HP Reverb G2 - User Experiences & Owner Impressions

[Mr Latte]

Reports are it may be launching in September 2020 which is earlier than some expected.
I'm seriously considering one of these having had a CV1 in the past and enjoyed VR

Finally, though with this device, now we have image quality that is very good for simulations. Also offering easy setup, superb audio, and nice controllers but all at a good price.

Steam HP Reverb G2
UK Pre-Orders
Manual
Datasheet/Specs

 

[morsify]

For me the Reverb G1 resolution is simply outstanding. So a no brainer for me to upgrade again to the G2. The extras that come with it, plus the improvements, will 100% make this the sim racers HMD. If you're worried about the FOV, I went from a Pimax 5K+ to the Index to the Reverb and still find the FOV fine for racing. The extra pixels into a smaller FOV completely change the game. I'm actually glad they didn't expand the FOV. I am running it on a 1080Ti, still. With a new GPU, with 200% supersample on every title, this will blow you away.

That sounds good. I have an RTX2070, so I just hope that will cope ok for the time being, until I can stretch to a 2080ti or even a 3000 series in my dreams.

 

[wajdi]

I have my friend from US who preordered it for me( sadly I can’t preorder it from my country).Now I have the oculus S and I hope the G2 will be a big step over the S.
Will my 2080ti be enough to run the G2?
Does the G2 have a bigger FOV than the S?
Thanks

 

[mrexcitement71]

Your 2080ti should be fine as i was running the original Reverb (same res as G2) with a 2070 overclocked to 2080 levels and it ran fine in Iracing with all graphics turned up , using a 8600k cpu running at 4.8ghz.

According to the review , yes it is a bigger fov than S , supposedly a true 114 deg.

 

[CrazyDavePT]

So... I just pre-ordered the Reverb G2 on a whim
I've never even tried VR before, I'm using an ultrawide 3440x1440 with Freesync @ 100Hz.
Running a 2070 Super (OCed to 2085/8100) with an AMD 3600X.

If performance is the same as the Reverb G1, it should be great with AMS2.

90 FPS with almost maximum settings (only MSAA/Shadows on Low):

 

[ThugUK]

I doubt the demand for this will continue to outstrip production for several months or is anything like the consoles. They are however preparing for a global release yes and no doubt production is well under way. Yet they are entering into a market a lot of people interested in VR already have a solution and may not be rushing to upgrade and its still a small segment in % of PC Gamers that will even be potential customers.

Hope you are right, but i am just remembering the launch of the CV1 and the Vive And that they didnt learn the lessons and making the same mistakes with the Rift S and Index. They are sold out everywhere.
I fear the G2 will go the same way, especially the way the marketing is 'bigging it up', it looks as if it s going to be the best HMD on the market by a long shot.

 

[Mr Latte]

Hope you are right, but i am just remembering the launch of the CV1 and the Vive And that they didnt learn the lessons and making the same mistakes with the Rift S and Index. They are sold out everywhere.
I fear the G2 will go the same way, especially the way the marketing is 'bigging it up', it looks as if it s going to be the best HMD on the market by a long shot.

It does appear that on performance/quality it ticks all the boxes, I look forward to pre-orders arriving for people and we can only hope they have a good enough supply chain if demand is high. If we have to wait on additional batches then well we will have to wait but by that time any potential bugs may have been sorted and we will know better what the GPU situation will be.

I would expect a lot of people interested in this will be considering both the headset but also PC upgrade.

Like a few people no doubt, one query I have is that I am running on an old i7 6700k (4.6GHz) and this is likely going to hold me back, if buying the headset and new GPU but I am not sure how much with VR titles?

Would appreciate if anyone can share videos relating to VR performance with CPU/GPU combinations and the GEN1 HP headset.

i9 9900k Vs i7 9700K

With some videos comparing popular games, I see 10-20 frames loss with a 2080Ti comparing i7 6700K to a 9900K. I really didnt want extra hassle and cost in maybe having to run with a new CPU and possibly new motherboard. This also takes the cost much higher just to enjoy this at its best.

 

[MarcG]

I've been thinking about getting the G2 but I'll hang onto my G1v2 for a while longer, i got it "cheap" last Black Friday and for the most part its served me very well.
The slight upgrades on the G2 are nice but not worth wetting the bed over, should the price drop on this year's Black Friday i may look into it however, especially if i could flog off my G1 for a decent price.

 

[anton_Chez]

I'd disagree with that. For the same retail price as the G1, you get a nicer headstrap, better face gasket that's interchangeable, better tracking capabilities, the built in audio solution and a manual IPD adjustment for those that need it. Without taking anything internal into consideration, those upgrades alone for me are worth moving on from the original. I don't need the IPD but the tracking could be better and I have to use earbuds, which I hate, because the stock G1 audio sits on my ears and I cannot tolerate that while active in the car.

 

[MarcG]

I'd disagree with that. For the same retail price as the G1, you get a nicer headstrap, better face gasket that's interchangeable, better tracking capabilities, the built in audio solution and a manual IPD adjustment for those that need it. Without taking anything internal into consideration, those upgrades alone for me are worth moving on from the original. I don't need the IPD but the tracking could be better and I have to use earbuds, which I hate, because the stock G1 audio sits on my ears and I cannot tolerate that while active in the car.

I got the G1v2 for £437 which was cheaper than my Oculus CV1 when i bought that!

Aside the ear piece troubles and slightly weighty cable the rest is just fine for my needs hence I'm not that fussed over the G2 upgrades at this time, like i said though if the price is right i may consider it.

 

[Mr Latte]

I got the G1v2 for £437 which was cheaper than my Oculus CV1 when i bought that!

Aside the ear piece troubles and slightly weighty cable the rest is just fine for my needs hence I'm not that fussed over the G2 upgrades at this time, like i said though if the price is right i may consider it.

Anton as he often does, raises good points.

The lenses are also improved, so you would be better getting @£300 for it now and upgrading than keeping it and eventually then being harder to sell. Especially if G2 drop in price after a few months.

Err that is assuming no stock shortages and prices being inflated.

 

[GeekyDeaks]

Aside the ear piece troubles and slightly weighty cable the rest is just fine for my needs hence I'm not that fussed over the G2 upgrades at this time

Just curious, but what are the audio issues being discussed? Was there a revision upgrade at some point as I haven't noticed anything on my set. No problems with comfort either; have worn the thing for a mammoth 6 hour stint in ED and could have carried on longer but I was falling asleep. The tracking on those funky controllers is pretty pants though I used the batteries elsewhere and stuck them back in the box. If I decide to play other VR games, then I'll probably consider upgrading, but I'd need to get a bigger office first anyway.

 

[anton_Chez]

Yeah I didn't even remember to mention the cable. Apparently the FOV in the G1 is written as 114 but it's more like 110. So they stated with the G2 the FOV is factually correct at 114, meaning we get a slight increase in FOV as well.

I think we will have no issues selling the G1. I mean we lose out because the G2 is the same price, but we win when we buy it, as we don't need to spend any more to acquire one. Combine all of that with the fantastic lens upgrades we've been promised, and I think it's that compelling even as a G1 owner that as a serious sim racer it's very hard to ignore.

I bought my G1 like 2 days before we heard about the announcement of the G2, Simply because I had to RMA the Index. I am so happy I did that, though, because I've been mesmerised by the Reverb ever since. The G2 is just a no brainer for me at this point.

 

[MarcG]

Anton as he often does, raises good points.

The lenses are also improved, so you would be better getting @£300 for it now and upgrading than keeping it and eventually then being harder to sell. Especially if G2 drop in price after a few months.

Err that is assuming no stock shortages and prices being inflated.

But if i sold now I'd have no VR for months...that ain't gonna happen Seeing as i got it so cheap in the first place i wouldn't want much for it in the future anyway, not that money doesn't matter but i wouldn't be too fussed as I'll only sell it when the G2 drops a bit in price anyway. Even if that's on next year's Black Friday or maybe even a different HMD altogether, line i said I'm happy with the G1 so I'm in no rush.

 

[MarcG]

Just curious, but what are the audio issues being discussed? Was there a revision upgrade at some point as I haven't noticed anything on my set. No problems with comfort either; have worn the thing for a mammoth 6 hour stint in ED and could have carried on longer but I was falling asleep. The tracking on those funky controllers is pretty pants though I used the batteries elsewhere and stuck them back in the box. If I decide to play other VR games, then I'll probably consider upgrading, but I'd need to get a bigger office first anyway.

Mines the second revision hence the unofficial "G1v2" that gets banded about.
My Reverb cane with a faulty right ear piece, after a lot of hassle trying to get help from HP i ended up on Reddit and got brilliant help from the HP VR guy there, he sent me replacement ear pieces and controllers (which i already had and didn't need!). Unfortunately over the short few months of usage the right ear piece was displaying issues again, related to the internal connection point.
I couldn't be arsed with a return so just bought some decent little over ear headphones, which in turn is actually better as the HMD is lighter and easier to take on/off and the new headphones have better sound quality.

I may still return it under warranty one day, i had thought of trying a refund claim then getting the G2 off of that but it could be hassle, i can't be dealing with hassle i just wanna play

 

[Deleted member 197115]

Uh-oh, it doesn't speak favorably for HP headsets quality.
Samsung, where are you?
Hope we hear something from them before HP starts shipping so I can cancel my just-in-case preorder.

 

[5-Card-Major]

Uh-oh, it doesn't speak favorably for HP headsets quality.
Samsung, where are you?
Hope we hear something from them before HP starts shipping so I can cancel my just-in-case preorder.

Sheesh, now I have to worry about another company's possibly better VR headset... And as you said, PLEASE come out BEFORE I get a "Your order is now in transit w/ enclosed tracking number" email from HP....

(I love re-stating Andrew's quality observations, that way I bask in his sunshine.)

 

[GeekyDeaks]

Well, for what it's worth I just checked my steam stats and I have spent 120 hours in AC and 185 in Elite. Not sure how to check what I have in iRacing. It's been flung off my steering wheel twice when it unexpectedly calibrated (could have kicked myself the second time!) and fell off the back of my rig once; still ticking along (touch wood). I don't know if that's a reasonable length of time to consider it a valid test?

 

[Mr Latte]

This might interest some...

 

[museumsteve]

Sold my Index and ordered a G2 as soon as the preorders were up. To me it's a no brainer, seems to be most of the best bits from an Index and a Reverb in one and at a great, albeit surprising, price.

 

[5-Card-Major]

Sold my Index and ordered a G2 as soon as the preorders were up. To me it's a no brainer, seems to be most of the best bits from an Index and a Reverb in one and at a great, albeit surprising, price.

What Steve said...