Pico 4: First images of the VR controllers leaked
There are more and more hints about new Pico headsets. Now pictures of the new VR controllers have surfaced.
The material was published by VR blogger Antony Vitillo aka Skarredghost. The source is an unnamed member of the VR community. The photos look professional and were apparently created for promotional purposes. What can be said about the new VR controllers based on the pictures?
It is hard to see in this picture: The screenshot button, which is located next to the system button. | Image: Antony Vitillo / Pico
The first thing that stands out is that they are more ergonomically designed and fit better in the hand than the stick controllers used with older Pico headsets. The devices still have tracking rings, but they run diagonally to the wrist instead of protruding from the grip. This makes the controllers look much more elegant.
The VR controllers of the Pico Neo 3 Link seem old-fashioned compared to the new model. | Image: Pico
Getting away from B2B design
As far as input options are concerned, the controllers stick to industry standards: They each offer a trigger and grip button, an analog stick, two buttons, and a menu or system button. New is a button with a camera icon, which can probably be used to take screenshots at the push of a button. Practical.
With the new, more aesthetic design, Pico says goodbye to the rather pragmatic design of previous devices, which hopefully also applies to the new headset. The fact that Pico puts more emphasis on aesthetics reflects its claim to develop hardware that is more consumer-oriented.
Bytedance chases Meta - even in VR
A few days ago, FCC filings for two new Pico headsets named Pico 4 and Pico 4 Pro surfaced. Such filings usually point to a market launch soon.
Some technical details can be gleaned from the documents: for example, that the Pico 4 Pro will additionally offer face and eye recognition and that both headsets could be quite slim, which speaks for the use of pancake lenses.
An image of the Pico Neo 3 Link currently sold in Europe. | Image: MIXED, Benjamin Danneberg
The Pico 4 and Pico 4 Pro are likely to be a response to Meta Quest 2 and the upcoming Quest Pro (see Project Cambria) and will be the first consumer devices Pico offers in the West.
TikTok parent company Bytedance acquired Pico a year ago and apparently has big plans for virtual reality. It is currently investing heavily in its app offering and is undergoing a massive expansion of its U.S. location and staff.
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