virtual reality Archives

VR Device Manufacturer Pimax Secures C1 Round of Financing Worth $28M

Pimax, a well-known VR hardware manufacturer in China, recently completed a C1 round of financing valued at 200 million yuan ($28 million).

Puzzle Video Game “The Room VR: A Dark Matter” Now Available on PICO VR Devices

On February 23, a puzzle video game named "The Room VR: A Dark Matter" developed by the British game publisher Fireproof Games was officially launched in the app store of Chinese VR device maker PICO, the first time this game has been released on a Chinese platform.

Tencent Plans to Introduce Meta Quest 2 for Its XR Business

Tencent's extended reality (XR) department underwent adjustment and started to focus on building software. It reportedly will introduce Quest 2, a VR device under Meta, in the future.

Tencent Restructures XR Division, Affected Team Members Receive Two-Month Transition Period

Tencent reportedly started the partial dissolution of its extended reality (XR) team. The Chinese tech company later responded that its XR division will be restructured as a result of an overhaul of the company's hardware development plans.

PICO Starts Small-Scale Layoffs, New Products to Be Unveiled in April

PICO, a VR brand acquired by ByteDance, will launch two new products in the near future, one of which will be the PICO 4 Pro, to be launched in April or May, and the other is a low-end version based on the PICO Neo 3 for the lower-end market.

ByteDance’s PICO Denies Internal Disputes and Product Defects

Reports have surfaced recently claiming that some newly released PICO 4 VR devices have defective parts, and that the rapidly expanding ByteDance-owned firm is splitting into factions. On November 28, a PICO spokesperson denied these rumors.

PICO’s Sales Fall Short of ByteDance’s Expectations as Challenges Mount

As a strong competitor of Meta's Quest 2 device, a range of new PICO 4 products released this year have earned extensive attention. Now the company is suffering from internal and external challenges.

Virtual Livestreaming Firm MRStage Wins A-Round Financing Worth Around $13.7M From Alibaba

MRStage, a Chinese online virtual activity services provider, has recently completed round-A financing worth around 100 million yuan ($13.7 million) from Chinese tech giant Alibaba, which also became its shareholder on October 26.

ByteDance-backed PICO Recalls PICO 4 Packages

A number of users have reported recently that they have received a recall message from VR brand PICO, suggesting that the original portable bag should be sent back for replacement as it may wear or cause scratches on the device.

ByteDance’s VR Brand PICO Announces Upgrade

With the rapid development of the whole VR industry, PICO, a VR brand acquired by ByteDance, officially announced an upgrade to its brand on September 5.

Metaverse Firm Shadow Creator Reportedly Facing Salary Arrears

Shadow Creator, one of the earliest companies in China to engage in the metaverse field, was reported by social media users on August 23 to be owing wages of more than 200 employees.

Chinese Chip Firm GravityXR Bags Several Hundred Million Yuan in New Funds

Ningbo-based XR chip firm GravityXR announced on August 12 that it has successively completed angel-round investment and a pre-A round of financing worth several hundred million yuan, within a period of six months.

Guangli Technology Launches Holoswim 2 AR Goggles on Kickstarter

Holoswim 2, the second generation of AR holographic smart swimming goggles developed by Guangli Technology, was launched on overseas crowdfunding platform Kickstarter on August 2.

ByteDance’s VR System Developer Pico Obtains VR Eye Tracking Patent

On July 26, Pico, a subsidiary of ByteDance, was granted a patent named "Eye Tracking Method and System Based on Virtual Reality", and its application date was March 30, 2021.

Former Xiaomi Design Director Nandir Joins ByteDance’s Pico

Nandir, the former design director of Xiaomi, has become the social design leader for ByteDance-owned VR firm Pico.

ByteDance VR Experience Machine Patent Exposed

An affiliated company of ByteDance was granted an appearance patent for a "VR (Virtual Reality) Experience Machine (Mecha Version)".

“Tech for Good”: Europe’s Answer to Tech Innovations

During this year’s VivaTech, Pandaily interviewed three European startups about their visions for “Tech for Good”. We also took a look at how Chinese consumer brand OPPO has helped tech startups to advance their missions and improve well-being through innovation.