Pico's Big Plans: A New XR Headset in 2026

Pico, a company under ByteDance, is cooking up something exciting for 2026. They're planning to launch a new XR headset that's packed with cutting-edge tech. This isn't just any headset; it's got a self-developed chip that's been in the works since 2022 and is now in mass production. This chip is a big deal because it tackles some major issues in mixed reality, like processing bottlenecks and system latency. It can reduce latency to about 12 ms while keeping image quality top-notch. But that's not all. This headset is also expected to feature a custom microOLED display with a resolution of around 4, 000 PPI. That's even higher than the Apple Vision Pro's 3, 386 PPI. The display is designed to address brightness issues and improve color and luminance uniformity. Plus, Pico is working on its own data-capture systems to enhance eye-tracking, gesture-tracking, and spatial understanding. Pico's Vice President of Technology, Zhenyuan Yang, recently shared these plans at ByteDance's annual scholarship award ceremony. He emphasized that Pico has shifted its strategy to focus more on long-term technological investment rather than content and marketing. This shift was made because the hardware experience wasn't mature enough to support large-scale market applications. Yang clarified that this doesn't mean ByteDance is backing away from the XR market; it's just a strategic adjustment. This news follows reports that Pico is also developing a pair of slim and light MR "goggles, " codenamed 'Swan, ' weighing just 100 grams. However, there's a catch. Pico's headsets are typically only available in China, East and Southeast Asia, and Europe. They're not available in North America, despite efforts to enter the market. Additionally, Pico's headsets have been priced higher than Meta's equivalents, which might limit their appeal in Meta-supported regions.