HP Reverb G2

rgMekanic said:
I've just been playing casual games and sins with my Lenovo Explorer since I got it.

I started on Alyx last night and am instantly getting the bug to upgrade haha. But do I like VR enough to drop $1500 on it?
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Why $1500?

BTW, Alyx got more fun for me once I switched from teleportation to smooth locomotion. It takes some getting used to, but then the game feels more FPS-like rather than jumping between setpieces.

Also grab fpsVR if you haven't already, to keep an eye on your framerate to make sure you're getting the native refresh rate of your HMD with no spikes in frametime/framerate. Because "VR sickness" is mostly caused by hardware not powerful enough to deliver a glitch-free experience.
 
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rgMekanic said:
I'd want something more than my rx580 that's in that pc to push it hehe
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Gotcha. Well Alyx was over-engineered to look great on everything. But if you got yourself a used 5700XT or 2700 Super, you'll be taking a huge leap in GPU power for not much money.
 
odditory said:
Gotcha. Well Alyx was over-engineered to look great on everything. But if you got yourself a used 5700XT or 2700 Super, you'll be taking a huge leap in GPU power for not much money.
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That's what I'm thinking as well. As much as I dislike Nvidia as a company, Iracing gets along with them better in multi monitor setups, and that's what that pc does, Iracing and VR.

I just need to find a used 2070 super once the prices come down that has 5 display outputs. I wouldn't cry about a 5700xt or whatever big Navi brings either :p
 
rgMekanic said:
That's what I'm thinking as well. As much as I dislike Nvidia as a company, Iracing gets along with them better in multi monitor setups, and that's what that pc does, Iracing and VR.

I just need to find a used 2070 super once the prices come down that has 5 display outputs. I wouldn't cry about a 5700xt or whatever big Navi brings either :p
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The 2070 Super is a better choice for VR if you are deciding between it and 5700XT. VRSS works really well in any game that uses it. Also, new VR games will be making use of the new DX12 Ultimate features. The 5700XT won't support these.
 
so the Reverb 2 is not going to compete with the Valve Index?...so is it the definitive 2nd best VR headset behind the Index?
 
Ripskin said:
The controller portion was good but made it almost sound like we could use the index controllers which I thought was not possible. Even if not with the price and other benefits this is definitely higher up on my radar than it was previously.
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I saw a video about that. It apparently is possible, but complicated.
You basically need the lighthouses, some additional USB dongles, merge the tracked play spaces for both the Index controllers (which use the lighthouses) and the Reverb (which uses inside-out tracking) and then use some additional software so that the guardian boundary will respond to the controllers.
Sounds complicated, but doable.

//Has not done it, so look elsewhere for full information on it
 
^ I've done it, used knuckles/lighthouse with WMR - both a G1 and O+ - flashed steam controller dongles, OVRAS to get it all to gel together, was an interesting academic exercise but ultimately unnecessary and way too much fiddling before jumping in and playing. Abandoned the setup and going forward will only use WMR controllers with WMR headset for myriad reasons.

In the early days of OG Vive, 2-cam Oculus Rift and the first WMR headsets, yes there was a bigger perceptible delta between Lighthouse and inside-out as far as glitchiness on the latter. Now it's mostly moot. Each has drawbacks - camera-based doesn't like tracking direct sunlight, Lighthouse requires mounting and power adapters with dangling wires, and the cubes can get noisy.

G2 adds 2 cameras for a total of 4, and that'll be Microsoft's new WMR standard going forward. The tracking will be perfectly fine.
 
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gsilver said:
I saw a video about that. It apparently is possible, but complicated.
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I think I saw the same video earlier this week about it. For the price on top of the headset and then dongles and such not sure its worth it until more games support full finger tracking and make it more beneficial. But good to see its possible.
 
polonyc2 said:
so the Reverb 2 is not going to compete with the Valve Index?...so is it the definitive 2nd best VR headset behind the Index?
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Depends. Tracking is better on Index because of the lighthouses (at the cost of flexibility) and the controllers are great, but as far as we know HP Reverb G2 has a better headset with sharper resolution and better colors and contrast and almost no godrays that plagues Index. Personally the picture quality and flexibility of the inside-out tracking are more important to me than the fancy controllers that Index offers so I am looking forward to owning G2 at some point.
 
polonyc2 said:
so the Reverb 2 is not going to compete with the Valve Index?...so is it the definitive 2nd best VR headset behind the Index?
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How do you mean it's not going to compete? The Rift S competes very well with the Index despite been less than half the price. The difference between the two headsets is far less than the price difference suggests.

If the Reverb 2 is as good as the specs suggest and they get the basics right, then it will definitely be competitive with Index. For some games not only will it be competitive it will be the goto headset.
 
gsilver said:
I saw a video about that. It apparently is possible, but complicated.
You basically need the lighthouses, some additional USB dongles, merge the tracked play spaces for both the Index controllers (which use the lighthouses) and the Reverb (which uses inside-out tracking) and then use some additional software so that the guardian boundary will respond to the controllers.
Sounds complicated, but doable.

//Has not done it, so look elsewhere for full information on it
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Sounds like a hassle and you have to have the additional USB adapters, which are like $50 apiece or something.
 
MavericK said:


Sounds like a hassle and you have to have the additional USB adapters, which are like $50 apiece or something.
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IIRC there are 3rd party dongles that are cheaper but yeah, it is an hassle and essentially a hack.
 
Should I sell my Index for this?
With new GPUs coming, I'd like to try higher res on my headset. I don't really need 120/144hz. I didn't notice any difference between my old original Rift and Index when it comes to refresh rate.
But I play sports a lot, like tennis. Is tracking on G2 going to be a problem?
 
Nebell said:
Should I sell my Index for this?
With new GPUs coming, I'd like to try higher res on my headset. I don't really need 120/144hz. I didn't notice any difference between my old original Rift and Index when it comes to refresh rate.
But I play sports a lot, like tennis. Is tracking on G2 going to be a problem?
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Unless you need the flexibility of inside out tracking (ie you need a mobile VR rig like I do) then I would say no. I would wait for the Index 2 and just swap the headset. But as a person who is still on Rift CV1 and who drags my ITX system and VR rig around the Reverb G2 seems like a no brainer upgrade.
 
MaZa said:
Unless you need the flexibility of inside out tracking (ie you need a mobile VR rig like I do) then I would say no. I would wait for the Index 2 and just swap the headset. But as a person who is still on Rift CV1 and who drags my ITX system and VR rig around the Reverb G2 seems like a no brainer upgrade.
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Visuals are the most important thing to me. Tracking is the second most important.

Is there any visual difference between Reverb G2's native resolution and upping Index resolution to match?
 
Nebell said:
Visuals are the most important thing to me. Tracking is the second most important.

Is there any visual difference between Reverb G2's native resolution and upping Index resolution to match?
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You're asking questions people cannot really answer. The G2 isn't out yet, which means we're limited to what the handful of people who have gone hands-on have to say. If you haven't already found an answer to your question in a G2 YouTube video, that means the answer is not known. The G2 at native resolution should, in theory, look better than the index. Conversely, because we know how WMR works, it can be said definitely that the index tracking will be better.

The real question is, are you a gambler? The index is still supposedly facing supply issues, with 8+ weeks between order and shipping. A quick poke on ebay suggests used Index's are selling above MSRP on new units right now. If the G2 comes out and becomes the hot new HMD, demand for Index goes down, supply catches up, and resell value tanks. Honestly, I say sell it while the money is good. If the G2 turns out to not be the headset we're all hoping for, buy another Index. You will have wasted a lot of time, but if you can live without VR for a few months you'll probably net a profit even doing it this way. If the G2 is great, you've got plenty of cash on hand to buy one and you know you've gotten the most you possibly could for your Index. Wait until release to check all the G2 reviews and get a firm answer before making a move, and you risk losing a lot of value in your index as well as facing the same supply issues that people are facing with the Index right now.
 
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Viper87227 said:
You're asking questions people cannot really answer. The G2 isn't out yet, which means we're limited to what the handful of people who have gone hands-on have to say. If you haven't already found an answer to your question in a G2 YouTube video, that means the answer is not known. The G2 at native resolution should, in theory, look better than the index. Conversely, because we know how WMR works, it can be said definitely that the index tracking will be better.

The real question is, are you a gambler? The index is still supposedly facing supply issues, with 8+ weeks between order and shipping. A quick poke on ebay suggests used Index's are selling above MSRP on new units right now. If the G2 comes out and becomes the hot new HMD, demand for Index goes down, supply catches up, and resell value tanks. Honestly, I say sell it while the money is good. If the G2 turns out to not be the headset we're all hoping for, buy another Index. You will have wasted a lot of time, but if you can live without VR for a few months you'll probably net a profit even doing it this way. If the G2 is great, you've got plenty of cash on hand to buy one and you know you've gotten the most you possibly could for your Index. Wait until release to check all the G2 reviews and get a firm answer before making a move, and you risk losing a lot of value in your index as well as facing the same supply issues that people are facing with the Index right now.
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Good writeup.
In Sweden used Index sells for about the same price as new. But I have a couple of extra unused face gaskets.
I currently have no video card as I've sold my 1080Ti and I'm waiting on 3080Ti. I cannot use my VR system anyway.
And it will probably stay that way until custom 3080Ti cards are out, so, October/November?
Worst case scenario, I'll just buy a new Index.
 
Nebell said:
Visuals are the most important thing to me. Tracking is the second most important.

Is there any visual difference between Reverb G2's native resolution and upping Index resolution to match?
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I think visuals are the most important thing to *most* people, if people are being honest. But a lot of post-purchase rationalization skews these arguments -- you'll see Index owners arguing in circles on Reddit that Index > G1 / G2 because Lighthouse is soooooo much better than WMR's inside-out tracking. Or 120/144Hz is sooooo much better tha 90Hz... Total nonsense. I'll let my non-techie friends blindly try on my headsets and ask them which they prefer and they all like the G1 best because they say its "the only one that's not blurry".

Viper87227 said:
You're asking questions people cannot really answer. The G2 isn't out yet, which means we're limited to what the handful of people who have gone hands-on have to say.
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Actually there is a way to know, because the G1 has the same 2160x2160 resolution as the G2. The G1 is already better than the Index in terms of clarity - no contest. And SuperSampling is not a substitute for more physical pixels on the panel, G1 has double the pixels of Index. Even at 500% SS, Index wasn't a match for my G1 at 100% SS (native). Analogy: What will look sharper, 4K video played on a 1280x720 monitor, or HD (2K) video played on a 1920x1080 monitor? G1 is like looking at a 1080p monitor, the clarity is there. Unfortunately the sweet spot isn't that big depending on your IPD - meaning the entire field of view isn't that clear, but that'll be mitigated with the Valve lenses on the G2.

So G2 will improve the visuals of G1 with a newer LCD screen and Valve's lenses. If I were an Index owner I'd absolutely sell now while resale is high and people haven't really caught on to the coming wave of new 2160x2160 headsets (G2 isn't likely to be the only one since Samsung has something in the pipeline).
 
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The G2 has passed it's early purchase price. It is now $100 more when it ships. Still the best HMD though. YouTube vids show that the controller tracking to be very capable.
 
odditory said:
Depends on country. U.S. still seems to be $599
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It is also 599e in Spanish Amazon. Which is good because I just got enough money to preorder one and I missed the initial preorder offer from the German Bestware shop.
 
Reverb G2 doesn't have finger tracking. Are there any games that use finger tracking and how important is it? It's been a while since I've played VR. Probably before the pandemic.
 
Nebell said:
Reverb G2 doesn't have finger tracking. Are there any games that use finger tracking and how important is it? It's been a while since I've played VR. Probably before the pandemic.
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I am not aware of any. It is more important for VRChat really.
 
Some games use it in ways that can be bypassed by other button based mechanics (like in HL Alyx). Seems to be a forward looking feature. I believe Oculus will be adding free hand tracking to the quest.
 
Several games have finger tracking, but not in a way that really affects gameplay.
 
I have the Rift (CK1 I think, first Rift before the S). Does revive pretty much play everything in the oculus library, or do you have to wait for profiles to be released? Would hate to lose access to oculus purchases if I moved away from oculus to the reverb (or anything outside oculus).
 
aliaskary77 said:
I have the Rift (CK1 I think, first Rift before the S). Does revive pretty much play everything in the oculus library, or do you have to wait for profiles to be released? Would hate to lose access to oculus purchases if I moved away from oculus to the reverb (or anything outside oculus).
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Good question. So far I have an impression that everything should work but sometimes there are glitches or crashes that requires updates for the Revive. But I am not sure of this is really the case. 🤔
 
aliaskary77 said:
I have the Rift (CK1 I think, first Rift before the S). Does revive pretty much play everything in the oculus library
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Yes. I've been playing through the Oculus catalog on a G1 (WMR) - pretty much all the major titles there - they all play fine.

Come to think of it, the G2 should be the best way to play Oculus games because the G2 button layout is straight off the Oculus touch controllers (A, B, X, Y). That means when you see the graphical representation of an Oculus controller in a VR game like during a tutorial, the buttons will be the same.

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hp-reverb-g2-controllers.jpg
 
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I'm sort of interested in one of these but i'm confused about the resolution and the refresh rate. is 90hz enough for gaming and will that screen resolution be able to handle 7,680 x 3,840 video files? 🤔
 
xSneak said:
I'm sort of interested in one of these but i'm confused about the resolution and the refresh rate. is 90hz enough for gaming and will that screen resolution be able to handle 7,680 x 3,840 video files? 🤔
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2160x2160 per eye won't get 7680 pixels across, if that's your question. Also for VR headsets 90hz is "normal."
 
odditory said:
Yes. I've been playing through the Oculus catalog on a G1 (WMR) - pretty much all the major titles there - they all play fine.

Come to think of it, the G2 should be the best way to play Oculus games because the G2 button layout is straight off the Oculus touch controllers (A, B, X, Y). That means when you see the graphical representation of an Oculus controller in a VR game like during a tutorial, the buttons will be the same.

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As an Odessey+ owner, which is also WMR, does anyone know if I can upgrade to these new WMR (Mrk 2) controllers? It seems to be the biggest compatability problem of mine and would like to have industry standard Rift compatible controllers. That said most every major game release is WMR campatible, but I love DL'ing demo's and fringe titles (for cheap), and this is where WMR has given me a few bumps. Steam is awesome for reversing bad purchases though.
 
^ WMR v2 controllers will supposedly be backwards compatible with WMR v1 headsets, but you'll be hard pressed to be able to find only the controllers. For the price you'll pay you'd be better of selling the Odyssey+ while you can still get $300-400, and buying a G2.
 
I sold my Index today for €1100 and preordered Reverb G2 for €600.
I think Index is great, but I'm not sure it's worth nearly twice as much as Reverb G2.

One thing that really annoyed me with Index is the Lighthouses. I didn't have them pointed to where I was sitting so I always had to move one to play simulations.
And that high pitched noise... ugh.
 
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https://www.youtube.com/c/mixedrealityTV

The channel above has been releasing a lot of Reverb G2 videos lately. After watching a few I'm convinced selling Index and buying Reverb was the right choice.
The latest Alyx grenade test has me almost 100% convinced that playing tennis won't be a problem, even though my arms are often on the side of my body, behind or above.
I can't wait to get back into VR. Now I just hope next-gen video cards won't cripple my budget too much :)
 
Nebell said:
https://www.youtube.com/c/mixedrealityTV

The channel above has been releasing a lot of Reverb G2 videos lately. After watching a few I'm convinced selling Index and buying Reverb was the right choice.
The latest Alyx grenade test has me almost 100% convinced that playing tennis won't be a problem, even though my arms are often on the side of my body, behind or above.
I can't wait to get back into VR. Now I just hope next-gen video cards won't cripple my budget too much :)
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I just wish people would stop using beat saber and other of that type to show that it tracks good. Of course it does, you do not even have to move really.

Onward is the one I would like more VR testers to use and in different positions.
 
Nebell said:
<snip>

The channel above has been releasing a lot of Reverb G2 videos lately. After watching a few I'm convinced selling Index and buying Reverb was the right choice.
The latest Alyx grenade test has me almost 100% convinced that playing tennis won't be a problem, even though my arms are often on the side of my body, behind or above.
I can't wait to get back into VR. Now I just hope next-gen video cards won't cripple my budget too much :)
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Up next: "Half Life Alyx: Can you shoot the guns with the G2?"

The guy's a buffoon. He got an early G2 prototype and is trying to milk it with endless redundant G2 clickbait drivel to get his goofy channel going. Really no substance; a guy banging a pot on his head with a wooden spoon.
 
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odditory said:
Up next: "Half Life Alyx: Can you shoot the guns with the G2?"

The guy's a buffoon. He got an early G2 prototype and is trying to milk it with endless redundant G2 clickbait drivel to get his goofy channel going. Really no substance.
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I don't really follow the VR news. He's addressing the concerns people are having.
I think his videos are informative and definitely helped me decide.
 
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