TikTok Parent Company ByteDance VR Headset To Challenge Quest 2
Pico Interactive established a reputation in Asia, and now it plans to take a step further outside of its regular business sphere and into Europe with the release of its Neo 3 link in the European consumer markets. The €450 separate headset hopes to provide stiff competition to Meta’s Quest 2.
However, Pico has now set its sights on the U.S. market, as a report from Protocol suggests that the China-based company now offers numerous US-based jobs in the country.
Pico is a subsidiary of the TikTok parent company ByteDance. It is creating a team on the west coast of the U.S. Protocol claims that the motive behind the effort is “a major focus on content licensing as well as marketing its hardware to U.S. consumers.”
ByteDance is ingratiating V.R. developers and is allegedly ready to spend “tons of money” for the V.R. gaming and experiences, as reported by Protocol.
Per the ByteDance’s job portal, there are currently over 40 job listings for the Pico positions in Seattle, San Diego, and Bay Area. The company is searching for competent people to fill the AR/VR content producer positions at Pico Studios.
Some jobs mentioned on the listing include Pico Studio, head of overseas Content Ecosystem, operations manager, and director of V.R. Game Strategy. It also offers various technical roles relating to V.R. software, hardware development, and R&D.
Although, the expansion to the U.S. was imminent as the company stated in October 2021 that it would significantly focus on the fleet of Neo 3 headsets that ships outside China. The company says that they would be “built for businesses [and] be available in the West, including North America and Europe,”
Two months after ByteDance acquired Pico, it reportedly went for 5 billion RMB ($775 million) in sales price.
Last month, Pico launched Neo 3 link in Europe. It is a headset that links the P.C. V.R. and individual headset sections by providing integral P.C. streaming over either tethered or Wi-Fi 6 DisplayPort connection.
To fascinate the customers, the company also matched a few Quest 2 specs with the Neo 3 link, like the Qualcomm XR2 chipset and the capability to tether to a P.C. to play the steam VR content through DP 1.4 instead of Quest 2’s USB-C.
It also offers a standard 256 GB storage with a 5,300 mAh battery placed inside the headset strap as it provides balance and ergonomics similar to Quest 2’s elite battery strap, tho the price remains the same.
