Chinese virtual reality (VR) headset maker Pico, owned by tech company ByteDance, is stepping up efforts to popularize VR and build a thriving content ecosystem amid intensified competition.
Pico unveiled its latest VR headset on Tuesday in its first major launch event after ByteDance acquired the company a year ago.
Priced from 2,499 yuan ($345.4), the Pico 4 series, its latest generation of all-in-one VR devices, is expected to compete with US company Meta’s Oculus Quest 2 VR headset in Europe, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia and other overseas markets.
Zhou Hongwei, president of Pico, said: “Today, we officially hit the road to popularize VR in China through Pico 4, and we will bring a new product experience and content ecology to more users. Perhaps, for many users, Pico 4 will be the first VR device they buy.”
According to market research company International Data Corp, VR headset shipments in China reached 558,000 units in the first half of this year and annual shipments are expected to exceed 28 million units in 2025.
The premium Pico 4 Pro features a string of cutting-edge technologies, including three more infrared cameras than the Pico 4 version and it supports eye-movement tracking and facial expressions.
More importantly, Pico is ratcheting up resources to cultivate VR content. It has set up a wealth of VR content, including four scenarios — VR sports and fitness, VR video, VR entertainment and VR creation. Taking sports and fitness as an example, Pico 4 has an application that integrates personal training courses, yoga and other sports.
Credited Source
China Daily / MA SI
