Upgrade your demon-killing adventures with this cuddly murder companion.
This past March marked the launch of both Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Doom: Eternal, too wildly different games supported by two equally different player bases. Thanks to a shared release date, however, the communities have since banded together to form one of the most adorable fan art trends in recent memory.
Now you’ll soon have the chance to slay demons side-by-side with the adorable Resident Services representative as part of a new update for DrBeef’s QuestZDoom for the Oculus Quest. Available now via SideQuest, QuestZDoom is an engine port capable of running classic Doom titles in 6DoF VR with support for Touch controllers, so long as you legally own a copy of the game. Using the QuestZDoom launcher you can then install a variety of modifications, environments, and texture packs to enhance your experience.
Yesterday’s update also paves the way for future essential mods, including an upcoming AI companion based off Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ Isabelle. In a video posted to Reddit, the humanoid Shih Tzu can be seen ripping and tearing demons alongside the player, using both the iconic double-barrel shotgun as well as her own canine teeth. Though it’s not shown in the clip provided, the uploader of the video, VR_Bummser, claims that Isabelle will begin to cry when the player is killed and drown will her sorrows with a bottle. She will also toss the player ammo throughout each mission, similar to Elizabeth from Bioshock Infinite.
A full list of today’s updates can be found below:
Updated to LZDoom 3.85 – This brings compatibility with many mods that require GZDoom 4.3 or later. Please note that many mods still have incompatible shader code as are as Android is concerned, so if a mod runs on your windows machine on LZDoom 3.85, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll run on QuestZDoom
Fixed issue where multi-projectile weapons (like the shotgun) fired all the shot in a single flat line, which was quite frankly just weird and I’m surprised no-one commented on it!
Changed player movement to have no acceleration/momentum.. this is consistent with most VR games (including all the other DrBeef ports), this can be reverted back to the old functionality in the VR Options menu
Ability to bind a key to “cinema mode” (big screen mode, some mods might require it)
Prevent crosshair from ever being drawn (makes no sense)
In order to get started, you’ll need to sideload both QuestZDoom and the QuestZDoom Launcher to the Oculus Quest via SideQuest. You’ll then need to copy the WAD files from your official Doom purchases to the newly-created Doom folder on your Quest headset. Official installation instructions can be found here.
According to VR_Bummser, the Isabelle companion mod will soon be added to the launcher for auto install.
Can you believe we’re already through May 2020? There’s so much happening that it can be hard to keep up — that’s why we’ve rounded up the most important VR and AR news from this month in one convenient spot!
It’s been a packed month — if you’ve missed anything important, it’s probably listed here.
Much like Eleven Table Tennis before it, Pro Putt by Top Golf on Oculus Quest offers an accessible, authentic and immersive take on a popular sport that’s hard to find too much fault with.
The description for Pro Putt mentions a curious combination of inspirations; Tiger Woods and Mario Golf. True they’re both based on the same sport, but also at the opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to authenticity and accessibility. Tiger Woods can’t really keep up with Mario when it comes to accuracy, can he? (Note: this is a joke).
And yet, impressively, developer Golf Scope does indeed strike a balance between those two extremes. Pro Putt delivers much of the realism golf players will want (at least without feeling the weight of the putter in your hand), paired with optional extras to ease more casual players into the experience too.
You could, for example, stand at the start of the course, teleport up to the hole and survey the route, before squeezing the trigger to find yourself back by your ball. You can then practice your swing with an outline of the ball before readying up the proper shot. For the real golf experience, that’s all you could ask for, right? Aside from convincing physics, of course, which Pro Putt has down to a tee.
But, if you want to take things a step further, you can squeeze the grip button to get more detailed information, like the topography of the course and the direction you should make your swing in. You can even scale up to a god mode to plan your next move. The more seasoned among us might consider that cheating but, for someone like me, these are essential components to keeping the game accessible and engaging. Most importantly, they don’t automate any part of the experience; you’ll still be relying on your own skill level to get the job done. That makes it immensely rewarding to score a hole in one whether you’re using all of the game’s extra help or none of it.
Plus there are some other smart accessibility features. For example, when the end of your putter hits the ground, the handle will retract to keep it above the floor and avoid any awkward collision issues or need for constant calibration. Little touches like that make Pro Putt a really thoughtful experience.
I do wish there was a bit more of it, though. The game offers three courses with nine holes each. Though 27 levels might sound like plenty, you’ll see them through in no time and then there’s the chance to replay them on the Pro difficulty. A handful of extra practice and minigame modes are appreciated, but it’d be great to see more courses to take on in the future.
Multiplayer is also in, with support for private matches. It’s the best way to inject some longevity into the experience and meeting up with friends out on the course feels incredibly close to the real thing. That said, it is a little disappointing there isn’t a native pass-the-headset style of local multiplayer included here. You could technically just take turns replaying holes with friends, but the lack of a dedicated mode for switching over and keeping score feels like a bit of a missed opportunity.
If we’re nitpicking, I’ll also mention that the game’s fixed foveated rendering sticks out more than it does in a majority of Quest games because, well, you’re looking at the bottom edge of the screen much more. I’m sure more experienced players, too, would like the ability to skip the Amateur campaign mode and move right on to the Professional option.
Pro Putt By Topgolf Review Final Impressions
But that’s all these are, nitpicks. Pro Putt joins a growing list of VR titles that brilliantly capture the essence of a sport that inherently makes sense on the platform. It caters to both longtime golfers and casual fans with a wealth of options. A relatively small number of courses hold it back from full marks but, if you aren’t getting out on the green enough these days, Pro Putt offers a compelling alternative.
A new free update is available now for Oculus Rift and Quest app Color Space, which launched earlier this year. The update adds 3 new scenes to the game’s existing 13 launch scenes, providing users with more beautiful artwork to color in VR.
Launched in March this year, Color Space is a VR game that allows users to color in pieces of beautiful art and environments in virtual reality. It takes the timeless appeal of coloring books and transfers them to an immersive medium to great success. The game launched with 13 scenes available, and this new update, titled the ‘Another World’ update, will add an additional three for those who have exhausted the existing options.
Color Space's "Another World" update is live on Quest and Rift.
We spoke to VR artist Danny Bittman about Color Space earlier in the year. Bittman works on the game as a creative director and composer, and has been creating art with VR tools for many years now. Some of Bittman’s other works are available in VR apps like the Museum of Other Realities, but Color Space lets you collaborate with the artists for the first time. The game lets you color in works of art created by Bittman, most of which were initially created in other tools like Tilt Brush or Gravity Sketch.
The free ‘Another World’ update is available now for Color Brush. The game is available to purchase on the Oculus Store for Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift for $9.99.
Do you enjoy Color Space? Will you be trying out the new scenes from the update? Let us know in the comments.
CES may be the largest consumer electronics show in the U.S., but IFA owns bragging rights as the largest CE show outside the states. In 2020, despite concerns about the coronavirus, the show will go on. IFA will be held over three days only, between September 3 and September 5 2020, and Qualcomm’s president Christiano Amon […]
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Gadgeteer will receive a big new helping of content on June 11, called the ‘Color and Cubes’ update.
The update adds a coloring feature to the game, so players can make more complex and decorated virtual Rude Goldberg machines that fit to their desired aesthetic.
With colors and cubes, developers have added new gadgets — the ‘Start Cube’ and ‘End Cube’ — and a new ‘Color Toolhead’ to the game, which lets you color your machines in over 60 different colors. Metanaut CEO and Co-Founder Peter Kao said that the feature was developed despite the fact that nobody has actually asked for it. “We trusted our gut and made the risky decision to develop a feature nobody asked for,” he said. “We saw passionate players build these incredible machines—but no matter how different they were mechanically, they all looked the same.”
As an excellent example of what’s possible with the tool, Metanaut posted a new trailer, embedded above, showing a marble race that wouldn’t have been possible without the new additions.
This updates leads into an even larger planned update that will add that ability to share level creations online, allowing users to download and try out other users’ virtual Rude Goldberg machines. The color and cubes update lays the foundation for the next update, ensuring players will be able to design a machine in whatever color scheme and ensuring there are visual differences between each machine.
The colors and cubes update will be available from June 11, and the level sharing update is scheduled for release in August.
Tiger Woods meets Mario Golf in Pro Putt by Topgolf on Oculus Quest.
I’m terrible at golfing. Perhaps its my lack of patience or strong dislike of polyester golf pants. Thankfully, Pro Putt by Topgolf bypasses all my least favorite aspects of the ancient sport, allowing me to hop straight into the action from the comfort of my living room; no $60 golf cleats or monthly club membership required.
Available now on Oculus Quest for $19.99, Pro Putt by Topgolf offers players a VR enhanced immersive golfing experience complete with three gorgeous 18-hole courses (Beach, Desert, Forest), a 10,000 square foot practice green, multiplayer functionality, and a variety of other game modes and customizations.
Developed by Golf Scope Inc in partnership with Topgolf Media, a division of global sports and entertainment leader Topgolf Entertainment Group, Pro Putt includes four fan-favorite Topgolf games—Topgolf Classic, Top Pressure, Quick 9, and Quick 9 Pro—all of which powered by Golfscope and Simply Putting technology.
The result is a relaxing VR putting experience that perfectly blends realistic golf swing mechanics with the immersive capabilities of VR technology. Using a single Touch controller, you can practice your swings before making your final putt; by squeezing the grip input, you’ll activate a visual overlay outlining the best route for each course. By pushing down on your right analog stick you’ll enter Giant Mode, offering a better perspective of the course so you may better plan your shots; you can also push up to teleport throughout your immediate environment.
“Topgolf has done an incredible thing for golf. It has made it fun and approachable and introduced the game to a lot of people that wouldn’t otherwise be interested. We’re hoping Pro Putt helps even more people find the fun in golf,” said Ryan Engle, Golf Scope Founder and CEO. “My dad and I used to play golf every weekend growing up, but recently we’ve been playing Pro Putt. We’ve been surprised and amazed by the richness of the shared experience in VR, especially now.”
These courses can be completed solo or with a friend. Those looking to beef up their skills before hopping into a head-to-head match may want to stop by the Topgolf Putt Lounge. Here you can work on your putting in a closed environment using a colorful targeting system.
Don’t let the simplistic visuals and basic control scheme fool you, this VR golf simulator is chock full of content that will keep you coming back for more. In the future, I’d love to see more fantastical environments and obstacles akin to classic mini-golf courses. While the three environments included as part of the base game are well-crafted, they can get a bit monotonous after a few holes.
“We are constantly looking for innovative ways to introduce the game of golf to people, so we are thrilled to partner with Golf Scope to launch the Pro Putt game,” said President of Topgolf Media, YuChiang Cheng. “This is the perfect time to virtually connect people together, and we are looking forward to creating new and unique ways to enter the virtual reality gaming space.”
Pro Putt Golf is available now on Oculus Quest for $19.99.
We’re sorry to inform you that you won’t be making it through the Upload VR Showcase on June 8th without screaming a few times. That is to say, another terrifying look at Cosmophobia arrives at the show!
Cosmophobia is the new title from White Door Games, best known for its terrifying procedurally-generated VR debut, Dreadhalls. This takes the same core principle of trying to survive in a deadly maze and applies it to the ONE place that hasn’t been corrupted by capitalism… space! If the drones don’t get you, the hideous beast lurking just around the corner might.
Haven’t heard of the VR Showcase before? It’s quite simple; it’s our digital video to announce a whole bunch of cool new VR games and show off fresh looks at some of your most anticipated titles. This year’s show is going to be streaming right here at 9am PT, and will also be shown on IGN and Summer Game Fest. Not only that, but you can tune in early at 8:30am PT to catch our pre-show! There we’ll be making yet more reveals and talking over announcements in our virtual studio!
While wireless technologies have continued to improve in bandwidth, distance, and resilience against interference, most businesses and general consumers haven’t yet upgraded to Wi-Fi 6, last year’s sequel to the older, popular 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) standard. That’s probably for the best, as chipmakers are now moving to Wi-Fi 6E, a superior, recently approved update, and Qualcomm is ready with new device and router solutions that promise “VR-class low latency” and the fastest Wi-Fi speeds consumers have seen.
Qualcomm is announcing the FastConnect 6900 and 6700, device-ready wireless systems that include both Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 for maximum wireless performance and power efficiency. While FastConnect 6700 offers a peak Wi-Fi speed of 3 gigabits per second (Gbps), the higher-end 6900 tops out at 3.6Gbps, using four-stream dual-band simultaneous transmitting and 6GHz multi-band capabilities. Those numbers are faster than the 2- to 2.63Gbps peak Broadcom is claiming for its competing BCM4389, and Qualcomm is promising under 3-millisecond latency — enough to support cable-free head-mounted displays for VR — with up to eight times better latency reduction in Wi-Fi-congested environments.
It’s hard to overstate how important Wi-Fi 6E is likely to be for offices, retail spaces, and densely populated living spaces such as apartments. For the first time in decades, the new standard opens additional 6GHz radio spectrum to Wi-Fi, the equivalent of adding a giant, empty new highway immediately next to existing 2.4GHz and 5GHz roads. Between extra lanes and more modern infrastructure, users will be able to send data faster and with greater responsiveness, letting newer devices both avoid and decrease congestion on the older roads. If you’re working from home, you’ll get superb wireless performance regardless of signal competition from your neighbors; offices and stores will be able to use next-generation VR headsets and holographic displays without cables or network hiccups.
There’s a big year-over-year performance difference compared with the prior FastConnect 6800, which was used in LG’s V60 and Xiaomi’s Mi 10/Pro, among other devices. In addition to nearly or fully doubling the prior peak Wi-Fi speed of 1.8Gbps, FastConnect 6700 and 6900 support Bluetooth 5.2 with LE Audio, the new high-efficiency audio standard that enables multi-point connectivity and open, broadcast-style streaming. Two Bluetooth-specific antennas are included to improve both reliability and range, while the LE Audio standard delivers a stronger combination of low power consumption and high sonic fidelity than before. Qualcomm notes that the new systems are built using a 14-nanometer process, delivering up to 50% better power efficiency than prior-generation solutions.
On the router side, Qualcomm is also introducing four new Wi-Fi 6E Networking Pro platforms, each including support for Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6 — capable of operating simultaneously on 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHZ frequency bands. Depending on the performance level an OEM chooses, it can offer anything from a business- or campus-scale enterprise access point to a home mesh Wi-Fi network, with support for up to 2,000 simultaneous clients.
All four of the Networking Pro platforms use quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 processors, but they differ in maximum throughput. With the highest-end 1610 platform, clients can collectively reach up to 10.8Gbps of data usage, twice the peak of the lowest-end 610 platform. However, the peak single device-to-device transfer speed is 2.4Gbps, which Qualcomm achieves using an especially dense (4,096 QAM) implementation of Wi-Fi 6E.
The four platforms are as follows:
Networking Pro 1610 (2.2GHz A53): Up to 16 streams, 10.8Gbps peak total speed
Networking Pro 1210 (2.2GHz A53): Up to 12 streams, 8.4Gbps peak total speed
Networking Pro 810 (1.8GHz A53): Up to 8 streams, 6.6Gbps peak total speed
Networking Pro 610 (1.8GHz A53): Up to 6 streams, 5.4Gbps peak total speed
Qualcomm is shipping the Networking Pro platforms now, and expects them to be commercially available in OEM products this year. The FastConnect 6900 and 6700 are sampling now to OEMs and are expected to appear in devices starting in the second half of 2020.
The Line is a wonderful and short immersive experience available on Oculus Quest that sees a charming love story play out as you look down and interact with a table of beautiful miniature models. Even better, the whole experience supports controller-free hand tracking, and it’s an absolute perfect fit.
Produced by AVORE, the same Brazilian VR studio behind the Pixel Ripped series, The Line is a fantastic piece of immersive short cinema, now available on the Quest. It won “Best VR Experience” at the 76th Venice International Film Festival last year, but the Quest release is the first time it will be available to the general public. Plus, this release is one of only four apps on the Quest store that officially supports controller-free hand tracking.
The story is only around 15 minutes long, but packs a lot of charm and detail into a small package. It’s set within a scale model of 1940s São Paulo and follows Pedro, a miniature doll and newspaper delivery man, who runs the same route around the model every day, leaving a flower outside the house of Rosa, the girl he loves, each time.
I won’t get too much into the narrative here — given its short length and simple nature, it’s something you’re better off going through blind. That being said, it’s a charming and simple narrative matched with sublime narration from Rodrigo Santoro (who you may know from HBO’s Westworld) and absolutely superb animation. It’s got a Pixar short vibe to it, and almost feels like it takes cues from Toy Story and Coco, melding them into a story presented in Moss-esque dioramas.
The Line offers support for roomscale and seated experiences, with the option to use controllers or hand tracking. I tried out The Line with both options — controllers work as expected, but the hand tracking option is a perfect fit for this type of experience. You can view a short clip embedded above, but the bottom line is that all of the actions you perform are very basic and therefore easy for the Quest to track reliably, making it one of the more enjoyable hand tracking experiences I’ve had so far.
If you’ve got a spare 15 minutes this week, I would highly recommend checking out The Line on Oculus Quest. There’s a reason it won at the Venice Film Festival and why the title screen is splashed with various accolades — it ticks all the right boxes. There’s an endearing narrative, fantastic animation and brilliant integration of new technology with Quest’s hand tracking.
The Line is available now on Oculus Quest for $4.99. It’s also available in a new ‘Cinematic Narrative Set’ for Quest at $12.98, alongside Gloomy Eyes, which also launched recently and supports hand tracking.
Last week’s announcement of the HP Reverb G2 headset was met with excitement from the VR community. But, while the US can already pre-order the device, HP Reverb G2 worldwide pre-orders aren’t available yet. We know when they will be, though.
During a presentation announcing the headset at the AWE 2020 event last week, the company confirmed that HP Reverb G2 worldwide pre-orders would be launching in mid-June and then continuing to roll out across July. These regions include Asia, Canada, Latin America and Europe. US pre-orders are currently available from the official website.
Later on in the session the company clarified that, although HP Reverb G2 worldwide pre-orders are coming later, shipping for the device will be global. That’s currently scheduled for launch in fall 2020. We also don’t have individual pricing for different regions just yet, but we’ll let you know when we get that information.
Reverb G2 has caught the attention of VR enthusiasts thanks to an impressive spec sheet, made possible by a collaboration with Microsoft and Valve. Like the original Reverb, the G2 boasts a 4K resolution, and inside-out tracking, but also delivers four-camera tracking, Valve Index-style audio, improved ergonomics and redesigned Windows Mixed Reality controllers. Coming in at $599, the device shows a lot of promise for the enthusiast PC VR market. HP calls it a ‘no compromise’ headset, a marketing line we discussed heavily in this week’s episode of our VR Download podcast.
Will you be laying down a pre-order for the HP Reverb G2 when they launch across the globe in a few months? Let us know in the comments below!
Look sharp and get your guns at the ready; Resolution Games’ Blaston is coming to the Upload VR Showcase: Summer Edition on June 8th at 9am PT!
Announced last month, Blaston is a competitive dueling game with a VR flavor. There’s already a snazzy trailer, but we’ll be showing you the first gameplay in which players go head-to-head. Resolution Games’ credits include Acron: Attack of the Squirrels (which featured at least year’s Showcase) and Angry Birds VR, so you’ll definitely want to pay attention.
Not heard of our VR Showcases before? They’re essentially big celebrations of gaming inside headsets; we’ll be announcing new games and sharing updates on some of your most anticipated titles. You may have seen our other news today. Along with IGN, this year’s Showcase will also be streaming as part of Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest! Oh, and we’ll be hosting a pre-show with yet more announcements at 8:30am PT, so get here early!
Here’s some other games you can expect from this year’s show. We’ll have yet more teases next week, so check back soon!
Yes, this is the VR Showcase you’re looking for. Bookmark this page, because the Upload VR Showcase: Summer Edition goes live at 9am PT/12pm ET/5pm BT!
Wait, what’s the Upload VR Showcase: Summer Edition? Simple – it’s a huge video dedicated to announcing new VR games and experiences as well as debuting new trailers and features for both the titles you love and the ones you can’t wait to play.
So bookmark this page, because you’ll find the Showcase right here on June 8th. Better yet, get here early; at 8:30am PT/11:30am ET/4:30pm BT we’ll be launching our pre-show. Coming to you from our Virtual Studios (where we host our weekly Download podcast), we’ll be debuting yet more reveals and discussing the year in VR so far. We’ll also be following up the Showcase with developer interviews and further coverage. More on that soon.
This year’s show is also airing on IGN and Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest! We’re super excited about these partnerships bringing the VR goodness to yet more people.
But what can you expect? We’ve already been teasing a few reveals for this year’s show. We’ll have new game announcements from some of VR’s biggest studios, like Fast Travel Games. Plus there’s updates on some of the best titles to release in the past few years, like Pistol Whip. Oh, and we’ll be getting fresh looks at some of the most anticipated titles on the horizon, like Low-Fi. Overall we’ll be showing over 20 games and experiences, so there’s bound to be something to your taste.
So, just to recap: bookmark this page because at 8:40am PT/11:40am ET/4:40pm BT we run our pre-show, counting down to the main event at 9am PT/12pm ET/5pm BT! What are you looking forward to seeing this year? Let us know in the comments below!
We’re now just over a week away from the 2020 Upload VR Showcase: Summer Edition on June 8th! Today, we can finally share a few more details about the big show.
Earlier this month we announced that this year’s showcase would be live both on our own platform and as part of IGN’s Summer of Gaming event. Today, we’re also announcing a partnership with Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest! You’ll be able to find us on the event’s website.
What’s more, we can now confirm the show will be streaming at 9am PT/12pm ET/5pm BT! But before that, you won’t want to miss our pre-show! We’ll have yet more reveals as we count down to the main event, coming to you from our Virtual Studio at 8:30am PT/11:30am ET/4:30pm BT. We’ll be on-hand to talk over the news and reflect on the year in VR so far.
But wait, there’s yet more! After the show’s over, we’ll be bringing you extended coverage of our reveals, with interviews with Showcase developers inside our Virtual Studio. If you want to learn more about some of the show’s biggest announcements, you’ll want to stay tuned.
In case you haven’t seen, here are some of the reveals we’ve got lined up for you this time around.
Creepy sci-fi horror, The Persistence, jumped from PSVR to PC VR this month (alongside traditional consoles and PCs), but it sounds like there could be new content on the way too.
Graeme Ankers, co-founder at The Persistence developer Firesprite, suggested as much speaking to Wccftech this month. Asked if the game could get DLC, he replied: “We’ve got a big list of stuff we’re always keen to be working on and we’re constantly looking at. We definitely have plans for that going forward. Also, we’re looking at what else we do with the game itself and the universe we’ve created.”
Ankers later added: “The Persistence is our first owned IP and our chance to really, really show what we can do to everybody in the world.”
From the sounds of it, then, there could be much more from The Persistence on the way. We definitely agree that the terror Firesprite created, in which players try to survive as they sneak through a procedurally generated ship overrun with monsters, could be fleshed out. Of course, there’s no guarantee that any new games in the Persistence universe would still support VR but, at the very least, we’d hope additional DLC would be available to VR owners too.
“The Persistence offers something fresh and engaging by mixing different genres that we don’t often see melded together so well,” we said of the game in our 8/10 review. “On a moment-to-moment basis, the horrors lurking around every corner keep you on your toes and the give-and-take aspect of its roguelike nature ensures that no two runs are ever quite the same. “
The news you’ve been waiting for is here; the very first PS5 showcase takes place on June 4th.
Sony just confirmed as much on the PlayStation Blog. A digital showcase (like ours!) will be going live at 1pm PT on June 4th. That’s just a day after the initial reports that suggested the event would be on June 3rd.
Jim Ryan, President & CEO, Sony Interactive Entertainment, clarified that the event will be focused on “the games you’ll be playing after PlayStation 5 launches this holiday season.”
Expect a lot of information; the showcase will run for over an hour. “A lack of physical events has given us an amazing opportunity to think differently and bring you on this journey with us, and hopefully, closer than ever before. This is part of our series of PS5 updates and, rest assured, after next week’s showcase, we will still have much to share with you.”
PS5 is confirmed to be supporting the original PSVR headset and features backwards compatibility with the ‘majority’ of PS4 titles. We also know Sony is prototyping a potential successor to the device to run on PS5. But don’t expect any PSVR 2 announcements in next week’s showcase; Sony says the headset isn’t likely to launch this year. You can catch up with everything we know about PSVR 2 right here.
Still, it’ll be an exciting first glimpse at the console that will be powering a new generation of VR. We’ll be tuning in for sure. What do you want to see?
Today HP revealed its next-gen WMR headset, Reverb G2. While the original Reverb beat out the competition in resolution, some aspects of its display held it back from really capitalizing on all those pixels. Reverb G2 brings with it brand new displays and lenses which offer outstanding clarity.
‘Clarity’ is a subjective term which I use to try to boil down how sharp and clear the virtual world looks through a VR headset. There’s all kinds of things that contribute or detract from clarity. Resolution is surely important, but so are things like screen-door effect, mura, persistence, color smearing, and plenty more contributed by the lenses. ‘Clarity’ is the ultimate result of all of these factors.
When aiming for optimal clarity in a VR headset, any one of the aforementioned elements could be the bottleneck, so matching all these factors is key.
The original Reverb clearly still has the best resolution of any major consumer headset thanks to its 2,160 × 2,160 per-eye displays. And, arguably, it has the greatest clarity too. And yet Reverb G2, despite having the exact same resolution, has notably better clarity compared to Reverb G1.
But how do headsets with the same resolution, same display size, and same field of view offer different clarity? Even though the common paper specs are the same, the lenses and displays are different.
Photo by Road to VR
Road to VR got an exclusive hands-on with a first-run prototype of the Reverb G2. I’m fortunate enough to get early glimpses of hardware like this regularly; given that things can still change, I often withhold firm judgements until seeing how the final product shapes up. Even at this stage—where some things are still in flux—I’m confident in calling it Reverb G2 the king of clarity.
Recapping Reverb G1
The G1 has a high pixel density, giving it more resolving power than any other headset in its class. But the display and lenses had some issues that were ultimately holding clarity back.
Notably, the G1 displays had a perceived mura effect; this is similar in appearance but wholly different in origin than the more commonly known screen-door effect (AKA SDE). Mura looks a bit like a faint, fine mesh covering the lenses, or like the display is a bit cloudy. On a phone or TV display, mura isn’t much of a concern because the display doesn’t move with your head. In a VR headset, mura—just like SDE—is more noticeable because it moves over the virtual world as you move your head.
In addition to the mura on G1, the headset also had some surprising red smearing. This can only be seen when moving your head, but the effect causes any red colors in the image drag or ‘ghost’ slightly behind the other colors. This is exacerbated when the red is against certain colors and with fast head movement.
And finally, Reverb G1 had a bit more chromatic aberration (slight color separation toward the edges of the lens) than I would have expected. This wasn’t a major factor in clarity, but most headsets exhibit very little chromatic aberration, and, as you can imagine, the better aligned the light is coming through the headset, the sharper the image will appear.
I’m not bashing the G1 here. It’s a solid headset that’s lead the way in resolution and pixels per degree in the latest wave of consumer VR headsets. But it felt like it had some untapped potential in clarity because of these display and lens bottlenecks.
Unlocked Potential
Reverb G2 unlocks that potential by largely clearing up these issues with new displays and new lenses.
The perceived mura has been nearly eliminated, which alone makes a big difference. G1 was the first consumer headset to effectively eliminate the screen-door effect thanks to its pixel density, but you couldn’t be blamed for not noticing because mura took its place to a degree. With the mura gone on G2, the headset is getting a more ‘quality’ out of its pixels.
(Even though SDE is effectively gone, that’s not to say that G2 has “retina resolution;” you’ll still be able to see aliasing at this resolution. Eliminating SDE is different than achieving pixel density which meets the resolving power of the human eye. Maybe for G3—what do you say, HP?)
So, mura goes down and clarity goes up. This is good. But what about the other stuff? As far as I’ve been able to see, G2 has also eliminated the red-smear which is another nice win over the G1. Some chromatic aberration is still there, though HP tells me that the prototype I was testing hasn’t had a final calibration pass, and it expects this will bring further improvements to chromatic aberration, and possibly some other aspects.
Photo by Road to VR
HP also tells me that the redesigned G2 lenses (yes, they’re fresnel) have improved resolving power compared to the G1, which further enhances clarity. You can think of this a bit like ‘sharpening’ the pixels that you’re seeing through the lens.
Like the original Reverb, the displays in G2 are 90Hz LCD. Though HP says they have improved contrast and brightness. That improved brightness has also allowed them to lower the persistence of the display (the amount of time the display stays lit during each refresh). Reducing persistence means the image will look sharper during head movement.
Another win for G2 is a physical IPD adjustment which ranges from 60mm to 68mm, which means that a broader range of people will be able to move the lenses into the ideal position to get the most from the G2’s impressive visuals.
Boiling all of this down, Reverb G2 is the king of clarity, and I feel confident that this will be the headset’s defining factor.
When I fired up Half-Life: Alyx, coming from Index, the G2 nearly felt like looking at the game with new eyes. I was drawn to details that never caught my attention before, like scratches in the shotgun’s metal, letters printed on the side of the pistol, and innocuous stickers covering a gutter pipe. I also quickly noticed that many of the game’s textures don’t quite hold up to G2’s resolution (too soon!).
When I pulled up Bigscreen to see what it was like to use my PC desktop through the headset, it was the first time I didn’t quickly feel bothered by the resolution. The remaining bottleneck for doing typical PC productivity work in VR without compromise is now more in the realm of, field of view, sweet spot, and comfort.
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And that’s really just the visuals of the headset. Beyond that, G2 brings a sweeping list of improvements over G1 and other WMR headsets, like better tracking, controllers, ergonomics, audio, and more, all of which we detailed in our Reverb G2 announcement article. HP also announced that the G2 is available for pre-order starting today priced at $600, with an expected release date in the Fall.
Photo by Road to VR
Clearly there was a lot to talk about with the G2’s visuals, so I’ll save some thoughts on other parts of the headset for a future article. I will say now, however, that I haven’t yet been able to try the new controllers. Beyond that, let me know what else you’d like to know about the headset in the comments below.
HP today announced its Reverb G2 headset, bringing with it a wishlist of improvements to the WMR product ecosystem. With leading visual clarity, high quality off-ear headphones, improved tracking, and new controllers, there’s a lot to look forward to. The headset is available for pre-order starting today at $600 and is set to launch this Fall.
HP launched the original Reverb headset back in May, 2019; now just a year later the company is revealing its successor, the Reverb G2.
From the upgrades and improvements, it seems quite clear that HP has been listening carefully to feedback from users of the original Reverb and other WMR headsets at large. Reverb G2 is shaping up to be the next generation of Windows VR headsets.
Four Camera Tracking for the First Time on WMR
Reverb G2 has two cameras on the front and two on the sides | Image courtesy HP
Windows VR headsets were the first major headsets out of the gate with inside-out tracking back in 2017. While it was impressive for the time, competitors like Oculus have since launched headsets with four or more tracking cameras which offer a much larger tracking volume.
Reverb G2 is the first WMR headset to move from two-camera tracking to four-camera tracking. HP says that the additional cameras offer “1.4x more movement capture” compared to other Windows VR headsets.
New Controllers, Compatible with All WMR Headsets
Image courtesy HP
Reverb G2 will also be the first Windows VR headset to offer a substantial controller redesign. While Samsung made slightly more ergonomic versions of the original Windows VR controllers for its Odyssey headsets, HP is bringing significant changes to the shape and input layout.
The original WMR controllers had both a thumbstick, trackpad, and one application button on the face. That was accompanied by an analog trigger and a grip button.
The Reverb G2 controllers—which appear unabashedly shaped like Oculus’ Touch controllers—offer a much closer input layout to other modern VR controllers: a thumbstick, two face buttons, an application button, an analog trigger and a grip trigger. There’s also the ‘Windows’ button for core WMR functionality.
What’s more, HP says that the G2 controllers are backwards compatible with other Windows VR headsets, which means that WMR users who are happy with their current headset will have an option to upgrade their controllers. HP says it plans to sell the G2 controllers separately from the headset for this purpose, but that may not happen until sometime after the launch of the headset, and pricing for the controllers alone has not been announced.
Impressive New Display & Optics
Image courtesy HP
In the display department, Reverb G2 technically has the same resolution as the original Reverb (2,160 × 2,160 per-eye), but it’s an all new display which brings some key improvements over the original. HP says it has better contrast, brightness, and lower persistence.
Part of why Reverb is leading the pack in clarity is because its displays are not just higher resolution but also smaller than some other headsets, making the pixels per degree higher than if they were spread over a larger field of view. HP says Reverb G2 maintains the same 114-degree field of view as the original Reverb (which we’ve found to be comparable in FOV to Oculus’ headsets).
New Off-ear Headphones, Courtesy Valve
Image courtesy HP
HP makes no secret that it has worked directly with Valve on Reverb G2, and that’s meant adopting Index’s impressive ‘off-ear’ headphones.
The original Reverb headphones gave us nothing to complain about, and were quite a bit better than the default audio in Oculus’ latest generation of headsets. Even so, G2 is bringing upgraded headphones to the table.
HP tells us that these are the exact same amp and drivers that have made Index the audio king among VR headsets. The G2 headphones also adopt the smart ‘off-ear’ mounting approach which we’ve found on Index to be more comfortable and even more immersive than ‘on-ear’ headphones.
Also pulling a few pages from Valve’s playbook, Reverb G2 has a redesigned head-mount shape, improved padding, and a magnetically attached face-gasket.
The circle design on the rear of the original Reverb has been eschewed in favor of a wider oval which the company says is better shaped to the head. The new padding is notably thicker and wider, better distributing pressure around the eyes and back of the head.
While G2 is borrowing some ergonomic notes from Index, HP’s new headset will retain the side-strap approach for fitting and tightening the headset rather than a tightening dial which has become popular on recent headsets.
G2 thankfully also adds a physical IPD adjustment which allows users to change the distance between the lenses from 60mm to 68mm. This is an important feature for allowing users to get their eyes aligned with the ‘sweet spot’ of the lens.
The headset’s display housing can also rotate 90 degrees relative to its head-mount. This isn’t the ‘flip-up’ function offered by some other headsets, but it adds more flexibility when putting on the headset.
Reverb G2 also brings a lengthy 19.5 foot (6m) cable which is thinner and lighter than the somewhat bulky tether on the original Reverb. The cable connects to PCs via DisplayPort and USB-C; if the USB-C port can’t provide adequate power, an included power adapter can be connected to the tether. HP also noted that the new cable has been redesigned to eliminate the display issues that plagued early models of the original Reverb.
HP Reverb G2 Price, Pre-order, and Release Date
Image courtesy HP
HP has priced Reverb G2 at $600, the same as the consumer version of the original Reverb. The headset’s release date is planned for Fall 2020.
The company is taking pre-orders for G2 in the United States starting today at HP.com, Steam, and “select channel partners.” The company says pre-orders for other “select countries” are expected to open between mid-June and July.
HP Reverb G2 Specs
Platform: WMR (with SteamVR compatibility)
Resolution: 2,160 × 2,160 LCD per-eye @ 90Hz
Field-of-View: 114°
Tracking: Inside-out, four cameras
Weight: 1.21 pounds (0.55kg)
Cable Length: 19.5 feet (6m)
Connector: DisplayPort, USB-C, power adapter (optional) [DisplayPort to mini-DisplayPort adapter included]
Controllers: Removable batteries, 2x AA (included)
