Pico Neo 3 Eye – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

April 12, 2022

Accessorise Your Pico Neo 3 With Ultraleap’s new Hand Tracking Addon

One of the definitive leaders in hand tracking technology is Ultraleap, with its tech integrated into devices such as Varjo’s headsets or available as a third-party accessory. It’s the latter that Ultraleap is announcing today, bringing hand tracking to Pico Interactive’s Neo 3 Pro and Pro Eye headsets.

Pico Neo 3 Pro with Ultraleap Hand Tracking — Image credit: Pico Interactive

As you can see in the image above, the setup consists of an Ultraleap Stereo IR 170 camera inside a bespoke mount, with a power cable running to the Pico Neo 3’s USB-C socket. The setup will then run Ultraleap’s fifth-generation hand tracking software Gemini, with Unity and Unreal platforms supported for developers.

The Ultraleap Hand Tracking Accessory won’t be sold as an individual unit it seems for current Neo 3 Pro and Pro Eye owners to upgrade to. It’ll be sold as a new bundle with one of the aforementioned headsets (Gemini coming pre-installed) through select retailers, available now in early access for developers and enterprise customers. An official launch will then take place this summer, with prices yet to be revealed.

“VR for training is on the cusp of mainstream adoption and we truly believe hand tracking plays an important part in tipping it over the edge. We’re already seeing significant wins from customers who have deployed VR training programmes or LBE experiences with hand tracking,” said Matt Tullis, VP, XR at Ultraleap in a statement. “This first phase of the Pico relationship will mean more developers and organisations will be able to test, pilot and refine their applications to unlock the true power of VR now and deploy at scale in a few months.”

“We’re very excited to bring Ultraleap hand tracking to our latest VR headsets through this accessory. When applications need the highest performing hand tracking for complex interactions or challenging environments, Ultraleap’s hand tracking really is world-class. We can’t wait to see what developers and organisations will create from this joint effort,” adds Leland Hedges, GM for Pico Interactive Europe.

Hand tracking has been gaining ground of late, featuring in devices like the HTC Vive Focus 3 whilst the upcoming Lynx-R1 utilises hand tracking (Ultraleap’s again) as its default input method. And, of course, let’s not forget about Meta Quest 2 which supports hand tracking out the box with titles like Cubism, Vacation Simulator and Clash of Chef’s VR all adding hand tracking updates.

gmw3 will continue its coverage of hand tracking as further announcements are made.

August 31, 2021

Pico Interactive Acquired by TikTok Owner ByteDance

After rumours began to appear last week that ByteDance – the owner of social video platform TikTok – was going to acquire Pico Interactive, this week they’ve been proved correct. Outlet’s including CNBC have confirmed that ByteDance has decided to delve into the world of virtual reality (VR) by purchasing the Chinese hardware manufacturer.

Pico Interactive is one of the worlds largest makers of VR headsets, with its current lineup of products including the Neo 3 Pro and the Neo 3 Eye, both sold as consumer products in China but as enterprise-only devices across the rest of the world. Thus avoiding direct competition with Facebook’s Oculus Quest platform.

Details regarding how much ByteDance paid haven’t been officially revealed but rumours suggest it’s in the region of ¥5 billion (~$775 million). That makes it quite a sizable investment in the VR market although ByteDance has yet to confirm how it might leverage this investment in relation to its other products.

In a statement provided to CNBC ByteDance said that Pico’s: “comprehensive suite of software and hardware technologies, as well as the talent and deep expertise of the team, will support both our entry to the VR space and long-term investment in this emerging field.”

While Pico has avoided competing with Oculus, under ByteDance that might change as the company looks to diversify its current business model. Earlier this year the company acquired mobile developer Moonton for a reported $4 billion, best known for its multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) Mobile Legends.

Pico Interactive’s latest Neo 3 headsets are its flagship standalone devices, featuring Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2 processor, inside-out tracking, and 6DoF controllers, with the Neo 3 Eye also featuring built-in eye tracking. Both are currently available for pre-order with a launch expected in Q3 2021.

As further details regarding ByteDance’s future plans for Pico arise, VRFocus will let you know.

May 10, 2021

Pre-order Enterprise-Ready Pico Neo 3 Starting from $699

Excitement might be building for HTC Vive’s upcoming headset announcements tomorrow but before then Pico Interactive has just officially announced its new headsets for the western market, the Neo 3 Pro and Neo 3 Pro Eye. Both designed for business customers, they’re now available for pre-ordering with a launch taking place later in 2021.

While the standard Pico Neo 3 is a consumer-only headset exclusively available in China, the Neo 3 Pro and Neo 3 Pro Eye are very much enterprise solutions. They both feature 6 degrees of tracking (6DoF) and have the Snapdragon XR2 platform under the hood with 256GB of internal storage. There’s a single 5.5″ display with 3664×1920 resolution (boasting 773PPI) and a 90Hz refresh rate. Due to the assumption they’ll be used by multiple people in an office both headsets also have a replaceable PU face cushion that’s hygienic and easily washable.

As the Pico Neo 3 line now features four cameras the tracking and guardian system have been improved so they’re more robust for commercial use cases. In turn, the controllers have received a major overhaul to make use of the 6DoF tracking. Just like the Neo 2, the Neo 3 products retain the rear-mounted battery to help counterbalance the headset. It’s a 5300mAh battery which should be good for 3-3.5 hours of use.

Of course, the Pico Neo 3 Eye also has built-in Tobii eye-tracking which is ideal for companies looking to bolster analytics. That can be for understanding customer behaviour, enhancing training efficiency, or improving productivity for example.

Pico Neo 3 Pro Back — Pico Neo 3 Pro. Image credit: Pico Interactive

The Pico Neo 3 Pro and Neo 3 Eye are standalone devices but they do support NVIDIA’s Direct Mode via DisplayPort and come supplied DisplayPort connectors and cables. Using this mode the headsets are able to provide native 4K at 90Hz using Pico VR Streaming. Additionally, they support NVIDIA CloudXR to stream VR wirelessly across 5G and WiFi networks.

“Business needs are constantly evolving due to the changing landscape all industries are finding themselves in due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Henry Zhou, CEO of Pico Interactive in a statement. “For the Neo 3 line, we implemented the latest technologies to meet the ever-changing demands of the enterprise. For instance, as hybrid and remote work continues, more companies are seeking remote collaboration solutions, like Pico Interactive’s VR headsets with tools and applications available through our software partners, to allow employees to increase productivity and sales to boost revenue. From training firefighters to decreasing the impact of social isolation on seniors to measuring brain health, Pico’s headsets are now being used in a wide range of industries.

The Pico Neo 3 Pro and Neo 3 Eye are available for enterprise customers to pre-order now, retailing for $699 USD and $899 respectively. Both will then be made available in Q3 2021. For further updates from Pico Interactive, keep reading VRFocus.