With K-pop artist (G)I-DLE's first virtual reality concert set to be exclusively released on PICO, global VR company PICO is taking steps to strengthen its VR ecosystem following the launch of its new product, PICO4.

Global VR company PICO will present (G)I-DLE's VR concert "For Neverland" on the 31st. Produced in collaboration with AI-based metaverse content company Viv Studio, "For Neverland" is K-pop's first interactive VR concert and will be released exclusively by PICO.

■ VR concerts provide vivid interactive experiences.

The VR concert experienced through the PICO headset is expected to provide an immersive experience as if you were actually on stage, with a 360-degree field of view that combines a 180-degree live-action footage and a 180-degree interactive zone, all in 4K resolution. Additionally, you can enjoy interactive experiences such as pressing facial expression emoticons and shaking the cheering stick with the controller through the PICO headset, and you can watch the concert in a free viewing mode by selecting the zoom-in or zoom-out screen.

The VR concert 'For Neverland' is comprised of a total of 65 minutes, including the main film (60 minutes) and a making-of video (5 minutes), and includes 10 representative songs, including (G)I-DLE's new album 'NXDE' released last October.

Anyone with a PICO headset can exclusively watch (G)I-DLE's first VR concert 'For Neverland' on PICO Video, and to celebrate the launch of the VR concert, an offline event will be held on the 30th and 31st at Space Albert in Gangnam, Seoul, where users can preview (G)I-DLE's VR concert with the PICO VR headset.

Strengthening the VR ecosystem and creating synergy through collaboration with entertainment companies.

While anticipated as a next-generation industry, the VR market is still considered immature. With the expansion of the related content ecosystem and innovation in device technology crucial for synergy, PICO officials anticipate that entertainment collaborations will generate significant growth potential and synergy. We asked PICO about their vision beyond this collaboration.

What is PICO's vision for building an entertainment content ecosystem?

This content was planned and produced in collaboration with PICO and Viv Studio, Korea's leading AI-based metaverse content art tech company. As a VR entertainment and global VR device company, PICO will continue to collaborate with various content producers to expand its content and VR ecosystem, and will actively present various VR content, including K-pop performances.

I'm curious to see how the VR industry views its growth potential and synergy effects in the entertainment market.

I believe the ideal VR is one that discovers infinite possibilities, reconnects the world, enriches users' lives, and creates a pioneering XR (Extended Reality) platform that reinvents everyday experiences. Entertainment content delivered through PICO 4, with its 4K+ picture quality and immersive sound, offers a unique experience with a realistic sense of immersion, making it highly synergistic and promising for growth.

In particular, this (G)I-DLE VR concert will be exclusively available on PICO, and anyone with a PICO device can watch it for free. Through this, we aim to enrich the PICO user experience and create new synergies and experiential value through VR.

Has the economic downturn caused a decline in consumer device sales? Regarding the PICO4, some time has passed since its release this year. I'm curious about the market response so far.

PICO 4, which was released in the Korean market last October, has been receiving a positive response. PICO participated in G-Star last November and set up a booth where domestic customers could experience PICO 4 firsthand and enjoy various VR content. Recently, "Yumi's Cells VR" and "Survival Nation" were released exclusively on the PICO Store, and "The Walking Dead," "Peaky Blinders," and "Just Dance (2023)" are also scheduled for release in the future. Following the exclusive VR concert by (G)I-DLE, we plan to continuously expand our content to provide special experiences to users.