News HP announces HP Reverb G2 VR headset

Tempting. Seems to be a good mix of specs and price.

But it's HP... and I swore after the last two disasters I've had with them to never buy another HP branded product again.

Besides, I'm sure it'll be the rough equivalent of $1000 here in Japan.

 

It's also still using Windows MR tracking which... does not have a good track record. Plus, a VR HMD is as much its software backend (API stack efficiency, tracking algorithms and sensor fusion, optical compensation, post-render warp, etc) as the hardware itself, and the prospect of having to deal with Windows MR running on top of SteamVR is enough for me to steer clear.

 

I was waiting to see what you thought of this...! What's the current best option on the market, in your opinion and why?

 

'Best' is relative. Best bang-for-your-buck? Best bang-for-your-buck if you don't have a PC? Best bang-for-your-buck if the gamers you want to play are all PS4 exclusives and you have a PS4? Absolute best angular resolution but only slow head movements needed (e.g. flight sim)? Best money-no-object HMD? Best money-no-object HMD but you also want it to work out of the box and not require you to rewrite game code to work with it?
For most:
'Best' if you don't have a PC that meets minimum specs and you don't have a PS4: Oculus Quest
'Best' if you don't have a PC that meets minimum specs and you have a PS4: PSVR (or Quest, if you prioritise portability)
'Best' if you have a PC that meets minimum specs and you don't want to spend a bundle: Oculus Rift S
'Best' if have a top-of-the-range PC and want to flex your VR e-peen: Valve Index.
'Best' if this is literally just going to sit in your simpit as a substitute for surround monitors: Reverb G2

The closest to a 'best all around' PC VR HMD would probably be the Rift S. Plug in two cables, and you're set up. Less hardware and software faff than the Index (and dramatically less than the Vive), less demanding hardware requirements, and a wider range of no-messing-about game compatibility.

 

So, what you're saying is it is the best for a fairly narrow definition of its potential use?

 

I'd argue Oculus Quest could replace Rift S in your list. You can either USB link it and get pretty close to Rift S experience, or go completely wireless and get probably 90% Rift S experience.

I've played HL Alyx, Boneworks, Lone Echo, Pistol Whip, Until You Fall and many other PCVR games wirelessly in a different room to my PC using the Quest running ALVR initially and now Virtual Desktop. There is very small oddities with controller movements (minor lag on ALVR, predictive movement on VD), but doesn't distract from experience.


With 30 Mbps upload, I've even played a couple PCVR games remotely over internet. Latency is not really an issue, but image quality is.

You can also rent remote gaming PC and play PC VR this way! (google Shadow PC) But I don't think this applies to audience of this forum.

 

Eh, directly comparing Rift S and Quest on PC I'd pick Rift S every time. The difference in both comfort and visual clarity are very obvious. If you want something for mainly standalone use and might want to connect it to a PC and can't justify two HMDs, then go for Quest over Rift S. If you're intending to be primarily using with a PC and standalone use is a bonus, then Rift S every time, no contest.

Streaming over IP (in a good RF environment with a dedicated WiFi network) with local latency-compensation is just barely tolerable. Streaming over the internet is right out. I would no sooner recommend that as someone's first home VR setup as recommend a VHS player as suitable for a new HDR TV.

 

Well, I bought Quest to be primarily using with a PC and standalone use is a bonus. Wireless PC VR experience in any room of the house is worth a LOT to me. (eg. my toddler son fallen asleep in living room? no problem, play in the kitchen) If I'm tethered to the PC, I'd be limited to sitting or standing in the study. Whereas now I've got large roughly 2x2.5m room scale in the living room (size of my Ikea rug), or roughly 4x3m if I use whole room.

Yes, I can see from datasheet that clarity is not as good due to pentile OLED (rather than more pixels on LCD) and there's ~60ms wireless latency rather than ~15ms (?). But to someone new to VR, not comparing back-to-back to newer PC VR headsets, the wireless experience offered by VD on Quest is pretty much there.

Comfort is indeed the single biggest draw back on Quest. A battery back at the back as counterweight helps greatly. But I'm sure the halo strap on Rift S would be much more comfortable.



Streaming over internet is not THAT bad. Add ~20ms of latency. It'll of course depend on the game.

 

Cheers all (especially edzieba). I looked into the Rift S and came up with a couple more questions though:

• How come Scan have it for pre-order when everyone else says it came out in May last year?
• Could I use it connected to a lower-spec (2x GTX670s and a 2500k) PC in the lounge, that is itself streaming from a higher-spec (2x GTX980Tis and a 2700k) upstairs, via that Steam Link/Stream/whatever functionality?

For £400 though, I'm tempted...

 

Due to the virus, it's on back order everywhere. So "pre-order" means you put your order in and it'll get shipped when it comes back in stock. I used https://www.stockinformer.co.uk/ to help me buy my Quest.

In your case, might be easier to plug one of 980 Ti into downstairs PC. As mentioned, streaming over IP is just not quite the same as wired to the PC. If you are tethered to the PC anyway, best remove that streaming element.


Otherwise a Oculus Quest, also £400, be free from wires and play in any room of your choice using any PC of your choice

 

Ah, nice one - cheers for that!

I did check the stockinformer site but it confusingly showed me this (I've chopped the screenshot to keep it relevant):

 

The Argos stock is store specific.
Scan pre-order is pre-order on arriving stock, and they've marked up the price by £20, not cool.

I'd register for Email alerts and jump on it as soon as you receive the Email alert. £399 is the RRP and £399 is what you should be paying.

 

This. Multi-GPU is not only not a benefit for VR, it can be actively detrimental to latency (the reasons for which would be a whole other multi-page ramble).

 

Chaps - for one reason and another, I never got around to ordering my headset earlier this year, so had a quick look on Amazon now that Squadrons has been released. However, I saw that the Quest 2 is out/out soon and the Rift S is now being retired. How does this change any advice above? Is it worth picking up an outgoing Rift S cheap, or is the Quest 2 a much bigger improvement?

Thought I'd defer to those with more insight than Google.

 

Quest 2 on-board gaming would give you best visuals across the Oculus 3 HMD. Its resolution and image quality, is better than Vive Index, very close to the G2. Maximum it can do is 90 Hz, but currently everything runs at 72 I think.

But link for PCVR isn't fully working, there are early reports of running at Quest 1 resolution. It may be sorted by product launch. Wireless app has just been updated to support Quest 2. This wireless app is called Virtual Desktop, it'll give you ~30ms delay between movement and it being reflected on-screen. This is down from Quest 1 latency thanks to new processor in Q2. In my experience with Q1, the delay is only an issue for really fast paced games like Beat Sabre on Expert.

So if I were to buy now, Quest 2 with upgraded headstrap at £350 for wireless PC VR is a no brainer. Fantastic visual quality, wireless PC VR, option to take it anywhere.


Although do keep in mind you'll need to log in with a facebook account if you don't already have an Oculus account.

 

@ModSquid I've pre-ordered a Quest 2, from what @wyx087 is saying, is pretty much what Tyriel Wood and other YouTubers say about their hands on experience with the Quest 2.

I sold my HP Reverb G1 4 months ago, so it will be interesting to see what the Quest 2 is like for comparison.

That said, when you look at these "through the lenses" comparing the Quest 2 to the HP Reverb G2 phototype, and Valve Index, the Quest 2 does a pretty good job for a £299 HMD compared to the £600 and £900 HMD's.

The G2 is in another league, and it is going to be even better with the anouncment of better lenses, and the high brightness that YouTuber MRTV got with his prototype, which absolutely blew him away.



Further more, to be able to do this all wirelessly and play in another room is a big win. The Quest 2 supports Wifi 6, but with a good router with a 5GHz connection should be fine.
I have a TP-Link VR900 which does upto 1200MB/s? over 5GHz. So I will see how that plays out once I get mine on the 13th.