Another chance to get a closer look at the HP Reverb G2 before launch is taking place later next week.
Next Thursday, August 20th, Microsoft is hosting a digital Virtual Reality Developer Event. Kicking off at 9.05am PT, the event will feature five hours of workshops and talks, including a look at WebXR and OpenXR as well as a session on prototyping in VR using Maquette. Capping, the day off, though, is a technical breakdown of the Reverb G2, straight from HP itself, followed by a Q&A session.
Chances are this session will be very close to the breakdown HP offered when announcing the Reverb G2 earlier this year, but hopefully we’ll learn some new info about the anticipated PC VR headset. Reverb G2 is shipping later this year for $599 with a 4K display. As with the original Reverb, it’s built on top of Microsoft’s Mixed Reality headset design but adds crucial new features like a four-camera inside-out tracking setup and redesigned motion controllers.
Plus HP has also collaborated with Valve on the design of the device, including the off-ear speakers seen in the Index headset (though, notably, Reverb G2 won’t support the Index controllers). Needless to say, we have high hopes that Reverb G2 will become a contender in the PC VR market.
The headset doesn’t have a proper release date yet, but is promised for fall 2020 in a range of territories, with pre-orders open in many of them now. We’ll be bringing you impressions of the kit just as soon as we’re able to.
For now, though you can sign up to take part in the event from this link.
Yesterday HP launched pre-orders for its Reverb G2 headset in eight new territories. At the time we published our story, the UK pre-order page wasn’t quite ready. Now it is and it seems to confirm the HP Reverb G2 release date.
Update: HP declined to comment on this article beyond reiterating that the Reverb G2 ships this fall. The original article is below.
HP Reverb G2 Release Date Confirmed?
The listing from official HP retail partner, System Active, states the headset will start shipping on September 15. Usually, with retailer listings, we’d be skeptical that this was just a placeholder date, but given this is HP’s exclusive pre-order partner for the Reverb in the UK, and that the September window is mentioned multiple times (there’s even a countdown), this seems more genuine than usual. The device costs £525 in the UK (including VAT and delivery), and sells for $599 in the US.
All the same, we’ve reached out to the company to confirm the date and check that this HP Reverb G2 release date applies to other territories too. We didn’t see the date listed at other retailers yesterday, but we could well have missed something.
The VR industry has had its eye on Reverb G2 since its reveal earlier this year. Building off of the original Reverb headset, HP partnered with Microsoft and Valve for its new design. The Reverb G2 is a 4K headset with inside-out tracking powered by the Windows Mixed Reality platform, and integrated with SteamVR thanks to HP’s collaboration with Valve. Valve also adds several features seen in its own Index headset, including off-ear speakers and manual IPD adjust.
September was a little earlier than we were expecting, so this is encouraging news. It should mean that the Reverb G2 arrives in time for PC VR fans to play games like Star Wars: Squadrons with added visual clarity. We’ll be looking to bring you impressions of the device as soon as possible, so stay tuned.
HP Reverb G2 pre-orders are now rolling out to territories outside of the US.
Links for where to pre-order should either already be going live or coming soon to the UK, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Netherlands, Norway and New Zealand. You can access the headset’s Steam page for a link that will direct you to the relevant pre-order for your country, including the US.
HP Reverb G2 Pre-Orders Hit Europe And Beyond
However not all the HP Reverb G2 pre-orders seem to be working right now. The link for the UK, for example, takes you to a technology retailer named System Active, but the actual page for pre-orders doesn’t appear to be live yet. Other pages in countries like Germany are up and running, though, where the headset is listed for €583.90. In the US the device retails for $599. HP says pre-orders for other countries will be coming soon (poor Canada and Australia haven’t got any love yet).
The Reverb G2 was announced around the launch of Half-Life: Alyx earlier this year. HP partnered with both Microsoft and Valve on the kit, implementing the former’s Windows Mixed Reality inside-out tracking and the latter’s premium comfort and audio features. These features, paired with a 4K display, manual IPD adjustment and redesigned motion controllers make Reverb G2 a promising prospect for the enthusiast PC VR market. At $599, it’s $200 more expensive than Facebook’s Oculus Rift S (and the Oculus Quest, which can play PC VR using the USB-C cable that comes in the box), but $400 cheaper than Valve’s own Index headset.
The headset is due to ship this fall, though we don’t have an exact date for launch just yet. Expect it to run apps on SteamVR and Microsoft’s lesser-known Windows Mixed Reality platform.
Will you be laying down an HP Reverb G2 pre-order in your territory or are you still waiting? Let us know in the comments below!
New HP Reverb G2 details have emerged following the headset’s reveal last week.
Members of the HP team answered questions on Reddit following the reveal of the device, which is the result of a collaboration between HP, Microsoft and Valve. We already know the Reverb G2 is 4K PC VR headset with inside-out tracking afforded by four cameras. It’s also got Valve Index-style audio, redesigned motion controllers and improved ergonomics with a six-meter cable.
New HP Reverb G2 Details Revealed
Over on Reddit, HP confirmed that not only is the cable longer than the previous generation, but it’s “single barrel and thinner” too. As we already knew, you’ll be able to detach it from the headset, but HP also confirmed that it plans to sell replacement cables. No word on when they’ll go on sale or how much they’ll cost just yet.
As for the headset itself, the company revealed that it’s planning 60Hz mode and half-resolution modes. These should help the headset run on PCs that struggle with its beefy specs. There will also be camera passthrough, which will be in black and white.
Moving on to the controllers, HP confirmed that they won’t have capacitive sensors like Oculus Touch controllers. That means no finger sensing in this iteration. The grip button is now analog, though. HP already confirmed that it will sell the controllers separately and that they’re backward compatible with older Windows Mixed Reality devices, but clarified they won’t see pre-orders and will likely ship after the G2 itself releases in Fall 2020.
Last week’s announcement of the HP Reverb G2 headset was met with excitement from the VR community. But, while the US can already pre-order the device, HP Reverb G2 worldwide pre-orders aren’t available yet. We know when they will be, though.
During a presentation announcing the headset at the AWE 2020 event last week, the company confirmed that HP Reverb G2 worldwide pre-orders would be launching in mid-June and then continuing to roll out across July. These regions include Asia, Canada, Latin America and Europe. US pre-orders are currently available from the official website.
Later on in the session the company clarified that, although pre-orders are coming later, shipping for the device will be global. That’s currently scheduled for launch in fall 2020. We also don’t have individual pricing for different regions just yet, but we’ll let you know when we get that information.
Reverb G2 has caught the attention of VR enthusiasts thanks to an impressive spec sheet, made possible by a collaboration with Microsoft and Valve. Like the original Reverb, the G2 boasts a 4K resolution, and inside-out tracking, but also delivers four-camera tracking, Valve Index-style audio, improved ergonomics and redesigned Windows Mixed Reality controllers. Coming in at $599, the device shows a lot of promise for the enthusiast PC VR market. HP calls it a ‘no compromise’ headset, a marketing line we discussed heavily in this week’s episode of our VR Download podcast.
Will you be laying down a pre-order for the HP Reverb G2 when they launch across the globe in a few months? Let us know in the comments below!
HP fully revealed its next-generation VR headset this morning. Here are the main HP Reverb G2 specifications.
The Reverb G2 is a follow up to the original HP Reverb headset. Like the original, it’s part of Microsoft’s line of Windows Mixed Reality VR headsets, but also made in partnership with Valve. As such there have been a number of notable changes to its specifications.
According to HP, the Reverb G2 specs are as follows:
2 x 2.98″ LCD panels
Resolution of 2160 x 2160 per eye
90 Hz refresh rate
A field of view of 114 degrees
4 cameras, providing 6DoF inside-out tracking
Valve-designed lenses
Physical interpupillary distance (IPD) lens adjustment from 60mm – 68mm
Integrated off-ear speakers (same as on Valve Index)
Dual microphones
Redesigned Windows Mixed Reality controllers
Replaceable magnetic fabric face cushions
6 meter desktop cable
For comparison, the Rift S and the Index provide 1280 x 1440 pixels and 1440 x 1600 pixels per eye, respectively. So, if we’re going off pixel count and resolution alone, the G2 should launch as one of the highest resolution options on the consumer market.
The lenses and the speakers are also produced in collaboration with Valve — the speakers/off-ear headphones are the exact same ones in the Valve Index and the lenses have been designed by Valve but are not the exact same as the Index lenses.
The Reverb G2 will retail in a bundle for $599, which includes the headset itself and two of the redesigned Windows Mixed Reality controllers. The controllers will also be sold separately, as they are backwards compatible with other WMR headsets. However, the G2 will only be available in the bundle with the controllers, as no other controllers are compatible with the new headset.
HP appears to be taking notes from both Valve and Facebook with its latest headset, the Reverb G2, featuring four outward-facing tracking cameras, Valve’s audio and lens technology and redesigned Windows Mixed Reality (WMR) controllers that look a lot more like Oculus Touch.
Reverb G2 is priced $600. The new HP headset also features a slider on the bottom for physical separation of the lenses and panels to adjust between 60mm and 68mm for better focus and fitting on a wider range of faces.
HP formally worked with Valve and Microsoft on the development of the new system which features 2160×2160 LCD panels per eye, with each panel measuring 2.98 inches. That makes for some of the highest resolutions you’ll find in a consumer-grade VR headset. The new design also drops touchpads from the controllers that were emblematic of Microsoft’s first generation of VR input. That means HP essentially settled on using analog sticks and an overall input design that matches Facebook’s Oculus Touch. The company stressed to us that these controllers are unique to its headset.
As well as coming bundled with the headset, HP plans to sell the new controllers separate from the G2 and they are backwards compatible with earlier WMR headsets. Older WMR controllers aren’t compatible with the G2, according to HP, so you’ll only be able to buy the G2 headset as a package with the new controllers.
Here’s a look at the Oculus Touch controllers for a comparison:
Best of Both Worlds?
While HP sent the original Reverb to me to review last year the headset didn’t fit me. The display was such a mismatch for my face shape and larger-than-average eye distance (I saw a visible line at the edge of the display whenever I wore it) that I opted to send it back to HP without publishing a review. More broadly, the headset was also unavailable for purchase some of the year while Facebook shipped the new PC-only Rift S at $400 made by Lenovo and Valve pushed its high-end Index headset for $1,000. HTC also sells the Vive Cosmos in a range of configurations with its core system priced $700.
For 2020, HP seems to be hoping to get ahead of demand by opening pre-orders for its $600 Reverb G2 the same day as announcing the device, with plans to ship it this fall. This new design seems to carry features drawn from some of the best of both Valve and Facebook worlds and HP designers feel they built a no-compromise VR headset.
For instance, G2 features the same off-ear audio speakers as Valve Index. There’s no 3.5 mm audio jack on the G2, instead featuring the same powerful speakers that are so stunning on Valve Index. And while the lenses aren’t the same as Valve Index, HP says they are using Valve’s lens technology in its design for increased clarity.
The headset features two side cameras for better controller tracking, in addition to the two front-facing cameras featured on every other Windows Mixed Reality headset. While that’s not quite the five installed on Rift S — with Facebook’s headset also featuring a top-side camera to capture over-the-head movements — we’d expect a considerable upgrade in controller tracking quality as compared to previous WMR headsets. HP says Reverb G2 features “1.4X more movement capture.”
The system also features dual microphones, a 90 hz refresh rate and a detachment cable that comes all the way up to the headset. If your computer provides enough power it can connect with USB-C and Displayport, with a Mini Displayport adapter in the box. There’s also the option for a power brick to power the headset if your PC doesn’t provide enough power.
The headset still uses Microsoft’s walk-the-headset-around-the-room setup process and there’s the standard Windows “flashlight” mode to view the world in passthrough. The on-board cameras don’t track hand movements, according to HP.
It doesn’t sound like there will be hands-on opportunities with the new headset until later this year. That means some prospective buyers will be placing pre-orders for the headset before there are hardware impressions to share. We’ll bring you the latest on the Reverb G2 as soon as we have it.
We’re curious what you think of the new VR headset from HP — let us know in the comments.
Welcome to another swift roundup of the week’s top VR stories, releases and more! You can probably already guess the direction this episode is going to take, but we’ve got more than just Half-Life: Alyx to talk about.
First, not only did Half-Life: Alyx release, but we got the low-down on the future of VR at Valve. Jamie spoke to Greg Coomer from Valve and questioned whether or not Gabe Newell’s claims of Valve having three VR titles in development from 2017 were still true. Spoiler: they’re not. Well, not for now, anyway.
Alongside all the Alyx excitement, HP decided to drop pretty big news at the same time Valve’s title released – there’s another HP Reverb coming and it’s going to have next gen specs! What are those specs, you ask? Well… We don’t know yet, but they shared this pretty cool teaser trailer! Read more from our hardware expert, Heaney, who can fill in more gaps.
The number of releases this week has been unprecedented – yes, other VR games exist this week (and some are pretty darn good, too!). Time for a roll call! We’ve got: Paper Beast, The Room VR: A Dark Matter, Down The Rabbit Hole, Tilt Brush on PSVR, A-Tech Cybernetic VR also on PSVR, and B-Team on Quest.
We don’t have a giveaway for you this week, but make sure to tune in next Friday to see what’s up for grabs.
As for other news this week, here are other stories which didn’t quite make it into the VRecap:
Enjoy the glorious, non-judgemental freedom self isolation has given you, and make sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest in VR. Have a great weekend!
Microsoft’s endeavour to support the virtual reality (VR) industry with a reference design headset which the likes of HP, Dell and others could build up never really took off. Windows Mixed Reality headsets weren’t bad but the sudden flood of them in late 2017 made for a confusing hodgepodge of devices. HP was one of the companies that stuck to its guns and released a followup in 2019, the HP Reverb, geared more towards enterprise with a much nicer display. Now, HP has teased a new headset currently dubbed the Reverb G2.
Developers, architects, and #VR users – this one’s for you.
Very little is know about this new HP Reverb G2 with the website merely stating: “Developed in collaboration with Valve and Microsoft, the next gen HP VR headset delivers a more immersive, comfortable and compatible experience than the previous generation. It’s the new standard in VR.”
Splitting that statement down it’ll still likely be based on the Windows Mixed Reality platform so you’ll get those inside-out tracking capabilities and comfort was mentioned so hopefully there will be better weight distribution. A more ‘compatible experience’ suggests that HP might be leaning back towards the consumer market, possibly even supporting the Index controllers as Valve is involved.
And as this is a next-generation headset that going to set a ‘new standard in VR’ a bump in visual quality is highly likely, and therefore a premium price. Although Valve may not want a direct competitor to its currently out of stock Valve Index, so a higher price would continue HP’s focus on enterprise. There is the small matter that the current HP Reverb isn’t exactly lacking in visual quality. Offering 2160 x 2160 resolution per eye and a 114° field of view (FoV), Valve Index, for example, sports a 1440 x 1600 resolution per eye while the HTC Vive Cosmos comes equipped with 1440 x 1700 pixels per eye. So upping that even further would be quite something.
At the moment its pure speculation as to the possibilities of the HP Reverb G2. Interestingly, it was teased not long after the launch of Half-Life: Alyx, which VRFocus just gave a full five stars to in its review. Maybe this new headset will be easier to get hold of to play the latest instalment? For further updates on HP’s plans keep reading VRFocus.
HP today announced it is building a new VR headset, called Reverb G2, in collaboration with Valve and Microsoft.
There’s very little to go on, as the only thing available right now is a single teaser video. Here it is, in all its ambiguous glory:
HP also left us with this statement, which may give us at least one clue as to what we’re seeing here:
“Through this collaboration, Valve, Microsoft and HP are bringing a more immersive, comfortable and compatible VR experience,” an HP spokesperson told Road to VR.
Healthy speculation: by the looks of it, the Reverb G2 may make use of Microsoft’s Windows MR optical inside-out tracking, which is available on a host of Windows MR headsets dating back to the first generation of devices in 2017, including the original HP Reverb.
Launched just last summer and aimed at enterprise users, the HP Reverb was an impressive piece of kit despite the compromises on its generally tepid Windows tracking quality and aging WMR controllers. It includes 2,160 × 2,160 per-display resolution, which is a big step up over the next highest resolution headsets in the same class—the Valve Index, showcasing a resolution of 1,440 × 1,600 per display, and HTC Vive Pro’s dual 1,440 × 1,600 AMOLEDs, making the OG Reverb an impressively pixel-dense headset.
The “more compatible” part of the statement however might just point to the inclusion of SteamVR tracking as a secondary standard, embedded within the headset’s exterior. Windows MR headsets are already compatible with SteamVR by default, and their controllers have a standard input layout, so making it “more compatible” from a software perspective seems like a moot point.
Here’s a better look, brightened for clarity.
Image courtesy HP
If it includes SteamVR tracking, where are the dimples then? Although HTC Vive and more recently Vive Cosmos Elite contain characteristically dimpled faceplates for SteamVR tracking, Valve’s Index has them invisibly embedded, so there’s no telling what lurks underneath that front portion of the headset.
Another bit of speculation: the headset’s integrated audio looks strikingly similar to Valve Index’s, which might suggest an off-ear headphone design. Should that be the case, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that they’ve also borrowed some of Valve’s optics as well.
What definitely isn’t clear is whether Reverb G2 will come with the aging Windows MR controllers, or whether that reveal will come later with a prospective Windows MR/SteamVR tracking combo. We’ll have our eyes peeled for more info on Reverb G2, which symbolizes Valve’s first headset collab outside of the original HTC Vive from 2016.
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Is HP pushing out another enterprise headset, or heading HTC off at the pass with an impressively speced headset which could potentially trump the Vive Cosmos’ modularity? We’ll be keeping our eyes peeled in the coming weeks for more info on Reverb G2, so make sure to check back soon.
