34 PCWorld JULY 2020NEWS HP REVERB G2 UPGR ADES WINDOWS MIXED REALIT Y
along, with four and five cameras respectively.
Suddenly, built-in tracking was “good
enough.” Sure, the Quest and Rift S still can’t
match the Index’s precision, but they do a
solid job under most circumstances, and
they’re a hell of a lot more portable than the
Index’s base stations.
The Reverb G2 is the first Windows MR
headset to break out of the dual-camera
paradigm. I can’t tell you why it didn’t happen
earlier, nor can I tell you whether this is an
HP-specific development, or if we’ll see it on
all Windows MR headsets going forward.
What I can tell you is that it makes the
Reverb G2 instantly more attractive than its
predecessor. The two side-facingcameras should definitely help mitigate the
MR platform’s tracking problems. We just
don’t know how much yet.SOUND AND FURY
I’ve spent so much time discussing the
four-camera tracking because it’s an essential
upgrade. As I said earlier, there can be no
“high-end” Windows MR headset with the
old front-facing camera solution—especially
with the Oculus Rift S and Quest providing a
better experience for only $400.
HP and Valve have made a number of
other improvements to the Reverb G2
though, and assuming the tracking solution
lives up to its potential? The Reverb G2 could
essentially slot in as the entry-level Valve
Index.
It is an Index, in a lot of ways. Just look at
the speakers. Those are the same speaker-
headphones employed on the Index,
creating a field of sound around the user’s
ears. The results are much more realistic than
anything you get from the drop-down
headphones used on the original Reverb.
Valve also helped HP custom-
design new lenses for the Reverb G2.
And if they look like the Index lenses?
Well...they basically are. HP says
they’re slightly smaller, to fit the Reverb
G2’s display. They use the same Fresnel
design though—and HP’s included a physical
IPD slider like the Index, as well.
Assuming the tracking holds up, the