On July 15, The Information reported that ByteDance was developing mixed reality (MR) glasses, aiming to compete directly with Meta's upcoming MR products.
It is reported that the development of this MR glasses is led by its VR startup PICO. Unlike the previous product strategy of benchmarking the Meta Quest series, this device adopts a lightweight design, weighing approximately 127 grams, which is close to the volume of the Bigscreen Beyond VR headset.
To achieve portability, the device transfers its main computing tasks to a separate processing unit connected via cables. This solution is similar to the Orion AR glasses prototype technology path showcased by Meta2024.
The Information revealed that PICO is developing a "dedicated chip" for the device to process sensor data to reduce the delay between user actions and AR images.
Although the details have not yet been finalized, the source said that ByteDance/PICO's MR glasses are highly similar to Meta's next-generation hybrid reality devices.
In addition, according to UploadVR, Meta has also suspended the development of Quest 4 after the release of Quest 3S and turned to the research and development of lightweight MR glasses. The company has recently focused on promoting AI wearable devices, such as the newly launched Oakley Meta HSTN glasses, and its next-generation Quest product form will be closer to smart glasses rather than VR headsets with controllers.
