@@christianbernt2154 MRTV did a far better through the lens where you could clearly see the difference between the headsets. This was poor in comparison.
@@dtz1000 Agree, the TTL images in this video do not do the G2 justice. It feels like the author didn't put a lot of effort in to making a representative the picture. It is "just a picture" now. I think they can do better than this.
Thanks for that. I'm going to try 2m extenders and have a usb-c on my gfx card. So hopefully the dongle can go between the extender and the hmd. My pc is in a place which sucks to get to the back of it, so it will be nice if this works, it did with my rift s
Nice i buyed it on the Hp site some days ago because they recomended it with the G2 as a pack. And of course they already sent the adapter to me. At least they gave discount and it didnt cost 25$ instead 10$.
The 'flip up' thing was never meant to be for flipping it up while wearing it! They were very clear about that (and it's kinda obvious from the design). It's for people who want to just hold it up to their face (i.e DEVS) without putting it on every time and it's also another, better way, of putting it on - hold to face then flip the *back* down, rather than loosening the straps, put it over head, then tighten straps it was supposed to be a set and forget thing (like rift CV1 but without springs due to the 'flip back down once on head' design). Never was a 'flip up' design like the Cosmos, MRTV and HP interviews themselves explained this. Just an FYI for anyone else reading who didn't know this cos Norm's made it sound like a design flaw. I also think this could be why the rear foam is stiffer to have longer life while it rubs against your skull during the flip fit process (and would soften up naturally through use)
The version of the headstrap that I got at the MRTVHQ DOES have that springy mechanism by the way. So I do think it's Norm's preproduction model that does not have this included.
That's actually still a design issue if the feature's purpose isn't very clear to the user. I'm sure it's something that owners will figure out on their own but it's something HP will need to consider for their communications about the headset.
@@mattlang5194 I think once you have it on your head, if it feels like a CV1 rift or Index and you 'try' to flip it up while on your head and meet resistance, it'll be pretty obvious it's not for that. I've not seen anywhere else mention it as 'flip up front' like Norm did, they all were clear it's a form of fitting it on your head (and for devs quick tests). This would probably be stated clearly in any quick start/manual and after a few goes nobody would be trying to flip it up I feel.
I prefer the G2's lack of an adjustment knob at the back of the headstrap because it means that I can rest my head on a pillow more comfortably without having to feel the pressure of a knob protruding onto the pillow.
@@panzermensch7152 Looks like The Void VR has been around a while and not something we can buy. I wonder what the rez is for them? Edit: Wiki says its 2k per eye.
@@Bassquake76 fyi, without destroying presence and depth, you really cant go beyond a certain PPD which is around 130degrees at a very high PPI. We need a huge breakthrough in lens technology to move forward. Otherwise you end up with tons of issue like pimax, xtal, starvr, and whatever the void is using. It's not a great experience once you have some time with it.
@@sqlevolicious Heard Star VR used some software trickery to make it clear beyond that tough? With eye tracking? With that being said, I am already noticing it on the Index. Gets smudgy on the sides.
The Void was using Rifts with 100 degrees. I have a Pimax 8K+ with 140+ fov and I see no distortions or pixels. But it is expensive and demanding on the system.
Me too. It looks like they've ticked all the boxes. Higher res, better tracking, bigger sweet spot, improved controllers and maybe better audio. Talk about a home run if it pans out.
Spent a lot of time basically nit-picking a pre production plastic frame and zero time on actually USING it. Go check MRTV's in depth videos about the G2 for real info. No offence to Norm but he didn't seem to know much about the G2 and about its fitment (not a flip up design for a start but a flip down fitting design) and telling us about issues that aren't even going to be coming to the paying customer.
This video was EVERYTHING I wanted the previous reviews to be. Showing how AWESOME the G2 is, but also showing the concerns and short comings! Thanks Guys!
@@dtz1000 most vr companies don't want or encourage through the lens shots because they give a bad portrayal of what you're gonna see. This is a good example of that. Some of them the G2 looked the best and some it looked barely better than a rift s. It's just not true to life because the camera can be out of focus or aimed different. Games can look different. Sadly it's something you can only see with your own eyes
@@dtz1000 that is the problem with through the lens pics. If you like one headset better you can be more careful about how you take the pic. Maybe these guys liked the index better and mr liked the G2 better so they UNINTENTIONALLY got better shots with their favorite headset. MRs through the lens in the cockpit made the G2 look stunningly beautiful. I really want to get my eyes in one EDIT: this is not saying either company intentionally got better or worse TTL shots but bias plays a part in everything humans do. Reviewers try their best to let that go and be honest but there will always be a degree of it. These guys and other vr enthusiasts will be more positive about vr headsets because they like vr where a vr hater would be pointing out every little flaw. Bias is inherent and unavoidable, that's why I recommend watching several channels reviews. Never just one.
@@jaybratt I'm not sure who upvoted your previous comment within a minute of you making it (Tested perhaps?) but it's a bit unfair to accuse MRTV of something so dishonest. He's well known as one of the more honest reviewers. I'm not so sure about someone who would immediately upvote such a comment as yours though.
Can't wait to get my hands on the G2!! Seems like they did a great job with this headset!!! Coming from a Valve Index, and I am still super hyped for this!!! So glad they are using Index style audio!!!
If you have an Index there's no reason to want a G2, the only thing you're getting better is picture clarity, even then you have more Hz and FoV on the Index, which are better for immersion and motion sickness 🙄🙄🙄🙄
@@DicehunterSC I would say it is more than slightly better visuals. I don't have the G2 but know the G1 has quite a lot better clarity than the index. The main Thing about the G1 was the clarity went away quickly when looking side to side or up and down. If the G2 has improved lenses, then I see it being a worthy upgrade from the index, especially if using for flight/car Sims.
@Ikuma Games @Infinity Dave @Ultrawide And VR Remember that all the headsets run at 100% SS. For the HP this is very close to its native res (2160 x 2160), But on the Valve index 100% SS is 2016x2240 which is way higher as the screen res. You can still super sample the Reverb.
Yeah this is literally the collab between valve and Microsoft it isn’t standalone but VR isn’t going towards standalone as it’s just not very good valve and Microsoft both go for the best possible whereas oculus goes for affordability so if you want standalone oculus are the only ones considering it
I am just going to say this because it needs to be said. Norm, you do yourself and the "Tested" brand a great disservice by putting out parts of this preview as is. The through the lens images especially are not consistent in any way and mislead more than anything, and not in a good way. Perhaps get better at taking them rather than just going with the flow. Your words are at odds what your video shows which just makes the entire video unbelievable. It also has an unpleasant side-effect of no longer holding your wisdom in such high esteem in the future.
Looks like he used a different camera with the G2, a lower grade camera or he rigged it to look more fuzzy and pick up on that colored grid shimmer. Like comparing a 2006 camera phone to a 2020 model.
Quick question on the side by side, it looks like the pictures were taken with a camera set in auto ISO mode. It looks, at least to me, that there are different ISO levels between all three images. If I had to guess, the index is around 100 ISO, Rift is around 200-300 and the Reverb is around 800 or higher. For example at 9:29, you can see that it is hard to read and things are blurry on the reverb side, but it appears to be more related to the ISO level than the actual quality of the display. This is easy to identify since there is a consistent "film grain" effect over all parts of the image. Can you please confirm the ISO level these were shot at and provide a comparison at a consistent ISO level (ideally 100 or 50)?
If that assessment is correct then that is appalling for such a large channel. The best TTL I've seen so far was done by MRTV. They did a decent job there.
Norm and Jeremy donan awesome job with this series, I very recently got into VR and I'm already hooked. Will keep my eye on this series for more VR development news. Thanks guys. ✌🏻
I like how you gave us an impression of how it would be to a VR Nut (esp upgraders from CV1 etc) with the niggles and pre-production stuff aside, and didn't overly focus on the obvious janky quirks of an early unit. I had a DK2 back in 2014 (talking of janky) and loved it, my Vive was also janky (though didn't love that as way too heavy) and I know that small niggles aren't that important at this early stage of VR but resolution/clarity and good sound are - which is why the G2 is the only game in town for upgraders from a rift CV1 etc. People calling you a shill obviously can't understand that some of us can look past the bad to see the good that's being given from HP while Facebook, our once great hope (oculus), nerfed PC VR and stepped backwards with the 'S' and now focus mainly on quest. G2 is what Oculus should have delivered a while back (and maybe they will in future and do it even better but it's clear now that only Valve and HP currently give a damn about PC VR in the right way)
@@Rastor0 I agree that Rift S and Quest do a better job putting the controller close to the headset. But I disagree that this makes it tough to use for Pavlov/Onward. I am planning a new video to address this and try it out in a whole video, to get a more complete picture than those few seconds in this video.
Thanks! how were the colours/contrast? In through the lens videos on youtube they look great compared to the rift/Index, however in these pics they looked considerably worse. Interested in knowing if they are any good/improved over G1
Thanks for the preview. Although you have to address the way you make TTL shots. The comparisons were quite inconsistent. I know it's not easy, but you are TESTED, and you have the means and the know-how. []-)
Agree, the TTL images in this video do not do the G2 justice. It feels like the author didn't put a lot of effort in to making a representative the picture. It is "just a picture" now. I think they can do better than this.
Yeah they barely looked any different. Surprised given the quality of other through the lens of G2. See MRTV's vids on YT. The colours and resolution look amazing on his videos.
The 'still' picture comparison (starting around 8:55) seems to be at odds with previous comparisons (MRTV for eg), and your own comments about clarity. The Reverb looks horrible in some - scan lines, blury - especially on the racing game (9:25) etc In fact, in that last example the Rift S looked way better. Is that really the case? Or just bad capture quality? If bad capture quality, why would you show that?
I would say bad capture quality. He was pretty critical throughout the video, but did say the clarity/image was really good. Sadly the through the lens doesn't look that good, tons of artifacts on all the headsets.
This is the first gaming hardware I have ever pre ordered. Can't bloody wait. PLaying some of my favorite VR experiences at that resolution is going to be incredible. Especially titles like HL Alyx, Boneworks, Asgards Wrath, Walking Dead S&S and Project Cars 2. Looking forward to replaying some of the best indie short games like Freediver: Triton Down as well.
For the G3 all they need to do is increase FOV by atleast 30° add new way of tracking the controlers and capacitive touch. 2560x2560 per eye would also be nice
higher resolution would need a faster graphics card, so no. The RTX 2080 Ti can handle 4320x2160 resolution at its maximum limits right now with standard settings. The upcoming generation of top notch nvidia card is going to handle that actual G2 resolution at maximum workload when you set the super sampling higher in Steam VR to have better visual quality. I would prefer to have wireless data transfer ( may be 5G network makes this possible ) instead of a bigger field of view or better tracking. The cable still is the most annoying thing in VR gaming. The next iterations of the Reverb VR headsets is going to improve step by step ( they want to earn much more money at HP and Microsoft, so it is strategy to not implement everything the consumers wish in the G2 or G3 or even G4 version )
What about "god rays"? I have been absent from the tech of the VR for a while and, more than anything, my original Rift and it's "god rays" is the thing I hate the most. Sure, resolution bump would be beautiful, but the rays are so distracting and demolish the picture quality.
What's that spot/smudge in the upper-middle location on the reverb g2? I also noticed this in a through the lens comparison of another youtuber. Is it the refraction of the lens and do you not notice it when you wear it?
Its prob a defect or user abuse because it is a demo model that is being handled by many people. Dont think they would do all that work to get rid of the last lens issue with the G1 to just sell the G2 with another lens defect....
"mostly there" in terms of optics meaning these are the final production lenses? This is an important question since some HP spokesperson have claimed every UA-camr lenses to be pre-production.
Getting G2 and then eventually will pickup lighthouses and valve knuckle controllers for the very best overall experience. MRTV has already demonstrated it. Can't wait! Upgrading from a Rift CV1. So...just a "slight" upgrade The comparisons to the Index have it smashing it in virtually all areas, headset to headset.
The price of the index controllers and base stations is $580 plus the price of 2 usb dongles. I have the index controllers, and they're nice. However, spending that kind of money just for a controller upgrade will probably be very disappointing. Might want to try looking for 1.0 base stations to save some cash. Form what I understand the only difference between 1.0 and 2.0 is range.
ffrank - in addition to range, 2.0 can track multiple users/more devices and you can create multiple room space “zones” with more base stations and have them linked as one large interconnected play space (I’ll edit in a correction and link if I got something bit wrong here). 1.0 is still all you need if you’re doing standard room scale VR at home and it allows you to track more than just the headset and 2 controllers. I think 1.0 can only do 1 headset but somewhere between 4-6 trackers/controllers so there’s still room to grow from the base experience. 2.0 comes into its own a little more for larger VR arcades...not saying there’s anything wrong using them for standard room scale at home :). I definitely prefer SteamVR tracking the most so far but I am a fan of there being options. Once I got the Vive area laid out and “optimized”, it’s just worked. I had to reinstall things at one point but it just required me to redraw the chaperone bounds; that’s about the only tinkering I’ve had to do in 3 years of rock solid accurate tracking.
ffrank 1.0 basestations are $15 less than 2.0 index ones new at $134.99 vs $150 only problem is that if you want 2.0 basestations now you have to get the vive ones that are both worse and $200. You can save more by buying used, however.
It's also a complete non issue lol. If you held a gun up to your eyeball like that IRL, you'd give yourself a black eye. That's not how you shoot guns.
Another great review! I have tried the high-res panels of the G1 and felt in love with them. 2k x 2k per eye is really a lot, it is very immersive! I can't wait to get a unit and review it as well
Yup! Even my own Dell WMR headset has impressed me quite a few times even if it's the discount version, I might consider stepping up to this G2 soonish since I adore the inside out tracking's convenience
No, they won't be compatible. WMR headsets and Valve/Vive headsets use completely different tracking systems. First use in-build cameras and second use separate base stations.
The intro in the first 5 minutes was really well done and appreciated. I've owned a DK2 but haven't followed the scene too closely outside of big announcements. You certainly know your stuff and how to sum things up succinctly Norm! You're my go to authority on VR journalism.
Thanks for the hands on! Do you mind commenting more on wearing glasses with g2? I had g1 which barely fit my glasses. Idk whether g2 is any better in that aspect
@@Hoto74 I own multiple vr headset already. Unfortunately, i definitely need glasses to see anything in vr. I do notice that i can use lower diopter lens and still see clearly.
@@sqlevolicious what did they lie about in the specs? it's dp + usb 3. basically thunderbolt 3 without the pcie integration... I'd like to see it as a standard on everything. why not?
Great to see VR taking leaps and bounds. I'm hoping psvr 2 will match these advancements. The psvr headband form factor should just be the standard VR form factor now. There's no competition. It is far and away the most comfortable headset.
I've had dk2, vive, psvr and rift cv1 (and am getting the G2). While I do think on the face the PSVR was the best (as it floated in front which is great), I found it hurts you head after a couple of hours unlike Rift CV1 which for me has been the overall best balanced/comfortable for long sessions. Also the CV1 is like putting on a baseball cap, just slip it on your head and its there (esp if you don't wear glasses as I don't), on/off in seconds. PSVR and every other 'nut cracker' design is a bit less natural feeling (except PSVR on the face which is great other than light leak). Also another reason the nutcraker design isn't all round great is you can't lie back with it on, digging into your head (on a floor to look up at the stars in game for example). The perfect design hasn't been found yet but would take elements of PSVR, index/g2 and CV1 somehow.
You mention that you don't wear your glasses with this headset. Can you let me know what the widest a pair of glass could be and still fit inside? I have bigger glasses somewhat like yours. I am really interested and my glasses fit in the reverb original but just barely. I have no choice but to wear them.
I absolutely love that there might be an awesome headset with good specs that stays neutral and doesn't force me to use facebook or anything like that to use it properly. Looks like a nice, affordable price as well. Good job HP for making something where they work together with other VR headset creators and where a lot of the focus seems to be on making it flexible and user friendly, not to mention they actually seem to update it as they get feedback on it. Super excited for this one! :D
Other channels (Mrtv) have been raving about this headset saying it’s “head and shoulders above any other headset”. Interesting to see a more muted review here.
Hey guys not much of a tech guy here. I’m looking at buying a razer blade pro 17 laptop For Microsoft flight sim and would like to try this vr as well but the razer doesn’t have a mini display port. Would I be able To use these headsets? Thanks.
but you should keep in mind a laptop will suffer a lot to play at these headsets resolution, it's really GPU intensive, even regular desktops with 3-fan last generation GPUs suffer to render
CorporateZombie you should buy them. Valve support is great and will replace anything that breaks no questions asked. The problem isnt fixed iirc but its been mitigated. You should still rebind your thumbstick click if possible to get extra life out of it
Bob C the headset itself is not lighthouse tracked but nothings stopping you from just connecting two steamvr controllers to two steamvr or modded steam controller dongles and then just matching up the locations of everything. Mrtv has a guide up on his channel.
Would you recommend getting this headset and using it with the Index controllers + base stations? I really want the G2 for the clearer display. Saw it was possible to do this set up combination with openVR
Hi. I'm curious why you chose like that. I'm currently trying to check the market to finally get into VR as my last experience was with the Rift DK2 which had a very bad resolution. And that was years ago. I'm currently thinking about the Index or the G2 as both get good reviews. The G2 seems to have the edge when it comes to resolution and its cheaper. But it seems that the light houses are more accurate. On the other hand I don't know if the Index motion controllers are actually supported well with lots of games. The current state of the VR market reminds me of Bluray vs HD-DVD. They both are there and it's difficult to select one as both are much to similiar.
Slamy's Music & Programming the index resolution is very good (while not as good as G2, it’s really good too). That one advantage the G2 has does not make up for all the areas Index is better at from accuracy of tracking to controllers to finger tracking to ease of wearing/removing/adjusting to refresh rates of 120 and 144 (translating to higher FPS), to the wider FOV, to the eye relief adjustment and so on. The point reviewers keep making about how G2 is better for simmers (eg cockpit readability) isn’t all that factual either-cockpits are extremely readable with Index, especially if you up the super sampling, then letters/labels at all sizes at variable distances are crisp. It’s clear reviews didn’t try that very well. Same for screen door effect, on the index it’s also virtually nonexistent. Yes it’s much more expensive but you are paying for 2 light houses and 2 awesome controllers etc.
...I like the WMR controllers. :p Feels like losing the trackpad will make some games harder, cause they had thumbsticks & trackpads before which both had separate functions.
I was disappointed with the poor coverage on some of the areas though. He only skimmed over the IPD adjustment, which is missing on both the G1 and Rift S, while opting to spend most of his time complaining about the lack of eye relief which is more niche. The IPD adjustment is a huge quality of life and usability improvement, greatly expanding the amount of people that can use it and optimizing FOV/clarity for almost every user within and just beyond its range, the lack of it on the Rift S and G1 was a big hindrance. Also, while the strap adjustment versus ratchet adjustment can be negative, it's only really an annoyance if you're sharing the headset between people (the 90 degree flip is meant for putting the headset on easily once it's adjusted, too). The lack of a knob on the back means it will be more comfortable to rest your head on a headrest/lay down in bed, important for sim-users and for media consumers/productivity users. Much of his complaints too were focused on the build quality being a placeholder prototype, which isn't very reflective of the end product at all.
Can you comment more on the lenses? How does the edge to edge clarity compare to the Index? (setting aside the adjustment sweetspot) Does it suffer from poor chromatic aberration? Good geometric stability?
Good question. I get the impression that through the lens footage makes lenses appear blurry in the peripheral fields (outside of the sweet spot?). Is this because the camera lens is not able to hit the sweet spot as well? It is tempting to compare the entire screens of through the lens footage but I am not sure how big of a factor this plays. I'd like to see this mentioned!
I wonder this as well. From all the "though the lens" videos on the G2 I can find, a lot of them seem to have very blurry edges. This was a major issue with the G1. Tyriel Wood's G2 videos show this as well in the vision tests. MRTV's videos also show some very blurry edges in his videos (the plane) but some do not. MRTV claims in his preview and half-life videos it's clear from edge to edge. So it seems to be a mixed bag. Hopefully, the lenses get some more love. The edge clarity is my biggest concern at this point personally. Hopefully, the HP and Valve team are able to fix this. I would love to purchase the G2.
When talking about the moire effect on the G1 that looks a lot more like gradient banding due to a lower color bit depth than the "screen door effect". I'm assuming HP upgraded the panel to be able to handle more shades of colors to reduce banding. In full disclosure I'm just going off the youtube video and have never tried either of these.
who else is watching this after Oculus announced that they will be requiring a Facebook account for oculus products? I'm probably gonna sell my rift s and get this when its out.
I think most channels on youtube right now are spreading hype about the G2, but this is the only review I've seen that actually pointed out the pros and cons. For example, you can see the clear advantage of the G2 is the very wide sweet-spot and right balance of colours, but visuals don't look that much superior overall than a Rift S or an Index. And it's really really sad that you cannot connect a custom headphone directly on the headset, while the Rift S being much cheaper allows you to.
I have the G1 and its a fantastic headset. There are not enough improvements on the G2 to make me want to upgrade but if I was in the market for a new headset the G2 would be top of my list
Great review and overview, particularly appreciate the through the lens shots to really show the display quality. Apologies if the following seems pedantic, but hoping (if I'm correct) it will help for future videos. You kept using a word to describe the effect when you looked at a large bright surface - miroir (as close as I think I can get to a spelling - me-wah). Never heard this word before. Did you mean moiré (mwah-ray)?
I'm sure that due to the standalone performance limitation, Facebook won't put in as high resolution a panel. Especially considering the Quest recommended render res to developers is 1280x1280(even with fixed foveated rendering) to manage 72Hz. To get to 2160x2160 at the faster 90Hz, they'd need a standalone with 5 times the performance. Even the latest XR2, only has 2x the current Quest, and that's expensive and unlikely in the Quest 2. Not much point putting in a more expensive, high-res display, when most standalone Quest users don't have a PC to drive it, and practically none of the standalone games could cope with. Still, will be interesting to see what the controller offers, now they've re-introduced the thumb rest spot sensor, like the original Rift Touch had.
@Matthew Without Facebook, Oculus would be dead now, so would HTC. As you say, they are pumping BILLIONS in to R&D and trying to make their platform a complete package for new users to jump on to with confidence. Spending all their resources in making the Oculus range really high quality, - this saving time from working with SDK's to support the whole range of other HMD's, so be it. People who say to boycott Oculus are just Boycotting VR because they are the face of VR.
@Node Microsystems Facebook needs to what?? Approaching and funding AAA game developers to create VR games who was uninterested in VR in the first place?? They should be applauded not being boycotted.
The Controllers be updated is huge. I owned a 1st Gen Mixed Reality Headset and the Controllers were the worst part of the VR Experience. Based on MRTV this is a go to headset if you don't own a VR Headset or if you looking upgrade from 1st Gen Rift or Vive.
Please say more about comfort level with glasses. I had to return the HP Reverb G1 because I found it very uncomfortable with glasses similar to yours.
so im not a simmer. however i heard the reason there is no tightening knob was because you cannot rest you head on a chair head rest if there is a knob (IE. you cant comfortably sit in a racing chair). i had this issue on my rift s and i can say im actually exited to not have a knob on the strap.
The Valve Index controllers require light house trackers to work. The G2 doesn't support light house tracking and doesn't officially support the Index controllers either. Although some will tell you that you can mod it to work I wouldn't recommend it.
will MSFS2020 be able to support this VR while using Yokes, Trottles and pedal flight controls? Seems like the VR controls will get in the way of being able to use that stuff?
It looks like ironsights or aiming with a scope may be broken on this until they update tracking. That point was quickly moved past, and not brought up in other impressions.
@@suicidalbanananana Hey now :D I had an Index for a bit and the audio is awesome, but it is noticeable from the bedrooms where I am when playing games with gunfire (my play space is in the living room, and there's a nanny cam so I'd be dumb to indulge other interests there). Small children don't like loud noises when they're trying to sleep lol
Why not include something as simple as a headphone jack? That is a feature that is close to a must for me. How much would it cost them to add one do you think? It's a pretty big oversight.
This is the support I go from HP for the Reverb G2. I preordered in July and was expecting to receive the product shortly. I called Connection (HP U.S. website's processing company) because my address is an APO/DPO and wanted to make sure it was able to be ship if not change the shipping to my Billing address. Well Connection tried everything they could but HP cancelled my order with the agent on the phone and said I would have to reorder, pushing me back to the next ship dates in late December. I guess I will go with anything but an HP product, that's is some BS!!!
How does the positional tracking work with the two front facing cameras? I have a big television in front of my VR space... wouldn't that screw up the positional tracking? Do you need to be in front of a static surface?
Thank you. This is very helpful. I might consider the purchase, although the quest has me addicted to wireless. Would you be willing to do a video comparing « home » experiences and customization options across devices and or home os?
I know through the lens pictures are hard to record, but I also know it can be way better than this. I took some with my phone that are better. The pictures in this video are different from every scene, sometimes the Rift S looks better than the G2. Not really informative then.
@@stuart3712 I have the Reverb G1 (later pro version), which I can tell you has clarity that just blows away headsets like the Index, Cosmos, and Rift S. I've seen the difference with my own eyes. Its pretty shocking. I also don't have any mura. I don't like the cable though. The G2 looks like a very nice improvement in various ways.
So in the side by side pics more times than not the rift s looks as good if not better than the g2. May want to correct how you are capturing those pics bud. On the flip side hp really needs to do something about the headstrap. That looks even jankier than the original quest. Hopefully they give us something akin to the vive das or the index strap. 🤞🤞🤞
He def botched his comparison. If anyone does this kind of comparison, they need to use the best camera that takes clear pictures of displays and use that camera on all HMD's. Seems like he used a different camera on the g2 Vs the others.
Many PCs USB C does not work. Windows are just crap at making things work. Even after changing to USB3 I got a BLACK SCREEN. Experience told me it then needed re-plugging in yet again but without POWER BOX ON. This was due to the slots sharing my USB C and messed it up by using it.
So is it crazy to be ordering an index now? I pressed the button yesterday, but the bit at the end where he says the likes of HL Alyx feel much more comfortable in the G2 has me reconsidering.
Wait.. If its a valve product will it be compatible with index controllers as well as the G1 controllers? Amd can you sync it to base stations as well?
I'm looking to upgrade my Rift CV1, and the G2 seems like a perfact match. Not as expensive as the Index, and a better viewing experiance than my current headset.
Apparently, the area around the hips is not in the controller tracking volume, even though this is the area where it's the most comfortable to keep your hands for longer periods of time. This is a rather unnecessary mistake, since it was already a known issue for the previous generation of WMR headsets. It wouldn't cost anything to fix, the cameras could just be placed like on the Quest.
Hi - I was wondering how the speakers attach? Is it a standard audio jack or something proprietary? I'm interested in the Woojer Edge audio haptic devices and was wondering if it would be possible to bypass the speaker connection through one of those devices to get haptic bass with my VR games with this headset?
Some of your through the lenses image for the Index are out of focus, 9:21 and 9:30 for instance. If you zoom in you should see the pixels, not a blurry mess.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
More of our reviews (not just VR): ua-cam.com/play/PLJtitKU0CAegwL_3j59S7_93IEzvhYcDR.html
An entire video of blabbering, considering all this information already being covered elsewhere.
Why does the TTL of the Reverb G2 look worse than the Rift S in the racing game?
@@christianbernt2154 MRTV did a far better through the lens where you could clearly see the difference between the headsets. This was poor in comparison.
@@dtz1000 Agree, the TTL images in this video do not do the G2 justice. It feels like the author didn't put a lot of effort in to making a representative the picture. It is "just a picture" now. I think they can do better than this.
(hijacking for question) did you notice a pixel column/pixel inversion problem? It was pretty bad on Index and I noticed it on Rift S too
Just an update in regards to the USB C to A dongle, it WILL be included in the box. This change was made after this video was made.
i have usbc but i never use it. USBa FTW.
Thanks for that. I'm going to try 2m extenders and have a usb-c on my gfx card. So hopefully the dongle can go between the extender and the hmd. My pc is in a place which sucks to get to the back of it, so it will be nice if this works, it did with my rift s
Nice i buyed it on the Hp site some days ago because they recomended it with the G2 as a pack. And of course they already sent the adapter to me. At least they gave discount and it didnt cost 25$ instead 10$.
@@ryanmalin everything will be usbc at some point
perfect! I preordered then realized I don't think I have USB-c on my Mobo just yet lol.
The 'flip up' thing was never meant to be for flipping it up while wearing it! They were very clear about that (and it's kinda obvious from the design). It's for people who want to just hold it up to their face (i.e DEVS) without putting it on every time and it's also another, better way, of putting it on - hold to face then flip the *back* down, rather than loosening the straps, put it over head, then tighten straps it was supposed to be a set and forget thing (like rift CV1 but without springs due to the 'flip back down once on head' design). Never was a 'flip up' design like the Cosmos, MRTV and HP interviews themselves explained this. Just an FYI for anyone else reading who didn't know this cos Norm's made it sound like a design flaw. I also think this could be why the rear foam is stiffer to have longer life while it rubs against your skull during the flip fit process (and would soften up naturally through use)
The version of the headstrap that I got at the MRTVHQ DOES have that springy mechanism by the way. So I do think it's Norm's preproduction model that does not have this included.
Also worth mentioning is that with flip up the likes of vives have decreased fov as a result. It may be convenient but there's also drawbacks.
That's actually still a design issue if the feature's purpose isn't very clear to the user. I'm sure it's something that owners will figure out on their own but it's something HP will need to consider for their communications about the headset.
@@Ruby_Mochii It adds weight too IIRC.
@@mattlang5194 I think once you have it on your head, if it feels like a CV1 rift or Index and you 'try' to flip it up while on your head and meet resistance, it'll be pretty obvious it's not for that. I've not seen anywhere else mention it as 'flip up front' like Norm did, they all were clear it's a form of fitting it on your head (and for devs quick tests). This would probably be stated clearly in any quick start/manual and after a few goes nobody would be trying to flip it up I feel.
I prefer the G2's lack of an adjustment knob at the back of the headstrap because it means that I can rest my head on a pillow more comfortably without having to feel the pressure of a knob protruding onto the pillow.
while watching porn ;)
very good point
I'm pretty sure that was one of the reason that they don't use a knob on the G2. The G2 is made for Sim players in mind.
they could have placed the know somewhere else though
Great for us racing sim guys with high racing seats as the knob at the back is uncomfy.
Cool stuff. Looks like we're getting very close to no more screendoor and pixelation issues! Just need the fov to be 180° next! 😁
Look up The Void VR Arcade there headsets have 180° view
@@panzermensch7152 Looks like The Void VR has been around a while and not something we can buy. I wonder what the rez is for them?
Edit: Wiki says its 2k per eye.
@@Bassquake76 fyi, without destroying presence and depth, you really cant go beyond a certain PPD which is around 130degrees at a very high PPI. We need a huge breakthrough in lens technology to move forward. Otherwise you end up with tons of issue like pimax, xtal, starvr, and whatever the void is using. It's not a great experience once you have some time with it.
@@sqlevolicious Heard Star VR used some software trickery to make it clear beyond that tough? With eye tracking? With that being said, I am already noticing it on the Index. Gets smudgy on the sides.
The Void was using Rifts with 100 degrees. I have a Pimax 8K+ with 140+ fov and I see no distortions or pixels. But it is expensive and demanding on the system.
Now that Oculus has gone full Facebook, I think that I'm going to pick this up once it becomes available.
Same here. I'm selling my Quest and my Oculus account($500 in games) and moving to wired VR until someone else puts out a standalone HMD.
Same
@@StratumPress Uh are you still doing this with the Oculus quest 2 announced?
@@Gandalf721 how exactly is the quest 2 terrible for 299?
@@Gandalf721 its not tho is it
The first 5 minutes is a history lesson he actually starts talking about it at 5:15 seconds
thank you
Thanks man, looks like the Wadsworth Constant strikes again lol
I love you
Thank you
thx
I love my Odyssey plus headsets to this day. Glad to see we are getting a decent upgrade!
Me too. It looks like they've ticked all the boxes. Higher res, better tracking, bigger sweet spot, improved controllers and maybe better audio. Talk about a home run if it pans out.
The comparisons seemed a little inconsistent. Like some images seemed to contradict previous ones.
Probably because sweet spot differences.
I noticed this as well. Sometimes the G2 clearly had the worst image, which contradicts pretty much every review.
Spent a lot of time basically nit-picking a pre production plastic frame and zero time on actually USING it. Go check MRTV's in depth videos about the G2 for real info. No offence to Norm but he didn't seem to know much about the G2 and about its fitment (not a flip up design for a start but a flip down fitting design) and telling us about issues that aren't even going to be coming to the paying customer.
This video was EVERYTHING I wanted the previous reviews to be. Showing how AWESOME the G2 is, but also showing the concerns and short comings! Thanks Guys!
What about those appalling through the lens shots? Shameful for such a large channel such as this.
@@dtz1000 most vr companies don't want or encourage through the lens shots because they give a bad portrayal of what you're gonna see. This is a good example of that. Some of them the G2 looked the best and some it looked barely better than a rift s. It's just not true to life because the camera can be out of focus or aimed different. Games can look different. Sadly it's something you can only see with your own eyes
@@jaybratt MRTV did a decent job of showing the view through the lens. Not perfect but a whole lot better than this channel.
@@dtz1000 that is the problem with through the lens pics. If you like one headset better you can be more careful about how you take the pic. Maybe these guys liked the index better and mr liked the G2 better so they UNINTENTIONALLY got better shots with their favorite headset. MRs through the lens in the cockpit made the G2 look stunningly beautiful. I really want to get my eyes in one
EDIT: this is not saying either company intentionally got better or worse TTL shots but bias plays a part in everything humans do. Reviewers try their best to let that go and be honest but there will always be a degree of it. These guys and other vr enthusiasts will be more positive about vr headsets because they like vr where a vr hater would be pointing out every little flaw. Bias is inherent and unavoidable, that's why I recommend watching several channels reviews. Never just one.
@@jaybratt I'm not sure who upvoted your previous comment within a minute of you making it (Tested perhaps?) but it's a bit unfair to accuse MRTV of something so dishonest. He's well known as one of the more honest reviewers. I'm not so sure about someone who would immediately upvote such a comment as yours though.
Can't wait to get my hands on the G2!! Seems like they did a great job with this headset!!! Coming from a Valve Index, and I am still super hyped for this!!! So glad they are using Index style audio!!!
Looks like they used a lot of the things from Index that were excellent
I'm here from your Tweet.. Yep same G2 pre-ordered from day one. Give me all that 4k glory all over my face!
If you have an Index there's no reason to want a G2, the only thing you're getting better is picture clarity, even then you have more Hz and FoV on the Index, which are better for immersion and motion sickness 🙄🙄🙄🙄
@@DicehunterSC I would say it is more than slightly better visuals. I don't have the G2 but know the G1 has quite a lot better clarity than the index. The main Thing about the G1 was the clarity went away quickly when looking side to side or up and down. If the G2 has improved lenses, then I see it being a worthy upgrade from the index, especially if using for flight/car Sims.
@Ikuma Games @Infinity Dave @Ultrawide And VR Remember that all the headsets run at 100% SS. For the HP this is very close to its native res (2160 x 2160), But on the Valve index 100% SS is 2016x2240 which is way higher as the screen res. You can still super sample the Reverb.
Good Job with the Impressions Video! Glad to see that you guys have it too now!
Nice (p)review by the way!
Yep I was getting sick and tired of the unbalanced reviews floating around on UA-cam for a month. Finally a good review to help us with substance.
You've got then on through the lens shots, keep up the stellar work!
Valve and Microsoft needa collab again and come up with an Oculus Quest competitor so I can get away from Facebook.
Valve can't even keep up with stock for the index atm, got their hands full with that right now in the vr department
This is literally that, sir
Yeah this is literally the collab between valve and Microsoft it isn’t standalone but VR isn’t going towards standalone as it’s just not very good valve and Microsoft both go for the best possible whereas oculus goes for affordability so if you want standalone oculus are the only ones considering it
I just sold my Rift S. I'm definitely going to order this headset.
I am just going to say this because it needs to be said. Norm, you do yourself and the "Tested" brand a great disservice by putting out parts of this preview as is. The through the lens images especially are not consistent in any way and mislead more than anything, and not in a good way. Perhaps get better at taking them rather than just going with the flow. Your words are at odds what your video shows which just makes the entire video unbelievable. It also has an unpleasant side-effect of no longer holding your wisdom in such high esteem in the future.
I found myself tilting my head and furrowing my brow more than a couple of times when I was looking at those images.
He may not be the only one taking photos and doing the editing, it’s a lot of extra work and he seems pretty busy researching and filming.
Those have to be some of the most inconsistent through the lens shots I have ever seen.
Seems like just bad camera work from Norm. Sad to see. Tyler Wood is by far the best when it comes to through-the-lens.
Looks like he used a different camera with the G2, a lower grade camera or he rigged it to look more fuzzy and pick up on that colored grid shimmer. Like comparing a 2006 camera phone to a 2020 model.
@@sqlevolicious MRTV has good through the lens shot too.
lol...i just posted about his. You are so right.
Yeah, this guy seems completely F in the head, to be honest. His arrogance is triggering af.
All I really need is, resolution, FPS, fov, comfort, tracking quality, cable length, and durability of headset/controllers.
Quick question on the side by side, it looks like the pictures were taken with a camera set in auto ISO mode. It looks, at least to me, that there are different ISO levels between all three images.
If I had to guess, the index is around 100 ISO, Rift is around 200-300 and the Reverb is around 800 or higher.
For example at 9:29, you can see that it is hard to read and things are blurry on the reverb side, but it appears to be more related to the ISO level than the actual quality of the display. This is easy to identify since there is a consistent "film grain" effect over all parts of the image.
Can you please confirm the ISO level these were shot at and provide a comparison at a consistent ISO level (ideally 100 or 50)?
Also different distances. Super low effort review. Can’t believe people take this show seriously.
If that assessment is correct then that is appalling for such a large channel. The best TTL I've seen so far was done by MRTV. They did a decent job there.
@@djdalby its cause of the Adam Savage name i think. Pretty much all of their content is kind of trash when it comes to VR.
Norm and Jeremy donan awesome job with this series, I very recently got into VR and I'm already hooked. Will keep my eye on this series for more VR development news. Thanks guys. ✌🏻
Hi! Glad you enjoy it as well! :) (You never replied to my twitter direct messages... ;)
I like how you gave us an impression of how it would be to a VR Nut (esp upgraders from CV1 etc) with the niggles and pre-production stuff aside, and didn't overly focus on the obvious janky quirks of an early unit. I had a DK2 back in 2014 (talking of janky) and loved it, my Vive was also janky (though didn't love that as way too heavy) and I know that small niggles aren't that important at this early stage of VR but resolution/clarity and good sound are - which is why the G2 is the only game in town for upgraders from a rift CV1 etc. People calling you a shill obviously can't understand that some of us can look past the bad to see the good that's being given from HP while Facebook, our once great hope (oculus), nerfed PC VR and stepped backwards with the 'S' and now focus mainly on quest. G2 is what Oculus should have delivered a while back (and maybe they will in future and do it even better but it's clear now that only Valve and HP currently give a damn about PC VR in the right way)
Sebastian any comment on the issues Norm had with tracking at 18:30 ?
@@Rastor0 I agree that Rift S and Quest do a better job putting the controller close to the headset. But I disagree that this makes it tough to use for Pavlov/Onward. I am planning a new video to address this and try it out in a whole video, to get a more complete picture than those few seconds in this video.
@@Rastor0 i play on first gen of WMR, and i have no problem on pavlov, contractors, onward... i use a Protube
Great breakdown of the headset! Can't wait to get into Flight Sim and Starwars Squadrons with the G2.
Thanks! how were the colours/contrast? In through the lens videos on youtube they look great compared to the rift/Index, however in these pics they looked considerably worse. Interested in knowing if they are any good/improved over G1
joe dunleavy yes oh is the color and contrats ? On the G1 colors were wahed out compared at my vive pro .. ( lcd vs oled). The gap is the same ?
It's alot better than the index for colour reproduction and clarity but only 90 hz display
Thanks for the preview. Although you have to address the way you make TTL shots. The comparisons were quite inconsistent. I know it's not easy, but you are TESTED, and you have the means and the know-how. []-)
Agree, the TTL images in this video do not do the G2 justice. It feels like the author didn't put a lot of effort in to making a representative the picture. It is "just a picture" now. I think they can do better than this.
Yeah they barely looked any different. Surprised given the quality of other through the lens of G2. See MRTV's vids on YT. The colours and resolution look amazing on his videos.
@@ScubyFlying And yet people are lauding this as the first serious and proper review/preview.
I strongly agree. I have seen other TTL shots and the g2 was as clear as day.
Really well made analytic video, thank you.
The 'still' picture comparison (starting around 8:55) seems to be at odds with previous comparisons (MRTV for eg), and your own comments about clarity. The Reverb looks horrible in some - scan lines, blury - especially on the racing game (9:25) etc In fact, in that last example the Rift S looked way better. Is that really the case? Or just bad capture quality? If bad capture quality, why would you show that?
I would say bad capture quality. He was pretty critical throughout the video, but did say the clarity/image was really good. Sadly the through the lens doesn't look that good, tons of artifacts on all the headsets.
@@sigrid714 no video looks really blurry.
22:57 also doesn't look favourable for g2
@@sigrid714 yeah just wanted to get a second opinion from a reliable source, oh well nobody's perfect I guess
Very solid review Adam, thanks mate!
This is the first gaming hardware I have ever pre ordered. Can't bloody wait. PLaying some of my favorite VR experiences at that resolution is going to be incredible. Especially titles like HL Alyx, Boneworks, Asgards Wrath, Walking Dead S&S and Project Cars 2. Looking forward to replaying some of the best indie short games like Freediver: Triton Down as well.
Same here, what about Project cars 3? :)
@@tehsparton Ah man, and Flight Simulator is going to be incredible. Might have to invest in a flight stick.
For the G3 all they need to do is increase FOV by atleast 30° add new way of tracking the controlers and capacitive touch. 2560x2560 per eye would also be nice
higher resolution would need a faster graphics card, so no. The RTX 2080 Ti can handle 4320x2160 resolution at its maximum limits right now with standard settings.
The upcoming generation of top notch nvidia card is going to handle that actual G2 resolution at maximum workload when you set the super sampling higher in Steam VR to have better visual quality. I would prefer to have wireless data transfer ( may be 5G network makes this possible ) instead of a bigger field of view or better tracking.
The cable still is the most annoying thing in VR gaming. The next iterations of the Reverb VR headsets is going to improve step by step ( they want to earn much more money at HP and Microsoft, so it is strategy to not implement everything the consumers wish in the G2 or G3 or even G4 version )
What about "god rays"? I have been absent from the tech of the VR for a while and, more than anything, my original Rift and it's "god rays" is the thing I hate the most. Sure, resolution bump would be beautiful, but the rays are so distracting and demolish the picture quality.
Almost no God rays with the G2
What's that spot/smudge in the upper-middle location on the reverb g2? I also noticed this in a through the lens comparison of another youtuber. Is it the refraction of the lens and do you not notice it when you wear it?
Its prob a defect or user abuse because it is a demo model that is being handled by many people. Dont think they would do all that work to get rid of the last lens issue with the G1 to just sell the G2 with another lens defect....
Really in-depth review. Great stuff.
"mostly there" in terms of optics meaning these are the final production lenses? This is an important question since some HP spokesperson have claimed every UA-camr lenses to be pre-production.
i'm pretty sure these lenses are the final product. and if they aren't they could only get better so that's a plus.
He said at the beginning of the video (1:05) they are still doing some tweaking to improve the clarity.
Getting G2 and then eventually will pickup lighthouses and valve knuckle controllers for the very best overall experience. MRTV has already demonstrated it. Can't wait!
Upgrading from a Rift CV1. So...just a "slight" upgrade
The comparisons to the Index have it smashing it in virtually all areas, headset to headset.
I also have the cv1 and really want to do exactly this. but I noticed some frame drops in alyx, so maybe I'll upgrade my system first
The price of the index controllers and base stations is $580 plus the price of 2 usb dongles. I have the index controllers, and they're nice. However, spending that kind of money just for a controller upgrade will probably be very disappointing. Might want to try looking for 1.0 base stations to save some cash. Form what I understand the only difference between 1.0 and 2.0 is range.
ffrank - in addition to range, 2.0 can track multiple users/more devices and you can create multiple room space “zones” with more base stations and have them linked as one large interconnected play space (I’ll edit in a correction and link if I got something bit wrong here).
1.0 is still all you need if you’re doing standard room scale VR at home and it allows you to track more than just the headset and 2 controllers. I think 1.0 can only do 1 headset but somewhere between 4-6 trackers/controllers so there’s still room to grow from the base experience. 2.0 comes into its own a little more for larger VR arcades...not saying there’s anything wrong using them for standard room scale at home :).
I definitely prefer SteamVR tracking the most so far but I am a fan of there being options. Once I got the Vive area laid out and “optimized”, it’s just worked. I had to reinstall things at one point but it just required me to redraw the chaperone bounds; that’s about the only tinkering I’ve had to do in 3 years of rock solid accurate tracking.
Also the 2.0 lighthouses have a wider horizontal FOV
ffrank 1.0 basestations are $15 less than 2.0 index ones new at $134.99 vs $150 only problem is that if you want 2.0 basestations now you have to get the vive ones that are both worse and $200. You can save more by buying used, however.
the close up controller issues just is a software problem and I hope they can fix it down the line like the Rift S, also used to be bad at first.
It's also a complete non issue lol. If you held a gun up to your eyeball like that IRL, you'd give yourself a black eye. That's not how you shoot guns.
KilroyKilljoy that’s what I was saying who aims a pistol like that.
How long are your glasses? So I could make sure mine will fit too
He said that his glasses didn't fit with this because there's no adjustment to move the lenses closer or farther away like on the Valve Index.
Another great review! I have tried the high-res panels of the G1 and felt in love with them. 2k x 2k per eye is really a lot, it is very immersive! I can't wait to get a unit and review it as well
Yup! Even my own Dell WMR headset has impressed me quite a few times even if it's the discount version, I might consider stepping up to this G2 soonish since I adore the inside out tracking's convenience
how better is this compared to the oculus cv1 ?(which i still have)
@@clayton4115 Night and day
@@Skarredghost wow ok
Since valve is a partner in this product do you think that the valve index controllers will be compatible with the g2 headset?
No, they won't be compatible. WMR headsets and Valve/Vive headsets use completely different tracking systems. First use in-build cameras and second use separate base stations.
the G2 is the first vr headset i have ever tried and I am excited because I finally feel like is worth it with the clarity and refresh rate.
The intro in the first 5 minutes was really well done and appreciated. I've owned a DK2 but haven't followed the scene too closely outside of big announcements. You certainly know your stuff and how to sum things up succinctly Norm! You're my go to authority on VR journalism.
Thanks for the hands on! Do you mind commenting more on wearing glasses with g2? I had g1 which barely fit my glasses. Idk whether g2 is any better in that aspect
Also how bad are your eyes and does it affect your experience playing without glasses.
the vr glasses are adjusted to focus on a fixed 1.5m distance. So if you could see clear to 1.5m (like me), you could use vr headsets without glasses.
@@Hoto74 I own multiple vr headset already. Unfortunately, i definitely need glasses to see anything in vr. I do notice that i can use lower diopter lens and still see clearly.
@@jin8913 Have you tried any of the custom VR prescription lenses? I am curious about them from various vendors and configurations.
if it's displayport and usbc, why are they not combined into a single connector ala virtuallink that's already on my 2080ti!?
Virtual link is a failed technology the nvidia lied about the specs on. It won't be on next-gen cards.
@@sqlevolicious what did they lie about in the specs? it's dp + usb 3. basically thunderbolt 3 without the pcie integration... I'd like to see it as a standard on everything. why not?
I think virtual link failed because of bandwidth/power problems. Maybe it will come back once a faster version of usb or thunderbolt is the norm.
Great to see VR taking leaps and bounds. I'm hoping psvr 2 will match these advancements. The psvr headband form factor should just be the standard VR form factor now. There's no competition. It is far and away the most comfortable headset.
I've had dk2, vive, psvr and rift cv1 (and am getting the G2). While I do think on the face the PSVR was the best (as it floated in front which is great), I found it hurts you head after a couple of hours unlike Rift CV1 which for me has been the overall best balanced/comfortable for long sessions. Also the CV1 is like putting on a baseball cap, just slip it on your head and its there (esp if you don't wear glasses as I don't), on/off in seconds. PSVR and every other 'nut cracker' design is a bit less natural feeling (except PSVR on the face which is great other than light leak). Also another reason the nutcraker design isn't all round great is you can't lie back with it on, digging into your head (on a floor to look up at the stars in game for example). The perfect design hasn't been found yet but would take elements of PSVR, index/g2 and CV1 somehow.
You mention that you don't wear your glasses with this headset. Can you let me know what the widest a pair of glass could be and still fit inside? I have bigger glasses somewhat like yours. I am really interested and my glasses fit in the reverb original but just barely. I have no choice but to wear them.
I absolutely love that there might be an awesome headset with good specs that stays neutral and doesn't force me to use facebook or anything like that to use it properly. Looks like a nice, affordable price as well. Good job HP for making something where they work together with other VR headset creators and where a lot of the focus seems to be on making it flexible and user friendly, not to mention they actually seem to update it as they get feedback on it. Super excited for this one! :D
Other channels (Mrtv) have been raving about this headset saying it’s “head and shoulders above any other headset”. Interesting to see a more muted review here.
That guy has been so excited I don't trust him. Nothing is perfect.
MRTV says everything is good! lol!
Any other headset? The valve index is still way better
@@Gen.Bread75 if you have the money sure
@@GokuPlaysUK in some parts yes. visual quality it cant be better.
Hey guys not much of a tech guy here. I’m looking at buying a razer blade pro 17 laptop
For Microsoft flight sim and would like to try this vr as well but the razer doesn’t have a mini display port. Would I be able
To use these headsets? Thanks.
adapter would help
but you should keep in mind a laptop will suffer a lot to play at these headsets resolution, it's really GPU intensive, even regular desktops with 3-fan last generation GPUs suffer to render
Valve knuckles + lighthouse tracking and G2 is the ideal set up. You can play oculus exclusives too.
I’m so excited I preorder mine tmo 😄
This is exactly what im doing
Are the valve index controllers now fixed in terms of the thumbstick now? I'm waivering over whether to buy them.
CorporateZombie you should buy them. Valve support is great and will replace anything that breaks no questions asked. The problem isnt fixed iirc but its been mitigated. You should still rebind your thumbstick click if possible to get extra life out of it
I thought G2 doesn’t work with lighthouse?
Bob C the headset itself is not lighthouse tracked but nothings stopping you from just connecting two steamvr controllers to two steamvr or modded steam controller dongles and then just matching up the locations of everything. Mrtv has a guide up on his channel.
This is concerning that Adam was not able to wear glasses in G2 headset. Can you elaborate?
Can you speak about controller weight and haptics?
Don't do through the lens shots if you don't know how to do it properly...
@Johnny Fishfingers Prime example at 9:12. Suddenly Rift S is much better than Index..
@Johnny Fishfingers The difference in reality is huge between the rift s and the G1/G2. These through the lens shots suck.
Would you recommend getting this headset and using it with the Index controllers + base stations? I really want the G2 for the clearer display. Saw it was possible to do this set up combination with openVR
Thanks for the review it helped me decide to keep my Index.
Hi. I'm curious why you chose like that. I'm currently trying to check the market to finally get into VR as my last experience was with the Rift DK2 which had a very bad resolution. And that was years ago. I'm currently thinking about the Index or the G2 as both get good reviews. The G2 seems to have the edge when it comes to resolution and its cheaper. But it seems that the light houses are more accurate. On the other hand I don't know if the Index motion controllers are actually supported well with lots of games.
The current state of the VR market reminds me of Bluray vs HD-DVD. They both are there and it's difficult to select one as both are much to similiar.
Slamy's Music & Programming the index resolution is very good (while not as good as G2, it’s really good too). That one advantage the G2 has does not make up for all the areas Index
is better at from accuracy of tracking to controllers to finger tracking to ease of wearing/removing/adjusting to refresh rates of 120 and 144 (translating to higher FPS), to the wider FOV, to the eye relief adjustment and so on. The point reviewers keep making about how G2 is better for simmers (eg cockpit readability) isn’t all that factual either-cockpits are extremely readable with Index, especially if you up the super sampling, then letters/labels at all sizes at variable distances are crisp. It’s clear reviews didn’t try that very well. Same for screen door effect, on the index it’s also virtually nonexistent. Yes it’s much more expensive but you are paying for 2 light houses and 2 awesome controllers etc.
...I like the WMR controllers. :p
Feels like losing the trackpad will make some games harder,
cause they had thumbsticks & trackpads before which both had separate functions.
So glad I found ya these videos are amazing
Check out Tyriel Wood. He has also a G2 and has a couple of videos.
Good to see a more direct commentary on the improvements over the G1
I was disappointed with the poor coverage on some of the areas though. He only skimmed over the IPD adjustment, which is missing on both the G1 and Rift S, while opting to spend most of his time complaining about the lack of eye relief which is more niche. The IPD adjustment is a huge quality of life and usability improvement, greatly expanding the amount of people that can use it and optimizing FOV/clarity for almost every user within and just beyond its range, the lack of it on the Rift S and G1 was a big hindrance.
Also, while the strap adjustment versus ratchet adjustment can be negative, it's only really an annoyance if you're sharing the headset between people (the 90 degree flip is meant for putting the headset on easily once it's adjusted, too). The lack of a knob on the back means it will be more comfortable to rest your head on a headrest/lay down in bed, important for sim-users and for media consumers/productivity users. Much of his complaints too were focused on the build quality being a placeholder prototype, which isn't very reflective of the end product at all.
Can you comment more on the lenses? How does the edge to edge clarity compare to the Index? (setting aside the adjustment sweetspot) Does it suffer from poor chromatic aberration? Good geometric stability?
Good question. I get the impression that through the lens footage makes lenses appear blurry in the peripheral fields (outside of the sweet spot?). Is this because the camera lens is not able to hit the sweet spot as well? It is tempting to compare the entire screens of through the lens footage but I am not sure how big of a factor this plays. I'd like to see this mentioned!
I wonder this as well. From all the "though the lens" videos on the G2 I can find, a lot of them seem to have very blurry edges. This was a major issue with the G1. Tyriel Wood's G2 videos show this as well in the vision tests. MRTV's videos also show some very blurry edges in his videos (the plane) but some do not. MRTV claims in his preview and half-life videos it's clear from edge to edge. So it seems to be a mixed bag. Hopefully, the lenses get some more love. The edge clarity is my biggest concern at this point personally. Hopefully, the HP and Valve team are able to fix this. I would love to purchase the G2.
When talking about the moire effect on the G1 that looks a lot more like gradient banding due to a lower color bit depth than the "screen door effect". I'm assuming HP upgraded the panel to be able to handle more shades of colors to reduce banding. In full disclosure I'm just going off the youtube video and have never tried either of these.
who else is watching this after Oculus announced that they will be requiring a Facebook account for oculus products? I'm probably gonna sell my rift s and get this when its out.
Thanks for the review! Are you able to comment what batteries worked well for you with the controllers, if you went the rechargeable route?
Please. No reviewer has talked about this. Maybe they all just use alkaline batteries, but those aren't a good long-term solution.
GP, Eneloop, Amazonbasics...they're all fine. Just get the capacity you think is priced the best, like 2000mAh ones.
@@rtyzxc Amazon sells packs of 100 AA batteries for around £20 here, so that's always an option although not ideal for the environment.
@@esaedvik If going rechargeable will need 1.5v like Lion,ZNs.
@@garus6155 I don't get your point? 1.2V rechargeable AA batteries are 1.5V when they're full. No need to be Li-Ion ones. NiMH works fine.
Can't wait to get mine! The hype is real :)
I think most channels on youtube right now are spreading hype about the G2, but this is the only review I've seen that actually pointed out the pros and cons.
For example, you can see the clear advantage of the G2 is the very wide sweet-spot and right balance of colours, but visuals don't look that much superior overall than a Rift S or an Index. And it's really really sad that you cannot connect a custom headphone directly on the headset, while the Rift S being much cheaper allows you to.
I have the G1 and its a fantastic headset. There are not enough improvements on the G2 to make me want to upgrade but if I was in the market for a new headset the G2 would be top of my list
Finally being shipped from the factory!
Great review and overview, particularly appreciate the through the lens shots to really show the display quality. Apologies if the following seems pedantic, but hoping (if I'm correct) it will help for future videos. You kept using a word to describe the effect when you looked at a large bright surface - miroir (as close as I think I can get to a spelling - me-wah). Never heard this word before. Did you mean moiré (mwah-ray)?
Mura. Look up Rift Mura for example images. It was a problem with one of my Rift headsets, very annoying in black scenes.
@@cyberben3d Thanks so much! New word learned. Appreciate that you set me straight without snark!
Very promising but still want to wait to see what Oculus has in store.
boycott facebook. they're anti consumer when theres not even that many consumers.
I'm sure that due to the standalone performance limitation, Facebook won't put in as high resolution a panel. Especially considering the Quest recommended render res to developers is 1280x1280(even with fixed foveated rendering) to manage 72Hz.
To get to 2160x2160 at the faster 90Hz, they'd need a standalone with 5 times the performance. Even the latest XR2, only has 2x the current Quest, and that's expensive and unlikely in the Quest 2.
Not much point putting in a more expensive, high-res display, when most standalone Quest users don't have a PC to drive it, and practically none of the standalone games could cope with.
Still, will be interesting to see what the controller offers, now they've re-introduced the thumb rest spot sensor, like the original Rift Touch had.
@@comdudeskip Fovated rendering / eye tracking.
@Matthew Without Facebook, Oculus would be dead now, so would HTC. As you say, they are pumping BILLIONS in to R&D and trying to make their platform a complete package for new users to jump on to with confidence. Spending all their resources in making the Oculus range really high quality, - this saving time from working with SDK's to support the whole range of other HMD's, so be it. People who say to boycott Oculus are just Boycotting VR because they are the face of VR.
@Node Microsystems Facebook needs to what?? Approaching and funding AAA game developers to create VR games who was uninterested in VR in the first place?? They should be applauded not being boycotted.
Cloud you please CREATE a PLAYLIST for VR and AR reviews? It's hard to find new videos on this topic.
The Controllers be updated is huge. I owned a 1st Gen Mixed Reality Headset and the Controllers were the worst part of the VR Experience. Based on MRTV this is a go to headset if you don't own a VR Headset or if you looking upgrade from 1st Gen Rift or Vive.
worst part of the experience for me was having the headset die 2 months into using it for me.
@@masternerd64 What brand did you go for?
Please say more about comfort level with glasses. I had to return the HP Reverb G1 because I found it very uncomfortable with glasses similar to yours.
Would love to see u do a comparison between the G2 and The Index because im stuck between buying one of these two
I am in the same boat. I'm not sure which is better. If the edges of the G2 are blurry I would go index. It's a hard choice. Clarity vs FOV and 120hz.
You can use the index controllers and base stations with openVR
That high resolution will be AMAZING
Can't wait for your full review!! For this unit though here, how was the FOV for racing games and getting motion sickness?
so im not a simmer. however i heard the reason there is no tightening knob was because you cannot rest you head on a chair head rest if there is a knob (IE. you cant comfortably sit in a racing chair). i had this issue on my rift s and i can say im actually exited to not have a knob on the strap.
I have G2 on order but I will pair with Valve index controllers. I want full hand tracking.
The Valve Index controllers require light house trackers to work. The G2 doesn't support light house tracking and doesn't officially support the Index controllers either. Although some will tell you that you can mod it to work I wouldn't recommend it.
Look up the mrtv videos he did with a g2 and knuckels. Seems to work flawless
will MSFS2020 be able to support this VR while using Yokes, Trottles and pedal flight controls? Seems like the VR controls will get in the way of being able to use that stuff?
Since msfs2020 will 9nly support this from launch yes
awesome video, would you recommend the hp reverb g2 or the pico neo 2 (for simulations).
It looks like ironsights or aiming with a scope may be broken on this until they update tracking. That point was quickly moved past, and not brought up in other impressions.
Good summary! Lack of 3.5mm audio jack seems like a wacky exclusion given the off ear built ins.
@@suicidalbanananana Hey now :D I had an Index for a bit and the audio is awesome, but it is noticeable from the bedrooms where I am when playing games with gunfire (my play space is in the living room, and there's a nanny cam so I'd be dumb to indulge other interests there). Small children don't like loud noises when they're trying to sleep lol
Why not include something as simple as a headphone jack? That is a feature that is close to a must for me. How much would it cost them to add one do you think? It's a pretty big oversight.
I am using valve index. Can’t wait for a wireless valve index.
This is the support I go from HP for the Reverb G2. I preordered in July
and was expecting to receive the product shortly. I called Connection (HP U.S. website's processing company)
because my address is an APO/DPO and wanted to make sure it was able to
be ship if not change the shipping to my Billing address. Well
Connection tried everything they could but HP cancelled my order with
the agent on the phone and said I would have to reorder, pushing me back
to the next ship dates in late December. I guess I will go with
anything but an HP product, that's is some BS!!!
I was hoping to hear from Jeremy directly but I guess I'll wait for the podcast to also hear his thoughts.
I Predict Sebastian from MRTV being chased through the streets of Dortmund by an angry Mob welding pitch forks in November 2020 !
How does the positional tracking work with the two front facing cameras? I have a big television in front of my VR space... wouldn't that screw up the positional tracking? Do you need to be in front of a static surface?
Thank you. This is very helpful. I might consider the purchase, although the quest has me addicted to wireless. Would you be willing to do a video comparing « home » experiences and customization options across devices and or home os?
I know through the lens pictures are hard to record, but I also know it can be way better than this.
I took some with my phone that are better. The pictures in this video are different from every scene, sometimes the Rift S looks better than the G2. Not really informative then.
Yeah, the pics in this overview are poor
Makes you think how much better the G2 really is Vs the Rift S if the Rift S was that much better here. No idea wth he did.....
@@stuart3712 check out Tyriel Wood G2 video here on UA-cam.
@@stuart3712 I have the Reverb G1 (later pro version), which I can tell you has clarity that just blows away headsets like the Index, Cosmos, and Rift S. I've seen the difference with my own eyes. Its pretty shocking. I also don't have any mura. I don't like the cable though. The G2 looks like a very nice improvement in various ways.
So in the side by side pics more times than not the rift s looks as good if not better than the g2. May want to correct how you are capturing those pics bud.
On the flip side hp really needs to do something about the headstrap. That looks even jankier than the original quest. Hopefully they give us something akin to the vive das or the index strap. 🤞🤞🤞
He def botched his comparison. If anyone does this kind of comparison, they need to use the best camera that takes clear pictures of displays and use that camera on all HMD's. Seems like he used a different camera on the g2 Vs the others.
Many PCs USB C does not work. Windows are just crap at making things work.
Even after changing to USB3 I got a BLACK SCREEN. Experience told me it then needed re-plugging in yet again but without POWER BOX ON. This was due to the slots sharing my USB C and messed it up by using it.
So is it crazy to be ordering an index now? I pressed the button yesterday, but the bit at the end where he says the likes of HL Alyx feel much more comfortable in the G2 has me reconsidering.
pretty impressive clarity of resolution
whats with the weird colour grid pattern on the g2 on all the photos.. the games seem more clear but theres a noticeable coloured grid pattern
Wait.. If its a valve product will it be compatible with index controllers as well as the G1 controllers? Amd can you sync it to base stations as well?
Great review thankyou.
Hi mate, can't wait for G2 too huh? :D
@@ScubyFlying The pain is real my friend. 😁
This is by far the best on the market .I have the g1 and it’s fucking amazing ... Iracing all day with 2080ti and holy !!
I'm looking to upgrade my Rift CV1, and the G2 seems like a perfact match. Not as expensive as the Index, and a better viewing experiance than my current headset.
How does Rift S compare to CV1? I own the latter one but have never tried S. Is there much difference between them two?
Apparently, the area around the hips is not in the controller tracking volume, even though this is the area where it's the most comfortable to keep your hands for longer periods of time. This is a rather unnecessary mistake, since it was already a known issue for the previous generation of WMR headsets. It wouldn't cost anything to fix, the cameras could just be placed like on the Quest.
Hi - I was wondering how the speakers attach? Is it a standard audio jack or something proprietary? I'm interested in the Woojer Edge audio haptic devices and was wondering if it would be possible to bypass the speaker connection through one of those devices to get haptic bass with my VR games with this headset?
How does the G2 handle gestures? does it have capacities touch like the oculus touch controllers or finger tracking like the index?
no touch, it is only analog sadly :(
Some of your through the lenses image for the Index are out of focus, 9:21 and 9:30 for instance. If you zoom in you should see the pixels, not a blurry mess.