An Oculus Quest 2 rival could arrive next month to take on Meta

pcgamesn.com:

The Oculus Quest 2 is quite possibly the best VR headset on the market, but an alternative could pile pressure on Meta in September. Equipped with pancake lenses, the rival virtual reality device will seemingly come with a competitive price tag attached, as the company behind will allegedly adopt an “aggressive subsidy strategy.”

According to an analyst’s Wechat post, the Oculus Quest 2 challenger in question will be the Pico 4 – a new VR headset by the Chinese conglomerate Bytedance (via UploadVR) This isn’t the Tiktok sister company’s first foray into VR, as predecessors like the Pico Neo 3 are available to buy in Europe. However, the leak suggests two new headsets will get a global release soon, and they’ll target both the Quest 2 and Meta’s upcoming Project Cambria.

Image credit: Wechat/AR circle

The analyst claims the Pico 4 will take on the Quest 2 by including pancake lenses, which will reduce the headset’s weight and improve image quality. On the other hand, a higher spec Pico 4 Pro will come equipped with built-in eye tracking, potentially enabling it to trade blows with the metaverse-focused Quest Pro.

Pricing could become a key factor within the VR headset scene, as the Oculus Quest 2 now costs more thanks to a price hike. If Bytedance can undercut Meta’s new MSRP and offer a similar experience, the social media giant may find itself faced with stiff competition.

Naturally, this is great for consumers, as it means both companies will need to entice enthusiasts with lower VR headset prices and feature-packed devices. Whether Meta will actually rise to the challenge remains to be seen, but a competitive rival might be enough to keep future releases like the Oculus Quest 3 and Cambria from wielding premium price