Pico Developing Slim, Lightweight Mixed Reality Goggles to Compete with Meta’s Next-Gen Headset

I’m not quite sure why I care about headsets, honestly, but here we are. So, Pico, which is part of the whole TikTok-ByteDance empire—more on that another time—is cooking up this new mixed reality gadget. It’s meant to give Meta a run for its money. You know, like a one-two punch in the XR world.

So, get this: they’re calling it ‘Swan’. Yeah, swans are supposed to be graceful, and this headset is like, feather-light—about 100 grams or something. Imagine balancing a couple of oranges on your head and calling it a day. Not that you’d want to, I guess. Anyway, some folks in the know spilled the beans on this whole setup. It’s kind of a mutant design because the heavy lifting is done by this thing called a “compute puck.” Reminds me of a glorified Frisbee, but what do I know?

Oh, and for pictures, they tossed in a photo of the Pico 4 Ultra. Looked sleek, I suppose, with the kind of finish that screams ‘futuristic’. Made me think of polished pebbles in a Zen garden. Or maybe I’ve just had too much coffee today.

But back to Swan. Unlike the usual clunky controllers, this one uses eye and hand tracking. It’s as if it’s watching your every move, which—let’s be real—feels a tad creepy. Also, they’re making special chips to shrink the lag in AR. Quicker than a hiccup or so they claim.

I heard it’s a bit like what Meta’s got cooking—some ‘Phoenix’ or ‘Loma’ or ‘Puffin’—name’s still up in the air, apparently. Meta’s is supposed to roll out in a few years and might not break the bank, staying under a grand. But Swan? Who knows. No price tags or shipping plans yet. Historically, Pico’s been a bit pricier than Meta, mostly selling in Asia and parts of Europe. Not in North America, though—maybe they think we can’t handle it or something.

There you have it. Technology flying by and us just trying to keep up. I’m off to ponder swans and puffins now, or maybe just grab a snack.