ByteDance is challenging Meta in the virtual reality of wearable tech

ByteDance has reportedly laid out a two-year roadmap for its eventual entry into the VR headset market. According to a report in The Information, the parent company of TikTok is developing reality-shifting goggles that could arrive as soon as 2027.

The effort to develop VR goggles is the latest mission for Pico, ByteDance’s mixed reality hardware division. The Information noted that Pico’s primary line of headsets has suffered from poor sales, leading to the cancellation of the planned Pico 5 device and the pivot to a sleeker, updated design.

These days, wearable tech mostly falls into two categories: There are bigger, more powerful devices, such as Meta‘s Quest headsets, that sacrifice aesthetic qualities in favor of an immersive, full-featured experience. On the other end of the spectrum, entries like Meta’s Orion glasses (which emerged from a partnership with Ray-Ban) offer sleek, stylish designs that are more basic in terms of their functionality.

ByteDance’s next-gen wearable seems as if it will land in the middle of those two categories. The goggle-shaped design will make the device more appealing to consumers who want to try out AR and VR experiences without looking completely dweeby or struggling with a heavy, unwieldy headset.

Though the upcoming Pico device won’t be as heavy-duty as a Meta Quest headset, it will offer some strong performance updates compared to similar smart glasses. A paired “puck” will be able to fit in the user’s pocket, thus powering the goggles while still keeping them lightweight. The specific dimensions of the goggles haven’t yet been made public.

ByteDance achieved a breakthrough in the world of social media thanks to the revolutionary power of TikTok’s recommendation algorithm, and the planned Pico device could also use technological enhancements to encourage consumer adoption. The Information reported that ByteDance is developing specialized chips that will reduce lag and other latency issues for Pico users who engage in AR experiences.

The effort to develop Pico goggles is separate from TikTok, but ByteDance could theoretically benefit by synergizing its wearables division and its popular social video app. For Meta, Quest headsets have served as a gateway into the world of creator-developed experiences, which are currently flourishing thanks to sandbox titles like Roblox. Is ByteDance interested in snagging some of those Roblox dollars by using smart goggles to introduce TikTokers to the metaverse?

If so, the technological innovations offered by the Pico goggles would be a crucial feature. The weird look shared by many metaverse worlds has turned off potential players. If ByteDance can offer that level of immersion while cutting down on lag and making the physical apparatus less cumbersome, Pico could finally have a hit on its hands.