Best VR Headset to replace Reverb G2 ?

[Boblekobold]

Hi !

I would like to know which VR headset could replace my Reverb G2 if necessary.

I love the Reverb G2 but it can’t be found anymore. I tried the Quest 3 but I think i’ll ask a refound because gameplay image is too bad to use VorpX in Full VR with official Link cable.

Thanks in advance !

[adrian J]

I use a quest 2 & image is great

Try turn up settings in the oculus app on your PC
I use a rtx3080

Quest3 should be even better

[Boblekobold]

I have an RTX 4090 so I was able to set max resolution, bitrate and options with Quest 3 debug tool.

Even so, Quest 3 has a lot worse image than G2, beacause of video compression. Meta support does not have any solution.

The problem is Quest 3 USB-C cable doesn’t support DisplayPort, so the image is deteriorated by the necessary Occulus video compression.

You don’t have this problem on Reverb G2, so even if the resolution is lower, the image quality is a lot better (colors too). Only sweetspot is better on Quest 3 (but it doesn’t really matter when playing First Person Shooter with VorpX).

—–

Maybe I should try a Varjo Aero, or wait for Bigscreen Beyond (concerning this last one, my only concern is I don’t like VR Headset wich squeeze my face so I wonder if the design will be Ok for me, but I would like to try it because of the weight and size).

[Sephael]

Hi, being a owner of a G2 myself (with a 4090), there is no remplacement for a G2 unless you upgrade for a more expensive headset.
The strongest point of the G2 was a high quality display for it’s time for a middle range price.
I paid mine with controllers about 600 and something euro.

If you are thinking about a Varjo Aero, may be you can also check on the Pimax Crystal (2880*2880 per eye).
I wanted to upgrade for a Pimax Crystal for a wider field of vue and a better screen than my G2, but i postoned my choice as the Crystal need an external batterie even when you use it as a non mobile headset.
They said you have about 4 to 6 hours per batterie and they pack 2 of them for the crystal.

Personnaly, i think it’s a engineering misconception; as i used my G2 very extensively the first 2 years, i’m pretty sure i would burn the batterie fast in 2 or 3 years…. while my G2 don’t have this problem at all.

Anyway, Pimax is also working on a 12k headset, but it’s on the same frame work as the Crystal, so they don’t plan to change the need of batteries when playing connected to the PC.

[Laser]

G2 user here, currently I only see two options if I wanted to upgrade, Crystal and Bigscreen Beyond. For seated usage Crystal might be better but the weight thing still makes me wonder, its allmost double of Reverb and I don´t consider this to be the most comfortable thing either. Well to be fair I added 200g counterweight to the back of G2 to make it better balanced so it is maybe 750g now. I also like playing standing with controllers and that 1kg weight of crystal really puts me off, that is why I probably would pick bigscreen beyond. I think Aero is bit outdated and varjo will maybe launch a successor to that in 2024

Crystal would be much more attracting option if they release a version with out all the standalone nonsense, it would make it lighter and cheaper.

I still can´t use the full potential of G2 anyway because of GPU limitations so Im sticking with it for some time.

[dellrifter22]

I’ve been using the Varjo Aero for a year now (coming from Reverb G1) and it works great with vorpX. The G1 was already a good experience, but since vorpX gaming is my main hobby, naturally I rationalized the upgrade.

I play all my games seated at the desk – mouse and keyboard, and only use minimal head tracking to occasionally look side to side. For me it’s about sitting comfortably and having the best fidelity visuals possible – so that I can get lost in these game worlds for hours at a time. I’ve learned that when playing this way, I prefer high resolution over high FOV, and a heavy headset vs one that puts pressure on my nose and cheeks.

While super high fov is desirable for standard vr, it is not always ideal for vorpX. Many games do not allow 120+ degrees fov, and therefore you must zoom out the image in vorpX to compensate. This zooming out reveals the edges of the screen, which greatly hinders immersion. Much better to let the physical size of the lenses naturally limit your view than to have artificial edges on the screen. in the G1 I could zoom out to 90% before noticing the bottom edge, now in my Aero I can zoom out until 70%.

Although heavier than G1, the Aero + counterweight comfort kit is much more friendly to my face. Thanks to the rigid strap, it can hold the front end out in front rather than resting on my face. With an added square of T-shirt tied from front to back, the weight is distributed evenly over the top of my head, all supported by my neck. I even removed the face cushion and put a thin layer of fabric there that only gently brushes my cheeks (and blocks the velcro). With this setup, I only stop playing because I am tired, but never because I’m uncomfortable.

A very lightweight pair of Koss KPH30i works great for decent audio. I tied them to the top strap and let them just rest on the Aero’s headstrap. All you need do is pull them down over your ears to use. The cable I have rapped around the headset a couple times to not hang loose.

My frame rates actually improved a little from G1. Something about the Varjo software runs better, and it has helped keep my 2080ti relevant.

There’s really only two things that initially bothered me about the Aero. First was the larger nose gap in between the eyes (less binocular overlap), and second, the contrast of both eyes was not identical in dark scenes. I don’t know if that was just a defect of my unit (never heard reviewers mention it), but bright scenes look great. Very quickly my brain accustomed to the larger nose gap, and now I rarely even notice it during play. I don’t tend to look in the far corners of my eye anyway, as it quickly becomes straining.

Anyway, I maybe wouldn’t say the Aero is the best all-rounder vr headset. But for vorpX, it’s the best one I’ve tried. G2 is still great though I’m sure.

[Laser]

Well I wasn´t going to upgrade my G2, but it decided to die unexpectedly. First I looked at Crystal and Big Screen but both have downsides and are quite expensive units, then I thought about Quest3 and almost bought one. But finally I decided to get Pico 4, my thought process was that I needed something that was available immediately and its really cheap unit.

After few days of setting this thing up and testing it in various ways I am positively surprised how good it is. Compared to G2 the resolution is littlelower but the pancake lenses are far better than the fresnel lenses of reverb. I have only used the pico in wireless mode with my pc, its really nice being wire free even when gaming seated. Pico´s own streaming assistant didn´t work at all for me but with virtual desktop I was able to connect instantly. I still need to mess around with my routers and settings to get best possible wifi connection.

Downsides and upsides compared to Reverb G2 V1
-Slightly lower resolution
-Built in audio isn´t great (I plan to use wired phones connected to pico)
-Stock facial interface isn´t that comfortable (I already printed new interfaces to fix this)

+pancake lenses offer much wider sweet spot and the image is clear to almost the edges of the screen
+optional wireless mode
+stand alone mode (not sure that I will be using this much though)
+really cheap, I only paid little over 300€ for the 128GB model, that is almost half the price of quest 3)
+colour passthrough mode vs the black and white in G2 (resolution isn´t great but its enough that you can move around in your house without taking the headset off.
+headset/controller tracking is far better, I couldn´t really play beat saber with G2 controllers due to losing controller tracking.

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