Having had a request from a couple of different people now, I thought I would write up a decently detailed post RE the Pico 4 VR Headset, what is required to get the best from it, and how I have pretty much a turn on and play setup from it.
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The headset itself:
The headset is of very good build quality, ABS plastic used all around, with good quality Fabrics in the Mask gasket and the headstrap. Its the same as most VR headsets with adjustable side tabs and overheat pullstrap.
Its quite small when compared to other headsets, feeling very compact when worn. Weighing in at 295g, its also very light. It has a small intake fan on the nose to feed cool air into the headset, so its very comfortable for the longer sessions. The supplied gasket is also of good quality, and there is an optional extension included if you choose to wear glasses, however pictured are the VR Optician Perspription inserts, as I am blind as a bat!
The lenses on this are of pancake style, which while having a Slightly larger field of view (102° vs 98.85° of the G2) allow for a much larger sweetspot (area of clarity)
This allows you to use your eyes to check gauges, look for targets, and keep track on things going by. Peak brightness is quite good, and does not strain your eyes. Resolution is 2160p per eye (compared to Quest 2’s 1832 x 1920, and matching the reverb G2). IPD is set from software and is electronically adjusted, no sliders here.
I do not use the built in audio from the headset as its quite tinny, but its usuable. I recommend using your normal Gaming headset with the device for best results.
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Software and required accessories.
This is where the Pico is a bit more of an effort. The headset is not really designed for PCVR, so getting it ready requires some user input.
You can use the headset wirelessly, but only really on the condition you are right beside a VERY strong Wi-Fi 6 capable Router. I highly recommend using the wired solution in the Diagram below
This allows for the best performance from the headset, lowest latency and highest bitrate from headset to the PC, resulting in the highest visual quality. It also allows a charger to connect and pass power to the headset at the same time, allowing infinite runtime as the battery remains fully charged throughout use. Average runtime on the battery alone was just over 2 hours.
You will need to follow the below settings to allow developer options, which will allow the USB Network adapter to work with the headset (at time of writing this is not enabled by default)
Go to Settings > General > About
Then scroll down and click 7 times on 'Software Version'
This will unlock a new Developer category on the left
Virtual Desktop:
So while there is "Desktop Streaming Assistant" bundled with the headset, it lacks the visual quality required for PCVR. You have to buy Virtual Desktop streamer through the native PICO store on the headset, please note this requires creating an account on their website.
Once this is complete, you download the desktop client from their website, and connect. Initially, you MUST be connected via wireless, due to how their licensing is picked up. Once registered and connected, you must disable Wi-Fi on the headset to get it to use the higher bandwidth of USB-C Connectivity. You only need to do this the once, and occasionally following a headset update. As the headset is natively running an android OS, its quite intuitive
See below settings. You can find my system specs in my signature, please note your milage may vary using older series GPUs
Desktop App settings:
API Wise, it uses Steam VR. I run it at 100% res and no reprojection. For DCS it will automatically run the Steam OpenXR API, however I do not run this in IL2 so I cant speak to how good it is there.
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Headset in use:
I really cannot fault it. It has gotten better and better as the software updates have rolled in. The passthrough is overall excellent, and is activated by tapping the right side of the headset twice, a very cool feature!
The comfort is fantastic, the lenses are nice and crisp, and it does not feel like you are wearing anything after a few Minutes.
You do need a very well specced machine to run this, due to the nature of it using USB-C to send its video signal, a GPU with strong decode is very much required. I would not recommend this to anyone running less than a 3080ti, even on grounds of VRAM alone. I have seen VRAM use in DCS reach 14gb.
Screenshots from Headset in DCS:
Note these screenshots are taken natively from the headset, they normally save to your desktop for ease of use
Screenshots in IL2:
Spotting in IL2 is generally excellent, with the usual VR Asterix compared to flatscreen spotting.
The general order of getting it on and into a game., put headset on, have one controller to hand. It will pop up a small menu, select reset sitting position, then select enter VR world. It automatically shows you your PC desktop, and from there, its up to you. You can open whatever game you want, steam VR Will open automatically, you can kick back use it as a giant monitor. Its really great to have that sort of option.
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The Brass tax
Right now, the headset is available for £339 with free delivery from Amazon UK for the 128gb Model. I do not think you need more internal memory if your primary use will be PCVR.
See below for expanded costs of accessories / Software
Pico 4 Accessories List
63W Charger - £21
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B087S3HZ3P? ... tails&th=1
USB C Female to Female Adapter - £5.46
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0B ... =UTF8&th=1
USB to Ethernet Adapter - £19.99
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09 ... =UTF8&th=1
5M USB C to USBC cable - £17.99
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Compatible-Ocu ... =1-15&th=1
30cm Ethernet Patch Lead - £1.80
https://www.amazon.co.uk/kenable-White- ... C67&sr=1-5
Software
Virtual Desktop Streamer - $20
Total: £423.24
At this price point, there is nothing even remotely close to its value for money. This is only speaking from a PCVR point of view, as a standalone wireless Headset, its another layer of value entirely.
It gets a hearty recommendation from me!
- Muddy
