PICO G2 4K — specification and verdict
The G2 4K puts a 1920x2160 LCD in front of each eye at 75 Hz across a 101-degree diagonal field of view, which is enough resolution to read overlaid labels and signage in a 360 video. What it cannot do is let a trainee move. Tracking is 3DoF: the headset follows head rotation only, so leaning in to inspect a valve or stepping around a machine does nothing on screen. The Snapdragon 835 with 4 GB of RAM is two generations behind anything running interactive VR training today, and the single 3DoF controller with a trackpad and one trigger cannot represent two hands holding a tool. Our courses do not run on it.
PICO designed the G2 4K as a shared kiosk device: the foam facial interface detaches for cleaning or replacement between users, and the Android build supported a kiosk mode that locked the wearer into one application. That was 2019. Production ended in Q1 2023 and with it technical support, software updates and security patches, so a fleet bought today is a fleet with no vendor behind it. There is no current PICO business licensing or device-management offer covering this model, and 32 GB of storage with no vendor content pipeline means every update is a manual sideload. The three-hour battery is not removable, which caps a session-based rollout at roughly a half day per unit.
Do not buy it for training. It is a 2019 3DoF headset that PICO stopped supporting in 2023, and the only thing it still does well is play a 360 video to a seated viewer. If you already own a stock of them, keep them for orientation films and buy 6DoF standalone hardware for anything a trainee has to do with their hands.
How it compares within its class
The axis runs from the lowest to the highest published figure among the VR — standalone devices in this catalogue. The grey tick is the median of that class.
Launch price$399
$299$4750
Median for this class: $674, from 24 models that publish the figure.
Full specification
An em dash means the manufacturer does not publish that figure.
- ManufacturerWho makes it — and who you buy support from.
- PICO (ByteDance)
- CategoryWhich kind of product this is. It decides which rows below make sense at all.
- VR — standalone
- Device typeWhere the computing happens, and therefore what you need to run it.
- Standalone VR
- AnnouncedThe day it was shown, which is not the day it shipped.
- Announced: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- ReleasedYear the model went on sale. Older is not automatically worse in this category.
- 2019
- AvailabilityWhether you can still order it new today.
- Discontinued in 2023
- Support endsThe date the manufacturer stops supporting it. Decisive for a fleet you are about to buy.
- Support ends: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- PanelThe screen type. micro-OLED gives deeper blacks and higher contrast; LCD is brighter and cheaper.
- LCD
- OpticsThe lenses in front of the panel. Pancake stays sharp closer to the edges than older Fresnel, which decides how much a trainee has to aim their head to read something.
- Optics: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Eyes coveredOne eye or both. Over a full shift this is a real difference in fatigue.
- Both eyes
- Resolution per eyePixels delivered to each eye. Higher means small text and labels stay readable.
- ≈1920x2160*VRcompare specification sheet
- Refresh rateImages per second. Higher feels smoother and helps people prone to motion discomfort.
- ≈75 Hz*VRcompare specification sheet
- Field of viewHow much of your view the image covers. Bigger is more immersive, not automatically better for work.
- ≈101° diagonal*VRcompare specification sheet
- Pixel densityPixels per degree of view — the honest way to compare sharpness between a headset and a pair of glasses. Higher is sharper. Only shown where somebody published it; we never compute it ourselves.
- Pixel density: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- BrightnessIn a plant or outdoors, brightness decides legibility more than resolution does.
- Brightness: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- WeightThe device alone. Anything above roughly 150 g is felt within an hour.
- ≈276 g*VRcompare specification sheet
- Visible field of viewWhat the eye actually sees through the optics, by axis.
- Visible field of view: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Rendered field of viewWhat the device draws. Never smaller than what you see.
- Rendered field of view: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Binocular overlapWhere both eyes see the same thing — this is where depth happens.
- Binocular overlap: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Average pixel densityPixels per degree across the image. More is sharper.
- Average pixel density: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Peak pixel densityThe sharpest point, usually the centre of the lens.
- Peak pixel density: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Subpixel layoutHow the coloured dots sit in a pixel. A stripe looks cleaner on text than PenTile.
- RGB stripe · 2 subpixels per pixel
- Foveated renderingWhether detail is dropped outside where you look, to save performance.
- Foveated rendering: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- PassthroughWhat the front cameras give you: colour, grayscale, or nothing.
- Passthrough: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Passthrough camerasResolution, density and frame rate of that camera feed.
- Passthrough cameras: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- IPD adjustmentMatching lens spacing to the eyes. Motorised is fastest when one headset passes between people.
- IPD adjustment: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- IPD rangeHow far the lenses travel to match eye spacing. A narrow range excludes part of any group of adults, which matters when one headset is shared.
- 54–71 mm
- Works with glassesWhether people who wear glasses can use it — fits over them, or takes prescription lens inserts.
- Works with glasses: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Vision correctionHow somebody who wears glasses uses it, and in what dioptre range.
- Vision correction: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- DimensionsWidth, height and depth of the device itself.
- Dimensions: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Weight with strapWith the strap it ships with — the weight you actually wear.
- Weight with strap: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Head strapSoft band or a rigid one. Decides how the weight sits over an hour.
- Soft strap
- MaterialsShell and facial interface, in the vendor’s words.
- plastic · foam facial interface
- ColoursColours the manufacturer sells it in.
- Black
- Haptics in the headsetVibration in the headset itself, not in the controllers.
- Haptics in the headset: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- TrackingWhether content stays put in the room (6DoF), follows head rotation (3DoF) or is simply fixed.
- 3DoF rotational only, no positional tracking
- Base stationsWhether boxes have to be mounted on the walls before it works.
- Not needed
- Tracking camerasHow many cameras it uses to know where it is.
- Tracking cameras: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Tracking rateHow often position is recalculated. Higher is steadier.
- Tracking rate: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Depth sensorA dedicated sensor for distance, on top of the cameras.
- Depth sensor: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Hand trackingWhether bare hands can operate the interface, without a controller or the phone.
- No
- Eye trackingThe headset knows where the trainee is looking. Enables sharper rendering where they look, and attention analytics.
- No
- Face trackingTracks facial expression — for avatars, not for training scenarios.
- Face tracking: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Body trackingHow much of the body the device knows about. Estimated legs are not tracked legs.
- Body tracking: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Controllers includedWhether motion controllers come in the box, or are bought separately — or the device is hands-only.
- Yes
- Controller modelThe manufacturer's own name for the controller.
- Pico G2 Controller
- Controller tracking6DoF controllers track position and rotation, so a hand reaches in space; 3DoF only point. “None” means hands only.
- 3DoF
- Finger tracking on the controllerWhether the controller senses individual fingers, and how.
- Finger tracking on the controller: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Controller inputsButtons, sticks and triggers the controller offers.
- trackpad · face buttons · index trigger
- Controller hapticsVibration feedback in the hand.
- Controller haptics: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Controller powerDisposable cells or a built-in rechargeable — a fleet question.
- Controller power: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Controller weightOne controller, as the vendor weighs it.
- Controller weight: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Other input methodsWays in beyond controllers and bare hands.
- Other input methods: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- PerformanceHow much the headset can run — sharper scenes, more objects, smoother mixed reality. Higher is better.
- Dated — we no longer recommend it
- ProcessorThe processor and memory inside. This is what the performance grade above is derived from.
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
- CPUCores and clocks, where the manufacturer publishes them.
- Octa-core Kryo 280 (4 x 2.45 GHz, 4 x 1.9 GHz)
- GPUThe graphics part of the chip.
- Adreno 540
- MemoryRAM on the device. Together with the chipset it sets how complex a scene can be.
- 4 GB
- PlatformThe platform an application is built against — and what an MDM has to speak.
- Android
- StorageOn-board space for downloaded courses. More matters for an offline library in several languages.
- ≈32 GB*VRcompare specification sheet
- SD card slotWhether storage can be added with a card.
- SD card slot: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- BatteryRuntime as the manufacturer states it. A hot-swappable pack matters more than the figure.
- ≈180 min*VRcompare specification sheet
- Battery capacity (Wh)Energy in the cell. Bigger is longer, given the same power draw.
- Battery capacity (Wh): Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Battery capacity (mAh)The same fact in the other unit vendors use. We never convert between the two.
- 3500 mAh
- Charge timeFrom empty to full. Rarely stated by the manufacturer, so it usually comes from whoever timed it.
- Charge time: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- ChargerPower of the supplied charger — it decides the charge time above.
- Charger: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- External batteryBattery on a cable or a puck instead of on the head.
- External battery: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Charging caseExtra runtime carried in the case the glasses ship with.
- Charging case: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Hot-swap batteryWhether a charged battery can replace the empty one without ending the session. This is what decides if a headset can hold an all-day training station.
- Hot-swap battery: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Runs Skillsive appsOur own statement about whether Skillsive training applications run on it today.
- No
- Suitable for trainingOur judgement on whether it survives real deployment: comfort, hygiene, fleet management.
- No
- Kiosk mode / MDMVendor tooling to enrol devices, push an app and lock the headset to it. Practically required above ten devices.
- No
- Business tierAn official business tier, so devices belong to the company rather than to employees’ personal accounts.
- No
- Swappable facial interfaceRemovable, wipeable face padding. A consumable, and the difference between shared use and complaints.
- Yes
- CertificationsIndustrial certifications stated on the manufacturer's own page. Empty means unconfirmed, never "probably fine".
- Certifications: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- PortsPhysical sockets and charging contacts.
- USB Type-C · headphone jack
- Wi-FiThe Wi-Fi generation — it decides how well wireless streaming holds up.
- Wi-Fi: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- BluetoothFor controllers, headphones and accessories.
- Bluetooth: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Video from a computerWhether a computer can drive it, over a cable or wirelessly.
- Video from a computer: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- AudioBuilt-in sound. Matters most where somebody has to hear a remote expert while working.
- Headphone jack
- MicrophoneBuilt-in microphone — the other half of talking to a remote expert.
- Microphone: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- MicrophonesHow many. An array picks a voice out of a noisy hall; one does not.
- Microphones: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Price bandThe band it sits in, rather than a price that goes stale.
- Mid range
- Launch priceThe manufacturer's launch price. Fixed history, so it never goes stale.
- $399
- Price by configurationWhat each configuration cost at launch.
- Price by configuration: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Price todayApproximate current net price in USD — a general figure, since these barely differ between regions once tax is stripped out. A snapshot from the date shown, not an offer.
- Price today: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Comfort (from reviews)How it wears over a full session. Scored from agreement between independent reviewers, not from our own testing.
- Comfort (from reviews): Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Edge clarity (from reviews)Sharpness away from the centre of the lens. Scored from agreement between independent reviewers.
- Edge clarity (from reviews): Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Tracking reliability (from reviews)How tracking holds up in poor light and fast movement. Scored from agreement between independent reviewers.
- Tracking reliability (from reviews): Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Hand tracking quality (from reviews)How usable controller-free hand tracking is in a training scenario. Scored from agreement between reviewers.
- Hand tracking quality (from reviews): Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
Who this device is for
Organisations that already have G2 4K units on a shelf from a 2019-2021 kiosk deployment and want to know whether they can be reused. The honest answer is that they suit passive 360 playback for visitors or induction sessions, and nothing else. Anyone specifying new hardware for VR training should not have this device on the list.
What is missing, and what the manufacturer does not publish
PICO's own product page for the G2 4K is gone: pico-interactive.com/us/G2.html now redirects to the business site, so every figure here comes from VRcompare and from VR Expert rather than the manufacturer. PICO never published a dated end-of-support notice we could find, only the Q1 2023 end of production reported by its distributor, so we record the discontinuation year and no support-end date. Optics type, exact Wi-Fi and Bluetooth versions, microphone and speaker configuration, and whether a microSD slot is present are all unverified.
PICO G2 4K — frequently asked questions
- Does the PICO G2 4K still get software and security updates?
- No. PICO ended production in Q1 2023 and stopped providing technical support, software updates and security updates at the same time. Existing units keep working and existing custom applications keep running, but the Android build on them is frozen, so treat any G2 4K on a network as an unpatched device and keep it off systems that matter.
- Can VR training courses run on the PICO G2 4K's 3DoF tracking?
- No. The G2 4K tracks head rotation only, with one 3DoF controller, so a trainee cannot walk to a machine, crouch, or use two hands. Our courses need 6DoF standalone hardware and will not install usefully here. The device remains fine for 360-degree video and virtual tours viewed from a fixed seat.
- Is the 276 g PICO G2 4K still worth using as a shared kiosk headset?
- For passive playback, yes within limits. It is light at 276 grams, the foam facial interface comes off for cleaning between users, and 75 Hz on a 4K panel is comfortable for seated viewing. But there is no vendor kiosk-management or MDM service for it any more, 32 GB fills fast with video, and the three-hour battery is not swappable, so plan on manual sideloading and a midday recharge.
Compare this device
Consider these too
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Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08. Manufacturer's specification
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