HP Reverb G2 Virtual Reality Headset

Before you buy it, make sure your PC can actually handle thing thing. This is the top VR headset on the market in terms of visual quality so you will need a baller PC to run it at full resolution. I got it primarily for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and it has by far exceeded my expectations, simply takes you to a different world

The headset is a very nice package. In terms of ergonomics, it is fully adjustable and the controllers feel natural to use. Yes, it does have to be tethered to a computer to work, but it really isn't an issue because you're standing in place most of the time when you use it. The resolution is stunning. I'm a big puzzle gaming guy so the old-school Myst and the newer Obduction games look gorgeous with this headset. Here is the thing: you really can't use this headset with a laptop. My wife just bought a very nice HP laptop with Nvidia graphics and an I7 processor and it just crashed over and over. This is why I gave it four starts and not five, but I'm not really sure there's anything HP could do to make it run on laptops. After all, these things are data hogs and that's all there is to it! I actually bought a refurbished VR-ready desktop to run it and all problems were solved. To run this headset, it's all about the GPU. These cards are very expensive now because of all the trolls mining crypto, but I recommend a GTX 1660 Super. That's what I have and it runs flawlessly. If you can afford a GTX 2060 Super, all the better. Please note that I bought this headset over the Oculus specifically because I can't stand the thought of Facebook (Meta now I suppose) measuring my responses to the stimuli presented in the headset and using it for marketing. If you don't mind Big Brother watching and recording everything you do and say while using the headset, an Oculus is by far the least expensive way to go...but there's a reason for that. It's like Google; nothing is really ever free!

Coming from an OG vive with DAS. Visuals are CRISP but the WMR interface is garbage. Its the only thing that makes me drop a star on the review. Using vive wands with headset, so cant say much about tracking. 3D printed myself a better face gasket holder for wider FOV and bigger cushion. the factory cloth can get you sweaty. snagged this for 400 on sale, im going to keep. if it was more than 500 i wouldnt, just because WMR software is that bad

This is a really nice high end headset for virtual reality. It isn't one of the easiest to setup. If your system doesn't have a DisplayPort, and a USB 3.1 A or C port, it may not be compatible. The controllers are a newer format than the tradition Mixed Reality controllers. The disk pad is replaced with an A and B buttons. The functionality didn't quite work right with some of my mixed reality apps. I'm still using my previous controllers, which work just fine with this headset. The facial padding is removable and upgradable. There are very comfortable replacements out there made of leather and silicon, that don't absorb sweat. There are two more external camera on sides of the display. The head tracking and controller tracking are much better, than the other mixed reality headsets I've used. It's still not as good as Oculus nor Hive. But it's about as good as it gets without tracking devices spread around you play area. 180 videos in 8K are stunning in this device. I'm not seeing any screen door defects. It's like I'm standing right there. Other videos I filmed with my LucidCam and Qoocam look a lot better than with previous headsets. Images further away are a lot clearer. If your system has the requirements to run this headset, you should be pretty happy with it. Make sure you have an available DisplayPort 1.3 or greater, and a modern USB 3.1 port because the device is very picky. Also make sure you download everything from Windows Update before you try to install this, or it won't download the Mixed Reality Portal from Microsoft.

First of all, in case you aren't aware, this is not a standalone headset. It requires a computer with a powerful graphics card. But other than your computer and graphics card, the system is self-contained. Everything you need is in the box (assuming that you have a DP port on your graphics card). The optics on this headset are very good. Field-of-view exceeds 110 degrees. Could be better of course, but it's much less of a "periscope" feeling than the Oculus Rift or Quest 2. The lenses appear to be of exceptional quality, and give a clear view across nearly the entire field of view. The IPD is continuously adjustable (no stops) using dual LCD panels (2160x2160 each). The headset has a decent strap, which use velcro to adjust the strap length. It would be better with a rear tension adjustment like the HTC DAS. If it had that, adjustment would be a breeze. But adjustment is hard enough to make it difficult for more than one user. The strap pivots at the headset easily, so you can slip it up at the rear, and remove the headset over your glasses (for those of us who need glasses for far distance). It holds the headset well on my face and is pretty comfortable. Audio is not bad. The headphones do not touch my ears, but are about a half inch away. I wasn't expecting that, but they still do work OK. I'd prefer on-the-ear. Now the controllers. I'm using this through Steam VR and the default bindings are just plain wrong for about anything. That's easily enough fixed if you know what you're doing, but it should come with usable defaults. The buttons feel cheap. And there are no capacitive touch sensors in any button. A plus on the controllers is that they do work fine with NiMH AA rechargeable batteries. Two AA cells each. I'm not sure that I'd be happy with this headset for $600, and would not have ordered it at that price, but it was on sale early this week for $399 (coinciding with Prime Day). I'm very happy with it at that price.

I only used this for seated flying simulator testing so I have no comment on hand control tracking. The seated tracking was great and being able to look around in Flight sim was amazing. This alone was most worth keeping it but it not for the visual distortion. I chose this one for the high resolution and I have the hardware to run it. Unfortunately this high resolution is mostly lost due to the tiny sweat spot you must focus on to see things clearly. Most of the focal plane is blurry expect for an exact spot about the size of a half dollar that you have to stare at. FOV is view overall was great but everything outside of this sweet spot is slightly blurry. For me this ruins the visual experience that is so important with a Sim game. If this whole FOV was in clear focus this would be magical!!! I hope we get there soon. Had to return it. Probably fine for more cartoon like games.

Not going to lie, I didn't have a great start. Mine failed after 4 days and had to be sent back under warranty. The headset just failed to power on, and the software wouldn't recognize that it was connected. It's a great headset at the price point. Great that you don't need base stations. Comes well packaged. The reliability just seems hit or miss. I do wish it also had the twist knob for adjustment.

Needed help setting up VR headset. Called HP. Found out this product was over three years old and HP would not support this product in any capacity. Not even troubleshooting to help me hook up to computer. Returning product ASAP. Also, the serial number on the outside of the box was not the same as the serial number on the actual product. Very disappointing.

Warning. As of the date of this review, this headset is incompatible with 5700 chipset Asus tuf motherboards. It will not work. I have done everything I can to get it working. Tried different ports, tried usb hub. I can get to the home screen, which looks cool. But it will not work with other software and sound cuts in and out with a BOOM every 15 seconds, or so. I have read there is a USB problem between this headset and my motherboard. Have updated motherboard drivers. Have updated headset firmware. I want it to work and AM working with HP, on it. If I don't get it working in a few days, it will, regrettably, go back.

In theory, this is one of the best value headsets when on sale. It has a good display, good speakers, decent tracking (although probably worst among actively sold headsets), etc. However, there are several unresolved quality issues that leave more to be desired. For example, you'll frequently see issues with the speakers because of their poor design. HP is also obviously leaving the VR market so expect support for this to be poor. Same with Windows and WMR. I wouldn't recommend anyone buy this unless they're heavily invested in seated simulator games. Buy a Quest 2, or wait for next gen headsets.