Looking into buying VR headsets for your organization, but in doubt which one to get? Let us help you by comparing the two most purchased standalone devices: the Pico G2 4K S and the Meta Quest 2.
VR training is rapidly increasing in popularity as an effective, scalable way to upskill employees and keep them engaged and confident in doing their jobs. It can also be a huge cost saver by preventing operational interruptions, as VR training doesn’t require on-the-job training on expensive assets or large groups of employees in classrooms for days.
To get the best results from VR training, a quality VR headset is required. There are a lot of headsets on the market, of which we will compare the two most used standalone (no additional PC required) VR headsets today.
Let’s dive in! 😎
The Pico G2 4K is a VR device sold by the Chinese company ByteDance. They recently acquired Pico Interactive, which invented this standalone headset. The Pico G2 4K is a 3 degrees-of-freedom headset. You can look around, but walking will not have any effect.
The Pico G2 4K is built for enterprise use. No account setup is required to use the device (but a Pico account is required to be able to download apps from the Pico Store). Kiosk mode can be activated, where users can only interact with a single app. The headset can furthermore easily be connected to a mobile device management (MDM) solution, such as Arbor XR or Manage XR.
Although the Pico G2 4K has its own Pico Store (where the Warp VR app is listed), installed apps aren’t automatically updated. You have to visit the store to discover and install new releases of installed apps.
The Pico G2 4K has only one controller and is therefore very easy to use. The headset is comfortable and lightweight and sells for €299 ex VAT.
The Meta Quest 2 is targeted more towards consumers. A Facebook account is required to be able to use the device and download apps from the Meta Store. Meta is claiming that somewhere during 2022, the Quest 2 can also be used with a work email.
The Meta Quest 2 is a 6 degrees-of-freedom device. It can sense the environment and detect movement like walking, crouching and jumping. This can be an added benefit for some apps, but is not required for the Warp VR app.
The Meta Quest 2 is high quality device, with optimal tracking and a beautiful user interface. App updates are being handled automatically. The Meta Store is a lot bigger than Pico’s which a lot of varied content to choose from.
The Meta Quest 2 comes with two controllers and a comfortable headset. It sells for about the same price as the Pico G2 4K.
Both headsets are comparable in terms of comfort, quality and price and can both be used perfectly for training purposes in combination with the Warp VR app.
If you plan to use the headset for other purposes like using the 6 degrees-of-freedom features, we recommend to buy the Meta Quest 2. In case the required Facebook login is a (security) problem, or you prefer to use kiosk mode, it is currently best to buy a Pico G2 4K.
