PICO 4 review – The best VR headset money can buy in Malaysia

The PICO 4 VR headset isn’t PICO’s first rodeo with their earlier PICO Neo 3 Pro debuting last year but as virtual reality headsets go, the PICO 4 is the first VR headset to have an official presence in Malaysia and attempts to hit a sweet spot between comfort, performance and affordability. Here’s our PICO 4 review where we put their latest VR headset to the test

PICO 4 Review – What is it?

For the uninitiated, the PICO 4 is a self-contained virtual reality system that runs on the Android based PICO OS 5.0 operating system and offers a virtual environment for entertainment and fitness purposes. Unlike earlier efforts which required clunky boundary post sensors, required unwieldy headsets or have exorbitant price tags, the PICO 4 costs a surprisingly reasonable RM1,699 for the 128GB version and just RM1,999 for the 256GB version.

Out of the box, you get the controllers which come with handguards powered by a pair of AA Batteries each. You also get the headset itself, a charging plug with paired USB-C cable as well as a set of accessories and additional spacers to accommodate users who wear glasses.

Belying its modest price tag, the PICO 4 has a remarkable amount of polish. Both the headset and the controllers are done up in a dual-toned white and grey colour scheme that’s reminiscent of a classic early game console; appropriate seeing its intended purpose. The headset itself has the processor and eyepieces up front with padding along with a flip-down headband that can be tightened via a dial on the rear. 

Unlike the controls that require AA batteries, the headset itself runs on an integrated 5,300mAh battery placed on the rear of the headpiece that is charged via a USB-C port on the side. On paper, a full charge is rated for about 3 hours of active usage.

Under the hood, the VR headset has a number of noticeable refinements over prior generations of headsets with the notable addition of pancake lenses to minimise the typically bulky size and weight of the eyepieces. Each lens features a 2,160 by 2,160 pixels resolution display with a 90Hz refresh rate though there’s no official mention of DCI-P3 or colour accuracy; that’s not an issue as it’s primarily for gaming.

Up front, the headset also has a colour passthrough camera that kicks in if you need to see the real world by crossing over a virtual boundary by accident during gameplay or by tapping the headset twice though the latter feature isn’t enabled by default and has to be manually enabled in the settings. 

The sides of the headpiece also feature speakers riding shotgun for added immersion. While there’s no 3.5mm audio jack for earbuds or headphones, you can still pair up a wireless set of earbuds. A traditional wired headphone is still possible if you have a 3.5mm to USB-C dongle of your own to plug into the PICO 4’s USB-C port.

Under the hood, our PICO 4 VR headset has the following specifications – 

Price	RM1,699 (128GB),RM1,999 (256GB)
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 octacore 7nm
OS	PICO OS 5.0 (Android)
Display	2x 2.56-inch LCD binocular w/ pancake lenses, 4K (2,160 x 2,160) pixels per eye w/ 90Hz refresh rate, 105-degree diagonal FoV
Connectivity	WiFi 6 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.1
Memory	8GB LPDDR4 RAM/ 128GB or 256GB storage
Controllers	2 x PICO 4 Controllers
Battery	5,300mAh (estimated 3 hours use) w/ 20W charging
Weight	295g (headset)

Overall build quality is exceptional for our PICO 4 review sample with generous amounts of padding in key points while a host of weight saving measures are implemented to shave it down to just 295g which is exceptional for a headset.

The placement of the battery in the rear of the headpiece also helps to balance out the weight of the headset to ensure that it’s not lopsided towards one end or the other. 

PICO 4 Review – Setup and Performance

Getting our PICO 4 review sample up and running was a relatively simple process. The controllers all come pre-equipped with a pair of AA batteries each and powering them up is simply a matter of removing the arming tabs on each one for power to flow through normally. The headpiece itself needed a bit of charging to full but it was clear sailing from there.

Getting the headset to fit didn’t require significant work and it was simply a matter of ratcheting the dial on the rear to offer a better fit. Those who wear glasses will appreciate the spacers provided in the box that allow for more comfortable usage.

For those with more specific needs, the headset has the ability for precise adjustment of inter-pupillary distance between 58-72mm to ensure a more comfortable view. Once the headset has been powered up and all these formalities have been sorted out, you’ll have to sign in to your PICO account to gain access to your games and applications. 

Before you start wreaking havoc, you’ll have to set up a set of virtual boundaries to prevent you from Falcon Punching your furniture or anyone else in your vicinity. If you cross the boundary, whatever game or app you’re playing pauses and the passthrough camera activates to prevent a potential mishap. Unfortunately, the camera itself doesn’t offer effective depth so precise actions like reaching for a cup of coffee may still be risky.

To be clear, the PICO 4 and its app store is a separate ecosystem so if you’ve already invested in another VR headset and its suite of games like the Meta Quest 2, you may likely have to reinvest again to reacquire your library though the relative newness of the PICO 4’s app store means that you likely won’t get every triple-A title you want on it with games coming at a premium average about RM50 – RM100 a game which isn’t cheap. 

At present, there’s still a generous variety of games available with about 150 games at present to suit all tastes and interests with PICO’s app store so you’ll likely have something you’ll like. Still, it’s early days so it’s likely going to be better stocked in the months to come.

 

For the purposes of our PICO 4 review, we were granted access to several games across a smorgasbord of genres and the app store does include a healthy selection of shooters, puzzle games and fitness games but the one that proved to be the most entertaining was All-in-One Sports VR that proved to be a compilation of multiple mini games from boxing to bowling which proved to be immensely entertaining indeed while offering a thorough workout. It’s not inconceivable to acquire this for fitness purposes and PICO OS 5 does have a Sport Centre that tracks calories burned.

Even if you just aim to be a couch potato, the PICO 4 has the option to link to your Apple TV+ , Amazon Prime or Disney account and conceivably stream movies straight to the headset so you can quite literally enjoy a private theatre. Alternatively, you can watch YouTube videos off it and it also has a browser so you can conceivably surf the web with it though input is clunky with the controllers.

Battery life is on par with the official stated figures and close to the 3 hour mark, the PICO 4 started to run seriously low on juice though charging it does require a couple of hours on account of the large battery.

Should you buy the PICO 4?

On its own merits, the PICO 4 VR headset makes for an impressive offering that combines exceptional performance and comfort at a modest price point that makes it very accessible in Malaysia, more so seeing as PICO has an official presence now in the country.

The only downside is its current modest library of apps which also does not come cheap but what it has to offer is plenty for most casual users. For the majority of people who have yet to own a VR headset, the PICO 4 is an incredible, game-changing acquisition that comes highly recommended.

PICO 4 review sample courtesy of PICO XR. To purchase, please visit their official online store on Lazada here, on Shopee here and on the TikTok shop here. For a limited time, PICO is offering special promotions for the headset for Christmas 2022. You can check out the deal here.