It has been a few years since the emergence of high-performance VR all-in-one machines, and it has to be said that even today, the overall maturity of VR equipment is not very high, especially in games, game lineups, vertigo and other issues have not been cured. However, in the years of development, many VR manufacturers have gradually explored some vr-specific use scenarios, showing more possibilities of this device.
Pico from China is one such company, they were founded in 2015, and since then they have been focusing on the vr all-in-one machine field. In August last year, Pico was acquired by ByteDance for more than 9 billion yuan, which shows that its achievements in the past few years have been widely recognized.
Its Pico neo 3 VR all-in-one produced last year is a very representative product of Pico, and its applicability and performance have left a deep impression on the electric technology, and the exploration of the video scene makes people feel interesting, and it also shows a good potential in the game.
What's the most important thing about VR?
What is the most important thing about VR products? Is it the game lineup? This is naturally important, but it's more hardcore gamers who focus on this, and VR's current tepidness is definitely not just caused by gamers not buying it.
Is it the price? At present, the price of many VR products on the market is controlled in the price range of 2000-3000 yuan, and it should be said that this price is still affordable for most consumers.
In the view of electric technology, a successful VR product needs to have two characteristics: one is ease of use, and the other is the fluency in the process of use. Only if the product is simple enough and easy to use, can more users have the desire to start; only if the product performance is strong enough and the use process is smooth enough, can users be retained and let them use for a long time.
From both perspectives, the pico neo 3 is excellent.
Pico neo 3 is a VR all-in-one machine, which means that in most cases, there will be no wire binding when using this product, nor does it need cumbersome connections, wear it well, adjust it to the right degree with the elastic bands on both sides, and boot the machine to experience. The pico neo 3 helmet weighs only 395 grams, and the weight distribution is more reasonable, so there is no obvious sense of falling when wearing. It is worth noting that the fuselage is also equipped with a 3.5mm headphone jack, which is also to match the 360-degree surround sound effect and improve the immersion when using it.
The pico neo 3 is set with multiple sponge cushions inside, so there will be no discomfort to the head when worn. In addition, it also reserves a large space at the lens, even if you wear glasses to use it, there will be no squeezing feeling.
The handle design of the pico neo 3 is similar to that of mainstream VR products, and the operation logic is clear and clear. Inside the fuselage, the product is equipped with a Pico UI based on Android development, and users familiar with mobile phones and other devices rarely need to learn the cost. Whether it is the use of hardware or the operation of software, pico neo 3 can be said to have basically no threshold for getting started.
If you are still not used to the operation of the VR device, you can also install the Pico VR Assistant app on your mobile phone, just log in to the same account under the same WiFi as the phone and the pico neo 3 to connect. Once connected, you can view the latest software on your phone, buy software, communicate with other users, and more. Screenshots and screen recordings in VR devices can also be automatically synced to the mobile phone, making it more convenient to view and share.
In terms of performance, the pico neo 3 is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 chip, which is the top in the VR industry today, and there are also 4 tracking cameras that support the inside-out positioning technology based on computer vision. Such a high configuration ensures that the pico neo 3 can operate with a delay of less than 2ms, a positioning error of less than 1mm, and a space of 10m*10m can be customized.
The screen quality of the pico neo 3 is also excellent, with a resolution of 4k and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. Nowadays, the lower resolution and refresh rate are the "culprits" that lead to the poor experience of VR devices, and the pico neo 3 has achieved the top level in the industry in these two points, and its experience is naturally among the best in the same category.
What else can VR do besides playing games?
When vr is mentioned, most users think of it as a gaming device. It is true that most VR devices are designed for games in the first place, and game performance is naturally an important criterion for measuring VR devices.
Pico neo 3 has many VR game masterpieces in the app store, the total game time can exceed 1000 hours, but also some experience nature of free games, we tried a "Legendary Hunter VR".
Since this is a free game, the playable content is not much, but in the controller, keyboard on a key can be completed to change the clip, to VR you need to use both hands to simulate the action of the clip, the clip and the clamp, this sense of substitution is enough novel and unique.
In addition, the pico neo 3 also supports experiencing steam VR works in a streaming way through the Pico VR assistant. If there is a stable 5G WiFi, then wireless streaming can also get a smoother gaming experience. If network conditions do not allow it, streaming can also be done over a wired connection.
For many domestic VR products, the software lineup has always been a major shortcoming, and Pico neo 3 has cleverly achieved the advantages and avoided the shortcomings through the way of streaming, so that its cost-effective advantage has been further highlighted.
At present, the game lineup of Pico neo 3 is still expanding, coupled with excellent streaming features, making its gaming experience among the best in vr products at the same price.
However, the most distinctive feature of pico neo 3 is not the game, but its audio and video experience.
In fact, the imagination space of VR should not be limited to the field of games. You know, 3D movies are popular nowadays, but under the influence of the epidemic, the frequency of people going to the cinema has decreased significantly, so watching movies at home has become the choice of more people. For most people, even if the source specifications are high and the audio-visual equipment at home is excellent, it is difficult to experience the happiness of 3D movies.
The advent of VR devices solves this problem perfectly. The pico neo 3 has a built-in 4K demo film, and the moment I open it, I find the familiar and strange feeling in the movie theater.
Some video and audio platforms have also launched VR apps, such as iQiyi VR, after entering, it can be clearly seen that this is not simply the porting of mobile apps to the VR end, but a re-developed app for the characteristics of VR, from the background to the UI are full of cyberpunk flavor, making people have a sense of pleasure in high-rise buildings.
The app also has iQIYI's rich audio and video resources, including many 3D movies. In addition, the pico neo 3 also supports 360-degree sound, even without headphones can clearly feel the different directions of the sound. With the blessing of resources and features, pico neo 3 can make people get a cinema-like movie experience without leaving home.
Pico neo 3 also has a feature called "Pico Multiplayer Theater". This function is much like a web chat room, after the user enters, he can see a lot of rooms playing different movies, and choose one that he is interested in entering.
Each room is like a different movie theater, where users can walk around and find their favorite angle to watch the movie.
In the room, you can also see other users and have a real-time voice chat with them. In the chat room I entered, a friend was talking about his travel plans after the pandemic. It can be heard that this is a very sociable and tourist-loving person, and the epidemic in recent years has definitely had a great impact on him. Fortunately, with the emergence of a new form of socialization such as the Pico multiplayer theater, people who have been forced to separate can also re-close the distance in this way.
Next stop, Metaverse?
In addition to games and movies, the pico neo 3 also has many highlights in other aspects. First of all, it is compatible with commonly used software such as vibrato, and the operation logic is also as the same as that of the mobile phone, such as the finger stroke commonly used by vibrato becomes holding the trigger and raising the handle upwards. Compatibility with such software also shows that Pico believes that VR should not be just a fresh toy to meet certain specific needs, but become a part of people's future lives like mobile phones and computers.
It's also easy to think of the concept that is often mentioned with VR: the "metaverse." In fact, in Pico neo 3, we can also see some metaverse shadows.
Pico neo 3 has a VR version of Firefox built-in, and unlike regular browsers, it includes a lab module. There are many portals here, and each door can experience different scenes, such as forest trails, skywalks, etc., showing users more possibilities of VR.
Baidu's previously disclosed meta-universe product "Xi'an" was also listed in the beta version of Pico neo 3. It should be admitted that at present, the completion of this beta version is not very high, the picture quality is relatively rough, and users can only walk around in it simply. However, being able to immerse yourself in the "metaverse" is a novel enough experience for the individual. I also hope that this stumbling pace can lead to a brighter future for the metaverse.
Overall, the pico neo 3 is among the best in terms of design and wearing experience among the products at the same price on the market. In terms of gameplay, the game experience of pico neo 3 is relatively solid, the audio and video functions are very distinctive, and it shows a good potential, excellent configuration and rich resources also allow it to continue to bring freshness to players for a period of time, not to fall into the "eating ashes" point.
For users who want to get started with VR, the price of pico neo 3 in the price range of 2500 yuan and the characteristics of having a complete experience without connecting to a PC make it very competitive, for players who have tried VR products before, the streaming function of pico neo 3 and the rich extensibility in audio and video also make it a great choice for upgrading the experience.