This article is a an overview of basic knowledge about the headset. It sums up what you need for VR, and what are the things you might want to buy extra.
Information about the HP Reverb G2
What do I need to have for G2?
See Headset requirements.
Is there anything else I might want to buy?
For improving your experience, you can buy a variety of accessories. We have an extensive list of accessories here. Here are the things that you might be interested the most:
- Controllers require two AA batteries each. For the long run, it is more economical to buy rechargeable batteries. Be aware that the controllers will not work properly with standard rechargeable batteries. See our battery buying guide for more info.
- Controller grips can improve your experience a lot – they prevent controller slipping and the knuckles-style strap is awesome.
- If you want the top experience, you can get Valve Knuckles controllers, however that solution is quite expensive.
- A cable pulley system is also a good idea. It prevents you from accidentally stepping over your cable (the one connecting the headset with the PC) and makes you forget about it.
- 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).
- If you want the best experience possible and have a lot of money, consider getting Valve Index controllers with your HP Reverb G2 headset. Tapping has made an in-depth review of this setup.
- DecaMove should release soon, which will probably be a very good and not that expensive addition to anyone’s VR accessories arsenal.
What should I know about setting up and using the headset?
- Do not let direct sunlight shine on the lenses under any circumstances. It will burn the display in mere seconds due to the lenses.
- Do not use wet wipes (or any wet stuff) for cleaning the lenses. Use dry microfiber cloth only.
- See Headset info – Connecting the headset section for info on how and where you should connect the headset connectors.
- Make sure you push the headset connector all the way in. See the Troubleshooting post, there is a picture on how it should look like. Many people were thinking their G2 is dead but it was just they did not push the connector in properly.
- Do not disconnect the headset connector often, it is very brittle.
- The recommended way to turn off your headset while not using it is just to disconnect the power brick (either from the breakout box or from the power).
- If you are having problems with the headset, see the Troubleshooting post.
- G2 has just released, so please be understanding that games might not yet be fully adjusted to it (you might need to use community controller bindings for example) and there might be some software issues.
- Unfortunately a wrong batch of plastic cable clips got into production, so if your cable clip snaps, don’t worry. Just contact HP and they’ll send you a new one.
- Microsoft has prepared a getting started guide for Windows Mixed Reality
What games can I run on the HP Reverb G2?
- Reverb G2 runs on the Windows Mixed Reality platform (WMR). There are probably no games exclusive to this platform.
- You can run SteamVR on WMR without any problems, meaning you can play any VR ready game available on Steam. See the Setting up post for more info on how to play games on Steam. There’s also an official SteamVR setup guide from Microsoft.
- Then, there are Oculus Rift exclusives like Lone Echo, Asgard’s Wrath, Robo Recall or Stormland. You can play those using Revive until Facebook makes it not work. You will have to buy the games on the Oculus store using your Facebook account.
- Then there are Oculus Quest/Quest 2 exclusives. You cannot run those anywhere else than on Oculus Quest devices.
- There’s also vorpX which allows you to play selected games that do not support VR natively. This is however achieved with varying results and only limited to having a 3D screen in front of you.
- Then you can also play flatscreen games on a virtual screen in VR using apps like Bigscreen. This is like putting a standard monitor in front of you, but you can make that monitor hella big!
- There are also VR game subscription services such as VIVEPORT. This might be a good choice for VR newcomers as they can try out a lot of games this way for a significantly lower price than if they had to buy them all.
What games should I buy first?
Keep in mind this is only a personal recommendation. These games selected are awesome and friendly for VR newcomers. We recommend wishlisting them on steam and buying them in discount:
- Beat Saber – A must have for any VR gamer
- Superhot VR – Time only moves when you move, kill your enemies!
- Half Life: Alyx – A VR masterpiece by Valve. This one doesn’t have many discounts, so don’t delay buying it.
- The Lab by Valve (free) – A free experience with a variety of minigames.
- GORN – You need quite a lot of playspace for that, and be very careful about not hurting yourself or destroying furniture. Really, be careful 🙂
- I Expect You To Die – Fun escape room-like game.
- Pistol whip – Like Beat Saber, but with pistols. And makes you sweat more.
- In Death – Roguelite bow shooting game with procedurally generated world.
- Now that I have received my G2 unit, I must say it’s doesn’t really bode well with the G2. The archery tracking is buggy (although G2 should have better side tracking than my previous headset, Rift S), the G2 visuals are so good that you notice the game graphics are lacking plus it doesn’t have a decent bindings.
- Space Pirate Trainer – Nice arcade shooter
- Google Earth VR (free) – You can look on your house from above! Or fly all over the world. Not suitable as a first game to turn on though, it can easily make you sick.
- Aircar (free) – A simple game where you fly in an aircar through a futuristic city.
- Compound – This is not really for beginners because of its smooth locomotion, but when you grow your VR legs, definitely try out this gem with a lot of potential!
That’s all. Enjoy your VR experience 🙂 If you’re wondering where to buy the G2, we have a list of distributors here.