Beijing-based VR hardware manufacturer, Pico Interactive, just recently completed a successful $24.7M Series A funding round co-led by GF Qianhe and FG Xinde Investment, with participation from Jufeng S&T Venture Investment and others. Included in that announcement was also the news that they are planning to release an upgraded version of their 3DOF standalone Goblin headset known as the Pico Goblin 2.
When we reviewed the $249 original Pico Goblin last year, we were impressed with the device from a build and quality perspective, but had doubts about the Snapdragon 802-based headset’s longevity due to a limited content library. Following that headset, Pico later launched the $749 Pico Neo, which was a 6DOF standalone headset (similar to the Mirage Solo) that also featured 6DOF controllers. When we tried it at CES this year the controllers had some major tracking concerns.
The Goblin 2 is built on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 XR platform with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, plus up to 256GB of expanded storage via microSD card. The Goblin 2’s display will feature two 3.5-inch LCD screens with a combined resolution of 2,880 × 1,600 (3K), a 101 degree field of view, and 90Hz refresh rate. All Goblin 2 headsets will also come with a single 3DOF controller, similar to the Oculus Go or Daydream View’s single controller.
According to the announcement, “the Pico G2 utilizes the VIVE WAVE™ VR Open Platform, which brings a consistent user experience across a variety of mobile VR headsets and allows developers to create content for a common platform. To bring a better experience and more VR content to Pico G2 users, Pico’s partnership with HTC Vive also provides Pico G2 users access to the VIVEPORT™ content platform.”
The Pico Goblin 2 isn’t available in the West yet, but is available to consumers in China for ¥2,000 RMB (about $300) at this website.
Let us know what you think of this new standalone headset down in the comments below!
h/t: Abacus News, Road to VR
