Almost thirty years ago we watched the series Beyond 2000. In one episode that we still remember to this day, the host showed a demo of a virtual reality device that allowed the wearer to go anywhere in the world. Among the most interesting features is the virtual room equipped with a giant movie screen. With just a headset, users can feel like they are in an IMAX movie theater and watch their favorite movies in a personal movie theater.
As we watch this episode, we say that this is all a dream and just a concept. Where can a small headset be worn with it giving the experience of being in a virtual world. A 14″ TV at home is already the size of three human heads and the weight of an 8-year-old child. All this is impossible!
But this year we realized the impossible three decades ago is no longer impossible. Small portable computers with power a thousand times faster than desktop computers are now in the hands of almost every human being on earth. News that happens in the European continent will spread to the whole world in an instant.
So when we were asked to review the Virtual Desktop software for the Pico 4 headset we were excited because another thing that was thought impossible when we were kids is now a reality?
WHAT IS A VIRTUAL DESKTOP?
As the name suggests, it's an application that provides a desktop experience in a virtual world through a Pico VR headset. This software allows users to dive into the virtual world and feel like they are in some interesting locations such as a giant movie theater, and a luxury apartment with a sophisticated audio visual system.
Through this software, the screen of a Windows 10, Windows 11 and macOS Mojave computer can be displayed in a virtual screen. For those who cannot afford the advanced equipment of a 140" TV such as Samsung The Wall, a gaming computer with a 40" screen or an IMAX cinema to watch movies at home, Virtual Desktop allows all of this to be enjoyed at a much cheaper price.
The menu selects 14 virtual rooms in Virtual Desktop
The software offers 14 virtual rooms in the form of a luxury apartment, a giant movie theater, a space room, a small entertainment room and a gaming room. There are night and day variants for some of these virtual rooms. In some rooms, users can also choose different seats. In the picture above which is a virtual space of a luxury apartment, we can choose to sit in three different places.
Switch seats
The interesting thing about the room above is that there is a world of monitors. Virtual Desktop supports connection to four computers simultaneously. If the computer is connected to two monitors, the software allows the user to choose to display the first or second screen.
USAGE
To use it first of all you need to have a Pico VR and a personal computer either Windows or Mac. The process of using it for the first time is very easy. Just install the Virtual Desktop application on Pico VR and the same software on the computer you want to use in the virtual world.
Menu control buttons
After registering an account, simply enter the Pico VR account name into the computer software and it is now ready to use. At the same time this software also seems to support the Oculus Meta headset.
Streaming settings screen from PC/Mac.
To start using the PC/Mac screen in Virtual Desktop, go to the software menu and select Desktop. You can change the frame rate level, and the bit rate of the transmission from the computer to the Pico VR through the application settings. In our use of about two weeks, we found that for watching videos or using media applications, the default setting of 75 FPS was sufficient.
Higher bit rates and 90 FPS are only needed when you want to type in the virtual world. About 30% of this article is written in the Virtual Desktop world. Why not 100%? Because the first issue is that it is difficult to type using a physical keyboard in the virtual world. This is not helped by a rather chronic lag of perhaps around 0.25 seconds when typing.
Writing a review in Virtual Desktop is almost impossible
The feeling of typing in the Virtual Desktop is almost impossible because of this relatively long time gap. The only way to type without lag is to use the Pico VR virtual keyboard. But in requires each key to be pressed using two controls. It feels like typing with one finger then after 30% we keep waving the white flag.
Playing video games from PC is also almost impossible. Games like Forza and Halo are difficult to control due to input lag which we cannot reduce. Only games that do not require speed can be played in Virtual Desktop.
Therefore we feel that Virtual Desktop is best used as a virtual movie. Three weeks ago when we tried it for our first time, YouTube content arrived streamable. But a given software update allows this to be done. This is limited to YouTube content only. If you buy a movie from Play Movie and want to play it from within YouTube, the DRM system will cause only a black screen to be displayed.
DRM makes Netflix content unstreamable
The same DRM system also makes Netflix, Prime, HBO Go and Disney+ Hotstar content unplayable. If you still want to watch the movie, you need to have the file in the computer which is then played in an application like VLC.
Watching movies through VLC can be done without any problems.
We can say that the experience of watching a movie in a giant movie theater is the same as being in a real movie theater. The resolution of the movie shown is clear even though the file is only at 1080p resolution. However, the lack is in terms of comfort.
It was difficult for us to wear the Pico 4 for two hours straight. We had a hard time doing even 30 minutes of work let alone watching a longer movie. So far we have yet to find a VR/AR headset that is really comfortable to wear for several hours a day. Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg, Cristiano Amon, Sundar Pichai and TM Roh can say that VR/AR headsets are the future of smart devices but the reality is that as long as they cannot be worn comfortably for long periods of time this will not be a reality.
CONCLUSION
Virtual Desktop is software that offers the exciting premise of making our dreams from the past 30 years a reality. The process of using it is simple and intuitive. The visuals displayed are mostly good and smooth.
However, it is still not perfect because of the lag issue which is very noticeable especially when we try to type or run video games. The virtual space offered is also still quite limited. It would be great if there was a store where we could buy a new virtual room or even more interesting a mode of building our own dream virtual space.
Unfortunately for Virtual Desktop it exists in the world of Apple Vision Pro which shows better integration and a more complete ecosystem. But it's not fair to compare Virtual Desktop with Apple devices that cost up to RM16,000 a pair.
At this time Virtual Deskop we can only recommend to Pico 4 owners who want to dive into a virtual office and watch video content on a giant screen like a movie theater without spending hundreds of thousands. Thirty years ago what Virtual Desktop could do was still just a dream. Unexpectedly it is now a reality that can be owned.