Pico Neo CV
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| Pico Neo CV | |
|---|---|
| |
| Basic Info | |
| VR/AR | Virtual Reality |
| Type | Head-mounted display |
| Subtype | Standalone VR |
| Developer | Pico Technology[1] |
| Release Date | Announced 5 January 2017; U.S. launch planned for 2017[1] |
| Predecessor | Pico Neo DK[2] |
| System | |
| Operating System | Android-based[3] |
| CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 820[1] |
| Storage | |
| Storage | Memory-card support up to 128 GB (reported in March 2017)[4] |
| Display | |
| Display | Two 1.5K AMOLED displays (2017 prototype)[5] |
| Refresh Rate | 90 Hz (announced)[1] |
| Tracking | |
| Tracking | Inside-out head tracking, six degrees of freedom (prototype demonstrations)[4] |
| Audio | |
| Audio | Built-in speaker; AM3D spatial audio (announced)[1] |
| Camera | Front-facing tracking camera[5] |
Pico Neo CV is a standalone virtual reality headset that Pico Technology introduced at CES in Las Vegas on 5 January 2017. It combined its processor, displays and battery in the headset, allowing demonstrations without a smartphone, console or PC. Pico presented it as a consumer product planned for the United States later in 2017.[1][2] The Snapdragon 820 Neo CV shown early that year differs from the redesigned Snapdragon 835 Pico Neo announced in December 2017.[6][7]
Introduction
At CES 2017, Pico exhibited the Neo CV alongside its earlier Neo DK developer hardware and the Pico Tracking Kit for PC applications. The Neo CV moved the computing hardware into the headset; the earlier Neo DK placed some processing components and its battery in a separate gamepad. These were different hardware arrangements, despite their shared Neo name.[1][2]
The all-in-one design addressed a different setup from contemporary PC headsets such as Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. Those systems required a connected computer; the Neo CV demonstrations ran on its own Snapdragon 820. Pico also used Qualcomm's Snapdragon VR SDK.[8]
Hardware
Pico Neo CV uses a halo-style headband rather than the three-point straps common on other headsets of the period. Contemporary reports compared the arrangement with PlayStation VR. Padding supports the forehead and rear of the head, and a rear dial adjusts the fit.[2][5][4]
CES units included different exterior finishes. Justin Diaz photographed a black headset with orange accents, while Hugh Langley described trying a fabric-covered unit and seeing another with a plastic finish. These reports describe demonstration hardware, rather than a confirmed set of retail colour options.[9][10]
Pico's announcement specified two displays described as 1.5K per eye at 90 Hz, together with a built-in speaker using AM3D spatial audio. A March report identified the panels as AMOLED. Rachel Metz reported memory-card support up to 128 GB and battery life of two and a half to three hours; her account did not describe a timed battery test.[1][5][4]
Features
The Neo CV's inside-out tracking used a camera on the front of the headset to follow head movement without external tracking stations.[5] By comparison, the original Vive's room-scale setup used two external base stations.[11] Langley's CES demonstration involved walking through a virtual room and avoiding laser beams. Metz tried a similar demonstration at GDC, stepping over and around beams while moving between the ends of a virtual hangar.[10][4]
Six degrees of freedom combine rotational movement (pitch, yaw and roll) with translational movement (left/right, up/down and forward/backward). This describes the kinds of motion a system tracks, rather than its accuracy or the size of the usable space.[12] The Neo CV's demonstrations included both turning and physical movement through the scene.[10][4]
Langley reported a gyroscope and accelerometer in the CES hardware, as well as being shown a prototype tracking controller. The separate Pico Tracking Kit, also exhibited in 2017, used a stereo camera and two controllers; it should not be confused with the Neo CV's camera-based head tracking.[10][5]
Key highlights
The announced features included standalone playback of 360-degree videos and games, head tracking with six degrees of freedom, and built-in AM3D audio. Pico promoted the headset's portability and comfort, but contemporary hands-on reports offer a more limited account of the prototype.[1] Langley and Metz found their demonstration units comfortable. A March report by Tian Miao also described a comfortable headband, while noting tracking errors and a mismatch between some tracked movement and the demonstration's imagery.[10][4][5] These observations concern short demonstrations, with different software and conditions; they do not establish a measured tracking specification or a general comfort result.
Technical specifications
The following details concern the early-2017 Neo CV announcement and prototypes.
| Item | Documented detail |
|---|---|
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 820; use of Qualcomm's Snapdragon VR SDK announced.[1] |
| Operating system | Android-based system, described by Pico's chief executive in April 2017.[3] |
| Display | Two panels described as 1.5K per eye; AMOLED in the March prototype report.[1][5] |
| Refresh rate | 90 Hz in the announced specification.[1] |
| Expandable storage | Memory-card support up to 128 GB reported in March 2017.[4] |
| Battery life | Two and a half to three hours reported in March 2017; no timed test described.[4] |
| Tracking | Inside-out head tracking with six degrees of freedom demonstrated at CES and GDC.[10][4] |
| Tracking hardware | Front-facing camera, with gyroscope and accelerometer reported in the CES hardware.[5][10] |
| Audio | Built-in speaker and AM3D spatial rendering engine, announced by Pico.[1] |
| Development tools | Pico SDK with a Unity plug-in announced at GDC 2017.[13] |
Development
At GDC 2017, Pico invited independent developers and studios to register for the Neo CV SDK. The announcement covered applications, immersive games, 360-degree videos and other interactive content, and advertised a Unity plug-in for creating and porting Unity-based projects. Its listed functions included inside-out head tracking with six degrees of freedom, asynchronous timewarp, support for multiple controller interactions and object-based audio. These were the company's announced development features, rather than a statement of compatibility with later Pico headsets or current Unity versions.[13]
Pico's GDC announcement listed the Neo CV and the separate Tracking Kit for its booth on 1-3 March 2017. In May, the company also announced plans to demonstrate Neo CV games at E3 in June, alongside its different Pico Goblin headset.[13][14]
Company history
Pico Technology, also represented in contemporary announcements as Pico Interactive, was founded in 2015. Its 2017 SDK announcement described operations in China and the San Francisco Bay area. The Neo CV was its proposed U.S. consumer headset, while the Neo DK and PC Tracking Kit also served developers and business applications.[6][13][1]
Pico's development work included its Android-based software, headset optics, tracking and audio. In an April 2017 interview, chief executive Henry Zhou described changes to Android for VR and the company's work with external hardware and software partners. He also described efforts to recruit content developers and plans for Pico's own app store.[3] Pico's December 2017 announcement reported more than 300 team members worldwide; that was a company-wide figure at the time, rather than the size of the Neo CV development team.[6]
Cost and release date
Pico initially planned a U.S. consumer launch during 2017 and did not announce a price at CES. The March GDC report still described the Neo CV as a prototype, with staff discussing a possible September launch. In April, Zhou continued to describe a launch later in the year and further work on tracking before release. These statements record plans and demonstrations, rather than a confirmed retail shipment date.[1][2][5][3]
On 26 December 2017, Pico announced a redesigned headset named Pico Neo. Its manufacturer release specified Snapdragon 835, ultrasonic controller tracking and pre-orders for qualified U.S. and European business customers and developers at US$749. Road to VR distinguished that model from the earlier Snapdragon 820 Neo CV. The later Neo's processor, controllers, price and pre-order status describe the December hardware.[6][7]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 Pico Technology (2017-01-05). "Pico Neo CV Virtual Reality Headset Announced". Family Friendly Gaming. https://www.familyfriendlygaming.com/News/2017/Pico%20Neo%20CV%20Virtual%20Reality%20Headset%20Announced.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Scott Hayden (2017-01-05). "Pico Bumps the Resolution in Newly Revealed Version of Mobile VR Headset". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/pico-bumps-resolution-newly-revealed-version-mobile-vr-headset/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Eva Xiao (2017-04-12). "Meet the Chinese startup cutting the cord on virtual reality". Tech in Asia. https://www.techinasia.com/meet-chinese-startup-cutting-cord-vr. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 Rachel Metz (2017-03-09). "Will Untethered Headsets Like This One Help Reverse the VR Slump?". MIT Technology Review. https://www.technologyreview.com/2017/03/09/153350/will-untethered-headsets-like-this-one-help-reverse-the-vr-slump/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 田苗 (2017-03-02). "Pico 携新一体机亮相 GDC：Inside-Out 系统初体验，是值得期待的产品 | GDC 2017". 雷峰网. https://m.leiphone.com/category/arvr/nH2YLzj73I7C7Uko.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Pico (2017-12-26). "Pico Technology Co., Ltd. (Pico) Announces Details On Pico Neo, Features First Mass-Produced VR Standalone With 6DoF Head Tracking And 6DoF Controller Tracking". PR Newswire. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pico-technology-co-ltd-pico-announces-details-on-pico-neo-features-first-mass-produced-vr-standalone-with-6dof-head-tracking-and-6dof-controller-tracking-300575285.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Scott Hayden (2017-12-26). "Pico’s New 6DoF Standalone VR Headset is Coming Westward, Including 6DoF Controllers". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/picos-new-6dof-standalone-vr-headset-coming-westward-including-6dof-controllers/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ Kevin Carbotte (2017-01-05). "Pico Technology Reveals Self-Contained VR HMD With Wand Controllers, 6DoF Tracking (Updated)". Tom's Hardware. https://www.tomshardware.com/news/pico-neo-aio-vr-hmd,33338.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ Justin Diaz (2017-01-05). "CES 2017: Hands-On With Pico's Neo CV VR Headset". Android Headlines. https://www.androidheadlines.com/2017/01/ces-2017-hands-picos-neo-cv-vr-headset.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 Hugh Langley (2017-01-09). "Pico Neo CV: This is virtually freedom". Wareable. https://www.wareable.com/vr/pico-neo-cv-review. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ "VIVE User Guide". HTC Vive Support. pp. 48, 50. https://dl4.htc.com/Web_materials/Manual/Vive/Vive_User_Guide.pdf. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ "Fundamentals of WebXR". MDN Web Docs. https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebXR_Device_API/Fundamentals. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Pico Interactive (2017-03-02). "Pico Interactive Reveals Software Dev Kit for Pico Neo CV Stand-Alone VR Headset". Gaming Cypher. https://gamingcypher.com/pico-interactive-reveals-software-dev-kit-pico-neo-cv-stand-alone-vr-headset/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ Pico Interactive (2017-05-10). "Pico To Show Wireless VR Headset At E3". Computer Graphics World. https://www.cgw.com/Press-Center/News/2017/Pico-To-Show-Wireless-VR-Headset-At-E3.aspx. Retrieved 2026-10-15.