After nearly 2 years, PICO released a new VR headset – the PICO 4 Ultra. I’ve been using it for about 2 weeks now and in this video, we’ll be comparing it with the original PICO 4, talk about some of the differences and of course – test out the new motion trackers too – but we’ll split that into another video since there are a lot of things to talk about it.
Most of the things that we’re showing and talking about in this video will not be conveyed through pictures and words – so I highly recommend you watch this video instead.
Let’s go through the specs first. On paper, the PICO 4 Ultra has a lot of upgrades – including the amount of RAM and most importantly – the chipset. It’s now using the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2. No idea why Snapdragon didn’t name it as XR3 but that’s just Qualcomm being Qualcomm.
The screen resolution is still the same as before, 2.56-inch screen on each eye with a resolution of 2160×2160 pixels. The maximum refresh rate is at 90Hz as well. The interpupillary distance adjustment, also known as the IPD adjustment – is now greater, as it can go down to 58mm. It’s not a big deal for adults, but a big deal for kids.
The camera specs though, are as such. There is no 1:1 comparison with the PICO 4 as the camera setup is quite different this time.
- 2x 32MP color seethrough camera
- 1x iToF depth-sensing camera
- 4x Environment tracking camera
After going through the initial setup steps and whatnot, the entire UI might look similar – but there are a few new things. For example, we can resize windows to be bigger or smaller and also open multiple windows together, then “maximize” them by darkening the background. We can also open multiple windows, which is not possible on the original PICO 4.
That is because the PICO 4 Ultra puts more emphasis on multi-window usage as it wants to be a portal to mixed reality when we get our work done. In a way, they achieved that nicely. The cameras on the PICO 4 Ultra are definitely better than the original PICO 4. Honestly though, I’m not really keen on such a mode since it’s quite disorienting.. I prefer to be fully immersed in the virtual world – and we can toggle between them by just hitting this button.
Speaking of that, the new PICO Connect software is a lot better than what we had before. It’s much more reliable and simpler to use, and I am actually connected to a PC right now and reading this script to you guys – that’s why I am wearing the PICO 4 Ultra while doing this video.
We can use the controllers as mouse to click around or just use our usual keyboard and mouse to do our work.
But I find it a bit weird though. It’s practically taking what’s on your screen and displaying it in VR. That means the resolution and aspect ratio are the same. If my desktop is connected to an ultrawide monitor and then I connect it to the PICO 4 Ultra, then it appears as an ultrawide monitor in the headset. I just wish that I can emulate a 21:9 or 32:9 monitor in VR.
PC VR games are possible through the PICO Connect software too. Just install SteamVR and everything will work. This is practically able to replace the Virtual Desktop app but it’s not exactly perfect since I have to restart the SteamVR service each time to make sure it detects the headset. Otherwise, it works really well.
Most impressively of all, the latency is very minimal. In this part of Half Life Alyx, this TV shows what we’re seeing through our headset – and I can move my hands around, yet everything appears in real-time. It’s just impressive.
I’m only connected via WiFi 6, by the way. The PICO 4 Ultra supports WiFi 7, which also supports MLO a.k.a. multi-link operation for better bandwidth and latency management.
I also realized that because of the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset – the gaming experience is a lot smoother than before. Even the battery life got a lot better. From what I experienced in the All In One VR Sports, I think it can last twice as long when compared to the original PICO 4.
Most importantly, the fan noise is gone! These upgrades are all huge step ups.
One thing that I like is that every time I start up the PICO 4 Ultra VR headset, it doesn’t ask me to redo the safe zone again. It just kinda remembers? It’s not a huge deal having to deal with the safe zone every time I start up the headset but this is a good quality of life improvement.
We can also set multiple “rooms” in the headset too – and I think that’s how it “remembers” the places we play. And the way it adds spaces this time is literally by scanning the environment around us and translate it into a virtual 3D space. That is how the PICO 4 Ultra manages to pin down everything while in immersive mode, and the windows don’t just float around in space.
By the way, the PICO 4 Ultra can also capture spatial videos. This is also compatible with the Apple Vision Pro – which I think is great as we have more devices using the same standard. I mean… the sample here will just look like any usual video but lemme pass it over to JD so he can experience my hand in VR.
I should also mention that the controllers have changed in terms of design. New ones do not have the ring around them anymore – and we can put our hands closer in the game without knocking the controllers. Not a huge deal, but it’s a positive change.
One thing that I am disappointed with is the lack of the nose pad in the box of the PICO 4 Ultra. I immediately realized that light is leaking into the headset through my nose when I wore it for the first time. It just breaks the immersion as I can see the mess in my room through those gaps.
We can actually reuse the nose pad that is included with the PICO 4. I’m just not sure why it’s not included in the Ultra.
Should you buy the PICO 4 Ultra VR headset?
There are a lot of nice improvements overall and this is a great headset for its price. The price of the PICO 4 Ultra is RM2,799 – and I think that’s an okay price. It’s not that far off from the Meta Quest 3 either.
Where to buy? (Affiliate links)
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