Pico Interactive, Beijing-based VR headset manufacturer that was acquired by TikTok owner ByteDance in 2021, has announced a new standalone VR headset, called Pico Neo 3 Link, at the Laval Virtual event in France.
German consumers will be the first to have the opportunity to play with the headset, with France, Spain, and the Netherlands to follow in May and the UK and Italy in June. Despite the phased release, pre-orders will open on April 15 across all territories where the Pico Neo 3 Link will be available.
The headset costs €449, and only limited quantities will be available. With its Snapdragon XR2 processor from Qualcomm, 6 GB of RAM, 256 GB of storage, and a display with a resolution of 3664×1920 pixels and a refresh rate of up to 90 Hz, the headset seems to rely on the same hardware as Pico Neo 3 Pro.
Those who decide to buy the headset will be able to stream SteamVR titles over WiFi 6 or a tethered DisplayPort connection. They will also have access to the entire Pico Store library, which currently has over 200 VR apps, including SUPERHOT VR, Demeo, and After the Fall. Thanks to the built-in battery, Pico Neo 3 Link owners can look forward to around 4 hours of standalone fun.
According to Pico Interactive, the launch is a beta program intended to gather feedback from European customers. The company wants to use this feedback to improve its products and services to better compete with established players like Meta.
“In Asia, Pico is already the leading provider of consumer VR headsets in China and will bring the beta program to new markets such as Japan and Korea,” Pico says in a press statement. “Pico will target VR fans and gamers with its new Link headset; users will participate in a unique beta program where feedback informs future product development.”
Pico Neo 3 Link Specs
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2
- Connection: WiFi 6, DisplayPort (DP Link cable included)
- Display: 5.5-inch SFR TFT at 3,664 x 1,920 (773 PPI), refresh rate of up to 90 Hz
- Hygiene: replaceable PU face pad with antifouling coating
- Memory: 6 GB RAM
- Sensors: 4 room-scale 6DOF sensors
- Storage: 256GB
