Pico 4 Ultra boasts Apple Vision Pro-style features for a fraction of the price

Pico XR has announced its first mixed reality headset, to rival the Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3.

The Pico 4 Ultra takes the design of the existing Pico 4 VR headset and adds two 32-megapixel cameras on the face to provide high-resolution, full colour video passthrough for augmented experiences.

This includes the capability to run a panoramic workspace, with the ability to have multiple large floating displays open at the same time, much like on the Vision Pro. It can also playback spatial video, giving you an immersive, 3D viewing experience – again like the Apple headset and the Meta Quest 3.

Virtual reality games and apps can also be used with the Pico 4 Ultra, with the passthrough mode able to be switched on and off.

The headset weighs 580g in total, so can be worn for lengthy periods without too much strain. The weight is also mostly balanced between the front and rear (a 304 / 276g split) for additional comfort.

Inside you'll find high-resolution, colour-calibrated displays offering 1920 x 1920 pixels per eye and a 90Hz refresh rate. The headset runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 platform and 12GB of RAM, so should handle any experience you chuck at it.

The two cameras, which provide the stereoscopic real world view, can also be used to shoot spatial video to view later, at a resolution of 2048 x 1536 and at 60 frames-per-second.

The headset is also capable of playing back spatial videos and photos shot on an Apple device, such as the iPhone 15 Pro and Vision Pro itself. It's also compatible with 100s of MR and VR apps and games, plus has SteamVR support.

As well as the Pico 4 Ultra, the company has announced new Pico Motion Trackers. These can be strapped to a user's ankles to provide full body motion capture.

Usually priced at £79, the Motion Trackers come free with pre-orders of the Pico 4 Ultra. You'll also get four games at no extra cost – Blade & Sorcery: Nomad, Infinite Inside, Let’s Get Fit VR and FootPool.

The headset costs £529 in the UK and pre-orders will run from 6 - 19 September 2024. It will be available across Europe too, in multiple countries including Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, and Belgium.

The full on sale date is 20 September.