The First TRUE Quest 2 Competitor Is HERE! Pico Neo 3 LINK

We finally have real competition for the Meta Quest 2. Pico has made VR headsets for a long time, but in the West only for businesses: its consumer editions were only sold in Asia. Now it’s bringing a consumer headset to Europe, the Pico Neo 3 Link. Here’s what it is, how Pico plans to launch it, and what I think it could mean for VR.

WidmoVR sponsored this video. That pays for our time, not for the verdict.

What the Pico Neo 3 Link is

Pico is now owned by the parent company of TikTok. Its latest headsets are the Neo 3 line, standalone VR headsets that are very similar to the Quest 2 in specs and looks. The Neo 3 Link is very close to the Neo 3 Pro, which I’ve reviewed before.

Pico says over 200 standalone games and apps will be available at the start, including familiar titles like Superhot, After the Fall and Walkabout Mini Golf. You can also play most SteamVR games, wired and wirelessly.

Price, countries and pre-orders

• Price: 449 euros including tax. That’s exactly what a 256GB Quest 2 cost in Europe at the time.
• Countries at launch: Germany, France, Spain and the Netherlands, through a handful of shops.
• More markets: Pico plans to add markets at monthly intervals, starting with the UK in June.
• Pre-orders: from 15 April at 12:00 (European time, I think) until 23 May, or until supplies run out.
• Limit: one headset per person. It doesn’t sound like there will be many, so be quick if you want one.

A beta program for consumers

Pico’s approach is interesting. The Neo 3 Link is sold as part of a consumer beta testing program: if you pre-order, you get to give feedback on Pico’s software and hardware and help shape its future devices. Pico wants to be a more open and more adventurous platform for creators, developers and VR fans.

It feels a bit like the early Oculus days on Kickstarter, and I like that better than Meta’s walled garden.

What this could mean for VR

You might think TikTok’s parent company isn’t much better than Meta, and I agree. But more competition is good. It pushes companies to think harder about what consumers want, and hopefully to treat developers better, because otherwise those developers can move to another platform. Pico has also always had a more open platform than the Quest 2, and I hope it stays that way.

I also think it’ll grow demand for VR. Plenty of people don’t like Meta but might buy a Pico Neo 3, and more players is good for developers and for the games we get. Pico uses what looks like an Android-based OS, so porting Quest 2 games should be easier (developers, correct me if I’m wrong), and Neo 3 owners won’t have to miss out on Quest games.

I’d also expect more developers, like the developer of Virtual Desktop, to have a reason to bring their apps to Pico now that more people can buy it.

Pico Neo 3 Link specs and my experience

The Neo 3 Link is similar to the Neo 3 Pro, so there may be some differences, but I expect comfort, display quality, field of view, tracking and battery life to be about the same. My Pico Neo 3 Pro vs Quest 2 video covers that in detail. In short:

• Performance and display: similar to the Quest 2, which is good.
• Tracking: not as good as the Quest 2, which seems to have better prediction software. It’s not bad, though.
• PC VR streaming: the software isn’t as developed as the Quest 2’s yet.

With testers in the West, I expect the software to get better quickly.

Is it worth waiting for?

If I had premonition powers, I’d say this changes everything, because for the first time we have more options than just the Quest 2. I really hope the Neo 3 Link reaches more countries soon, including the US, and I’m curious what it will do to the VR ecosystem. If you’re in one of the launch countries and want an alternative to Meta, pre-order early, because supply looks limited.