From TikTok to Tech Titan? ByteDance Developing a Mixed Reality Headset

When you think of ByteDance, TikTok comes to mind. It is, after all, one of the company’s most popular products. However, it looks like the company could be expanding its product offerings. The Information reports that TikTok owner ByteDance is apparently looking to build its own mixed reality headset.

TikTok owner gets into mixed reality

We can’t say we’re too surprised that TikTok owner ByteDance wants to get into mixed reality. While augmented and virtual reality technology has been around for a while, the idea of headsets and smart glasses have been picking up traction in recent years.

According ot the report, the mixed reality headset is being built by Pico, a VR startup under ByteDance. Pico is a company whose products some of you might be familiar with, like Pico 4 VR. The company has attempted to go up against the Meta Quest, but apparently, their approach to this mixed reality headset will be different.

The company will reportedly try to go for a slimmer and smaller profile. It is expected to be about the size of the Bigscreen Beyond VR headset. This is achieved by offloading the bulk of the computing work to a puck connected to the headset via a wire. This is slightly reminiscent of the Apple Vision Pro, where the headset is connected to an external battery pack.

The headset is also rumored to build specialized chipsets. These chipsets will help to minimize lag and latency. This would be key to making the headset stand out from the competition.

ByteDance will have competition

That being said, while we understand where ByteDance is coming from, the company will face stiff competition in the mixed reality space. For starters, Apple is rumored to be working on a second-gen Vision Pro. Let’s not forget that Meta has a slew of headsets and smart glasses in development.

Lastly, Google and Samsung are working on a headset of their own in Project Moohan. Google has also developed Android XR, a specialized platform designed with mixed reality in mind. However, the wearable space for smart glasses and headsets are still in its infancy stages.

Right now, Meta is dominating with its Ray-Ban smart glasses. However, ByteDance still has a chance to disrupt the market, much like it did when TikTok launched.