This leaked Meta Quest 3 rival is more powerful, but it needs one thing to truly beat Metas VR headset

Date:
Mon, 12 Aug 2024 16:12:33 +0000

Description:
Pico is reportedly making a Pico 4S to rival the Meta Quest 3, and I need to hear more about its software.

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While the Apple Vision Pro has become the most prominent Meta Quest rival, offering an ultra-premium alternative to the budget-friendly Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest 3 VR headsets, there are a few other Quest alternatives out there and based on leaks it sounds like one Quest 2 competitor, the Pico 4 , is about to get a next-gen reboot.

The so-called Pico 4S or Pico 4 Ultra as it will apparently be called in
some regions may look like the sleek original (per images shared by Android Headlines ), though a South Korean certification and Geekbench score leaked
in June tease some notable improvements (per UploadVR ). Itll reportedly pack a Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset, 12GB of RAM, and two new cameras on the front face that should boost its mixed-reality passthrough quality. Today, I also have a set of 12 high-resolution press renders of #ByteDance's upcoming mixed reality headset which I assume will be marketed as #PICO4S or #PICO4Ultra depending on the region...On behalf of @Androidheadline https://t.co/uZXFkYXBVS pic.twitter.com/hOO0C87cAL August 9, 2024

Leaked images also show that its controllers might have lost the iconic
curved tracking rings, instead copying the Quest 3s tracking ring-less
design. Interestingly, the Pico 4S is apparently also getting two wrist
straps with removable sensors that look like theyll aid hand tracking or
they could perhaps be used for foot tracking, though well have to wait and see.

Two important details were missing are pricing and a release date. While the Pico 4S may share a suffix with Metas leaked Quest 3S I expect itll be
pricier than the 3S and Pico 4, coming in at somewhere closer to $499.99 / 479.99 / AU$799.99, given the rumored improved specs. As for when well get it in our hands, given the number of leaks weve seen I'd expect the Pico 4S to show up either late this year or early in 2025, but your guess is as good as mine until we hear more. Forget specs, tell me about the software Can Pico beat Meta's Quest 3? (Image credit: Meta)

If these leaks are correct remember, until Pico says anything we should take these unofficial details with a pinch of salt the Pico 4S could be an impressive Quest 3 rival.

That Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset is the same one that powers the Quest 3, though with 12GB of RAM the Pico 4S would be more powerful than Metas
headset, which packs only 8GB. And while we wont know what the 4Ss
passthrough will be like until we test it out, the Pico 4s passthrough was very strong clear, albeit a bit too fish-eye-like, making it disorienting at times so additional sensors would only strengthen an already solid aspect of the Pico 4.

Unfortunately, none of that will matter if Pico doesnt give one area plenty
of attention: software.

Ive said it before, and Ill say it again: the best feature of Metas Quest headsets is Horizon OS. Its straightforward, and boasts a fantastic library
of games and apps across VR and MR. The Pico 4s OS isnt bad, but its software library just doesnt hold up against Metas. Sure it has TikTok in VR as an exclusive, but nothing else of note it was supposed to get Just Dance VR in 2023, but thats now instead coming exclusively to Quest headsets (per
Ubisofts website ) later this year.

Beyond hardware, and beyond price, Pico needs to give us a software-based reason to care and ideally plenty of them. Otherwise, the Pico 4S might end up like the PlayStation VR 2: a great device that you cant really do anything with. You might also like Meta Quest 3S leak teases the VR headset's 'final design' The next Apple Vision Pro could get this incredible tandem OLED tech New Meta Quest 3 update gives you an essential VR interior-design app for free



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/virtual-reality-augmented-reality/this-lea ked-meta-quest-3-rival-is-more-powerful-but-it-needs-one-thing-to-truly-beat-m etas-vr-headset


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