A few days ago, HP announced its newest VR headset – the Reverb G2. This tool brings forth a plethora of enhancements over the former Reverb and undoubtedly highlights the coming generation of WMR headsets. Apart from its impressive clarity and high-resolution displays, there is much more to the Reverb G2.
The initial entry made by the Windows VR headsets back in 2017 may have seemed a little homogenous, but HP started paving its way through with the original Reverb headset in 2019. It has only been a year but the company is pushing further with the Reverb G2.
Ergonomic: G2 comes with a physical IPD slider instead of a fixed IPD like the original. This slider lets a user adjust and optimise the distance between the lances and align it perfectly with their eyes. An optimal IPD alignment offers immersion, clarity and comfort. The IPD of G2 ranges around 60mm to 68mm. As it is with other headsets, adjusting your headset slider makes the WMR software on your computer automatically update and match the software IPD setting.
Additionally, the head-mount is a significant improvement in Reverb G2. It uses an oval shape that becomes comfortable for a wider range of users. While it mostly resembles the original Reverb, HP worked on the padding and it makes a difference. It spreads over a wider area and absorbs the pressure on your face.
Audio: The excellent Index-like headphones which use novel BMR drivers and are off-ear instead of against-ear headphones. It is comfortable and immersive. The shape of the ear is significant in how you hear a sound. Cleverly crafted off-ear headphones on the G2 lays the sounds to a larger part of your ear, making it sound more realistic and ambient.
Tracking and Controllers: Moving on the bit, the Reverb G2 is the first of its kind with 4 inside-out tracking cameras. Although the number of cameras is more, the resolution is the same as the original WMR headsets.
The headset also comes with new controllers which provide a Touch-like design, completely replacing its predecessor’s WMR controllers that nearly every other headset uses. The latest does not only showcase a better shape, but it also provides the user with a button & stick layout. The trackpad is gone and instead, an appropriate grip trigger substitutes the previous grip button. Holistically, these modifications put G2’s WMR controllers up at the top with major headset controllers. This is also a boon for users and developers.
HP has given out a few intriguing pointers like, a) The controllers will run on 2 AA batteries like the original, b) These controllers are devoid of capacitive finger-sensing like Index or Touch controllers, and c) the G2 controllers are backwards compatible with other WMR headsets, which indicates that those using older headsets are going to find a controller upgrade shortly. 4 cameras are going to be a big improvement although the original WMR headsets were never bad in tracking.
