Following Apple's:Pico announces spatial operating system and premium VR headset

VR headset manufacturer Pico has introduced Pico OS 6 as part of a YouTube announcement. The new operating system is based on an architecture that can display multiple 3D applications simultaneously in space, in addition to window-like 2D apps. Apple first introduced a spatial multitasking concept of this kind in 2024 with visionOS.

Pico also announced a new VR headset for 2026 with the internal codename “Project Swan,” but without showing the device or presenting it in detail. Only initial specifications for the display and the chips used were mentioned. It is unclear whether Pico OS 6 is exclusively intended for this headset or if it will also support older Pico devices. The company's last VR headset is the Pico 4 Ultra, released in 2024.

visionOS as a role model

While Pico's UI design has so far been heavily influenced by Meta, visionOS was now clearly the main inspiration for Pico OS 6: The new design language uses semi-transparent, light-adaptive surfaces that are clearly inspired by visionOS. In terms of input, Pico also follows Apple, relying on an interaction model of eye tracking and pinch gestures. In addition, the existing Pico controllers and the Pico Motion Tracker for full-body tracking are supported. For productivity purposes, mice and keyboards can be paired.

The new operating system supports Android, OpenXR, WebXR, streaming of PC-VR content, and is backward compatible with the Pico ecosystem's existing app and game library.

Pico wants to make the development of 3D apps as easy as possible. Instead of programming spatial surfaces and interactions themselves, developers use pre-made UI building blocks. The operating system handles placement in space, light adaptation, and input logic. For mixed reality, Pico OS 6 provides functions such as scene recognition, meshing, semantic classification, and persistent anchoring of virtual objects. With Pico's open-source framework “WebSpatial,” 3D web apps can also be created using HTML, CSS, and React and anchored in space alongside 2D and 3D applications. According to Pico, the framework is designed to be cross-platform and should also run on PCs, mobile devices, and other spatial systems like visionOS or Android XR.

The Pico Spatial SDK, based on Kotlin, is now available for developers.

Project Swan: Pico targets the premium segment

In parallel with Pico OS 6, the company announced a new “flagship device” for 2026, on which the operating system is intended to run. The full presentation of Project Swan is to follow later, but Pico has already provided initial technical specifications.

Like Apple Vision Pro and Samsung Galaxy XR, the VR headset is said to use high-quality OLED microdisplays. According to Pico, the device achieves an average of 40 pixels per degree, which should ensure pixel-free images and sharp text. For comparison, Apple's Vision Pro is estimated to have around 34 PPD, and Samsung's device has a comparable pixel density.

Since the OLED microdisplays are the most expensive component of the Apple Vision Pro, Project Swan is also expected to be in the upper price segment, thus primarily targeting enthusiasts and businesses. With this, Pico is also changing course in terms of hardware: While the Pico 4 Ultra was positioned as a rival to the Quest 3, Project Swan is aimed at significantly more demanding user groups.

For sensor data processing and passthrough display of the environment, Pico has developed its own chip that is intended to reduce latency to around 12 milliseconds. Apple specifies the same value for the Vision Pro, which also uses a dedicated coprocessor for this. According to its statements, Pico uses a new “flagship SoC” as the main processing unit, which is said to more than double the CPU and GPU performance compared to the current Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2. This older chip was first used in the Meta Quest 3 (2023) and also powers the Pico 4 Ultra (2024). A higher-clocked variant (Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2) is found in the Samsung Galaxy XR (2025). Pico apparently already refers to Qualcomm's next XR chip generation, which has not yet been announced and is therefore not mentioned by name.

Pico is still keeping the device's appearance under wraps. According to rumors, Project Swan could offload the processor and battery to an external computing unit, thus achieving a particularly light and compact form factor. Meta is said to be pursuing a similar concept for its next VR headset.

It will also be interesting to see whether Pico will bring the device to the US market. So far, no other headset from the manufacturer has been released there. Probable reasons include Meta's strong market position and ongoing geopolitical debates surrounding TikTok, which is owned by Pico's parent company ByteDance.

(mki)