PICO 4 REVIEW - Better & Cheaper Than Quest 2

And here it is: the full & comprehensive MRTV Pico 4 Review! Find out what I like about the new VR Standalone headset from Pico and why I think this is the beginning of a new era for consumer VR! Includes detailed comparisons with the Quest 2 and why I believe this will be the next or first headset for many for you!

UK LINKS:

EUROPE LINKS:

Timestamps
00:00 Intro
01:25 What Is This?
02:49 Pico 4 Specs
05:36 Build Quality & Comfort
07:42 Visuals
08:33 Lenses
09:48 Displays / Colors
11:25 FOV
12:19 Distortions
12:45 Color Passthrough
14:13 Audio
16:50 Controllers
19:11 Controller Tracking
20:00 Battery Life
21:00 Standalone Mode - How Good Is It Without Gaming PC?
23:15 The Store - How Many Games Are There?
25:04 Pico 4 or Quest 2?
25:31 PCVR Streaming - How Good Is It?
27:50 Perfect For Simmers?
28:26 The China Factor
29:07 Conclusion
31:24 Worldwide Shipping With XRShop

🔴 Connect with Team MRTV:

🔴 My VR Hardware Recommendation (Europe Only):

🔴 Ich currently recommend these VR headsets:

🔴 Best VR Accessories

🔴 My YouTube Studio Gear

🔴Let's connect:

MRTV on instagram: @mixedrealitytv

🔴How to support MRTV for FREE:

- don't skip the ads, it will help a lot!

- like the video, it makes a difference!
- comment on the video, engagement is everything!
- share the video, let people know about MRTV!

[NevolmonGaming]

As an american i can confirm that you can get this working in North America without much trouble, the only major hurdle was that i had to download the mobile companion app off the internet rather than the play store, but the headset comes with support for US english and north american regional accounts

[Powney]

Hi all, as some of you know I gave an initial impression on the pico after a couple of hours of use, now as someone who’s used the pico 4 for a few days now I thought I’d give my honest and balanced take on it as opposed to what you may see on YouTube.

First off the hardware is STILL FANTASTIC! Personally I find it extremely comfortable, some have complained about the cushion but I really like it personally. The whole headset is lightweight, balanced and it’s a treat to strap on unlike any other headset I’ve tried. No god rays whatsoever from the lenses and everything is incredibly clear! FOV is only marginally better than the quest 2, I was actually expecting it to be a bit bigger considering the size of the lenses on the pico but nothing to complain about, also the UI when on the headset is fast and zippy! A huge 10/10 in terms of the hardware and general speed of this thing! I could wear it all day!

Now this is where the criticism comes in again which I did mention in my last post and that’s the software, from a standalone point of view there’s a good deal of games on the pico store (albeit nowhere near as many as what quest offers with their store, sidequest and app lab functionality) however for anybody who owns a quest chances are the pico version of these games will be inferior and it’s apparently down to the fact pico haven’t allowed DLC content on the games on their store yet.

I bought walkabout mini golf on pico which I’ve owned on the quest 2 for a good while now and on the quest version you get all the courses as well as the DLC courses. The pico version doesn’t have this.. and it’s not down to the developers in this instance. I checked on walkabout’s discord and they said it’s down to pico to enable this. Other games that have paid DLC will be similar, you won’t get the latest version of the game and there are things you can’t do in Pico’s versions which you can do on most other headsets which is an incredible disappointment! Another thing I heard but can’t confirm is the pico versions of these games aren’t cross play with other platforms so you might link up in a game on walkabout for instance but it will be with another pico player and nobody else on any other headsets unlike the other versions which are all cross play with other platform users.

Secondly the pico browser and other apps. Some videos in the pico browser stutter and don’t seem to function well at all. Also despite what a lot of people are saying and advertising you can’t even watch the likes of Netflix or Amazon prime from a standalone point of view on this thing yet!

When you go to play Netflix it will come up with an OS error and apparently this is down to A digital rights issue which pico is apparently working on but it ain’t expecting to be functional until December! Which I honestly find to be a unforgivable that this thing despite launching can’t even do something like watch Netflix or Amazon prime on launch! If anybody else reading this has this same issue and was as puzzled as I was don’t worry it isn’t just you. I’ve had several others also confirm the problem.

Third gripe is the fans. The fans are incredibly noticeable and kick in even if you aren’t performing anything strenuous on the headset although one plus to this is it does keep you cool as you can sometimes feel them.

Battery life despite being bigger than the quest 2 lasts around the same time due to pico drawing more power however you can get the likes of a bobo battery pack or something similar that will negate the issue.

Now I’m not saying I don’t like the headset, I do! But only in small fragments. If I could put quest’s more developed more competent software and game library into the form factor of this thing then this would be the ultimate headset. Pico have a LOT of work, fixes and catching up to do to get their software up the standard anywhere near what Meta have set.

PCVR use however you’re gonna have a blast with the pico also due to the genius of virtual desktop. The pico streaming app currently is underdeveloped and doesn’t look good whatsoever so your best bet is going with virtual desktop for wireless PCVR use. Works really well and is a huge treat to play with Pico’s hardware!

As I say I like the headset but right now it feels more of an investment for using it more when it becomes more developed which I really do hope happens over time as right now on the software front there’s a lot of disappointments! I’ll mainly be using it for wireless PCVR use but from a standalone perspective I’ll be reaching for my quest 2 still pretty much everytime.

[robertweekes]

26:30 The rug looks insanely detailed 🤩

[CognosSquare]

Best reviews on Youtube right here. Full of detail and great focus on the things that actually matter. And I already ordered a Pico4 based on the initial reactions videos here, which spoke a lot :D Glad to see the more mature impressions here has not wained.

[NZHardhouser]

Timey, and of course in-depth, again! Am a simmer via PC, and was curious as to how these rated compared to the HP Reverb G2s - interesting to hear to stay with the Reverbs... though res detail is key! Thanks again for another informative VR headset review!

[kennethfraser]

I’m happy with my pico 4 better clarity than the quest 2 was my main reason for the purchase, totally agree with the discomfort its not a comfy headset got a lot of pressure on my forehead & face but hopefully over time VR cover will make a new faceplate etc, going to keep mine as its very early doors for this headset and hopefully over time it will improve with software and face covers etc, a big plus for me is it recognises usb sticks which is great for adding movies and apks etc and watching movies straight of the pendrive ! Overall i would rather have the pico 4 over the quest 2

The battery is not very good but the quest 2 wasn’t any better to be honest, ive also owned the reverb g2 and i would say the pico 4 clarity is the same or not far off it, the clarity is better than the quest 2 i could see that straight away ! It definitely needs a different faceplate and cover so fingers crossed VR cover or similar company makes one, it does have a pretty big light leek i can see all my floor below me when I’m wearing it which isn’t very good so hopefully we can get some company to make a new faceplate/cover, folks sending this back is far to soon we need to give this headset a chance to get up and running its only just been released ! Remember how uncomfortable the quest 2 was when it first came out !! All in all I’m happy with this the games work no problem with virtual desktop and I’m using my beats fit pro headphones with Bluetooth and work perfectly and tracking etc is great no problems

[karlhouston]

Thanks Sebastian great review I Had already ordered one from Amazon looks like they're back ordered 👍

[Jawlf]

I have really been enjoying the quality of my Pico 4, playing through games from my PC using Virtual Desktop. Accessing all of my Oculus PC and Steam VR games has been really easy and simple with the purchase of the Virtual Desktop software from the Pico Store.
I have tried to use the Pico Streaming Assistant and using either wired or wireless, this gives me a horrible distorted metallic sound. I hve uninstalled and re installed but no luck, so back to VD and enjoying the VR quality. I have added BOBO VR battery and purchased a USB 3 to 3.5mm with power delivery and that works very well to use my wired headphones.
Thank you so much for all of your reviews and through the lens video really helped me to decide to buy it, to complement my other VR headsets.

[elliotmaldonado]

Thanks to you Sebastian I just bought the Pico 4 from the XRShop and have it delivered to the Caribbean. No other site will deliver there. All my decisions and future ones are based on your reviews. You rule dude.

[gdr]

Bought this for my sons birthday. It's sat in a box in my wardrobe and I'm very tempted to open it now 😀

[gerryabbott]

Thank you Sebastian. Bought this to replace my HP VR1000, and wow, what an upgrade. Really love this headset, and it's exceeded all my expectations. I play mainly Sim games, and only concern I have is how to manage my battery over a long session, but that's a small thing and i'm looking at the battery accessories (using a usb cable ATM). I have a high end system so that helps. I use virtual desktop, and with pass through camera whole process of entering the cockpit is seamless. 👍

[fLaMeProF]

Great review thanks. But you need to mention that the Quest 'exclusives' you referenced, Beat Sabre and Population One, can be played on the Pico 4 from a PC; Virtual Desktop allows you to wirelessly stream all of your Steam and Oculus store Rift games ;)

[yokoh]

Looks like I’ll be 3d printing a gasket for the face and use some VR foam cover haha

[shindigira]

Awesome review! By chance are there any handstraps (e.g. Valve Index's straps) for the PICO4?

[Joenit]

Thanks for your great uploads . Just got the Pico 4 to “replace” my Rift S. Must say it has a lot of advantages, clearity, resolution etc. Also great to have the freedom of wireless. But I was worried a bit how good is was for sim racing. In every review I hear about the compression etc ., but I never hear about the feeling, latency etc. For me it was clear within half a lap that for me this it not useable for sim racing, I mainly use Automobilista 2. And that has nothing to do with the image quality but everything feels weird in the Pico 4. I can’t feel what I am doing, breaking seems off, I think it has to be a latency issue. For now I will keep my Rift S just for simming, for everything else I will use the Pico 4.

[TheEdmaster]

I got it here in Norway for like 450 euros to compare. Its simply the best VR headset for the money. I have the RTX 3080 at the moment so my settings on PCVR using VD is high to ultra depending on the game.
The only downside I see is the lcd screen. I wish it was oled. But if Pico 5 gets OLED with same resolution with same lenses and 120hz. Its going to kill everything out there. Yes we do have headsets that has higher fov, but they are dedicated for PC only and they are wired and much more heavy and expensive. Wireless VR is simply the best. Battery life is no problem, you can easily have a 10-20Ah battery pack and simply have it in your pocket with a usb c cable, still wireless and game for 8-10 hours instead of 3. But seriously no one should game that much. Regular breaks every 40 minutes is totally good for the health. I am so pleased with this headset period.

[kaecatlady]

Well, heck, Sebastian... just ordered the Pico 4 from XRShop (they say they have them in stock)--and it's ALL YOUR FAULT.

Now I'm (finally) going to have to sell one of my Go's (there are still a few games on it that I really love and can't get anywhere else), my Oculus 1--and the Oculus 2 I finally broke down and bought this summer, once Meta regained their sanity and got rid of the Facebook requirement.

The Quest 2 is even considered "open box", because I only got as far as opening it, making sure it was charged, working, and had clear lenses--then never got the chance to even set up, thanks to real life.

I expect that selling those headsets will pay back the (shockingly low) US price I got for the 128GB Pico 4.

Suffice to say, I think your review was excellent. Informative and complete. Thanks!

PS: for the moment, I'm still hanging on to my trusty old Rift S.

[EC]

31:43 - Exactly...I already checked the prices of both Amazon and the other shops that are selling it (through Pico official own site) and apparently the other stores of Pico are selling it for much cheaper...for about $320 LESS money than from Amazon... ! that's a huge save ! but the only problem is that I don't trust the other sites since I usually only buy from Amazon and so I know it's sure to arrive from Amazon and right on time, so thanks for the heads up Sebastian ! you confirm it to me that this is the case so I should probably buy from the other stores to save all of that money.

[prolegend]

OK I also have a Pico 4 but I have some issues with movement tracking I think. When looking at the menu screen I can see it moving a little bit while my head is not moving at all... Could be just me I guess but still worth mentioning

[StarLightPL]

@MRTV are those displate posters behind you? If yes, do they interfere with the lighthouse tracking?