VRChat: What I’ve Learned After 3 Months with the PICO 4

Time flies! It’s already been three months since I bought my PICO 4 VR headset! It’s gotten really hot lately, hasn’t it?

(Note: This article is a translation of the original Japanese version. Some expressions may not be perfectly accurate.) This article was originally published in Japanese on July 7, 2023.

So, here are my thoughts after using it for three months! I wonder if my impressions have changed much from my one-month review? Maybe some things are different now that I’ve used it for a while?

[embed]PICO 4: Review After 2 Months of Use Alright, alright~ Today I’m going to talk about my experience using the PICO 4 VR headset. I’ll get straight to it and…medium.com

Was Buying the PICO 4 Worth It?

I can say without a doubt that I’m glad I bought it! I mean, I couldn’t have started my VR journey without it! ✨

In fact, I even think I should have bought it sooner!!! The experience of VRChat is just completely different when you’re using a VR headset compared to just playing on a PC screen!

If you’re going to dive into VRChat, I really think you should get one!

[embed]PICO 4 - 128G 完全ワイヤレス オールインワン VRヘッドセット (ピコ 4 VRゴーグルPC対応) ヘッドセット：サイズ 255-310(奥行） 195mm(幅) 106mm(高) ヘッドセット：重さ 295g (ストラップなし) 総重量：550g ヘッドセット：ストラップ サイドストラップ、片手ノブ調整、トップストラップ…amzn.to

The Good Things About the PICO 4

After using it for these three months, I’d have to say the best part is the beautiful image quality! That’s such a crucial aspect, so it’s really important, you know!

The Meta Quest 2 uses Fresnel lenses, which can make the view less clear, but the PICO 4 uses pancake lenses, and it looks so sharp!

By the way, the Meta Quest 3 will also have pancake lenses, so I have high hopes for it! ✨✨✨

Another good point is the weight balance, I guess! Although, for me, I felt it was a little front-heavy right out of the box, so I bought and made some attachments to adjust it better!!

But that did make it a little heavier, of course. 💦

I wrote about the various modifications I made here!

[embed]PICO4: Modding for a Comfortable VR Life, Part 1 And so, the “PICO 4 Modding Project” begins~!!!medium.com

[embed]VRChat: PICO 4 Mods for a Comfy VR Life, Part 2 Today’s topics are~! “Banging controllers together” & “Heavy controllers”!medium.com

[embed]VRChat: PICO 4 Mods for a Comfy VR Life, Part 3 — Introducing Wi-Fi 6 I was using a “Wi-Fi 5” standard router until now, but when I was in VR, the connection speed for Virtual Desktop…medium.com

[embed]VRChat: PICO 4 Modding! Aiming for a Comfy VR Life Part 4 — Adding a Battery Well well~ we’re already at Part 4 of this series! I really hope that by the time something like a PICO 5 comes out…medium.com

[embed]VRChat: PICO 4 Modding! Aiming for a Comfy VR Life Part 5 — Battery Add-on 2 I just wrote Part 4, “Adding a Battery,” yesterday, but I’ve already made a few improvements, so here’s the follow-up.medium.com

[embed]VRChat: PICO 4 Modding! My Quest for Comfort, Part 5 — Prescription Lenses If you’re someone who normally wears glasses or contacts, you probably have to wear your glasses inside your VR…medium.com

[embed]VRChat: PICO 4 Modding for a Comfy VR Life, Part 6 — The Head Strap In my previous posts, I’ve shown how I improved the balance by changing the head strap’s position and attaching an…medium.com

The Downsides of the PICO 4

There are a few things that have bothered me while using it. First, it’s definitely the weight! After wearing it for a long time, my neck really starts to ache. 💦

I mean… I know part of that is because I wear it for too long… but when you’re in VRChat, wearing it for several hours is normal, so I really wish it were lighter!

Also, the default face cushion is hard and made my face hurt, so I quickly replaced it with a third-party one.

However, now that it’s getting hotter, it gets pretty stuffy and sweaty in there, and I wish there was a better solution for this. (An air conditioner is pretty much a must.)

Other issues are that the controller batteries die way too fast, and the tracking can be a bit jumpy.

I use rechargeable batteries for the controllers, but they require two AAs, which is heavy. I use an adapter for AAA batteries to make it lighter, which means they die even faster. 💦 I really wish they only needed one battery. Sometimes I’ll go to play the next day and find the batteries are suddenly dead, which is always a “Huh?” moment… (・ω・｀)

As for the tracking, I’ve noticed it tends to lose my hands when they overlap or get too close to the headset. This is especially true in VRChat when I use XSOverlay — my left hand, the one I use to open the menu, always seems to wander off somewhere…

I’m Curious About the Meta Quest 3!

[embed]VRChat: The Meta Quest 3 Was Announced! What’s Everyone’s Take? The other day, Meta officially announced the Meta Quest 3! We’ve seen a bunch of VR headsets released over the last…medium.com

The Meta Quest 3 is scheduled to come out this fall, or maybe winter? It seems like the MR features are being enhanced, the performance will be better, and the image quality will improve. The battery balance might still be a bit questionable, but I have a feeling it’s going to be a really great headset!

I’m super curious about it! If more details come out this summer and pre-orders open up, I might just have to reserve one! lol

[embed]PICO 4 - 128G 完全ワイヤレス オールインワン VRヘッドセット (ピコ 4 VRゴーグルPC対応) ヘッドセット：サイズ 255-310(奥行） 195mm(幅) 106mm(高) ヘッドセット：重さ 295g (ストラップなし) 総重量：550g ヘッドセット：ストラップ サイドストラップ、片手ノブ調整、トップストラップ…amzn.to

[embed]Meta Quest 3 128GB|最もパワフルなMeta Quest|究極の複合現実体験|オールインワンMR・VRヘッドセット Amazon.co.jp: Meta Quest 3 128GB|最もパワフルなMeta Quest|究極の複合現実体験|オールインワンMR・VRヘッドセット : ゲームamzn.to

This article is based on the following original Japanese version:

[embed]【PICO 4】VRゴーグルを3ヶ月被ってわかった事｜ことは しろ 早いものでVRゴーグルのpico4を買ってから3ヶ月経ったよ！最近はすっかり暑くなってきたよね〜 3ヶ月使ってみての感想だよ！ 1ヶ月前の感想とあんまり変わってないかな？長く使って変わった部分もあるかも〜？ PICO 4を買って良かった？…note.com