Pico Comes Out of Sleeper Mode to Launch New VR Headset

Oculus. HTC. Varjo. Pico? Most people don’t think of Pico when they think of VR companies. The company actually created the Goblin, one of the first stand-alone VR headsets. However, they’ve been flying under a lot of people’s radars for a while now.

The company recently announced the launch of a new industry-minded headset. And it’s actually got some surprisingly advanced features.

The Pico Neo 2

The VR headset is called the Pico Neo 2. There’s also the Pico Neo 2 Eye, which is the same as the standard Neo 2 but with eye-tracking technology. It also probably costs more but Pico isn’t exactly forthright with the pricing of either model.

So, other than eye-tracking, what kind of features make the Neo 2 so impressive?

The headsets use wireless connections like those pioneered by HTC so there aren’t any wires holding you back. They also use inside-out tracking like for 6 degrees of freedom controlling without external sensors. The external camera that the headset uses for this trick also allows you to record video, definitely a neat trick that a lot of other VR headsets can’t do.

Despite all of the advanced tech, some of the basic specs are a little basic compared to other top-of-the-line VR headsets.

The refresh rate and the field of view are both behind VIVE’s Cosmos. It’s a little harder to find FoV information for Rift S, but Rift S also boasts a higher refresh rate.

As far as other industry-minded VR headsets, the Neo 2 does have a wider field of view than Varjo’s VR-2. Of course, no one can compare with Varjo’s reported human eye resolution.

Is It Worth the Hype?

Comparing VR headsets is often difficult, particularly with industry models. Different companies release different information, making side-by-sides incomplete.

We know that Pico is trying to set itself up as a competitor to the likes of VIVE and Varjo. The Neo 2 brings serious hardware and software to the table. Some of the stats are seriously competitive while others are less than impressive.

In some respects, the Neo 2 does compete with players that have more serious name recognition. In the end, the Neo 2’s undisclosed price point might be a make-or-break deal for serious buyers.

As always, particularly when you’re looking for a business solution, put your time into researching these competitive products to find the solution that fits your organization’s specific needs.