TikTok’s Parent Company May Be Working on ‘Mixed Reality’ Glasses
TikTok parent company ByteDance is reportedly working on mixed reality glasses that could potentially compete with Meta in the wearable VR and AR space. The team behind the Pico 4 VR headset is developing a smaller, lighter mixed reality wearable. It will reportedly be similar in functionality to Meta’s upcoming AR smart glasses .
ByteDance’s glasses are rumored to be about the same size as the BigScreen Beyond VR headset , which weighs about 100 grams. Like Meta’s Orion prototype, most of the computing work will be done in a separate device. Unlike Orion, the extra device will connect to the glasses via a wire.
It’s not yet known whether the device will be released under the Pico brand or when it will be available. However, where it will be sold may be a more difficult question — a release in China seems obvious, but given the tense relationship between the US government and TikTok , it’s hard to imagine ByteDance releasing the device in the US anytime soon.
ByteDance has reportedly agreed to divest its U.S. TikTok unit , as required by federal law, to avoid a nationwide ban, and is also reportedly working on a U.S. version of the TikTok app. Perhaps, once the dust settles and things calm down, we’ll see ByteDance’s XR headsets on U.S. shelves next to Metas headsets.
In the meantime, for a deeper dive into Meta’s plans, I’ve rounded up the rumors swirling around Zuckerberg’s next VR and AR devices .