TikTok's Next Move is "Space" - ByteDance's Shocking Challenge with "Glasses-Sized" MR Goggles

1 Where is the Source of the "Rumor"?

In the early hours of July 15, 2025 (Japan time), US Engadget reported that "TikTok owner ByteDance is developing its own MR goggles." The article cited exclusive information from The Information, mentioning a hybrid design of "lightweight goggles + compute pack," which differs from both Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3. While the announcement date is undecided, technical considerations have progressed to the prototype stage.EngadgetPYMNTS.com

2 Three Years After Acquiring Pico, the Twists and Turns of ByteDance's XR Strategy

ByteDance acquired VR manufacturer Pico in August 2021. At that time, Pico Neo 3 and Pico 4 performed well domestically, but sales began to decline in 2023, leading to reports of large-scale layoffs. A Weibo post by an employee, self-deprecatingly stating that the "XR bubble has burst," spread widely, cementing the image of Pico as a failed project.Sina Financem.chinaventure.com.cn

3 The Dream of "Lightweight" That Wasn't Abandoned

The turning point began in the fall of 2024. Chinese media Zhidx reported on a prototype "Pico 4 Ultra." The specs included a significant weight reduction from 580 g to 305 g (front part only) and the adoption of the Qualcomm XR2 Gen 2 platform, but it remained an internal evaluation machine without being marketed. The knowledge gained from the weight reduction is believed to have been carried over to the current goggle-type MR.m.zhidx.com

4 How Does It Differ from MR Goggles?

Apple's Vision Pro is an optical pass-through "headset," while Meta is reportedly planning a "goggle" called "Phoenix" weighing around 100 g per eye. ByteDance's proposal is closer to the latter, considering a UI that enables vertical scrolling of SNS feeds with eye movement for TikTok integration. The external pack design results in a weight of approximately 127 g, about three times that of typical sunglasses (25–40 g) and less than one-fifth of a headset.juejin.cnPYMNTS.com

5 Real-Time Reactions on SNS

• When a link was posted on Engadget's official X, it garnered over 400 reposts within an hour. Supporters made up 60%, with comments like "Vision Pro is heavy and too expensive. ByteDance will break the price barrier" (user @JunXR).X (formerly Twitter)

• On Reddit/r/technology, a sarcastic comment "We’re already dumb as rocks, now with goggles we’ll scroll in 4D" received top ratings. Concerns about XR fatigue remain strong.Reddit

• On China's Weibo, "Is Pico making a comeback?" trended. Meanwhile, calm opinions like "First, focus on app integration and content expansion" stood out.m.chinaventure.com.cn

6 The Pros and Cons of Weight and "External Pack"

The key to ultra-lightweight is "offboarding computation." The external pack design ensures battery life (4–6 hours) while allowing the goggles to be fanless. However, cable connections are cumbersome, requiring the smartphone to be tucked into a chest pocket. Meta's Phoenix is said to adopt a similar configuration, indicating the industry may enter a "compute pack war."PYMNTS.com

7 Rumors of In-House Chip Development

The Information reported that "ByteDance is prototyping a low-power ISP (image signal processor) and eye-tracking SoC in collaboration with a Taiwan-based fabless company." They aim to leverage AI inference accelerators developed for TikTok in MR, targeting real-time filters and optimized ad delivery. If differentiation from competitors progresses, the "ad model" for XR devices could achieve short-term profitability beyond Meta.PYMNTS.com

8 Price Around 3,000 Yuan?

Since the previous Pico 4 Ultra had a prototype price of 4,299 yuan (approximately 95,000 yen), many analysts expect the mass-produced goggles to be priced between 3,000 and 3,500 yuan (approximately 60,000–75,000 yen). This is 1/7th of the Vision Pro (approximately 550,000 yen) and 80–90% of the Quest 3 (approximately 88,000 yen). A scenario where it is first released in China and then globally expanded via TikTok is considered likely.m.zhidx.com

9 Why "Goggle-Type" Now?

From the latter half of 2024, the XR market has seen a trend called "moving away from headsets, returning to glasses." The reasons are ① weight ② price ③ the issue of "face hiding" during communication. Surveys have shown that the light user segment prefers sizes that do not hinder daily wear, prioritizing convenience over full VR quality.TECHim.36kr.com

10 Comparison with Meta and Apple

11 Voices of Industry Key Figures

• Qualcomm XR Division VP Mr. Mathes"Weight <150 g is the threshold for AR adoption. ByteDance's proposal is in the right direction."

• Shanghai Jiao Tong University VR Research Professor Mu"The pack method has the challenge of cable breakage rates. Demonstrating new infrastructure like magnetic wireless power supply is urgent."

• Creator @YukaFilm (Japan)"If you can 'like' with just your gaze, the hurdle for TikTok streaming lowers. However, there is also concern about too much 'multitasking viewing.'"

12 Learning from the Past: "Content First"

The biggest factor in Pico's decline was the "lack of content and SNS integration." ByteDance, this time, is establishing a system to simultaneously implement MR modes in in-house apps like TikTok, CapCut, Lemon8, and Resso before the announcement, shifting the KPI to prioritize monthly active users over hardware sales, according to internal sources.Moomoo

13 Advertising Model and Privacy Issues

In response to the idea of using gaze data for ad bidding, moves to strengthen TikTok regulations continue in the US Congress. It is inevitable that the "national security" questions faced by TikTok CEO Zhou Shouzi at the 2024 hearings will resurface. Devices that analyze the user's field of view hold more sensitive personal information than smartphones. How ByteDance designs transparency and cross-border data management will be a condition for global expansion.The Verge

14 Who Will Hold the "Second Smartphone"?

With the smartphone market matured, the biggest growth potential left for platformers is "spatial computing." As Apple opens the door to high price ranges and Meta follows with mass-market pricing, ByteDance, leveraging the overwhelming DAU of TikTok, appears to be aiming for a third position with "lightweight, SNS-native, advertising model."

The market's judgment of success will not be based on technical specs or shareholder evaluations, but onhow many minutes it was worn daily. Will the 127 g future capture our necks, eyes, and time, or will it liberate them? We should keep an eye on future updates.