SHOWDOWN - Pico 4 Ultra vs Meta Quest 3 vs Meta Quest 3S

[@mad-b264]

I does sim racing myself, I got a Quest 2, But decided to get a refurbished Quest 3 on Amazon, Brilliant, was like a brand new Quest 3, And I still gets the warrantee, So I am so glad I did get a refurb, Coz I saved 130 pounds, lol, I does sim racing to help with mental health see, I can't even do games like Batman or Metro, Anything violence causes me mental issues, I suffer with Complex PTSD see, Not getting into why, But sim racing probably saved my life, As I used sim racing to escape opiate and benzo addiction, Since I have been sim racing I have stayed clean, And being 100 honest sim racing in VR has helped reduce nightmares, Not sure why, maybe VR can help with mental health, I wonder if VR could even help people with phobias to things like spiders ect, Or people who been in car crashes, By getting used to the road again, Without going on the roads, I do know sim racing in VR have improved my skills behind the wheel, I only got a T300, That comes up as a T500 by the way, lol, But the T300 GT-RS wheel is fantastic, I might even have a go at learning to drift, I wish I had a 4090, lol, I got a 12gb 3060 with an i5 12600k 32gb ram DDR5 on a MSI Z690 Unify MOBO, It is actually pretty good for VR in medium to high settings, And the Quest 3 being 4k is noticeably better than the Quest 2, I was going to do a review but I am having issues with my mental status, Though I will upload some AMS 2 Nürburgring 24hr laps in VR, I am pretty fast on that track now, And VR have helped me learn how not to spin cars out anymore, lol, I am not kidding when I say VR will improve your sim racing 100 times faster than what a screen would, Even triples, Being able to see the corner like it would be in real life just feel so much more natural coz it is, lol, You cannot beat being inside the actual game you is playing, I will never go back to my TV for sim racing, Unless I had too, lol, I would sim race far less, And if you want to learn fast in AMS 2, Use the Chaterham 620r, Plus the open wheel will allow your brain to learn a track faster I find myself... Also the Quest 3 had a software update I installed the other day, And I am sure it has improved the Quest 3 even with PCVR, Something is better, And I don't think it gets as hot now either, I am using the defogger less now, lol, I also use a cable that charges the headset while I play, I can easily get 8 hours of gameplay, With the PCVR cable I use, I got a battery headset so I could probably get 10 hours with that, Hot swappable so i can change on the fly, So yeah I could do endurance races using a Quest 3, Amazing, I does like 4 hours a night though on AMS 2, By far the best VR sim racing title there is, And Dirt rally 2, And Beam NG if you got a 4090 lol..... Yeah the Quest 3 had a 30% increase so I read, So for me I would still get a Quest 3, Even with the 8gb of ram, When you do PCVR like I does, Then the Quest 3 is perfect for Sim racing in 4K, And cheaper than triples, With far less space taken up....

[@MacInVR]

This is an inspiring story. I'm so pleased that you've found peace in your life through VR. I will pin this comment (if that's okay with you?).

[@mad-b264]

@MacInVR No probs, I had addiction for well over 20 years, So you could say SIM racing and now SIM racing in VR is helping me stay clean off nasty pills, And I can only fix things or make my life better to heal by being totally honest about who I was, So if anyone else has problems with pills, It doesn't do any harm at all getting into a hobby or PC simulation coz if something helps you stay away from a life if addiction then stick at it, For me it was sim racing, I did get a bow an arrow to start an Archery club near me, Like I said it is only being honest about my past, Is made it so I can move on so to speak... My addiction days is behind me now, Even if it means being a loner lol.... But yeah a solid hobby can help you change your ways, It's just finding that right hobby for you....

[@mad-b264]

I forgot to subscribe last night so I just did, lol, I am hearing news about the Quest 4 looming, It will be full on PC power in VR headsets soon, Have you seen the Tecno Pocket Go, AR, VR controller that got some Ryzen 9 I think, A pair of AR, VR glasses plug into a controller and bingo there's your VR PC, lol, And if it runs Cyberpunk in VR looking pretty darn good as well, Why Play Station didn't do that I don't know, Things like that could of been built years ago, VR is proper old, lol, I read also that VR is helping people who lost motor functions from Strokes, One of the worst things that can happen, I bet it is a world of misery suffering a Stroke, And I think everyone has had a loved one had a nasty Stroke, Oculus seen the medical market, And now VR is helping people get movement back in hands, Arms and legs, So if VR got the ability to allow someone's brain to heal, Then VR can be implemented in loads of other ways, Best thing the Face Book dude done was create VR for the masses, You can literally learn how to build a car engine with VR, Practice medical experiments with more probability of success when done for real, Like certain operations, Medieval people would of gone spare for VR, lol, You would be a God or the Devil if you pulled out a Quest during the 1600s, lol, Yet there is historic writings speaking of UFO's, lol, There was sightings of UFO's hundreds of years ago, So myself I do believe there is something in space, lol, I got Rebirth X VR the other week, Fantastic space game, Easy to control the space ship, I can't even do Elite lol, I think you needs a joystick for Elite, Do you do the Space titles yourself, I still not gone on No Mans Sky on my Quest 3 yet, It is my Birthday so might do some Birthday No Mans Sky, lol, The colors are popping on the Quest 2, No Mans Sky do look pretty good on the Quest 2, So it will be bad ass on the Quest 3, Will try it in a bit, Having a nice relaxing stress free Birthday today, Since I been off the pills I spends my Birthdays sober now, I don't even drink alcohol, lol, Getting old now anyways, In the 40s zone now middle age-ness is upon me, lol, The younger people don't realize they will be seeing the future happen, Do people think it will be like in the Cyberpunk game, lol.... Will people be things like a car that flies, I doubt a Government is going to allow people to fly cars, It is tech that we already have see, In the 80s it was said by 2020 there will be flying cars, Yeah right, lol, Though there might be trails in certain places I would imagine, Coz the rich people still wants their toys, lol, But yeah I think VR is a powerful tool to use, You can simulate any scenario now, And practice using VR, Your brain would probably learn faster as well, I would love to see what VR actually does to the brain, Do VR reset it, Coz I have had far less nightmares since I done VR, I still gets violent dreams but nothing like I was before I started gaming in VR, That could be a great video if you had the resources, Then do tests of certain scenarios to see if there is a change, Too if you was doing what ever you was watching a screen, Then do the same in VR, I bet your heart rate would even go up, Making VR great for Cardio, Wouldn't it, lol.... But yeah I just subscribed, I will check more of your vids over the next few days, Have you uploaded any Sim Racing vids, And what Sim racing titles do you do, You probably do the iRacing thing, Is my guess, lol.... Yeah I have a rule in my head, If someone takes time to reply in a video comment, Then I will subscribe, As it shows you care for your channel more in my opinion...... Happy VR'ing, Stay safe yeah an Peace...

[@MacInVR]

@mad-b264 I've done loads of sim-racing stuff, I usually play either Raceroom (got all the DLC) or Automobilista 2 (waiting for v1.6) then we've got Assetto Corsa Evo in January😉

[@mad-b264]

@@MacInVR Init, I am pissed though coz if AMS 2 is waiting until after AC EVO for the 1.6 drop, It will be a mistake, Because people will not bother with AMS 2, Summer they said 1.6 was dropping, Then Sept, And now I am hearing in the AMS 2 online racing chat that Reiza could be waiting until or even after AC EVO, Now AMS 2 got to get more people racing online, And the fact that AMS 2 got IMSA isn't going to do a lot, Even if I am looking forward to IMSA myself, lol, Oh and Sebring, Oh and Atlanta, lol, But Sebring I am looking forward to the most out of the 3 tracks, Some new cars, And the Audi DTM, That Audi DTM and Sebring will make a top race though, And the Chaterham around Sebring, Feel the bounce lol, I ain't even all that excited for AC EVO to be honest, We are at a point in sim racing now where VR is going to keep the sim racers sim racing, If the sim racing title ain't got good VR then it will just be the usual sim racing game, Who wants usual with simulation, lol... I will still get AC EVO though, I bet the dude who created it is already spending his earnings, lol, But yeah I can tell you now, People will be so fed up with waiting for 1.6, They will go to another sim, It is a principle thing now these days, lol... Reiza could bring 1.6 out tomorrow, Coz it is a cruddy move letting a select few have 1.6 update patch for months before the public stinks of rennsport, And look at what happened to rennsport, I can't even get rennsport loaded on my PC, lol, I read people ditched rennsport badly, Yeah AMS 2 needs 1.6 out before Xmas, Give everyone the 1.6 update for Xmas, And people might stay loyal, lol....

[@juu226]

Pico has cameras on top as well which is better for guessing hands/controllers positions when they are over players head.

[@MacInVR]

The tracking is very good on both headsets. The new controllers are magical in their ability to keep up, even with fast hand movements 😊

[@juu226]

@@MacInVR Thats for sure but controllers have IMU units, have you tried hand tracking above head? Without cameras on top how Q3 is able to see your hands there? It won't be.

[@MacInVR]

I am at a convention atm, I will test this when I get home 😉

[@SjaakSchulteis]

I’d like to add a few thoughts about the Pico 4 and Quest 3 since I own both. One of the key reasons I bought the Pico 4 Ultra (in addition to my older Pico 4) was its native ability to capture spatial videos and 3D pictures-a feature you didn’t mention. The videos it records are of good quality and can be watched in 2D on other devices. However, I haven’t yet figured out how to convert spatial videos to SBS 3D (side-by-side) format. On the other hand, the photos it captures are directly saved as SBS 3D images. Another standout feature of the Pico is its ability to display panoramic photos. I’ve taken panorama shots over the past 30 years with different cameras, and on the Pico, I can view them immersively. When I sit on a swivel chair or stand, I can look around and feel like I’m back in those locations. I tried uploading those same photos to my Quest 3, but I couldn't find an easy way to do it. It seems that uploading from iPhones is supported, but not from Android phones. Although I copied the pictures to the headset and even saw a (hidden) folder for panoramic photos, the Quest 3 doesn’t display them as such, just a long picture without immersion. Another advantage of the Pico 4 is that it supports Android APKs. Not every app works perfectly, but many do, and you can install them directly on the headset. Unfortunately, the Quest 3 doesn’t offer this flexibility. When it comes to comfort, I find the Pico 4 Ultra much more comfortable than the Quest 3 for both gaming and movie-watching. Additionally, the Pico 4 Ultra uses infrared light for tracking, meaning it works perfectly even in near darkness. In contrast, the Quest 3 struggles with regular lighting conditions-complaining if I use normal lights in the evening. Although the Pico 4 Ultra might be a bit pricier, the ability to take 3D photos alone makes it worth it for me. Of course, this feature may not appeal to everyone. If it weren’t for Holofit, which I use for fitness, I would rarely use the Quest 3. Even Beat Saber works great on the Rift and Steam versions through PCVR. However, I really miss the standalone version. On the old Pico 4, I could run an adapted version of Beat Saber and Mutrix, a Beat Saber clone. Unfortunately, Mutrix doesn’t work on the Ultra.

[@MacInVR]

@SjaakSchulteis Thank you for your insightful post. I actually wasn't aware of this aspect, but when I went back through the launch trailer, spatial videos & pictures were right there. I use my Pico 4 Ultra when sim-racing because those LCD panels are better ( in my opinion) than Quest 3 plus Pico Connect works very well. I've pinned your comment, thanks again 😊

[@RichardCyberPunk]

about Android APK's, I dont know about the Quest 3, but I can install 2D android APKs on my Quest 1 and Quest 2 without problems. Sideloading or using APKPure.

[@SjaakSchulteis]

@@RichardCyberPunk yes, meanwhile I learned it too. It's just so much easier with Pico.

[@Johnny_Gibbons]

Been waiting for this one! Thanks for taking the time

[@MacInVR]

I enjoyed making it 😉

[@Face_WASPS]

I am not going down that rabbit hole. Lol. With no time to play i am moving on the Pico 4.

[@DyslexicVR-MB]

Good comparison video Mac. Quest 3 is hard to beat at this current time for sure 👍

[@MacInVR]

When they dropped the price of Q3 when Q3S launched, it kind of cut Pico off at the knees. Pity because it is a great headet 😉

[@jodyvandertorn]

Fantastic video, thanks! For an upgrade from my Rift S, I'm leaning towards the Pico 4 Ultra (since I'll be using it mainly for PCVR). How does the Pico 4 Ultra compare to the Quest 3 when it comes to the often mentioned "bitrate compression artifacts" through a link cable?

[@MacInVR]

When I played Half Life Alyx on the P4 Ultra using a good quality link cable (from Iniu), it was the best I'd seen. If there was compression, it was very hard to see & I didn't notice it. Pico 4 Ultra is my go to headset for PCVR

[@jodyvandertorn]

​@@MacInVRGreat to hear, Thanks Mac!!

[@TaskSwitcherify]

Great review, nice job. I think we're missing side-by-side image comparisons to see the difference in quality, color, resolution, etc.

[@MacInVR]

That's a good idea, I may do that in future 😉

[@TaskSwitcherify]

@MacInVR That would definitely help to make the review more complete, especially because all professional reviewers do the same :)

[@MacInVR]

I did show the difference between Meta & Pico passthrough, but next time I'll do more side by side comparisons, thanks 😀

[@TuTAH_1]

7:37 Do you know that there's actually a person who ports Quest exclusives to Pico? They have already succesfully ported some small games and even aiming to port Asguard Wrath 2.

[@MacInVR]

Could you email me please, thanks 😊

[@TuTAH_1]

@@MacInVR I did. Did you get the message?

[@tomc1380]

Ya, if Pico drops there price down to ~$499, includes international support in the US, includes trackers, and includes a very good Link cable, it may be worth considering over the Q3, lol!

[@MacInVR]

I know, grasping at straws 😅 Maybe a dancing monkey as well 😉

[@MrPersonatus]

My issue is with the Quest IPD setup, it sucks with that!

[@MacInVR]

Quest 3S is the same as Quest 2 (bad) but Q3 is okay, I would ditch the motorized IPD from the P4U to keep the price down as well 😀

[@gabrielpedro4075]

Pico 4u is on sale now for 550 €, same as the meta quest 3 512gb, so what would you pick of them? My only concern is about 90hz screen of Pico 4, do you think it's a big difference between 90hz from 4U and 120hz from Q3?

[@MacInVR]

I don't really use the 120hz mode. Also, depends what you are playing. Want the best standalone experience? Then Q3 is better than P4U, just want to play PCVR? I'd go for P4U, slightly better screens, very good colour passthrough

[@hazbin_metrine]

I think I'll stay on the Meta side for now, but when I'll get myself a better PC, I would upgrade to Pico 4 Ultra with their trackers and become a PCVR user.

[@jeppehgsted5228]

Thx man pls pico 4 ultra is realy good poeple havent open the eyes for it

[@pauldavies2358]

I like my pico 4..its better than my Quest pro for one reason..binocular overlap on Quest is awfull. However two issues..accessories for the Ultra like stocks etc seem non existent...and also spare controllers seem to be unavalible. Thats my caviat againt buying ..but I may just because my pico 4 is so good for pcvr and my Index looks old now

[@MacInVR]

I wonder if the Pico 4 Ultra controllers would work with the 4?? 🤔

[@RileyELFuk]

I was a big fan of Pico 4 and never really looked at my Quest 2 once I got it. I bought a Quest 3 on launch, because I wanted the pancake lens experience on Quest and for standalone, it's been my goto headset. I still think that my Pico is preferable for PCVR, simply because it's head and shoulders about Quest for comfort. I really wanted to like Pico 4s, but it just didn't offer enough to justify spending that much money. I'm a little saddened by that, as I'm sure that it's probably the better headset, but the fact is there's been a massive push on Meta games and apps, as well as a lot of discounts slipping out, so I now have a massive library of games, many that cost me under £1, pennies in fact with discount codes (I just got Ghostbusters for £4 today). In comparison, my Pico library is almost non-existent, nor do I see the breadth of releases, nor the discounts. It's a shame really, as I don't think that a Meta monopoly is good for XR, despite their dedication to advance the platform, but there isn't really a compelling argument for the Pico 4s, unless they market it as you suggest. It's still a great choice for a PC gamer looking for a cheap PCVR headset, with standalone chops, but that's a niche market.

[@MacInVR]

Well put my friend, excellent points 😉

[@Dinool]

The 128GB model of Quest 3 was discontinued and you cannot buy it anymore on official site.

[@MacInVR]

This is correct. Things moved very quickly when the Quest 3S came out, and I missed this fact 😳

[@lorenzocorsomusic1308]

Could you please tell me what the max. Resolution is if you use a 1000Mbit USB C cable to connect to your MacBook. I have a Quest 2 and Netflix, Prime Video etc won’t render above 720p. I could use HDMI link to connect to my MacBook but that would only give me a resolution of 1080p and it would be nice if I could take full advantage of the 2160p on the Pico when using a USB C cable to then stream 4k Netflix :)

[@MacInVR]

That's a really great question. Unfortunately, I'm away from home on a business trip, but I will look into it when I get back. I believe you can access Netflix & Amazon via a browser, so I guess the max resolution would be dictated by that.

[@lorenzocorsomusic1308]

@@MacInVR okay thanks 🙏 can’t wait to hear back from you :)

[@123thedman1]

Don't think you mentioned the lenses, Meta are supposed to have the best in the business ?

[@TuTAH_1]

0:00 I would say it's not cutted down Q3, it's upgraded Q2

[@MacInVR]

Good point 😀

[@ronm6585]

Thanks Mac.

[@MacInVR]

Thanks Ron 😊

[@RichardCyberPunk]

Good review.

[@MacInVR]

Thanks 😊

[@polinanightcore8761]

6:35 WTF is happening to his eyes?

[@MacInVR]

Nvidia Broadcast eye tracking, goes a bit wrong sometimes 😂

[@THETRUTHISOUTTHERE-m9v]

I personally wanna get Quest 3. But I found used pico 4 for just a 90£. So i took that. It will be good enough to really understand if it really is my thing. If yes, i will sell this and get Quest,

[@MacInVR]

That is a proper bargain, enjoy 😉

[@THETRUTHISOUTTHERE-m9v]

@ Thanks. So I got it yesterday. I really don't like it. Dropping in CEX Monday. I tried all possible distances between lenses turned on 90 refresh rate and still everything what I try looks bad. It's so pixelated and low quality. Home environment graphics are painful to watch. Menu is sharp, and KZbin videos are fine, but around is not. I was searching and talking with other users in Reddit and my device is not damaged. It's just a thing with pico. I had pico 4 not ultra(maybe there is big difference between them)

[@James-w5h3c]

I don't care about the Quest exclusives so much as intended to do mostly PCVR gaming. So, in that case I'm guessing the Pico 4 Ultra would be the best be then. Now, if could only get it here in the US.......

[@MacInVR]

There is that, sorry 😐

[@Slowcoachy]

Great video Mac.

[@MacInVR]

Thanks mate 👍

[@rolex2jz]

Would you recommend buying Quest 3s if I already have Pico 4? Quest 3 in my country costs 600+ USD so it really isn’t a choice 😅

[@MacInVR]

Not really, Pico 4 is very similar to Quest 3 in performance. It's just the game exclusives that are lacking

[@rolex2jz]

@@MacInVR Thank you so much! I am using my Pico 4 for PCVR anyways so game exclusives doesn't really bother me

[@MacInVR]

You are golden then, my friend. Pico Connect or virtual desktop??

[@rolex2jz]

@ Pico Connect for sure, its free 😂

[@Stevo.100]

Pico not having Beat Saber makes them a no choice for me, that is my favorite game.

[@MacInVR]

It's a shame but it's a Meta exclusive 😕

[@toututu2993]

Beat Saber is okay I bought it on my Quest 2 and is not a VR seller maybe it was in 2015

[@Stevo.100]

@toututu2993 you're entitled to your wrong opinion

[@MacInVR]

😂😂

[@toututu2993]

@@Stevo.100 I mean Beat Saber is a pretty good simple concept showing how rythm games work extremely well in vr, but I wouldn't place it in the top 10 overall best VR category game. Maybe top 5 rythm games overall

[@Harrybo-ez7me]

Great video Mac I am upgrading from a quest 2 to quest 3 , picking it up at weekend can’t wait to be playing as Batman and the new games that are coming out look amazing

[@MacInVR]

Prepare to get sweaty my friend, Batman AS is a proper workout 💪

[@MrSupergrez]

Don't understand how a company like meta just don't make the best equipment

[@toututu2993]

I mean Quest 3 is the most advance modern techs and full package for the price. What else do you expect? A free Roll Royce car that come along with it?

[@dingdongchingchong8659]

They can. But they want to milk as much money off you before they release the next "latest and greatest"

[@OSKSNAKE]

Pico doesnt care about selling at a loss because it doesn't have a software ecosystem behind it yet. Maybe once they get a store or a way to monetize outside of the hardware would they be willing to take hardware losses like Meta is doing because of its store.

[@MacInVR]

Pico are owned by Bytedance and they are not 100% invested in VR like Meta. Pity because the Pico 4 Ultra is a great headset, colour passthrough is amazing & I use it with my sim-rig because Pico Connect is brilliant 😎

[@scupking]

Quest 3 is the current King of headsets. For the price it can't be beat.

[@MacInVR]

As much as I like my Pico 4 Ultra, I have to agree. At that price point, it's a bargain 👌