New HP Reverb headset

bobzdar

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https://www.roadtovr.com/hp-reverb-vr-headset-announcement-price-release-date/

2160x2160 with RGB stripe display should all but eliminate SDE while giving a clarity boost over the Odyssey+ (which has also all but elimintated it, albeit with a filter on a 1600x1440 screen).

I might grab one, though I would like an increased FOV to 125 ish. Not sure if the optics are there for that yet, though, without having to do some odd stuff with the lenses.
 
Sounds like an upgrade from my friends unit I tried. I didnt think the picture was good enough.maybe this will be?
 
I might grab one, though I would like an increased FOV to 125 ish. Not sure if the optics are there for that yet, though, without having to do some odd stuff with the lenses.
it's ready, I think even at 200 fov pimax users aren't complaining about distortion too much and just loving the extra immersion. of course to get similar pixel density it'll just crush your budget and/or video card. perhaps devs are waiting for better eye-tracking and foveated rendering solutions before jumping up in FOV
 
I have the current HP WMR and I like it, barring issues with batteries. This new one looks interesting, though I wish it had some evolved controllers. I'm also concerned about the requirements with the new resolution. I have a GTX1080 and it handles the current HP peachy, but not sure if it will be enough for a FLAWLESS VR EXPERIENCE with 2160x2160x2. It's interesting they've de-branded it though, it's not being marketed as a WMR headset.
 
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Oh sweet, 3.6 times the resolution of the first gen headsets and real RGB stripe to boot. Definitely going to pick this up.
 
it's ready, I think even at 200 fov pimax users aren't complaining about distortion too much and just loving the extra immersion. of course to get similar pixel density it'll just crush your budget and/or video card. perhaps devs are waiting for better eye-tracking and foveated rendering solutions before jumping up in FOV

Well, the lenses are odd and they had to cant the displays, which obviously complicates things - and pimax are struggling to actually get volume production going.

The odyssey+ had a small fov increase over the rift but it was immediately noticeable, so I think getting to 120ish with these newer high res screens would be a good sweet spot.
 
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i have the Odessey and + and the HP current gen and they are great.... the HP was $140 shipped and the Samsungs I got for super cheap too....

I use them on 1050ti, 1060 Max-q for eductional software and some light gaming and they are really the best bang for your $$

I think I will be buying myself this new one and upcycling my + to my classroom
 
On Amazon for pre-order.

I know you’re big time into combat flight simulators. Once you have your Reverb can you give us a goed review for it’s use in DCS and Il2. It’s made my shortlist for CV1 replacement but not sure how good the tracking is going to be.
 
I know you’re big time into combat flight simulators. Once you have your Reverb can you give us a goed review for it’s use in DCS and Il2. It’s made my shortlist for CV1 replacement but not sure how good the tracking is going to be.

Sure. Well I have DCS but no IL2.
 
I struggle with my O+ and its %60 more pixels then a Rift/Vive. I don't think it is new HMD's we need, but some GPU's that are crazy fast and don't cost a used car!
A RTX 2080ti isn't that fast. And that is all there is! What magic is driving this second (2.0) VR?
 
I struggle with my O+ and its %60 more pixels then a Rift/Vive. I don't think it is new HMD's we need, but some GPU's that are crazy fast and don't cost a used car!
A RTX 2080ti isn't that fast. And that is all there is! What magic is driving this second (2.0) VR?

No magic (unfortunately), just tune down settings in more demanding games until we get eye tracking + foveated rendering. But we do need new headsets, the gen 1 ones simply look terrible. Better lenses and resolution are mandatory.

I wonder how lower than native resolutions will look on the Reverb, that is definitely something I would like to try (especially because it's an actually affordable headset). But no news of a EU release so far, hopefully they don't pull a Samsung Odyssey + on us again.
 
I just watched and read some reviews. Not a lot of mention on the controllers able to keep connection. I think that might be the weak point.
Otherwise this looks really good. From all the info it is much better than the Odyssey+. For me, even though my eyesight isnt good, I think the text
on the Rift is super readable. So this should be awesome. I wonder how long before there is a prescription insert for it.
 
It was interesting to read in the recent Valve Index previews one of the reviewers mentioned that there’s more to headsets than the resolution and that moving from the Pimax to the index, the latter was much sharper less fatiguing, and that ultra low pixel persistence (sub 1ms) and better optics was part of that. Hopefully a new breed of headsets provides a meaningful jump up from the original rift and vive.
 
No magic (unfortunately), just tune down settings in more demanding games until we get eye tracking + foveated rendering..
Ha ha ha. That is your solution to the lack of main-stream VR acceptance? I think we are all done with "just wait and see". How about make a good product?
I'll stand by my point, VR is fine, the complete lack of progress and extreme over pricing of GPU's is what is holding everything back.
 
Ha ha ha. That is your solution to the lack of main-stream VR acceptance? I think we are all done with "just wait and see". How about make a good product?
I'll stand by my point, VR is fine, the complete lack of progress and extreme over pricing of GPU's is what is holding everything back.
I would say it's more progress related. The Pimax 8K X I believe has native 4K each eye, but it will not run at a good enough fps.
The money part is why they need 2 versions. One for low to mid GPU's, and one for high end.
Just my opinion.
 
This is why I say there’s a lot more to headsets than panel res. As a projector guy I know how much optics and lenses are part of MTF (sharpness) measurements. The pimax 8k is very out of balance in that way - people actually recommend the 5k over the 8k in user impressions. I’m sure they’re working on it but it is far from a finished consumer device for the masses.
Good point about GPUs and VR optimizations too - I feel like things are progressing slowly. But things like the Quest and public VR experiences at theme parks etc. are part of moving this into the public consciousness and creating a market .

I do wonder what the index vs reverb reviews will say.
 
Not sure the ultra high res is going to be enough to make up for whats looking like one of the most polished VR experiences to date in Valves court.

DCS is one of my focus titles, but I think I will be content with not having the highest res in DCS (for an iteration, until the next wave of headsets come out) and enjoying the 120 FPS / hz, better tracking and controls meanwhile in other games. I have great single player experiences at high framerates in DCS, but I primarily fly multiplayer and it gets so bad sometimes on my rift CV1 (on a 2080ti mind you) that I cant imagine going to reverb resolution will run smooth even with the upcoming performance improvements.

Reviews would have to say the Index is trash, you cant make out things in the cockpit and spotting targets is awful (but effortless on the reverb) to make me give up all the quality of life improvements the Index appears to bring to the table.
 
Ya, the Index seems to really have had a lot of thought, design, and effort put into it in forming the absolute best VR package given current tech and keeping the costs somewhat in check. (The cost of the controllers and lighthouses seem a bit disproportionately high, but they aren't deal breakers for me.) The Index appears to have been designed right as to comfort, fit, functionality, features and performance. While it may not have the highest resolution panel, it's still a good bit better than the Rift S. The much higher refresh, FOV, lens system, and better tracking than the on-board/inside-out approach the other offerings have opted for is a relief. Resolution alone also isn't the entire package - Valve has been at this for quite some time and I'm thinking they have it dialed in pretty tight by now. To me at least, it is looking like the Index will be the true front runner for those wanting a truly premium VR upgrade experience coming from the Rift (CV1) or a Vive. I believe it will be quite a bit better than the Rift S, which to me seems more just a very modest upgrade coming from the Rift (CV1).
 
I have both the Index and Reverb ordered. IMO though I think the Reverb is going to crush the Index having twice the resolution.

And I've had a Samsung Odyssey (WMR) before and the tracking was just fine. WMR having "terrible tracking" is just a myth:

 
I have both the Index and Reverb ordered. IMO though I think the Reverb is going to crush the Index having twice the resolution.

And I've had a Samsung Odyssey (WMR) before and the tracking was just fine. WMR having "terrible tracking" is just a myth:




The HP reverb won't crush the Index. If I was a betting man, I will say that you will end up returning the Reverb. I have read a few reviews now mention bad colours and poor tracking on the Reverb. The last review on Ars Technia who preferred the Rift S over the Reverb.
 
Ya, the Index seems to really have had a lot of thought, design, and effort put into it in forming the absolute best VR package given current tech and keeping the costs somewhat in check. (The cost of the controllers and lighthouses seem a bit disproportionately high, but they aren't deal breakers for me.) The Index appears to have been designed right as to comfort, fit, functionality, features and performance. While it may not have the highest resolution panel, it's still a good bit better than the Rift S. The much higher refresh, FOV, lens system, and better tracking than the on-board/inside-out approach the other offerings have opted for is a relief. Resolution alone also isn't the entire package - Valve has been at this for quite some time and I'm thinking they have it dialed in pretty tight by now. To me at least, it is looking like the Index will be the true front runner for those wanting a truly premium VR upgrade experience coming from the Rift (CV1) or a Vive. I believe it will be quite a bit better than the Rift S, which to me seems more just a very modest upgrade coming from the Rift (CV1).

Agree with all of this. There is more to VR than resolution. I'd agree that's obviously important but there are so many other factors to consider. The Index, as a complete package, appears to be thoroughly well thought out. When compared to the Reverb, I think the Index will heavily win out with its greater FOV, refresh rate, comfort, tracking, and controllers. It will feel like a premium VR experience. The reverb I expect will feel like a cheap VR experience with a good screen.

The same thought process has me feeling the Rift S not only has a lot of potential, but could be a pretty important entry into the VR space. Price and ease of use are important elements to making VR mainstream, made obvious by the fact that at over 4 million sold, PS VR is the dominant VR platform (except for maybe mobile, no way to really get figures on that, but that would further prove my point). I think the Rift S has the potential to be PC's PSVR. It's not the most premium experience, but it offers visuals that should still be a step up above gen one VR headsets, and all that you have to do to set it up is plug it in and draw a border. Room scale might not be as good as sensor based setups, but it appears as though it will be better than WMR and entirely good enough for casual users. More people need headsets so more devs sell games so the industry can grow, and I think the Rift S is a lot more important than the Index or the Reverb in making that happen.

At the end of the day, both Index and Rift S appear to be more premium experiences, for vastly different reasons. I was initially interested in the Reverb but quickly decided that the better resolution doesn't erase all the other reasons why both the Rift and Index are otherwise superior. At any rate, the next 1-2 months is going to shake up the VR market in some really interesting ways.
 
I myself just want something to replace a traditional monitor that one can use for their PC, Console, Media centre, Mobile(smartphone) etc.

AR/VR/HMD/Crazyfunkytomato call it what you want lol. I am sure with current tech they can manage and get a real good product overall if they tried (whomever) going by all that was released "done better" sort of speak.

Would be real nifty if "in a way" it can auto-target its performance based on the hardware selection installed or whatever. Probably could do a base station something like the playstation VR or w/e for folks like my one brother who is contant linking with his switch playing games, watch movies and the like.

I myself do not mind being lock to certain hardware spec or above, but prefer to be open to choose that hardware as well.

So "in theory" could have this base station have all the power needed to drive everything quite well at 1080p and if have the grunt you can scale it to what 4096x2 with tracking and all that jazz (likely have to be a helmet to have proper distance or something ^.^ ..

Call it
Persondom
LOL
 
The HP reverb won't crush the Index. If I was a betting man, I will say that you will end up returning the Reverb. I have read a few reviews now mention bad colours and poor tracking on the Reverb. The last review on Ars Technia who preferred the Rift S over the Reverb.
As long as the Reverb does as well as the other WMR headsets, tracking is good as long as the controllers are found by the cameras. I think comparing WMR's inside-out tracking with lighthouse-based tracking isn't really fair, as WMR is designed for simplicity/speed of setup and portability. Cost was a factor with the first-gen WMR headsets (heck I got my refurb'd HP WMR for $129) but these newer ones are definitely raising the price bar along with the resolution. They aren't Vive Pro prices by any means though. I'm waiting for some potential sale on the Reverb, if it's anything like the Odyssey+ which retails for $499 but they have been doing $299 sales on it regularly since release.

WMR definitely needs to solve the tracking blind spots (maybe side cameras?) and new controllers but otherwise it takes longer for Win10 to install the WMR components than it takes to actually get the headset up and running so yeah, that simplicity is a huge plus.
 
As long as the Reverb does as well as the other WMR headsets, tracking is good as long as the controllers are found by the cameras. I think comparing WMR's inside-out tracking with lighthouse-based tracking isn't really fair, as WMR is designed for simplicity/speed of setup and portability. Cost was a factor with the first-gen WMR headsets (heck I got my refurb'd HP WMR for $129) but these newer ones are definitely raising the price bar along with the resolution. They aren't Vive Pro prices by any means though. I'm waiting for some potential sale on the Reverb, if it's anything like the Odyssey+ which retails for $499 but they have been doing $299 sales on it regularly since release.

WMR definitely needs to solve the tracking blind spots (maybe side cameras?) and new controllers but otherwise it takes longer for Win10 to install the WMR components than it takes to actually get the headset up and running so yeah, that simplicity is a huge plus.
just sad that even with the rift s being a "sidegrade" to the rift atleast they were smart enough to make thier new inside out tracking a 5 camera system. I'm honestly at a complete loss as to how they thought the reverb with its high res display would be perfectly fine with the "meh it alright I suppose" quality of tracking wmr offers.
 
just sad that even with the rift s being a "sidegrade" to the rift atleast they were smart enough to make thier new inside out tracking a 5 camera system. I'm honestly at a complete loss as to how they thought the reverb with its high res display would be perfectly fine with the "meh it alright I suppose" quality of tracking wmr offers.
I wonder if it's too much for the HMD makers to make it work with the external sensors/lighthouses? I do not know the technical aspect of it.
 
I wonder if it's too much for the HMD makers to make it work with the external sensors/lighthouses? I do not know the technical aspect of it.
I honestly really like the concept of the inside out tracking but the wmr version is just so bad and out of date. Oculus decided to eliminate the external tracking with the rift S and opted for 5 cameras built into the headset (2 front, 2 side and 1 top) and from what I hear it works really well, if HP would of done this with the reverb I think they would of made a huge gain in the market with gamers.
 
I honestly really like the concept of the inside out tracking but the wmr version is just so bad and out of date. Oculus decided to eliminate the external tracking with the rift S and opted for 5 cameras built into the headset (2 front, 2 side and 1 top) and from what I hear it works really well, if HP would of done this with the reverb I think they would of made a huge gain in the market with gamers.
But is it good as the external sensors? That's my biggest thing/fear for a new headset. I am spoiled with a 4 sensor setup.
 
But is it good as the external sensors? That's my biggest thing/fear for a new headset. I am spoiled with a 4 sensor setup.
Oh I'm sure it's not as good, I plan on getting one because of will pair with my laptop beautifully, I have a 3 sensor setup for my desktop and know what you mean lol
 
I'm honestly at a complete loss as to how they thought the reverb with its high res display would be perfectly fine with the "meh it alright I suppose" quality of tracking wmr offers.

Becuase it's a headset that is aimed primarily at the industrial market not the consumer. That's who it is designed for and WMR tracking is perfect for it's intended use.
 
Becuase it's a headset that is aimed primarily at the industrial market not the consumer. That's who it is designed for and WMR tracking is perfect for it's intended use.
Fair enough but I think they lost out on a good chunk of gamers, they should of looked at an improved version with more cameras to help capture the market.
 
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