TikTok's Parent ByteDance Challenges Meta with New Mixed Reality Goggles

Chinese tech company ByteDance, which is best known for creating TikTok, the global short-form video platform, is diving back into the mixed reality race with a fresh strategy.

The Beijing headquartered company is developing lightweight mixed reality goggles that overlay digital visuals onto the real world. These goggles are reportedly tethered to a pocketable puck, which likely handles processing and power — similar to Meta’s upcoming “Puffin” headset.

Tech Ambitions

• The goggles aim to minimize latency between physical movement and digital response using specialized chips.
• ByteDance’s hardware division, Pico, is leading the charge. After shelving the Pico 5 VR headset due to weak sales, they’ve pivoted to a long-term project codenamed Swan, focused on more ambitious, lightweight devices.

Why It Matters

This marks a shift from bulky headsets like Meta Quest or Apple Vision Pro toward sleeker, glasses-like wearables. It’s a response to consumer demand for comfort and portability — even if it means sacrificing some functionality.

ByteDance’s upcoming mixed reality goggles — developed under its Pico division — are still in the prototype phase, but here’s what we know so far based on the latest reports:

Design and Form Factor

• Lightweight goggles tethered to a pocket-sized puck for processing and power. 
• Similar in size to the Bigscreen Beyond headset, one of the smallest VR devices available. 
• Designed for comfort and portability, moving away from bulky headsets like Meta Quest or Apple Vision Pro. 

Core Hardware

• Custom chips in development to reduce latency between physical movement and digital response. 
• Likely to include high-resolution passthrough cameras for mixed reality overlays
• Specialized sensors for spatial tracking and environmental mapping

Processing Unit (Puck)

• Expected to house the main processor, battery, and connectivity modules. 
• May support wireless streaming and low-latency interaction with the goggles

Development Status

• Project codenamed Swan, a long-term initiative focused on high-end, lightweight MR devices. 
• Final specs and design are not yet locked, but ByteDance is working with Chinese suppliers to refine the product

Comparison to Meta’s Puffin

• Meta’s Puffin headset (due 2027) also uses a puck-based design and emphasizes eye and hand tracking. 
• ByteDance’s goggles aim for similar compactness but may prioritize cost-efficiency and content integration with platforms like TikTok.

Meta’s Puffin Project

Meta’s Puffin headset, expected in 2027, also emphasizes compact design and controller-free interaction via eye and hand tracking. ByteDance’s goggles are said to resemble the Bigscreen Beyond headset in size — one of the smallest VR devices on the market.

If ByteDance nails the balance between performance and wearability, it could reshape how we think about immersive tech — not just for gaming, but for productivity, entertainment, and even social interaction.