HP Reverb G2 VR Headset ($849 - $50 off - 10% Rakuten = $719.10)

Here’s my two cents;
This price is good
If you are buying this for SIMs like most, be wary that you will need a beast of a computer to run this at the native resolution (20/30 series RTX). Even 30 series will downgrade at times (ex. MSFS2020) due to game not being optimized)
The resolution of this headset is great HOWEVER look up “edge to edge clarity” and “sweet spot” on this VR. They both leave much to be desired.
I contacted HP to return mine on Wednesday, the rep first asked me why I am returning it now, then said its passed the return date (it hasn’t) and then said I will get a return # by email in 2 days (I haven’t). Contacted again on Friday to confirm my request was in the system, they re-requested the return from UPS. We’ll see how it goes.

Overall, if you need a VR headset now, check out oculus 2 for the best bang/buck.
If you can wait, wait for the next gen VRs (but that’s always the case, newer - better) and games to be optimized, and get the best hardware available to run it.

I was going to buy a G2 but then read about all the AMD chipset (PCIe/USB) issues (that affect USB3 headsets) and held off.

Does anyone know if those issues are resolved?

McDealer wrote: ↑ I was going to buy a G2 but then read about all the AMD chipset (PCIe/USB) issues (that affect USB3 headsets) and held off.

Does anyone know if those issues are resolved?

Have this headset and x570... resolved? No... but there are workarounds. (I had to buy a $20 USB adapter off of Amazon).

If you're looking for the best visual quality, this is the headset, but it'll take some work. If you're just looking to fire-up-and-go... I'd go with the Quest 2.

TheLegendz wrote: ↑ Here’s my two cents;
This price is good
If you are buying this for SIMs like most, be wary that you will need a beast of a computer to run this at the native resolution (20/30 series RTX). Even 30 series will downgrade at times (ex. MSFS2020) due to game not being optimized)
The resolution of this headset is great HOWEVER look up “edge to edge clarity” and “sweet spot” on this VR. They both leave much to be desired.
I contacted HP to return mine on Wednesday, the rep first asked me why I am returning it now, then said its passed the return date (it hasn’t) and then said I will get a return # by email in 2 days (I haven’t). Contacted again on Friday to confirm my request was in the system, they re-requested the return from UPS. We’ll see how it goes.

Overall, if you need a VR headset now, check out oculus 2 for the best bang/buck.
If you can wait, wait for the next gen VRs (but that’s always the case, newer - better) and games to be optimized, and get the best hardware available to run it.

I have the Quest 2 and play PCVR games wireless with ALVR. I have internet access disabled so any telemetry should be blocked .... (though i'm currently unable to experience the 120Hz update due to this)

Simple games like Beatsaber are fine on something like a GTX1050 even at 90Hz, but un-optimized games like VRChat will grind to a halt.

I currently have a 6800XT and it's able to play everything at a solid 90Hz. Once I figure out how to sideload the 120Hz update, I will try that aswell.

Quest 2 imo has horrible FOW if you're not using the middle IPD setting. The Quest 1 is already starting to get neglected, so I wouldn't recommend buying one in 2021.

TheLegendz wrote: ↑ Here’s my two cents;
This price is good
If you are buying this for SIMs like most, be wary that you will need a beast of a computer to run this at the native resolution (20/30 series RTX). Even 30 series will downgrade at times (ex. MSFS2020) due to game not being optimized)
The resolution of this headset is great HOWEVER look up “edge to edge clarity” and “sweet spot” on this VR. They both leave much to be desired.
I contacted HP to return mine on Wednesday, the rep first asked me why I am returning it now, then said its passed the return date (it hasn’t) and then said I will get a return # by email in 2 days (I haven’t). Contacted again on Friday to confirm my request was in the system, they re-requested the return from UPS. We’ll see how it goes.

Overall, if you need a VR headset now, check out oculus 2 for the best bang/buck.
If you can wait, wait for the next gen VRs (but that’s always the case, newer - better) and games to be optimized, and get the best hardware available to run it.

Is it the best bang for buck? Because my friend bought it and she has to buy the elite strap which was like 100$ and new face cover to make it comfortable and also bought a portable battery pack aswell to balance headset.
All that it was like 200$ more for accessories to make it more comfortable and last more than 2 hours.
She also bought a 3rd party link cable which would only register as usb 2 so she had to buy the official link cable for like 80$.
So she added like almost 300$ on top of the quest 2 price.

AllanT232 wrote: ↑ Is it the best bang for buck? Because my friend bought it and she has to buy the elite strap which was like 100$ and new face cover to make it comfortable and also bought a portable battery pack aswell to balance headset.
All that it was like 200$ more for accessories to make it more comfortable and last more than 2 hours.
She also bought a 3rd party link cable which would only register as usb 2 so she had to buy the official link cable for like 80$.
So she added like almost 300$ on top of the quest 2 price.

I have had the quest 2 since release. I bought a non oem knock off of the elite for $20 off ebay, works perfectly. Added silicone controller covers for grip and hand straps for certain games, another $15, 15ft usb c cable off amazon was $15, works well enough although I hate tethering so I don't.
Balance issues are exaggerated, I have no problems, neither do my 2 kids who are both under 10 yrs old. Your neck strengthens and gets used to it, if anything my neck is in better shape because of it.
I have no issues with battery life and get about 2 1/2 hrs, I can't remember the last time it wasn't enough. If I needed to though, I could easily pop a power bank in my pocket and have the cable go behind me out of the way. I also toyed around with attaching a 5000mah one to the back of the non oem strap, worked well and barely noticed it, took it off after a while though because I never needed it. If buying this because you're on a limited budget, $50-75 all in will get you all the additional non oem accessories, putting you a bit over $500 all in if buying the 64gb version.

VR is still in its infancy stage, but it’s incredible what they are capable of.
Right now? Pick your poison.

I tried both oculus 2 and reverb g2.
Like you said you can spend more but as-is what comes in the package, my opinion is that oculus 2 is good value.
Another small annoyance I had w Reverb G2 is that the controllers are picky on the batteries. Even the batteries they came with reported low battery an hour into playing. This is due to their voltage requirements apparently.

At the end I didn’t keep either but I have a feeling I will definitely go back to VR in the future.

AllanT232 wrote: ↑ Is it the best bang for buck? Because my friend bought it and she has to buy the elite strap which was like 100$ and new face cover to make it comfortable and also bought a portable battery pack aswell to balance headset.
All that it was like 200$ more for accessories to make it more comfortable and last more than 2 hours.
She also bought a 3rd party link cable which would only register as usb 2 so she had to buy the official link cable for like 80$.
So she added like almost 300$ on top of the quest 2 price.

Good strap alternatives are common under $50, many already have a battery bank and they just added native wireless (Airlink) so link cable no longer needed. Don't have to spend a lot extra to have a good experience.

That being said Reverb G2 has best in class optics and doesn't require a FB login, so is a great option if you don't care about mobile VR.

Not sure I would drop $800 on this, if your very serious about vr and willing to spend this much the new HTC makes more sense. Otherwise the quest 2.

dvdvideo wrote: ↑ Not sure I would drop $800 on this, if your very serious about vr and willing to spend this much the new HTC makes more sense. Otherwise the quest 2.

Isn't the new HTC Vive pro $1000 USD? That's basically twice the price thus not even in the same market.

McDealer wrote: ↑ I was going to buy a G2 but then read about all the AMD chipset (PCIe/USB) issues (that affect USB3 headsets) and held off.

Does anyone know if those issues are resolved?

On a b450 chipset I haven't had any problems with USB, but I use the red gen 3.2 ports. I have had problems on front USB ports but NEVER the ones on the back. BIOS updates should help too

AllanT232 wrote: ↑ Is it the best bang for buck? Because my friend bought it and she has to buy the elite strap which was like 100$ and new face cover to make it comfortable and also bought a portable battery pack aswell to balance headset.
All that it was like 200$ more for accessories to make it more comfortable and last more than 2 hours.
She also bought a 3rd party link cable which would only register as usb 2 so she had to buy the official link cable for like 80$.
So she added like almost 300$ on top of the quest 2 price.

You don't need any of those.

I use a regular USB battery pack to charge my Quest while playing. I just put the pack in my pocket.

Elite strap is totally optional.
This is how I have mine setup and I have no issue.

coffeebean wrote: ↑ Isn't the new HTC Vive pro $1000 USD? That's basically twice the price thus not even in the same market.

Personally I'd call anything over $500 the "elite" vr market. If you have $800 to throw around at vr gaming (plus the cost of a good pc), you probably have $1200.....

dvdvideo wrote: ↑ Personally I'd call anything over $500 the "elite" vr market. If you have $800 to throw around at vr gaming (plus the cost of a good pc), you probably have $1200.....

If that was the case, there would be no $800 headsets, only $1200 headsets.

coffeebean wrote: ↑ Isn't the new HTC Vive pro $1000 USD? That's basically twice the price thus not even in the same market.

I wouldn't get the vive pro anyways, given my experience trying to deal with HTC's support for my vive. I'd get a valve index.

I second Valve Index. A very good upgrade from my oculus quest 2. The customer service is superb too. I accidentally pulled out the joystick on my controller when the strap hooked it and pulled. Free shipping to and back. Took about 2 weeks due to shortages for a new controller.

bomber17 wrote: ↑ I second Valve Index. A very good upgrade from my oculus quest 2. The customer service is superb too. I accidentally pulled out the joystick on my controller when the strap hooked it and pulled. Free shipping to and back. Took about 2 weeks due to shortages for a new controller.

Isn't the Index lower res than the G2?

coffeebean wrote: ↑ Isn't the Index lower res than the G2?

Yes, but it has 144hz and knuckles (finger tracking) controllers.

coffeebean wrote: ↑ If that was the case, there would be no $800 headsets, only $1200 headsets.

Your kind of missing the point......but ok.
There are very often products at mid price points that are poor overall value to those with the funds to spend a little bit more. You can debate if that's the case here, but you can't debate the existence of these scenarios.