Lightweight, Compact, with 4K Displays: Pico Plans a Premium VR Headset for 2026

Chinese VR headset manufacturer Pico is apparently planning to launch a new device next year. This was announced by a senior manager of the parent company ByteDance at an event, according to a report by UploadVR.

According to the report, the new headset will be manufactured with OLED microdisplays with up to 45 pixels per degree and a pixel density of almost 4000 PPI, as stated in UploadVR. For comparison, the Apple Vision Pro achieves around 34 pixels per degree and about 3,400 PPI, while the Meta Quest 3 reaches about 25 PPD and around 1200 PPI.

The next Pico headset will be equipped with a self-developed chip specifically designed for high-quality, low-latency passthrough, the ByteDance manager further stated according to the report. Mass production of the chip has already begun. The Apple Vision Pro also uses a dedicated chip, the R1, for passthrough.

TikTok owner ByteDance acquired Chinese VR headset manufacturer Pico in 2021. Its latest VR headset is the Pico 4 Ultra, which was launched in 2024.

Well-connected VR leaker Brad Lynch claims to have further details upon request: Pico is said to be using OLED microdisplays from BOE with a resolution of 3840 × 3840 pixels per eye, making the new headset correspondingly expensive. The company plans an "extremely lightweight design", similar to Meta's next mixed reality headset, but without an external computing unit or battery. Instead, all components are to be integrated into the headset, which, according to his sources, will weigh around 270 grams.

It is not known which chip will be used. However, it will not be the (still unannounced) Snapdragon XR2 Gen 3, which according to Lynch will first be used in Meta's next headset. Currently, the Pico headset is planned for market launch in the first half of 2026.

Pico, Valve, Meta: Three Major Innovations for 2026

The first rumors about a premium headset from Pico date back to 2023. The US magazine The Information reported at the time that the development of the Pico 5 had been halted in favor of a new Pico 4 and a new premium device. The former later became the Pico 4 Ultra, while the latter project is likely to result in the mixed reality headset planned for next year.

In July, it was then stated that the manufacturer was working on an ultra-lightweight headset with a wired computing unit. However, the design and specifications were not yet final. The Information also confirmed earlier rumors that Meta is developing a new, particularly compact mixed reality headset.

With Steam Frame, Meta's next mixed reality headset, and Pico's premium device, three VR headsets from well-known manufacturers are likely to compete for the favor of VR enthusiasts next year.

(vbr)