In the early stages of its introduction, virtual reality (VR) headsets required a powerful PC to run. Headsets like the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift are two of the most prominent but I don't have any friends who own them due to their relatively high selling prices. Stand-alone headsets such as the Oculus Quest (later Meta Quest) became the choice of more users because the price was more affordable without the need for a powerful PC.
I also personally use Meta Quest, where it is my favorite virtual reality set because it is easy to operate, has a large selection of games and applications. It's just that it was never officially sold in Malaysia and the set I used was a gift from Facebook when we went to an event in the United States a few years ago.
Last week, Pico 4 was officially launched in Malaysia as their first mobile virtual reality set for the local market. I've been using it for a few weeks now and I feel it's probably the best alternative to replace the first generation Meta Quest that I've been using for years. But is it the best and worth having for everyone?
Specifications And Design
The Pico 4 is a fairly compact but powerful virtual reality headset. It uses two screens with a resolution of 2160 x 2160 pixels each or 4K+ in total. It supports a refresh rate of up to 90Hz paired with a pancake lens that provides a 105-degree viewing angle. The uniqueness of this Pico 4 is that it supports color pass through mode compared to competitors such as the Oculus Quest which only displays a monochrome display. When the set was received it was the only VR headset that supported this mode but it is now also supported on the Meta Quest Pro.
For tracking it is equipped with 6 DoF sensors, there are built-in speakers, two microphones, powered by Snapdragon XR2 chip, 8GB RAM memory with internal storage up to 256GB. The battery is 5300mAh with 20W charging and runs Pico OS 5.0 operating system.
The Pico 4 uses a design very similar to the OASIS headset in the movie Ready Player One. It looks more or less the same with a white body and black plastic in front hiding the camera and sensors. The advantage of the Pico 4 is that it is light and balanced, in contrast to the front-heavy Meta Quest. This makes long-term use more comfortable and less tiring.
The speaker is also close to the ear, where it is on the side of the head as well as the volume control button. Speaking of buttons, the second button is the power button on the side of this headset. On the back of the head is a wheel that is used to tighten/loosen the grip of the headset to the skull. It's the same system as the one used on the PSVR. To change the distance of the lens is through software and there is no physical switch.
Around the body there are included sensors, including a USB-C port for charging which can also support audio connections or a USB drive for file transfer. But it cannot be used for connection to a computer to use in wired virtual reality mode, because Pico 4 supports Steam VR wirelessly only.
Usage Experience
The screen is quite bright and beautiful with a 3D world as if in an Android device. This is because Pico OS 5.0 is built on top of Android. The display is also quite clear and after about an hour of use, it does not cause extreme nausea or dizziness. Because of the high resolution screen, I didn't notice any visible screendoor effect on PSVR and early generation headsets.
As I said earlier the Pico 4 is balanced on the head but it took me about two hours before I could get used to wearing it for long periods of time. The eye protection is also comfortable with material made of soft sponge. The sponge part is quite soft and I and several colleagues who wear glasses can use the Pico 4 without any issues without the glasses removed.
The downside I noticed is that if you wear glasses, there will be a small hole at the bottom that causes light to enter the visual display area. It still happened even after I installed the provided glasses adapter. But this is an issue I've had on Quest, VR and Galaxy Gear VR before. Alas, it can be normal, so my eyes are used to ignoring the intruding light.
Play Boundaries
Before Pico 4 can be used, the play space named Play Boundary needs to be set first. The boundaries of the game space need to be set so that users who are engrossed in the VR world do not collide with physical objects in the real world. The size of the Play Boundary is around 36 square feet by default so it is square in shape. There is a second option that allows the user to set the size and shape of the Play Boundary.
This feature is the same as on Meta Quest and I had no problem "drawing" my own personal Play Boundary size. While doing this Play Boundary setting, the transparent mode will be activated automatically. Because of the transparent color mode the process of setting the space is very easy.
With the color see-through mode the user sees what is happening around as if to ensure that in the process of playing the user is not close to dangerous objects such as furniture with sharp corners or close to other people. It is also a preparatory step to support augmented reality mode, when the Pico 4 supports augmented reality (AR) device mode in the future.
Software
Pico OS 5.0 is the operating system used on the Pico 4. During the initial use it kept reminding me of Meta Quest, but the interface used by this Pico is simpler and simpler. It is user friendly with important features and functions clearly displayed. There's not much I can do on Pico OS 5.0 compared to Meta Quest, but for the first time entering the Malaysian market and trying to impress first-time users is a good thing.
As an experiment I handed the Pico 4 to my office colleagues and they could all use this headset without having to bring the manual first. Its interface uses standard iconography on Android and iOS that is easy to understand.
Like Meta, Pico also has an avatar that can be changed to suit the user's personality or taste. In my use, this avatar can only be changed for display in Fitness, which is an application that monitors the user's activity in order to determine the level of fitness such as the number of steps or calories burned.
Another uniqueness that I found is the ability to change the distance of the lens that only uses software and not a physical switch like on the HTC Vive. Then the Virtual Environment, which is a theme that changes the main screen like in the space world, a calm world with quite interesting plants and more extensive with various customization features. At this time there is still no support for adding your own photos or videos which is definitely more fun to allow users to have a real personal virtual space.
Remote Play Assistant, Pico Link and SteamVR are also supported. Remote Play Assistant is for streaming video content from a computer directly to the Pico 4 to save storage space on sets with only 128GB or 256GB storage. VR video size or movie file size will usually consume around 2-4 GB of storage and games and applications can take up hundreds of GB.
Pico Link is an additional software to use SteamVR. But this feature is limited to computers equipped with special GPUs only and cannot be used with built-in GPUs such as Iris Xe. This feature allows Steam virtual reality games on a computer to be used with the Pico 4 completely wirelessly.
Pico OS 5.0 also has a Pico Video application that plays 360-degree videos. In Pico Video there is also a built-in TikTok to watch vertical videos more immersively with a screen size of around 100-inches in a large virtual world.
There is still no support for the popular video streaming apps Netflix, Disney+ and YouTube at this time but we understand that it may be supported in the future. YouTube support is most needed these days as it offers plenty of 360-degree videos to really use the Pico 4 to its fullest.
Like Meta Quest, Pico also wants to have a plan to support the world of metamesta with their own avatars in the future.
Performance
From the beginning I didn't have high hopes for the Pico 4 to have the ability to play on a console or PC. This is because I already know that this Pico 4 virtual reality headset uses Pico OS 5.0 which is built based on Android, so the graphics quality of the game is like that of Android devices only.
In the test I did, my favorite game was After The Fall which is a zombie shooting game which in terms of graphics is just ordinary but in the world of virtual reality it becomes more interesting. The playing experience is more immersive because I am moving in the virtual world of VR. I can keep the gun on my hip, hold the gun with two hands, reload ammo like a real gun and more. FPS games that normally require just pressing buttons now require body movement that makes me sweat.
The process of switching games and returning to the home screen is also fast. I also play a lot of sports games in All-In-One Sports VR: Global which provides many sports options such as bowling, badminton, tennis, archery and many more. It's kind of weird because it's not that realistic, but like After The Fall I'll still be sweating and tired like I'm playing real sports.
I also tried OhShape which is a game like Beat Saber but closer to a concept like Bolos Saja Dinding Itu hosted by Zizan once upon a time. It has a music theme and you have to escape to the wall according to the position provided and you have to avoid other walls.
The game that for me is interesting and makes me play until the Pico 4 battery runs out is In Death: Unchained which is very unique by using arrows as the main weapon until the early stages of the game. The world in this game is quite interesting, but the use is more of a control tool and does not involve much body movement to provide an immersive experience.
These not-so-pretty graphics might just be in the early stages, as it's set to mobile virtual reality and its capabilities are very limited. If you want realistic graphics it may be necessary to use a computer or console with wires and games built specifically for a certain platform. I tried using PlayStation VR on PlayStation 4 to play Resident Evil 7. It was shocking and satisfying and creepy, but it was wired and movement was limited.
Remote control
Even though I've been using the first generation Meta Quest for years, I still feel awkward using the controls when going to settings or in-game. For the Pico 4, it only took me two days to memorize the location of each button on a given controller.
The controls are undeniably similar to Meta Quest, but with a loop to protect the hands from hitting walls, table corners, etc. Each controller has one analog stick, two face buttons, one front trigger button, one side trigger button and two more system buttons for screenshots and back to menus. Two lanyards are located at the bottom to prevent it from flying off when in use.
Like the headset, the controls and buttons are made of gray plastic. Each button is also comfortable to press and the most attractive to me is the battery panel which is cool to remove and will vibrate when inserted. In my experience using various virtual reality sets, the Pico 4 has the best and most comfortable controls I've tested.
Each controller also uses two AA-sized batteries to function. In two weeks of use, each controller still has a nearly full battery. On the Meta Quest I had to replace it with AA batteries after only a week of use.
Battery
Pico 4 uses a battery with a capacity of 5300mAh and supports 20W charging. Battery life on the headset is around 2-3 hours. This is comparable to the Nintendo Switch portable console. This is to play various games for two to three sessions, explore the entire operating system and play some videos.
In my opinion the battery life is adequate because I get dizzy if it takes too long. But I don't feel nauseous, just my eyes are uncomfortable and I just want to rest. The battery recharge time is around two hours which is not a problem because when it is being charged it is time to rest before returning to play.
Accessory
With every purchase, a Pico 4 headset, a pair of controllers, a USB-C charger and cable, an eye protector with sponge, a nose protector and a goggle protector are given in the box.
During the Pico 4 press conference, a representative of Pico Malaysia confirmed that Pico will sell a variety of accessories in the future such as stickers for the front panel that can be customized with themes such as robot characters or user favorites. Not only that, the Pico 4 eye protection will also be sold as a replacement if it's already pumped, dirty or smelly due to sweat.
Pico will also come with a Pico Motion Tracker for use on the legs, where it has 3 DoF sensors on each to make movement in the virtual world more realistic in preparation for later in the metaworld.
Conclusion
Pico 4 is a comfortable, lightweight, high-performance VR headset that provides a satisfying user experience for a brand that is entering the Malaysian market for the first time. What I love most is the color passthrough mode capability that has never been offered on a standalone VR headset.
What is disappointing is the limited selection of applications and games. The price of most games will also be expensive between RM90 and RM100. It also doesn't support the popular Netflix and YouTube apps that rival devices have
What is disappointing is the limited selection of applications and games. The price of most games will also be expensive between RM90 and RM100. It also doesn't support the popular Netflix and YouTube apps found on competing devices like the Quest.
I'm satisfied with the Pico 4 and can't wait to see what the future has to offer. For those who have long wanted a standalone VR headset, Pico 4 is an interesting alternative because it has official support from the manufacturer unlike other headsets. In Malaysia it can be purchased at a price starting at RM1699 for a complete set.
Pro
Light and balanced, providing long-lasting comfort.
Fast and smooth performance.
User-friendly interface is easy to understand.
Easy to use controls.
Beautiful and bright screen.
Satisfying audio.
Cons
Limited selection of apps and games.
Battery only up to 3 hours with slow charging.
Sponge eye protection that gets dirty easily.
Still no spare parts and accessories for sale.