XGRIDSDocs

Pico 4 Ultra PC Streaming Guide

The purpose of PC streaming is to render a Unity project on the PC through PDC (PICO Developer Center) and then stream it to the Pico 4 Ultra device for browsing and interaction. It leverages the PC's computing and rendering power for a more convenient preview and adjustment experience.

Step 1: Build a Unity project that runs on Pico 4 Ultra

First refer to the Pico 4 Ultra Development Guide to complete the project setup.

Step 2: Install PICO Developer Center

  1. Visit the PICO official website to download and install the Windows version of PICO Developer Center (PDC).
  2. Complete the installation as prompted and make sure the PDC app is configured correctly on the PC.

Step 3: Configure PICO Unity Live Preview

Status self-check

Before starting the configuration, make sure the three ends are in the following states:

Unity project

Pico 4 Ultra device

  • The PICO Connect app is exited (if installed).
  • Connected to the PC via a USB 3.0 cable.
  • Developer mode is enabled.

PC

  • The PICO Connect app is exited (if installed).
  • The PDC app is open.
  • PDC shows the device status as connected.

Import and configure PICO Unity Live Preview

Download and extract the PICO Unity Live Preview Plugin from the PICO official developer center. Go to Window → Package Manager → ＋ → Add package from disk and open the package.json file in the Plugin, as shown below:

Import the PICO Unity Live Preview Plugin via Add package from disk

Import the PICO Unity Live Preview Plugin via Add package from disk

Go to Edit → Project Settings → XR Plug-in Management → PC, Mac & Linux Standalone Settings and make sure Initialize XR on Startup and PICO Live Preview are checked, as shown below:

Check Initialize XR on Startup and PICO Live Preview in PC Standalone settings

Check Initialize XR on Startup and PICO Live Preview in PC Standalone settings

Next go to Project Settings → Player → PC, Mac & Linux Standalone Settings, uncheck Auto Graphics API for Windows, and add Direct3D11 and Vulkan in that order, keeping the order, as shown below:

Configure the graphics API as Direct3D11 and Vulkan in PC Standalone

Configure the graphics API as Vulkan and Direct3D11 in PC Standalone

Note: PDC streaming cannot use Direct3D12, otherwise it will crash; Vulkan is recommended.

In the project's LCCRenderer.cs, change the Start() method to the following:

m_manager.SetPlatformType(PlatformType.PCVR);
m_renderer = m_manager.GetRender(this.gameObject.transform);
m_renderer.Load(m_FilePath, onProgress, onLoaded);

Note:

  1. PC streaming renders the scene on the PC and then encodes it as a video stream transmitted to the Pico device, so the runtime platform needs to be set to PlatformType.PCVR.
  2. PC streaming has high bandwidth requirements; a wired USB 3.0 connection or a high-speed WiFi network is recommended.
  3. If the Pico side renders incorrectly during streaming, try different resolution modes by changing the resolution in Unity's Game window until the rendering is correct.

Step 4: Run the streaming

Click Unity's Play button to run, and the content in the Unity Editor will be streamed to the device. When playing, it is recommended to close the Scene window and keep only the Game window for better performance.

Note:

(1) According to PICO's official feedback, the current streaming still has defects (such as stuttering and jitter). According to PICO's official technical support, it is still being optimized and improved; contact PICO's official technical support directly when necessary;

(2) According to PICO's policy, PICO Unity Live Preview is only for streaming within a Unity project. If you need streaming from a packaged build, PICO's Business Streaming is recommended; see Pico 4 Ultra Business Streaming for details.