PICO 4 Ultra review: strong hardware, but Quest 3 still has the games

This review is an AI-written assessment. It is based on official specifications and on what published reviews broadly agree on, not on hands-on testing.

What it is

The PICO 4 Ultra is ByteDance's standalone VR and mixed reality headset, released on September 20, 2024 as an upgrade to the PICO 4. It moves to the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, the only configuration sold. PICO lists two 2.56-inch screens at 2160 x 2160 per eye and up to 90Hz, viewed through pancake lenses with a 105-degree field of view and seamless 58-72mm IPD adjustment; reviewers confirm the panels are LCD. Colour passthrough comes from two 32MP cameras plus an iToF depth sensor, and it can record spatial photos and video. The 5,700mAh battery sits in the rear strap as a counterweight, the headset weighs about 580g, and it supports Wi-Fi 7 for wireless PC streaming. There is no eye tracking.

Launch pricing was £529 in the UK and €599 in the eurozone. Road to VR listed launch markets across Europe (including the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and the Nordic countries) and Asia (China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand). There is no official US release. In Japan, PICO raised the price from ¥89,800 to ¥104,900 on May 1, 2026, citing currency and component costs. Optional PICO Motion Trackers for the ankles cost £79 / €89 per pair at launch.

Strengths

Performance is the clearest win. TechRadar gave it 5/5 for performance and found every game it tried ran smoothly, and Trusted Reviews listed "class-leading performance" among its pros. The extra RAM over the Meta Quest 3 is welcome headroom, though TechRadar noted it had not yet seen software that needs it.

Weight balance is widely praised. With the battery at the back, the front section weighs 304g, and UploadVR said it "felt comfortable from the moment I put it on". GamesRadar+ found it felt lighter on the face than Quest 3 and very stable during active play.

Passthrough is a mixed but often positive story. UploadVR saw no double imaging and little distortion on moving hands, and GamesRadar+ judged its passthrough clearer overall than Quest 3's. Controller inside-out tracking drew strong marks from MIXED and Trusted Reviews, which called it "a superb headset with outstanding tracking". The Motion Trackers impressed most testers: TechRadar said they mirrored its poses perfectly. PC VR through the free Pico Connect app, wired or wireless, also worked well for MIXED and TechRadar.

Weaknesses

The optics are carried over from the PICO 4. UploadVR said the lenses "feel outdated" next to Quest 3's edge-to-edge clarity, and MIXED found the image "quickly becomes very blurry" outside a small sweet spot, with visible ghosting. The 90Hz ceiling is also below Quest 3's 120Hz.

Comfort is not universal. MIXED and TechRadar both criticised the rigid head strap and thin facial padding, and TechRadar and Trusted Reviews disliked the anti-fog fan drying their eyes. There is no headphone jack, and GamesRadar+ found the speakers weaker than Quest 3's. Hand tracking remains "imprecise and clumsy" according to MIXED, and GamesRadar+ hit controller tracking problems in dim rooms. UploadVR also saw the passthrough world skew when turning, a sign of weaker depth correction than Quest 3.

Software is the biggest issue. TechRadar said the headset is "let down by a lack of software" and scored software 3.5/5. The PICO Store lacks Meta exclusives such as Batman: Arkham Shadow and Asgard's Wrath 2, and Notebookcheck noted Beat Saber is missing. Reviewers saw spatial capture as a novelty; Trusted Reviews called it "a head-turning novelty". MIXED measured roughly 1.5 to 3 hours of battery depending on use.

Who it suits

It suits buyers in Europe or Asia who want a capable standalone headset without a Meta account, players who mainly stream SteamVR games from a PC, and people interested in leg tracking for fitness or social apps. It suits people who want the biggest library of exclusive standalone games less well, and it is not an option for US buyers without importing.

How it compares

Against the Meta Quest 3, the hardware is close: the same chip, with more RAM and storage on PICO, but sharper lenses, 120Hz and a much larger Meta Horizon Store catalogue on Meta. MIXED concluded the Ultra offers "too little in every respect" against Quest 3 at its price, while GamesRadar+ called it "the Quest 3 competitor the industry needs" and enjoyed gaming on it more. GamesRadar+'s 2025 update notes that Meta has since cut the Quest 3 512GB price and launched the cheaper Meta Quest 3S, which squeezes the Ultra on value. Compared with the PICO 4, the Ultra adds a much faster chip, stereo colour passthrough and ringless controllers, but keeps the same lenses and displays. PICO's next headset, the Space Pro, is a higher-end micro-OLED device that Road to VR reported was delayed to Q4 2026.

Sources

• PICO: PICO 4 Ultra product page
• PICO: PICO 4 Ultra specifications
• Road to VR: Pico 4 Ultra Aims to Compete with Meta in Europe & Asia Amid Suspected Quest 3S Launch
• UploadVR: Pico 4 Ultra Europe and APAC preorders
• UploadVR: Pico 4 Ultra Hands-On Impressions: Is It Really Better Than Quest 3?
• MIXED: Pico 4 Ultra Review: Quest 3 remains unmatched
• TechRadar: Pico 4 Ultra review: powerful, but second fiddle to the Meta Quest 3 VR headset
• GamesRadar+: Pico 4 Ultra review: “The Quest 3 competitor the industry needs”
• Trusted Reviews: Pico 4 Ultra Review
• Notebookcheck: Pico 4 Ultra hands-on: The MR headset is an affordable alternative to the Vision Pro - with limitations
• smhn.info: PICO 4 Ultra price increase in Japan (April 2026)
• Road to VR: Pico Space Pro Clears FCC Following Cancelled September Reveal