The HP Reverb G2 is probably the most exciting virtual reality headset on the market right now. This may surprise people who expect HTC, Oculus, or Valve VR to push forward, but the HP Reverb G2 accomplishes this by bringing an important revolutionary change: high-resolution lenses.
We’re really not kidding when we say the HP Reverb G2’s resolution of 2160 x 2160 per eye is a change. It takes immersion to a whole new level by virtually eliminating the “screen door” effect. The screen door effect occurs on lower resolution headsets where you can see the gaps between the pixels.
Once you notice it, it’s hard to ignore; It looks like you’re looking through a fine-meshed net or sieve door and can hinder immersion. By overcoming this issue and being compatible with Steam VR, which gives you access to a wide variety of VR games and experiences, the HP Reverb G2 undercuts the headset.
Price and availability
The HP Reverb G2 is available for pre-order for $ 599.99 / £ 520 (about AU $ 800), although inventory is low at the time of writing. Therefore, it may take a while to get one.
That $ 600 price tag is certainly steep, beating the Reverb G2 over the wireless Oculus Quest 2, but it’s also cheaper than the HTC Vive Cosmos and quite a bit cheaper than the high-end valve index and HTC Vive Pro. at higher resolutions than any other.
So it’s definitely an avid VR headset, but one that sets itself apart from the competition with better specifications – and we always like to see that.
design
The design of the HP Reverb G2 is standard for a virtual reality headset. Headphones are built-in and the headset can be adjusted with Velcro straps while you wear it. The face mask that fits against your face when you wear the headset is light and comfortable, and blocks out light from the outside world well (another problem that pops up with some VR headsets).
This mask attaches magnetically to the headset and makes it easy to change (if you need a custom fit). At the bottom of the headset is a slider for setting the IPD (interpupillary distance – the distance between lenses for each eye) which is easy to do.
According to HP, the Reverb G2 weighs 1.1 kg without the cable. This is not the most useful metric because you need to use the headset with the cable so you can never wear it without the cable attached. However, it feels lighter than many of its competitors, including the Vive Cosmos, though it also feels a bit more plastic and fragile.
Speaking of cables, it plugs into the headset above the goggles so you have to remove the mask. The other end connects to a small, elegant breakout box that connects to your PC’s DisplayPort. There’s also a cable that plugs into a USB-C port – so make sure your PC has one of these.
A power adapter plugs into the box too, and the end result is a mass of cables on your desk, although the breakout box looks smaller and nicer than the one that came with the HTC Vive. But if you have the HTC Vive box, you can disconnect the headset and its cable so you can hide it when not in use. With the HP Reverb G2, the cable to the headset cannot be separated from the box, only from the headset. Even if you don’t use and disconnect the headset, you still need a long cord to get by.
At 6m, the cable is also one of the longest that comes with a wired headset. It can keep up with the valve index and gives you a lot more freedom in using it for space experiences and games.
While the HP Reverb G2 isn’t revolutionary in terms of headset design, it’s a solid and comfortable experience. After using the flip-up goggles on the Vive Cosmos, however, we overlooked this design feature of the Reverb G2 – it’s handy when you want to see the outside world without having to completely remove the headset.
performance
As a Windows Mixed Reality headset, the HP Reverb G2 doesn’t have any additional sensors that you need to set up. Instead, cameras built into the headset are used that point outward to track movement. While it doesn’t offer the pinpoint accuracy like the valve index that requires you to set up additional sensors in the room, it does a good job and means this headset is a lot easier to set up.
After you’ve wired everything up, the Windows Mixed Reality portal will open where you can configure your play area. It’s a reasonably nice user interface (which we’re used to after using other mixed reality headsets) and integrates well with Windows 10. In addition, no additional software is required. The HP Reverb G2 does a great job of plug-and-play VR experience.
Windows Mixed Reality has a decent amount of apps and games to install from the VR interface, including some real gems. The actual user interface, which is in the shape of a large house for you to walk around in, looks amazing on the HP Reverb G2 – if this is your first impression of VR, it will be you very impressed.
What’s even better, however, is that the HP Reverb G2 (and Windows Mixed Reality headsets in general) is compatible with Steam VR. That way, you’ll have access to a library of hundreds of awesome VR games like Half Life: Alyx and Star Wars: Squadrons, two of the best VR games we’ve played lately.
We’ve used the HP Reverb G2 with a number of VR games and experiences, including these two titles, and we’ve been incredibly impressed. We really can’t emphasize enough how powerful the HP Reverb G2’s high-resolution lenses are – when the screen door effect is gone, immersion reaches a whole new level. Many of the games we played with the headset were titles we’ve played many times before, but they felt almost completely new with the G2.
The controllers that came with the HP Reverb G2 are the standard controllers that you get with Windows Mixed Reality headsets. They’re fine – and we’re familiar with them since we’ve used them many times – but they lack some of the more advanced features found on valve index controllers. The lack of base stations also caused the headset to occasionally lose track of the controllers – this didn’t happen too often, but if you’re on the point, you’ll need to use the Valve Index or the HTC Cosmos Elite, which use both base stations.
But games looked fantastic on the HP Reverb G2 – although we should note that the games we tried played flawlessly when we ran them on an incredibly high quality PC with an Nvidia RTX 3090, one of the most powerful GPUs in the world to have . With modest hardware, the additional resolution of the HP Reverb G2 can cause problems.
Buy it when …
You want the best immersion
The high resolution of the HP Reverb G2 is truly revolutionary in virtual reality and has to be seen to be believed.
You want an easy setup
Without base stations and with most of the software already in Windows 10, the HP Reverb G2 is easy to set up.
You love VR games
The high resolution screen and Steam VR support make this headset a brilliant headset for VR gamers.
Don’t buy it if …
You have a PC with low power consumption
The high resolution of the HP Reverb G2 means you need a decent machine to power it. So check your technical data before purchasing.
You want to play wirelessly
The HP Reverb G2 needs to be connected to a PC or laptop, and there is no wireless option. This could limit immersion.
You are looking for a cheap VR headset
The HP Reverb G2 is cheaper than some of its competitors but still expensive.
Source link : https://www.techradar.com/reviews/hp-reverb-g2/
