Pico 4 Ultra review: powerful, but second fiddle to the Meta Quest 3 VR headset

Thats because its launch is extremely reminiscent of its predecessor; the base Pico 4.

The first is its spatial footage capture.

Last but by no means least are the Pico 4 Ultras standout Motion Trackers.

Pico 4 Ultra with its controllers, two motion trackers and four games - the contents of the preorder bundle

The Pico 4 Ultra preorder bundle

These alone could be the best reason to pick up the Pico 4 Ultra.

No Australia or US launch has yet been announced.

the Quest 3).

Pico 4 Ultra’s battery is prominent as it sits on a table

The battery is housed at the back of the strap

For now we can at least enjoy the very solid mid-range headset Pico has delivered.

As a result, the headset didnt feel leaps and bounds ahead of its non-counterbalanced headset counterparts.

Id go as far to say it was merely on par which was a shame.

Pico 4 Ultra controlelrs lying on a table, you can see the complete button layout for them

Pico 4 Ultra controllers

Silicon facial interfaces should be standard, not an additional purchase.

Im more in the hate camp, but it comes down to personal preference.

Otherwise, the Pico 4 Ultra is fairly standard.

Batman: Arkham Shadow still showing a batarang in a rat mask

Where is Pico’sArkham Shadowcompetitor?

Last but not least, the Pico 4 Ultra boasts continuous interpupillary distance (IPD) adjustment from 58-72mm.

the Meta Quest 2).

Im therefore pleased to report that the Pico 4 Ultras software library is good, bordering on great.

Pico 4 Ultra Motion Tracker on a person’s leg, they’re over the top of black jeans

Here’s one of the Motion Trackers…

My only concern is that the Pico 4 Ultra is lacking in notable exclusives beyond its TikTok VR app.

Whats more, cross-platform titles will have to play to the lowest common denominator.

My only critique is that when using Pico Connect for productivity apps likeGoogleDocs I didnt have a virtual keyboard.

A Pico 4 Ultra avater of Hamish lifting his left leg in a very weird way

… and here’s one of the weird poses I tried to use to trick them

I also found the Pico 4 Ultras operating system to be fairly clean.

Again the simple descriptor Id go for is its good.

Its interesting, sure, but far from useful.

Finally, let’s talk about the Motion Trackers, easily the best of the Pico 4 Ultras accessories.

I was very wrong.

Should you buy the Pico 4 Ultra?

Not by a lot, but the 50 difference could instead be spent on software or something non-VR related.

Meta Quest 3Surprise, surprise after it was name-dropped a few times throughout this review.

If youre looking at mid-range VR headsets, you cant not consider the king of them.