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ByteDance’s Pico 4 VR headset gets positive reception in China, where Meta’s Quest 2 is not officially available

  • Pico’s first virtual reality headset since being acquired by TikTok owner ByteDance has sold more than 10,000 units in two weeks
  • The headset boasts better specs and a lower price than Meta’s Quest 2, but some say it needs better games

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ByteDance’s Pico 4 VR headset is China’s answer to Meta’s Quest 2, as both sport the same processor. But the Pico offers slightly better specs for a lower price. Photo: Handout
Coco Fengin Beijing
The Pico 4 stand-alone virtual reality (VR) headset, which TikTok owner ByteDance launched two weeks ago, has proven popular among Chinese enthusiasts while the competing Quest 2 from Meta Platforms remains unavailable in the market.
At least 10,000 units of the Pico 4 were sold through its own stores and third-party dealers on Taobao and JD.com, the two leading e-commerce platforms in China. Taobao is operated by Alibaba Group Holding, owner of the South China Morning Post.

Pico did not disclose figures for offline sales, but IDC senior analyst Zhao Siquan said shipments were “fairly good” compared with similarly priced VR headsets.

“Most VR users in China are young people in first- and second-tier cities,” Zhao said. “Given Pico 4’s specs and pricing, the product could be highly accepted by consumers. But its sales will also depend on the economic situation, as well as the company’s promotions and content [on the platform].”

This is the first Pico headset to be released since ByteDance acquired the company last year, allowing the Chinese social media behemoth to compete with Facebook owner Meta in a new market. Meta’s headsets are developed by its Reality Labs, formerly Oculus, which the company acquired in 2014.

The Pico 4 and Quest 2 are both powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2 chipset and offer a refresh rate of up to 90hz. However, the Pico 4 offers a resolution of 2,160x2,160 pixels per eye, while the Quest 2’s single display is limited to 1,832x1,920 pixels.

The Pico 4 is also cheaper, starting in Europe at 429 euros (US$420) for 128 gigabytes of storage and 499 euros for 256GB. For the same storage options, the Quest 2 retails for 449.99 euros and 549.99 euros, respectively.

In ByteDance’s home market of China, the Quest 2 is not officially available, although some stores sell imported units. Before this past August, activating the Quest 2 required having access to Facebook, which is blocked in China.

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