In this article, we’ll compare HP Reverb G2 with Oculus Quest 2 and Valve Index.

You can find more info specific to the G2 headset on the Headset Info page.

There is also this cool VR headset comparison page (you can compare between many headsets).

General

	Reverb G2	Quest 2	Index
Price	600 USD	300 USD (64 GB) 400 USD (256 GB) + 50 USD (elite strap)	1,000 USD (with lighthouses) 750 USD (without lighthouses)
Tracking	Inside-out	Inside-out	Outside-in (requires lighthouses)
Platform	Windows Mixed Reality	Oculus	SteamVR
Hand tracking1	No	Yes	No
Wired PCVR	Yes (DP + USB-C)	Yes (USB-C)	Yes (DP + USB 3)
Wireless PCVR	No	Yes (3rd party SW)	No
Standalone VR	No	Yes	No

1. Hand tracking means that the headset can track your hands without having controllers in them.

Headset specs

	Reverb G2	Quest 2	Index
Resolution (per eye)	2160 × 2160 px	1832 × 1920 px	1440 × 1600 px
Refresh rate	90 Hz	90 Hz	144 Hz
Display	LCD	LCD	LCD
Weight	550 g	503 g	809 g
Field of view (H|V)1	98° | 112°	90° | 112°	108° | 130°
IPD adjustment	Physical slider 60–68 mm	Physical 3 positions 58 | 63 | 68 mm	Physical slider 58–70 mm
Headphones	High-quality off-ear speakers	Eeh they do the job	High-quality off-ear speakers
Headphones connector	No	Yes	Yes
Cable length	5 m tether + 1 m after breakout	Whatever cable you buy	5 m tether + 1 m after breakout

1. As reported by MRTV – Q2/G2 and Index

Controller specs

	Reverb G2	Quest 2	Index
Weight (per controller)	167 g (without batteries)	104 g (without battery)	196 g
Batteries (per controller)	2× AA (1,5 V)	1× AA	Integrated
Finger tracking1	Analog grip button	Analog grip button + capacitive thumb buttons	Per-finger

1. Finger tracking means that the controllers track positions of your fingers (you have to have the controllers in your hands) – your thumb position and how much do your fingers grip the controllers.

Pros & cons comparison

Reverb G2

Quest 2

Valve Index

More resources

• For additional info, see MRTV and Tyriel Wood channels, they provide a lot of comparison and through the lens videos.

HP Omnicept is a business oriented version of HP Reverb G2 (its full name is HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition), with some additional features (G2 standard edition features here):

• Eye-tracking capability (allowing foveated rendering)
• Face-tracking capability (camera aimed at your mouth)
• Heart sensor (optical PPG)
• Head strap with a knob on the back (standing out, so trying to rest the head on something will probably be quite uncomfortable)
• SDK including machine-learning based algorithms for processing the data

Do I want HP Omnicept?

For HP Omnicept’s extra features to be of any use to you, they would need to be supported by game developers. There is a possibility that it will happen and we will get foveated rendering and face tracking support for your games, but since it will be more business-targetted and probably quite expensive, it will definitely not happen right away.

So for now, there’s not much point getting hyped about it for us. It’s a big thing and it will be awesome, but we will probably not get to enjoy it anytime soon.

Can I buy HP Omnicept?

HP Omnicept is to be released on Spring 2021. It will be available for consumers, too. The price is not set yet.

More resources

• HP Omnicept on the HP website
• HP Omnicept showcase video
• HP video playlist regarding Omnicept

Gasket/facial interfaces

Getting a 3rd party gasket can have following advantages:

• Multiple cushions – 3rd party gaskets usually have removable cushions (usually secured on the gasket by velcro). This means that you can easily swap cushions for hygienic reasons when they get sweaty or when another person wants to use the headser. You can also experiment with various cushion thicknesses to find the best fit for you.
• Comfort – The original g2 gasket is too narrow for a lot of people, causing pressure on their temples from the sides. Getting a gasket for wider heads can remove the pressure and increase overall comfort.
• FOV & sweet spot improvement – The original g2 gasket puts your eyes relatively far from the lenses. Some 3rd party gaskets reduce this distance, increasing field of view and improving sweet spot (area where the vision is sharpest) for some people.

• HP will sell a PU leather foam padding.
• If you’re brave, you can remove the fabric cushion from the original gasket and use it on a 3rd party gasket.

• G2 Gasket by 3DWard Printing
  • Wider than the original gasket.
  • Closer to the lenses -> more FOV.
  • Magnets & velcro included, cushions available too.
  • Includes rubber (TPU) nose flaps to prevent light leakage.
  • US based, shipping worldwide.

• VRCover facial interface for Reverb G2
  • Pleather cushions.
  • Includes two cushions with different thicknesses.
  • Same shape and distance as the original gasket -> does not improve FOV, still pressure on the temples for some people.

• There’s plenty of 3D printable gasket designs. We have a channel on our discord server where people are offering to print for others.

Controllers & controller accessories

1. Controllers will be sold separately eventually.
2. The headset should be backwards compatible with old WMR controllers and the controllers should be backwards compatible with older headsets.
3. If you have the money, you can make the headset work with Valve Knuckles/Index Controllers.
   • MRTV made a tutorial video.
   • PumpkinSpice also made a written tutorial.
   • Tapping made an in-depth review of the setup.
   • Should you do it right away? No. First test out the G2 controllers, then consider spending more money. Thanks.
   • You can buy unoriginal dongles for the controllers on vrdongles.com (US based, numbfx on our Discord server) or Soldinger (EU based, Maroko on our discord server).
4. While not being exactly a controller accessory, DecaMove adds more intuitive control over your VR character. It should release very soon.

Batteries

• See battery buying guide.

Controller grips

• Mamut V1 grips have confirmed fit for Reverb G2. People have some issues with their ergonomics though.

• Mamut V2 grips (DX/DX Stealth) fit, but:
  • You need a double-sided tape to make them stay on the controllers.
  • Or you can 3D print an adapter that makes them fit well.

• Mamut V3 grips work well with G2 if you buy a Velcro Upgrade. Also see this installation tutorial.

• AMVR Touch Controller Grips reportedly fit quite well.

Gun stocks

• Mamut Apto 2.0 (with Mamut grips)
• Protube system (gun stocks, also joysticks, sabers and other stuff)
• 3DAptive Modus V2
• Also see 3D printable accessories.

Lens covers

• Lens cover from Aliexpress #1
  • Tested by me (Danol), works fine

• Lens cover from Amazon #1
  • Tested by HoldenRiot

3D Printable accessories

• We have a separate article for that.

Other accessories

• Cable management, pulley systems (dedicated article)
• Prescription lenses (dedicated article)

• I can recommend getting yourselves some sort of a floor mat (I’ve been using these foam puzzle pieces for little children) – it’s very comfortable to play on, plus id also doubles as a guardian system (you can feel with your feet when you’re going outside of the safe zone as you’re stepping out of the floor mat).

• HP has provided CAD models of the headset to interested parties under NDA. We can expect companies to make accessories for the G2 available soon after release.
• List of accessories provided by Mamut (controller grips, gun stock).

Before I got a pulley system for my PCVR headset, I had to mind the cable as it was banging my back with every movement and I would step on it occasionally (which is not a good thing). While my current solution is still not ideal and needs some tweaking (you can feel the cable pulling upwards sometimes), it is definitely a step up. In this article, I’d like to offer some solutions on how you could get yourselves a similar system.

Pulley systems

The market has caught up and is now providing several pulley systems designed specifically for VR. Below are some of them I’ve found. You can probably find a good alternative in your favorite shop, so it’s more like an overview of what designs are available.

Pulley placement is also important. This video from Twiejk contains some nice tips on how to distribute the pulleys. Don’t use electric tape though, the pulley systems should contain much better rubber adapters for the cable 🙂

Also check out the 3D printable accessories article.

Model	Price, seller
1. KIWI V1	6 pcs | 21 USD | Aliexpress
2. KIWI V2/Pro	6 pcs | 27 USD | Aliexpress 6 pcs | 30 USD | Amazon US
3. VR Wire II	Room set | 40 USD | VR Wire
4. Brandless model 1	2 pcs | 9 USD | Aliexpress

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What I’ve tested so far

My first attempt was buying a bunch of cheap rectractable key holders from Aliexpress. They cost me together around 4 USD. While they worked fine for a while, their pull force lowered over time and they weren’t able to hold the weight of the cable anymore.

My second pulley system was Kiwi V1. It worked decently fine, was definitely a step up from not having any pulley system at all, the rectractors held their strength. However, two of the steel wires on the pulleys have snapped on me over around four months of use, so that was kind of a bummer, stopping me from recommending people this specific pulley system.

Currently, I have received the VR Wire II a few days ago. I haven’t had time to test it out thoroughly yet, but the first impressions are extremely good. It has an innovative mechanism not seen in any other pulley system (gotta see the video on their website), the cable is pulled only by a single retractor, so there is basically no tugging, and it allows you to move in a large area and face any direction without really feeling the cable at all.

Attaching the pulleys

The pulley systems usually come with added screw hooks (requires some drilling) and adhesive pads you can just slap on your ceiling with no wiring required.

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Attaching the pulleys to the ceiling might not be a viable option for you – maybe you have a high ceiling or a ceiling fan. There are some options available even for you:

Model	Price, seller
1. Wall-mounted articulating arm	99 USD | OpenMR
2. Virtuix VR boom stand	149 USD | Virtuix
3. Repurposing Ikea Regolit lamp stand	(could not find)
4. Brandless VR boom stand	85 USD | Aliexpress ~112 USD | Amazon UK
5. Brandless VR cable management pole	75 USD | Aliexpress

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Cable extenders

Extending the cables is tricky and might end up not working (source). The 5m cable itself is on the edge of the possibilities. If you want to try extending, aim for quality cables. However, I’ve had no problems with extending the cable ~2 meters using passive extension cables.

There are some options you can try out:

Model	Price, seller
Cable Matters Active VR Extension Cable USB + DisplayPort	50 USD | Cable Matters 50 USD | Amazon US
Some guy shared his working extension setup bought from amazon.de (sorry too lazy to list it here now)	Reddit

Go wireless (not for G2)

Going wireless is probably a dream for a lot of the PCVR users. While Reverb G2 currently doesn’t offer a wireless solution, you might be reading this while having a different headset. Well, the only headset with a proper wireless solution is currently HTC Vive/Vive Pro. You can also play PCVR games with your Faceboculus Quest 2 via a third-party application like Virtual Desktop, but that currently has about 50 ms delay; you can play on it, you might not notice the delay that much, but it’s definitely not ideal.

More resources

• Reddit post about cable management options
• Tutorial on how to abuse your Ikea furniture

Each of HP Reverb G2 controllers needs two AA batteries. Batteries are expected to last for 10–15 hours of play time. Buying a bunch of single-use alkaline batteries is a viable choice, but getting yourselves rechargeable ones could be a better long-term solution.

However, G2 controllers have rather a non-standard requirement: the batteries should have 1.5–1.6 V each. This is fine with single-use alkaline batteries, but classical NiMH rechargeable batteries are only 1.2 V, so they would not work properly. Therefore, you should only buy NiZn or Li-pol/Li-ion rechargeable batteries. We’ve put together a list of batteries people in the community usually buy (no warranty).

We recommend getting Li-ion batteries over NiZn ones. Li-ion batteries have higher charge cycle count, don’t suffer from self-discharge and generally require less care. On the other hand, they can be more dangerous potentialy (bursting into flames when damaged).

Also please be aware that each type of batteries needs a special charger and should not be charged with chargers for other types of batteries!

What happens if I use 1.2V batteries?

If you put 1.2V batteries in the controllers, the controllers think the battery level is low and enter power saving mode. In the power saving mode, haptics (vibration motors) are disabled and the tracking LEDs have their brightness reduced, making the tracking less reliable. This is the same across all Windows Mixed Reality controllers.

What batteries to buy?

We do not recommend buying cheap rechargeable batteries from China as they could pose a safety risk. Please note that basically all of the brands below are probably made in China, but when buying on Amazon, you have some guarantee at least. However, bigclivedotcom did quite a positive teardown review on the Jugee brand (there is also an extensive manual for the batteries here). We also have positive feedback from the community for the Hixon batteries. Project Farm also made a thorough review of many lithium rechargeable batteries.

You can buy either 4 or 8 batteries. If you buy 8, you’ll make sure that you will never have to wait for the batteries to charge.

Seller	Model	Price	Buy
Aliexpress	JUGEE | 3000 mWh | Li-ion + USB charger	26 USD / 4 pcs 41 USD / 8 pcs	link [manual]
Aliexpress	HIXON | 3500 mWh | Li-ion + USB charger	26 USD / 4 pcs	link
Ebay (for Indian fellows)	KENTLI | 3000 mWh | Li-ion + USB charger	39 USD / 4 PCS 62 USD / 8 PCS	link
Amazon US	HIXON | 3500 mWh | Li-ion + USB charger	30 USD / 4 pcs	link
Amazon US	EBL | 3000 mWh | Li-ion + USB charger	41 USD / 8 pcs	link
Amazon US	PKCELL | 2500 mWh | NiZn AC charger	23 USD / 4 pcs	link
Amazon DE	ANSMANN | 2500 mWh | NiZn – without charger	~34 USD / 8 pcs + ~25 USD charger 28 EUR / 8 pcs + 22 EUR charger	link + charger
Amazon DE	EBL | 3300 mWh | Li-ion + no charger needed (each battery has a USB port)	~31 USD / 4 pcs 25 EUR / 4 pcs	link
Amazon UK	MAXLITHIUM | 2520 mWh | Li-ion + USB charger	~27 USD / 4 pcs 21 GBP / 4 pcs	link
Amazon UK	KARTAX | 3500 mWh | Li-ion + USB charger	~32 USD / 4 pcs 25 GBP / 4 pcs	link
Amazon UK	PKCELL | 2500 mWh | NiZn – without charger	~23 USD / 8 pcs + ~50 USD charger 18 GBP / 8 pcs + 39 GBP charger	link + charger
Amazon UK	EBL | 3300 mWh | Li-ion + no charger needed (each battery has a USB port)	~26 USD / 4 pcs 20 GBP / 4 pcs	link
Amazon CA	PKCELL | 2500 mWh | NiZn + AC charger	~29 USD / 4 pcs 40 CAD / 4 pcs	link
Amazon CA	EBL | 3000 mWh | Li-ion + USB charger	~21 USD / 4 pcs ~34 USD / 8 pcs 28 CAD / 4 pcs 45 CAD / 8 pcs	link

More resources

• MRTV’s battery guide

We are no longer keeping the list of preorder distributors as the list was not complete and the headset seems to be out of stock on most places anyway. You can click the “Visit official website” button on the steam page to get to an official distributor for your country. Or just try googling.

Warranty

HP provides one year worldwide warranty, meaning no matter what country you buy the unit in, you can claim warranties in your country as long as there is an official HP distributor for the product in your country. This warranty also covers dead pixels. You can read more info about the global warranty on the HP website.

• Reverb G2 is a PCVR headset, meaning it connects to a computer (via 6m cable with DisplayPort and USB C) and uses it for playing games. To be able to play games, you need a decent computer.
  • Good graphics card – at least GTX 1080 or better for the best experience. You can compare your GPU against 1080 here.
  • The graphics card has to have DisplayPort at version 1.3 or higher. HDMI using an adapter or lower version DisplayPort ports will not work (or at least not in full resolution/framerate). If your GPU is listed in the system requirements article, you’re safe.
  • There are USB C → USB A (3.0) and DisplayPort → miniDisplayPort adapters included in the box should you need them.
• In order to be able to play safely, at least 2×2 m area is recommended so you can move freely without worrying about hitting anything.
• Other than that, you don’t need anything else for the G2 to work. You get everything else in the box. You don’t need to setup base stations. You don’t have to buy Bluetooth dongles.
• You can play Steam games on the headset. We actually recommend buying all your games on steam as you can play them with any headset that way. You can even play Oculus games using Revive.
• You can find extensive headset info in this article.
• If you wear dioptric glasses, please read this article.

System requirements

• Decent CPU: Intel i5/i7/i9, AMD Ryzen 5/7/9, or so
• 8 GB ram or more (16 GB recommended)
• Windows 10, May 2019 update or later
• USB-C or USB 3 port
  • The USB-C port does not have to be located on your GPU. Actually using the one on the motherboard is better.
• DisplayPort 1.3 port
  • DP 1.2 does not have enough bandwidth to support G2’s resolution at 90 Hz (it might use lower resolution or not work at all). You can also use USB-C to DisplayPort adapter if your computer supports it (the port/computer has to have DP over USB-C, and in case of notebooks the DP must be internally wired to the discrete GPU, not the integrated one).
  • Using HDMI to DisplayPort adapter will not work.

Should I upgrade my GPU?

If you’re considering upgrade: if you have 2080, don’t. If you have anything as good as 2070 S, you don’t need to, but you’ll get better experience if you can afford it. Don’t buy 3090s, the benefit over 3080 is not worth the price. Ofc you can also go for AMD Radeon 6800XT 🙂

My computer is not strong enough, should I buy a different headset?

No, G2 is better than other headsets even in lower resolution – you would either have to lower the resolution for the other headset too or you have the same resolution but still all the benefits and comfort of the G2. 🙂

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GPUs | Full resolution

You should be able to run G2 at full resolution for cards like:

• nVidia GeForce GTX 1080, 1080 Ti
• nVidia GeForce RTX 2060 S, 2070, 2070 S, 2080, 2080 S, 2080 Ti
• nVidia GeForce RTX 3060, 3070, 3080, 3090
• nVidia Quadro PS200
• nVidia Quadro RTX 4000, 5000, 6000, 8000
• AMD Radeon RX 5700, RX 5700 XT
• AMD Radeon 7
• AMD Readon Pro WX 8200, 92000
• AMD Radeon Pro W5700

GPU | Half resolution

• nVidia GeForce GTX 1060, 1660, 1660 Ti, 1070
• nVidia GeForce GTX 2060
• nVIdia Quadro P3200, P4000, P4200, P5000
• nVidia Quadro RTX 3000
• AMD Radeon RX 580, 590
• AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT, 5600 XT
• AMD Radeon RX Vega56, Vega64
• AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100

More resources

• iMaxx’es Reddit post
• Official HP spec sheet

HP Reverb G2 is the second generation of HP’s PCVR headset, done in collaboration with Valve and Microsoft.

There is also a specs comparison post between G2, Oculus Quest 2 and Valve Index.

HMD (Head Mounted Display)

• Resolution: 2160 × 2160 px per eye (4320 × 2160 total)
• Framerate: 90 Hz
• RGB sub-pixels LCD
• Field of view: 114° diagonal
• Weight: 550 g (1.2 lb)
• Lenses: Fresnel lenses designed by Valve; greatly reduced halo effect compared to Valve Index
• Inside-out tracking with 4 visible spectrum cameras (the headset can track itself without base stations)
• IPD (inter-pupillary distance): physically adjustable 60–68 mm
  • There is no info of what happens if your IPD is outside the range. This will have to be properly tested after people get their units.
• 6m cable (DisplayPort 1.3 + USB 3-0 type C + power delivery, all in a single cable ended with a breakout box with additional 1 m of cables after that). See the Connecting the headset section.
• High-quality off-ear earphones (same as on Valve Index).
• Magnetically attached facial interface. You should be able to fit your glasses inside.
• There is no headphone jack on the HMD. There is also no USB connector for additional devices like Valve Index has.
• Video with information about tracking quality/volume here.

Controllers

G2 comes with completely redesigned controllers (compared to G1 or other WMR controllers). The new controllers are much more similar to Oculus Touch than to the old WMR controllers – each controller has a joystick, two buttons (and two menu buttons), analog trigger and analog grip sensor.

• Weight: 167 g (0.37 lbs) each
• Power: 2× AA battery per controller. 1.5 V batteries required (1.5–2.0 V per cell) – for single-use batteries, Alkaline are ok, for rechargeable ones, you need NiZn or Li-Pol ones. Standard NiMH rechargeable batteries are not recommended! See our battery buying guide.
• Button layout: compatible with Oculus Touch; per controller: joystick, 2 buttons (+ 2 menu buttons), analog trigger, analog hand grip sensor
• Compared to Oculus Touch controllers, G2 does not have capacitive sensors on buttons/joystick.
• Short battery life is a hoax. Batteries last 14+ hours of game time.
• You don’t need a bluetooth dongle. The headset has an embedded wireless receiver (only for the controllers, you cannot connect your wireless headphones to it).

Controllers will eventually be sold separately. They should be backwards-compatible with older WMR devices. Also, older WMR controllers should be forward-compatible with G2.

Software information

G2 runs on the Windows Mixed Reality (WMR) platform. You can run SteamVR over the WMR. Tracking algorithms are those of the WMR platform. You can also use Revive to play Oculus Rift games (not Quest ones!).

Tracking & tracking volume

• Reverb G2 uses standard Windows Mixed Reality tracking implemented by Microsoft (however G2 has four tracking cameras instead of the original two).
• Tracking is realized using four visible-light cameras.
• Headset position is determined by the cameras looking for features in your environment like corners and edges and calculating the position from that.
• Controllers are tracked by the headset cameras recognizing the lights on the controller rings.
• See Troubleshooting for what the environment should look like for ideal tracking.
• See Tapping’s video for information about the controller tracking volume (area around the player where the controllers can be tracked – basically where the cameras can see the controllers). It’s a very good quality video, well worth spending the time.

Cables and connectors

• There is a single cable going out from the G2. After 5 meters, there is a breakout box with a power connector that splits the cable into a 1m DisplayPort cable a 1m USB-C cable.
  • For HP Backpack, a short cable will be sold separately.
  • You can see how the cable/breakout box look like in Tyriel’s video (just beware that power adapter is now mandatory).

• For the headset to work, it needs to be powered with an external power adapter (included in the box).

• The USB-C cable has to be connected to the PC and is used for communicating with the headset.
  • The USB cable does not provide enough power to power the headset, you have to use the external power adapter, too.
  • The USB cable does not trasmit video data, you have to connect the DisplayPort cable, too.
  • There is a USB-C to USB-A adapter included in the box you can use if your computer doesn’t have a USB-C connector.
  • Connect the headset to a USB port directly on your motherboard
    • Avoid connecting the headset through USB hubs.
    • Avoid connecting the headset through USB PCIe expansion cards.
    • Avoid connecting the headset through the USB-C slot on your GPU if it has one.
    • Do not connect the headset to USB 2.0 ports.
    • Always connect directly to the motherboard. If the motherboard does not have a USB-C connector, use the USB-C to USB-A adapter that is included in the box.
    • If it doesn’t work, try everything I’ve just told you not to do 😀

• The DisplayPort cable must be connected together with the USB cable to your computer.
  • DisplayPort version 1.3 or higher is required.
    • DP 1.2 does not have enough bandwidth to support G2’s resolution at 90 Hz.
    • Older DisplayPort versions are not supported even with lower resolution/framerate.
  • There is a DisplayPort to mini-DisplayPort adapter included in the box if you need it.
  • Using a DisplayPort to HDMI adapter will not work. HDMI does not enough bandwidth to support G2. Based on HP’s FAQ (Q2.8).
  • You should be able to use USB-C to DisplayPort adapter, if your computer supports it.
    • The USB-C on the computer has to support DisplayPort Alt mode.
    • The USB-C thunderbolt connection must be wired directly to the GPU.
    • The adapter must support DisplayPort 1.3.

• The cable is also connected to the headset through a headset connector.
  • The cable comes disconnected from the headset by default in the box, you have to connect it yourself.
  • When connecting the cable to the headset, make sure the connector is pushed all the way through (see Troubleshooting – there’s a photo on how it should look like).
  • It is strongly not recommended to disconnect the headset connector (definitely not on a daily basis), because it is quite fragile.

• See Troubleshooting if you have problems and connection tips in this article didn’t help.

What’s in the box

• Headset
• 2× controller (you can also order headset without controllers)
• Headset cable with breakout box (see the connection diagram above)
• 45W power adapter (standard notebook charger)
• DisplayPort to mini-DisplayPort adapter
• USB-C to USB-A adapter
• 1 year worldwide warranty (you can claim it in any country that has HP office, regardless of where you bought it), also covering dead pixels
• Manual
• Pouch for the headset and two pouches for the controllers
• 4× AA non-rechargeable battery for the controllers

Do I need anything else?

Please see the Headset requirements & What you need to know article.