HP Reverb Virtual Reality Headset: A 4K HMD with 6DOF
by Anton Shilov on March 20, 2019 5:00 PM EST
Numerous companies are making attempts to drive VR technology to the commercial space. HP this week introduced its first AR/VR headset that was designed from the ground both for consumer as well as for commercial/professional applications.
The HP Reverb VR headset is outfitted with two 2.89-inch screens featuring a 2160×2160 resolution per eye (4320×2160 combined resolution), a 90 Hz refresh rate, and a 114-degree field of view. The head mounted display (HMD) comes with a built-in inside-out 6-degree-of-freedom (6DoF) positional tracking and therefore does not need any external sensors. It also has its own spatial audio headset, and two front-facing cameras to enable augmented reality applications. The device also comes with Bluetooth connected motion controllers that are pre-synced to the headset to simplify setup.
To make the Reverb VR HMD more comfortable to use, HP outfitted it with a rather unique adjustable headstrap featuring a built-in cable management and enhanced ergonomics to compensate the weight and ensure that the headset does not fall.
HP’s Reverb headset requires a rather powerful PC with a DisplayPort 1.3 connection to ensure proper performance at a 4320×2160 resolution with a 90 Hz refresh rate. HP says that the head-mounted display is fully compatible with its Z VR wearable backpack PC, but keep in mind that certain programs might need a high-end graphics card only found in gaming/workstation desktops.
The HP Reverb VR headsets — both the Professional and Consumer Editions — can work perfectly with Windows Mixed Reality, and SteamVR applications (which are mostly games). The only hardware difference between the two versions is their bundle: the Pro model comes bundled with a 0.6-meter cable for HP's Z VR Backpack PC as well as a cleanable face cushion.
HP will start selling its Reverb VR headsets in late April. The consumer version will cost $599, the price of the professional model will be disclosed at a later date. Both HMDs will be covered with a one-year warranty with optional care packs for the Pro flavor.
Related Reading:
- Japan Display Develops VRM-100 VR Headset with 3DOF for Business Users
- HP Windows Mixed Reality Headset, Professional Edition, Coming March
- VR Startup Varjo Announces Shipping of High Resolution Headset Prototype, Aimed at Professional Markets
- Windows Mixed Reality Headsets Gain SteamVR Support, a Library of VR Games
- HP Expands Commercial VR Strategy: Z VR Backpack and Immersion Centers
Source: HP
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willis936 - Thursday, March 21, 2019 - link
Always charming to see the comment analyses: they never fail to stay out of touch with reality.wumpus - Wednesday, March 27, 2019 - link
Never mind the $200 extra cost, what I want to know is whether 4k@90Hz can be done by anything less than a RTX2080ti (or even one of them).There's a big difference between $600 and "$600 plus that $1300 GPU you happen to have lying around".
FSWKU - Wednesday, March 20, 2019 - link
"The consumer version will cost $599, the price of the professional model will be disclosed at a later date."The pro model will be $649, according to HP's own press release: https://press.ext.hp.com/us/en/press-releases/2019...
Valantar - Wednesday, March 20, 2019 - link
2k by 2k per eye. Inside-out 6DoF. Sleek design, not too large. Bundled controllers. $599.*Mic drop*How did HP of all companies become the leader in the VR space all of a sudden? Honestly, my only nit picks with this is built in headphones (they better be removable!), no mention of the field of view (which likely means ~100° rather than the far superior wide FOV solutions that are trickling out) and lack of eye tracking for foveated rendering. But with that, it'd cost at least $1000. For the price, this is excellent.
Jaxad0127 - Wednesday, March 20, 2019 - link
Article states 114-degree FOV.Valantar - Thursday, March 21, 2019 - link
Apparently I missed that! That's definitely on the "okay" side of mainstream headsets, even if 150 or more would be better.Death666Angel - Wednesday, March 20, 2019 - link
Don't forget 90Hz refresh rate. The new Oculus Rift S only has 80Hz. Only thing I'm wary of is the LCD screen instead of OLED. I'll have to look into the Oculus Go and how that was received (I don't want a phone in my face, so I didn't bother researching it before, I want a monitor in my face :D).Alexvrb - Wednesday, March 20, 2019 - link
LCD actually might be better for VR headsets.There's the subpixel advantage of RGB vs Pentile, and there's the increased overall pixel density. As you can tell from the specs, it's pretty significant. TH has a hands-on preview that talks about this a bit.Valantar - Thursday, March 21, 2019 - link
Yeah, PenTile would have a very visible detrimental effect on screen door effect and visible sharpness. While the contrast of OLED would be great to have, I'd rather have better sharpness.Alexvrb - Friday, March 22, 2019 - link
It's definitely a trade off, but what I've read so far indicates the Reverb eliminates the screen door effect entirely. That being the case, I'd say they made the right decision. The new lenses play a big role in clarity too, and they seem to have found the right combination.