AI-generated backgrounds as well. It also comes with WiFi 7 and Bluetooth v5.3 connectivity.

Gaming

Gaming is obviously one of, if not, the major attraction of VR headsets. There are over 40 MR apps and games including Puzzling Places, Demeo, Spatial Ops, and Angry Birds. Here, the game/app will be projected onto real-life settings and you can control the game with your bare hands.

On the other hand, the catalogue of virtual reality games is very extensive spanning over 650 items. You can pair the PICO 4 Ultra with the controllers and motion trackers to play such games. You have to wear the motion trackers worn on your ankles and it has an IMU sensor that works in tandem with 12 infrared sensors to provide 6DoF tracking with a frequency of up to 200Hz. As per the company, these motion trackers automatically pair to the headset and are ready to go in just 5 seconds!

PICO 4 Ultra Specifications

Design: Wearable headset with displays and battery integrated into the back
Dimensions:
- Headset: 62 mm x 165 mm x 84 mm
- With Strap: 256–312 mm x 165 mm x 84 mm
Weight: 580 grams (Combined), 304 grams (Headset only), 276 grams (Battery and Strap)
Display: 2.56-inch 4K+ Binocular Vision Display, 90Hz refresh rate, Pancake lenses, 105° FoV, 1,200 PPI pixel density, 20.6 PPD (pixels per degree), 58 mm–72 mm seamless pupil distance adjustment
Resolution: 2,160 x 2,160 pixels, 1,920 x 1,920 pixels (rendering resolutions)
Processor: Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2
Memory: 12GB LPDDR5
Storage: 256GB UFS 3.1
Sensors: 2x 32MP colour seethrough camera, 4x Environment tracking camera, 1x iToF depth-sensing camera
Audio: Dual stereo speakers + four microphones with spatial audio recording support
Features: PanoScreen Workspace, Multi-method interaction, Real-time environment and object mapping, MR and VR games, Taking and playing spatial photos and videos
Compatibility: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android
Companion App: PICO Connect (Android | Computer | iOS)
Connectivity: WiFi 7, Bluetooth v5.3
Battery: 5,770 mAh (typical) / 5,700 mAh (rated)
Charging: QC 4.0 / PD 3.0, 45W fast charging
Colour Option: White with black front panel

PICO 4 Ultra Price in Nepal and Availability

The Chinese mixed-reality headset maker released this headset on 20 August 2024 in its home country. Then the company announced it was expanding its supply to other countries on 2 September. The nations that will be getting this headset are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Norway, Poland, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, The Netherlands, and the UK.

Unsurprisingly, no Nepal. These headsets carry a price tag of EUR 599. For UK dwellers, it is GBP 529. The conversion lands somewhere around USD 679, which is wayyy cheaper — over five times cheaper — than the Apple Vision Pro. Given that, if somehow this MR headset landed here, we expect the PICO 4 Ultra price in Nepal to be NPR 106,999.