HP Reverb G2 VR Headset offers 4k support at an attractive price

HP has announced their new high-end virtual reality headset, an update from last year’s HP Reverb. The HP Reverb G2 headset offers 4k resolution across the dual LCD panels, with each eye getting a resolution of 2160×2160, at a 90 Hz refresh rate. These are some of the highest resolution displays in any consumer VR headset, offering excellent visual clarity for users, with games and other VR experiences being more detailed and more immersive than you’d get with lower resolution headsets.

The Reverb G2 is scheduled for release later this year at the very competitive price of $599. This puts it in a price range where it is significantly more affordable than the top-end Valve Index set up, but also offers specification and features a class above headsets like the Oculus Rift S or HTC Vive Cosmos. It’s found a sweet spot between the competition, that HP hopes can help it stand out.

HP partnered with both Valve and Microsoft to develop this hardware. They’ve used Valve developed tech in the audio and lens department, where the speakers used here are identical to the ones found in the Valve Index, they used Valve developed technology when designing the lenses, and it’s a fully supported SteamVR headset, great for using with the massive library of VR games available on Steam. They’re also using Microsoft’s Windows Mixed Reality platform, ensuring broad compatibility with a host of Windows based VR experiences. This headset won’t be compatible with games bought from the Oculus Store out of the box, but there are tools available to hack in that support for Windows Mixed Reality headsets, so this will be a good option for people who want a headset with the largest library of compatible software.

Also included are a pair of new HP VR controllers, that somewhat resemble the Oculus Touch controllers. These support motion controls, and feature an analog control stick and array of buttons for each hand.

As the market for VR matures, we’re no doubt going to continue to see companies like Valve and Oculus push forward high-end VR, but what is perhaps equally interesting is watching how more modestly priced VR headsets are starting to get more impressive specifications. It’s not hard to imagine a scenario where prices of well made very capable VR headsets continue to gradually drop, and perhaps that’s what it would take for VR to break further into the mainstream.

Head over to HP’s website to find out more, and we’ll keep an eye out for a release date.