Comparison Vive Pro 2 vs Reverb G2

[SCG_Fenris_Wolf]

Hey guys,

 

"TLDR/don't bore me with technicalities" -> look here

 

I have had two days to test the Reverb G2 against the Vive Pro 2 now. This is a comparison with regards to Flight Sims, both in atmosphere and in space. To take something to the front: Both headsets are great and if a seated Simmer has one, he won't need to upgrade to the other.

 

A comparison

 

Program used: Test HMD 1.2 , FOV referring to where the test-dot was still visible while staring to the center.

Sims used: IL-2, DCS, Elite Dangerous

--- Make sure to set Vive Console's Display Setting to "Ultra" and SteamVR's SS to at least "3100x3100" before you check out your VP2, or you may get a dynamic resolution and blurry picture ---

 

HP Reverb G2, Jewcookie's custom face gasket, Quest2's replacement foam

 

Field of View: hFOV: 98° | vFOV: 90°

Sharpness: 3100x3100 as ref: hard, sharp picture that asks for anti-aliasing, a bit of mura (almost invisible).

Lenses: No glare, slight blue chromatic abberation along whites.

Edge-to-edge clarity: Approx. half of the lens, then blurriness starts.

Sweetspot: Easy to find with custom face gasket.

Fit: Very comfortable and lightweight, eye-relief is missing but does not seem necessary. Fits thin heads.

Heat: Fogs up due to the custom gasket not having ventilation.

Audio: Range starts at 30Hz half, ramps up quickly to 80% at 40Hz. 50Hz already 100%. Crackling in speakers with quick bass below 80hz.

 

Vive Pro 2, 6mm PU-leather face foam replacement, PU-leather head strap foam replacements

 

Field of View: hFOV: 116° | vFOV: 96°

Sharpness: 3100x3100: softer picture, 95% of the G2's sharpness, DSC, reminds me of an inbuilt diffusion layer like Odyssey+/Index.

Lenses: Visible glare along concentric rings like the Index, no chromatic abberation.

Edge-to-edge clarity: Full lens, largest I have seen so far. Can fully rotate the eyes.

Sweetspot: Harder to find at first, but easy once memorized.

Fit: Very comfortable, 300g heavier but balanced (not front-heavy), weight on face can be shifted to forehead or to cheeks or evenly. Light-bleed on the sides for thin heads (add padding) like Vive Pro 1.

Heat: Does not heat up, does not fog up, has inbuilt grills that let air in but no light.

Audio: Range starts at 40Hz at 30%, ramps up slowly to 100% around 100Hz. Without output, baseline humming in right speaker.

 

 

 

Some words on the panels:

Both panels are a far cry from what LCD once was considered. They are the only LCD headsets in which Elite Dangerous and games that require blacks and vivid colors are really enjoyable. Coming from an OLED, avoid A/B comparisons from the start and you will hardly have ground to complain. Their color range is excellent. The Reverb G2 is indeed slightly sharper than the Vive Pro 2 when using the same resolution for both (3100x3100 ceteris paribus). It is hard to notice and requires A/B testing of both to notice.

 

Some words on FOV:

The Reverb G2 isn't known for its large FOV, but it was sufficiently fine in my opinion. The Vive Pro 2 beats anything but the Pimax headsets in raw FOV numbers, but enjoys a larger sphere of edge-to-edge clarity than the Pimax headsets, which still use the lenses from 2018. There is much more usable FOV with the Vive Pro 2 than even the Index, and I can move my eyes around inside the headset. 

 

Some words on sharpness:

The Vive Pro 2 seems to present a picture that is similar to a diffusion layer found in the Odyssey+. It may be due to the DSC (Display Stream Compression) that the Vive Pro 2 gives a slight blurriness (95%) and thus can't match the sharpness (100%) of the Reverb G2. It is as if you switched on IL-2's MSAA 2x on the Reverb G2. What wakes curiousity however is that this can be considered to serve as an inbuilt, performance-free anti-aliasing.

 

Some words on the lenses:

The Vive Pro 2's lenses are better and worse. They have the largest edge-to-edge clarity I have seen yet, in any headset, including the Index. It's almost 100% of the lens. The Reverb G2 starts getting blurry half-way across the lens for me. I used TestHMD 1.2 here as well. But, they produce glare.

 

Some words on glare:

Vive Pro 2 lenses suffer from the same bad glare in high-contrast scenes like the Index. I must get used to this now, so you'll see me swearing a lot more (please note that and don't ban me on Finnish).

 

Some words on distortion:

There is no distortion whatsoever in either headset, the pictures are geometrically fully stable. 

 

Some words on performance:

The Vive Pro 2 has a more efficient distortion profile than the Reverb G2. We can speculate only towards the double-stack lens design. As a result, it needs less percentage of supersampling to achieve its maximum of clarity. It looks like going past 2900x2900 doesn't benefit much. It is very forgiving when running at 2500x2500. I'd argue for that the Vive Pro 2 requires less horsepowers than the Reverb G2.

 

Some words on audio:

I miss scratching my ears. I loved that. The Index/G2 speakers are unmatched in comfort. However, we don't bleed engine sounds into the room and hallway anymore, something I can appreciate as a family man. The Vive Pro 2's speakers are not the same found in the Vive Pro 1. I used Boom3D to inject an EQ and pull up 40-200Hz for the Vive Pro 2 to get the engine sounds better. My Reverb G2 had its sound profile nerfed in the 200Hz (- x.y microV) by HP's rev.15 Firmware, so I can say with full honesty the two are comparable in transmitting oomph of guns and  engines. None of them can keep up to my Sennheiser PXC-550-II though.

 

Some words on the microphone:

The Reverb G2 has a very good microphone. The Vive Pro 2 has no microphone. Yes, don't believe those who say it would have one. Forget about it. Don't look for it please. There are some fixes involving wind-catching mustaches mounted centrally in front of the nose to avoid plosives, but my wife is a Moscovite and I don't want to shock her with the sight of a dictator sitting at the table. My solution is the AntLion ModMic Wireless, which is detachable and also helps my Sennheiser.

 

Some words on tracking:

The Reverb G2 has an advantage for Simmers most do not think of at first: You can sit right next or towards one or more walls. It's tight-space-compatible. Many Simmers sit against a wall or in a cockpit. The LH system of the Vive Pro 2 does need a bit of distance to the user. The Vive Pro 2's tracking is infinitely better for roomscale, and only ever needs to get setup once. Whatever you move around the room or change, it always stays inplace and never needs to "find the environment".

 

Some words on passthrough:

Passthrough has been enabled today, June 4th via a SteamVR Beta 1.17.13. update. So you need to be in the beta channel atm. It looks good imo, I can now find that fresh beer, the keyboard, the cat, or my wife at a moment's notice. What is fancy is that it allows you to dock a passthrough view to a controller to see the real world in-game, without switching the entire view to passthrough and not seeing what is happening in-game anymore.

 

Some words on software:

The Vive Pro 2's console is thin and does not cost performance, and only needs to get set-up once. Then everything runs via SteamVR. Vive Console has Motion Compensation, which is either Motion Smoothing or something else. Could be anything. I didn't get to test this extensively yet, but will tomorrow and post here. There is a new function in SteamVR you can use to lock framerate below display refreshrate, which we could use to force 60Hz in reprojection. But I must test this first. WMR's software is more ressource heavy (even with disabled pre-allocation) and adds more complexity. Once the Motion Smoothing question-mark has been cleared, the Vive Pro 2 enjoys an advantage.

 

Some words on games:

Elite Dangerous looks glorious. HLA looks glorious. The competing Simulator that gets Jets fine but can't match IL-2 with props and feel - looks great as well and benefits from the lower performance requirement.

IL-2 looks great as well - until you tilt your head. Yes, similar to the Virtual Desktop issue, the geometry in IL-2 shifts like a tilted rhombus. The headset's geometry must be added to IL-2 first, like other headsets before. I cannot say more, but I am certain the Devs are on it. You can be certain that the Devs are on it. But until that has actually been done and tested, IL-2 remains not compatible to the Vive Pro 2 in my book, we must be clear and honest here. I am positive however, the Devs fixed it quickly with the WMR headsets as well. They always want their Sim to be top notch.

 

What is my decision?

I keep the Vive Pro 2, it's my main driver now. IL-2 will be set to pause until it has been fixed. The glare is something I must get accustomed to. I also play some roomscale games, especially shooters. I really enjoy the larger FOV, the precise tracking, the diffusion softening the aliasing for me, the better performance, the colors, the all blacks. But if I would not play roomscale - I would not have replaced my G2 with the Vive Pro 2 to begin with.

 

What could be yours?

If you only fly Simulations, or if you rarely play roomscale, or if you are in a cockpit or confined space or in a corner, then get or keep the Reverb G2. It's more cost efficient.

If you think about upgrading from Index/Vive Pro 1/Vive/Pimax/anything using LH systems, and want more FOV than the G2, or if you don't care about spending more - then this is a great upgrade in my honest opinion. 

 

 

If you have any questions please feel free to ask, and I will check for you.

 

Best regards

 

Fenris

Edited June 7, 2021 by SCG_Fenris_Wolf

[chiliwili69]

6 hours ago, SCG_Fenris_Wolf said:

Edge-to-edge clarity: Full lens, largest I have seen so far. Can fully rotate the eyes.

 

God bless you!  this was my biggest concern. I hope to have the same Iris-retina geometry than you.

6 hours ago, SCG_Fenris_Wolf said:

There is much more usable FOV with the Vive Pro 2 than even the Index, and I can move my eyes around inside the headset.

This is music to my ears!  Do you  know if this has to do with the thiner 6mm pad you used?  (Just to try to understand why Ben from RoadtoVR said that the edge-to-edge clarity is worse than old VivePro).

7 hours ago, SCG_Fenris_Wolf said:

The Vive Pro 2 seems to present a picture that is similar to a diffusion layer found in the Odyssey+. It may be due to the DSC (Display Stream Compression) that the Vive Pro 2 gives a slight blurriness (95%) and thus can't match the sharpness (100%) of the Reverb G2.

The Index has also a diffuser layer on top of the panel. It is shown here:

https://www.roadtovr.com/valve-index-teardown-disassembly-lenses-optics-diffuser-ipd-mechansim/

 

As you say, in the Index it helps to have a smoother picture like using a software filter.

7 hours ago, SCG_Fenris_Wolf said:

They have the largest edge-to-edge clarity I have seen yet, in any headset, including the Index. It's almost 100% of the lens.

 

Hey, you are exciting me too much!

7 hours ago, SCG_Fenris_Wolf said:

Vive Pro 2 lenses suffer from the same bad glare in high-contrast scenes like the Index

 

I am not really worried about that, in IL-2 with the Index I am really not noticing it in play game.

7 hours ago, SCG_Fenris_Wolf said:

The Vive Pro 2 has a more efficient distortion profile than the Reverb G2. We can speculate only towards the double-stack lens design. As a result, it needs less percentage of supersampling to achieve its maximum of clarity. It looks like going past 2900x2900 doesn't benefit much. It is very forgiving when running at 2500x2500. I'd argue for that the Vive Pro 2 requires less horsepowers than the Reverb G2.

 

I understand that when you use 100%SteamVR-SS then you have 3100x3100 per eye, right?

 

So, the internal SS multiplier is about 1.6. In the G2 the internal multiplier was 2.1.

 

This is a very good thing then.

 

7 hours ago, SCG_Fenris_Wolf said:

The LH system of the Vive Pro 2 does need a bit of distance to the user.

 

For a seated game, have you tried to run it with just one basestation? (I only have one with the Index at 1.5 meters in front at it works fine)

7 hours ago, SCG_Fenris_Wolf said:

There is a secondary function you can use to lock framerate below display refreshrate, which we could use to force 60Hz

 

This is interesting. If we can run at 60Hz with no MS, instead of using 120Hz with MS.

[chiliwili69]

7 hours ago, SCG_Fenris_Wolf said:

The Vive Pro 2's console is thin and does not cost performance, and only needs to get set-up once.

 

Good to see it is thin and less complex than WMR.

7 hours ago, SCG_Fenris_Wolf said:

IL-2 looks great as well - until you tilt your head. Yes, similar to the Virtual Desktop issue, the geometry shifts like a tilted rhombus. The headset's geometry must be added to IL-2 first, like so many other headsets before. I cannot say more, but I am certain the Devs are on it. You can be certain that the Devs are on it. But until that has actually been done and tested, IL-2 remains not compatible to the Vive Pro 2 in my book, we must be clear and honest here. I am positive however, the Devs fixed it quickly with the WMR headsets as well

 

oops!!  IL-2 is my only VR game.  ? 

Let´s see if the devs fix that issue. Do they need the device to fix that?

7 hours ago, SCG_Fenris_Wolf said:

But if I would not play roomscale - I would not have gotten the Vive Pro 2.

What??  You got better edge-to-edge clarity, more FOV, better colors, better performance....

Why you would keep the G2 versus VP2 if you only play seated games?  only for the glare and micro?

7 hours ago, SCG_Fenris_Wolf said:

if you are in a cockpit or confined space or in a corner, then get or keep the Reverb G2

 

I use the Index in an small space just with a wall and using one basestation. Just at 1.5-1.8 meter distance

 

 

But I had an issue with the mountain picture making some reflections. So everytime I play VR I have to remove the picture from the wall. It is just one more item the pre-flight procedure

[SCG_motoadve]

Fenris I am a bit confused with the resolution.

Vive Pro 2 Ultra and extreme mode are actually live the Reverb G1 and G2 with SS at 100%, correct?

Reverb G1 and G2 you can custom increase or decrease resolution via Steam VR SS to your liking.

Can you also customize the resolution in the Vive Pro 2?  or we can only use the presets in the software? You said the G2 is slightly sharper, but Vive Pro 2 has better performance, so thinking increasing resolution in the Vive Pro 2 so its as sharp as the G2.

[SCG_Fenris_Wolf]

@SCG_motoadve The modes selectable in Vive Console are only for the bandwith put through the cable. They are necessary for folks with older video cards.

Your current Reverb G1 also never transmitted more than (2160x2160 + frame buffer) pixels per eye. Even if you selected 3000x3000 per eye in SteamVR, that was downsampled before sent to the port. In the Pro 2, this and the refreshrate are selected via the Vive Console because SteamVR does not support "Displayport Stream Compression" features for older graphics cards.

 

I select either Ultra (90Hz) or Extreme (120Hz) for the refresh rate, and then have to select SuperSampling in SteamVR as usual.

 

@chiliwili69

Quote

This is interesting. If we can run at 60Hz with no MS, instead of using 120Hz with MS.

Sorry, I may have been unclear in wording. You have 90Hz and 120Hz to select. Enabling Motion Compensation in Vive Console, you can cut them in half:

To 45Hz information doubled to 90Hz refresh rate, or to 60hz information doubled to at 120Hz refresh rate.

Then there is a new function in SteamVR, which can be used to limit framerate. So the example is: Run Headset at 120hz, enable Motion Compensation in Vive Console, set  framerate limit in SteamVR to 80fps. Viola, no worries that Motion Compensation can only be set to (auto) or (off) anymore, this way we can force it to (always on).

 

Quote

I use the Index in an small space just with a wall and using one basestation. Just at 1.5-1.8 meter distance

This is entirely fine. It tracks the same as the Index, so you won't have problems there either.

Quote

 

I understand that when you use 100%SteamVR-SS then you have 3100x3100 per eye, right?

HTC is currently updating their Vive Console daily. As a result, SteamVR flicks around recommended and 100% SS resolution around here and there. I was surprised to have seen it jump from 1900x1900 at 100% to 5000x5000 at 100% when switching from beta channel to release. I believe HTC and Valve need to stop trolling people and setting it up properly. Until then, always check actual SS resolution of SteamVR if you have seen any update deploy. Vive Console always remains steady, so no worries there atm.

 

Quote

This is music to my ears!  Do you  know if this has to do with the thiner 6mm pad you used?  (Just to try to understand why Ben from RoadtoVR said that the edge-to-edge clarity is worse than old VivePro).

Yes, precisely. The thin 6mm pad is absolutely necessary for me at the moment. However, I have various pads (6mm, 10mm, 16mm, 20mm, from Kiwi and VRCover). I will experiment with them as well. 

Edited June 4, 2021 by SCG_Fenris_Wolf

[Guest deleted@134347]

thank you for this awesome review, @SCG_Fenris_Wolf,  as always you bring in a trove of useful information!

 

Have you tried using this generic VR Reshader thing with VP2?  With G2 it's making things way too sharp in IL2, however it may be worth trying out on VP2 because of the DSC.

 

https://github.com/fholger/reshade/releases/tag/openvr_alpha2

 

 

[SCG_Fenris_Wolf]

Interesting. I haven't used shaders since the MP ban and for performance reasons. I haven't tried that, and I actually like the picture of the VP2. I took offence in the sharp pixels in the center of the vision of the Reverb G2, and the crawling horizons. Reminded me to look at square-pixel panels instead of more fluffy round pixels, if that makes sense.

[AuburnAlumni]

Thanks for the review.  Definitely sounds like..if you are already invested in the Index/Vive enviornment and are only updating your headset, it's a great upgrade.  I'm loving my G2 and given that it sounds like it would essentially be a 1500.00 charge for an upgraded FOV...looks like I'll be sticking with my Reverb as my main Sim driver and use my Quest 2 for the room scale games.

 

I'm very interested to see if Valve has an Index 2 on the way..given it seems like every other developer has now had a major release since the Index launched.

Edited June 4, 2021 by AuburnAlumni

[shirazjohn]

Great review fenris ? , i think i will stick with my g2 for now and keep saving my pennies for the elusive gpu upgrade.

[Guest deleted@134347]

3 hours ago, SCG_Fenris_Wolf said:

Interesting. I haven't used shaders since the MP ban and for performance reasons. I haven't tried that, and I actually like the picture of the VP2. I took offence in the sharp pixels in the center of the vision of the Reverb G2, and the crawling horizons. Reminded me to look at square-pixel panels instead of more fluffy round pixels, if that makes sense.

 

far out, man. I can't wait to get my VP2, should be here next week I guess.

 

About that "tilting" experience:   is it really that bad?  Or it's just a bit uncomfortable?   I didn't get to experience it with WMR when there were issues so I don't have any frame of reference here...

[chiliwili69]

4 hours ago, AuburnAlumni said:

if Valve has an Index 2

 

There are some info recently from some patents filed in January, several youtubers rumours to be both a device compatible with lighthouse tracking but also inside-out.

But also they are going to the all-in-one portable device. Who knows. Perhaps for this christmas  or begining of 2021...

[dburne]

1 hour ago, chiliwili69 said:

 

There are some info recently from some patents filed in January, several youtubers rumours to be both a device compatible with lighthouse tracking but also inside-out.

But also they are going to the all-in-one portable device. Who knows. Perhaps for this christmas  or begining of 2021...

 

And hopefully a new Half Life Alyx to go with it. That would be awesome.

[Voyager]

So, how is the IPD adjustment handled? Is it software or a mechanical shift? I'm seeing that it goes up to 72.

 

Is there space under the hood for glasses? 

 

And, how much slack is there in the head strap? 

 

I like the clarity on the Reverb G1, but the IPD mismatch for me, and the, for me, head cruching strap limits are an issue. 

 

I've been waiting to see if there were any better 71 IPD capable 4k+ headsets that came to market, and I'm wondering if this might be the one to go for? (Once the geometry thing is solved)

[SCG_Fenris_Wolf]

On 6/4/2021 at 11:25 PM, Voyager said:

So, how is the IPD adjustment handled? Is it software or a mechanical shift? I'm seeing that it goes up to 72.

 

Is there space under the hood for glasses? 

 

And, how much slack is there in the head strap? 

 

I like the clarity on the Reverb G1, but the IPD mismatch for me, and the, for me, head cruching strap limits are an issue. 

 

I've been waiting to see if there were any better 71 IPD capable 4k+ headsets that came to market, and I'm wondering if this might be the one to go for? (Once the geometry thing is solved)

IPD adjustment: Mechanically by a small wheel, it's a fine gearing. Unlike other headsets it allows you to set the range by steps of 0.1 millimetres comfortably and does a precise readout to the screen.

 

Glasses: Yes, the headset has an eye-relief function. You can pull the lenses closer or further from your head. I recommend to use any headset without glasses, always. You can scratch the lenses and won't have the sweet field of view - in any headset. The lenses on the Vive Pro 2 can be pulled very very close to the eyes - and doing that, you may scratch the lenses with your glasses without noticing until it is too late!! Best buy prescription lens adapters or use contacts. Here you can stay uptodate on when they get released. Generally advisable to stick with this Reddit too for updates.

 

Headstrap: Depends on facial /headshape. I have a larger head for my huge brain, so it doesn't slack around.

 

Clarity of G1: The Reverb G1, when not within 64+-1mm IPD, has no clarity. Even in 64mm the G1 has just clarity in the center of its lenses, which is 20%, maybe 30% of the clarity the VP2 enjoys when dialed in. Please make sure that we speak the same language: Clarity is the range across the lens over which the image remains sharp and doesn't get blurry. Sharpness is the pixel density per degree on the panel and accessible in the regions of the lens in which you have clarity.

 

IPD: The headset has 70.5mm max IPD. The geometry issue will be solved by the IL-2 Devs (it only affects IL-2 so far). Other headsets didn't work properly in IL-2 as well when new, and now the game is compatible: The Devs have always solved such issues and taken care of the IL-2 community.

Edited June 6, 2021 by SCG_Fenris_Wolf

[Voyager]

9 hours ago, SCG_Fenris_Wolf said:

IPD adjustment: Mechanically by a small wheel, it's a fine gearing. Unlike other headsets it allows you to set the range by steps of 0.1 millimetres comfortably and does a precise readout to the screen.

 

Glasses: Yes, the headset has an eye-relief function. You can pull the lenses closer or further from your head. I recommend to use any headset without glasses, always. You can scratch the lenses and won't have the sweet field of view - in any headset. The lenses on the Vive Pro 2 can be pulled very very close to the eyes - and doing that, you may scratch the lenses with your glasses without noticing until it is too late!! Best buy prescription lens adapters or use contacts. Here you can stay uptodate on when they get released. Generally advisable to stick with this Reddit too for updates.

 

Headstrap: Depends on facial /headshape. I have a larger head for my huge brain, so it doesn't slack around.

 

Clarity of G1: The Reverb G1, when not within 64+-1mm IPD, has no clarity. Even in 64mm the G1 has just clarity in the center of its lenses, which is 20%, maybe 30% of the clarity the VP2 enjoys when dialed in. Please make sure that we speak the same language: Clarity is the range across the lens over which the image remains sharp and doesn't get blurry. Sharpness is the pixel density per degree on the panel and accessible in the regions of the lens in which you have clarity.

 

IPD: The headset has 70.5mm max IPD. The geometry issue will be solved by the IL-2 Devs (it only affects IL-2 so far). Other headsets didn't work properly in IL-2 as well when new, and now the game is compatible: The Devs have always solved such issues and taken care of the IL-2 community.

 

Very interesting. I am definitely mixing terms. Though I'm also comparing the Reverb G1 to the original Occulus Rift. 

 

I don't recall if I've tried the Reverb without glasses.* For me, for the Rift, it was a hard no-go. However, I also have between -6 to -9 diopters of correction, depending on the orientation (I've got about 3 diopters of astigmatism, so I'm also dealing with a double focal point without correction)

 

This has the fun side effect of meaning once I get more than about 15-30 degrees of my glasses boresight, I'm already losing optical resolution.

 

I suspect, in practice, I'm lining up my dominant eye so the center is in the sweet spot, and just using my other eye to gauge depth perception and some spacial sampling. 

 

*Addendum: I just realized, I'm sitting at my computer. All I need to do is turn in on and try it. And, no I can't see the text on the headset start up dialog.  

 

I've thought about getting the inserts, but haven't pulled the trigger yet. I haven't been fully happy with either of the headsets I've owned yet, so wasn't quite ready to super kit them out.

 

Looks like they're supporting >-9 now, which is cool. Definitely need to go back in and get my eyes checked, and get the current prescription though. 

 

Definitely things to think about for me. 

[N0.10_Paladin]

Hey SCG_Fenris_Wolf

 

Could you please share your actual settings in the Vive Pro 2 console, SteamVR and IL-2 for optimal performance while keeping good spotting and EA identification?

 

I know everybody will have different hardware and that will affect performance. But getting an example of what you are using would be useful. Also, if you could give us your PC specs, it would give us a point of reference. I hope you don't mind.

 

Thanks

Picard Out!

[SCG_Fenris_Wolf]

2 hours ago, US213_Picard said:

Hey SCG_Fenris_Wolf

 

Could you please share..

 

Hey, yes tomorrow if I get enough time.

 

My specs are in my signature  Software always uptodate, glorious windows defendu, clean system. 

[N0.10_Paladin]

Thanks dude! Much appreciated!  Oh and Doh! On not noticing your specs in the signature.  LOL

Edited June 7, 2021 by US213_Picard

[N0.10_Paladin]

Mmmmm. Getting some really weird results in IL2 with the VP2. And only in IL2 for some reason. It's hard to describe. It's some weird flickering. When I look at text in the game for example. It seems to flicker when I move my head around. Never seen that in any headset in IL2 before. I have all the latest drivers and updates. So it has to be a setting in IL-2. Can't wait to see what you use SCG_Fenris_Wolf.

Edited June 8, 2021 by US213_Picard

[dburne]

Probably not related but I have seen some posts this morning that if one has HAGS enabled in Windows 10 that can cause some issues with the Vive Pro 2, and recommend to disabling that.

[PatrickAWlson]

Il2 is the only VR game that I play.  Seated only.  No current interest in wandering the room.

 

Probably going with the G2.  After reading this review I looked into the Vive.  It's all about the price difference. The headset only cost of the Vive is $200 more that the G2.  Problem is I can't buy headset only because it needs the base stations.  Now the cost is at $1000.  The G2 comes in at at $600, usable out of the box.

 

 

[dburne]

1 minute ago, PatrickAWlson said:

Il2 is the only VR game that I play.  Seated only.  No current interest in wandering the room.

 

Probably going with the G2.  After reading this review I looked into the Vive.  It's all about the price difference. The headset only cost of the Vive is $200 more that the G2.  Problem is I can't buy headset only because it needs the base stations.  Now the cost is at $1000.  The G2 comes in at at $600, usable out of the box.

 

 

 

For only flight sim - absolutely Reverb G2 is best currently imho.

[N0.10_Paladin]

16 minutes ago, dburne said:

Probably not related but I have seen some posts this morning that if one has HAGS enabled in Windows 10 that can cause some issues with the Vive Pro 2, and recommend to disabling that.

It's disabled for me.

[SCG_motoadve]

54 minutes ago, dburne said:

 

For only flight sim - absolutely Reverb G2 is best currently imho.

Why not the Vive Pro2?

[dburne]

24 minutes ago, SCG_motoadve said:

Why not the Vive Pro2?

 

Initial cost of entry. While I won't have mine until tomorrow, everything I have read does not point to it being that much better than Reverb G2 if any.

So why did I leave my order in for one? I do other VR games than flight simming and already have an Index so I already have the Lighthouse 2.0 tracking system and excellent Knuckles controllers for those other VR games. I "hope" it will be good enough to replace both my Index and Reverb G2, but that remains to be seen for me.

 

If one does only flight simming, even if already has the Index, I would still recommend Reverb G2 due to the price difference between the two.

Now if Vive Pro 2 ended up significantly better than Reverb G2 for flight sims, then it would be different. I have not seen anything yet to suggest that though.

 

My main concern with Vive Pro 2 now is Vive did not let the VP2 simply use Steam VR's motion smoothing which I find excellent, instead requiring their own version of it in their own software. Steam VR motion smoothing is quite good.

Edited June 8, 2021 by dburne

[N0.10_Paladin]

1 hour ago, US213_Picard said:

Mmmmm. Getting some really weird results in IL2 with the VP2. And only in IL2 for some reason. It's hard to describe. It's some weird flickering. When I look at text in the game for example. It seems to flicker when I move my head around. Never seen that in any headset in IL2 before. I have all the latest drivers and updates. So it has to be a setting in IL-2. Can't wait to see what you use SCG_Fenris_Wolf.

Went with all settings default in everything. It's gone. So I guess I'll have to play with settings to see what was causing it.

[SCG_motoadve]

1 minute ago, dburne said:

 

Initial cost of entry. While I won't have mine until tomorrow, everything I have read does not point to it being that much better than Reverb G2 if any.

So why did I leave my order in for one? I do other VR games than flight simming and already have an Index so I already have the Lighthouse 2.0 tracking system and excellent Knuckles controllers for those other VR games. I "hope" it will be good enough to replace both my Index and Reverb G2, but that remains to be seen for me.

 

If one does only flight simming, even if already has the Index, I would still recommend Reverb G2 due to the price difference between the two.

Now if Vive Pro 2 ended up significantly better than Reverb G2 for flight sims, then it would be different. I have not seen anything yet to suggest that though.

 

My main concern with Vive Pro 2 now is Vive did not let the VP2 simply use Steam VR's motion smoothing which I find excellent, instead requiring their own version of it in their own software. Steam VR motion smoothing is quite good.

I have the HP Reverb G1, bought the G2 , liked it but broke the first week so got a refund, the improvement over the G1 was not worth $600 .

Pre ordered the Vive Pro 2, plus a new PC with an I9 9900K and a 3090 so kind of the same setup you have.

Please let us know how you like the Vive Pro 2 for Il2. (I fly Il2 90% of the time, then some FS2020, and DCS, no other games)

[N0.10_Paladin]

1 minute ago, SCG_motoadve said:

I have the HP Reverb G1, bought the G2 , liked it but broke the first week so got a refund, the improvement over the G1 was not worth $600 .

Pre ordered the Vive Pro 2, plus a new PC with an I9 9900K and a 3090 so kind of the same setup you have.

Please let us know how you like the Vive Pro 2 for Il2. (I fly Il2 90% of the time, then some FS2020, and DCS, no other games)

I have the G1 as well. So far, I can't say it's a massive upgrade. But it's early for me. And I'm starting with a fresh install. So I have to play with settings before I render a verdict.

[dburne]

4 minutes ago, SCG_motoadve said:

I have the HP Reverb G1, bought the G2 , liked it but broke the first week so got a refund, the improvement over the G1 was not worth $600 .

Pre ordered the Vive Pro 2, plus a new PC with an I9 9900K and a 3090 so kind of the same setup you have.

Please let us know how you like the Vive Pro 2 for Il2. (I fly Il2 90% of the time, then some FS2020, and DCS, no other games)

 

Will do.

[PatrickAWlson]

Just ordered the G2. I get that it's probably not a massive upgrade over the G1 that I already have, but it should still be an upgrade.  I am very happy with the G1,  so "the same thing only better" is fine by me.  If the cost of the Vive was $799 instead of $1k or more I would consider it, but I just can't pull the trigger on $1000 at this time.

[Dragon1-1]

Got the G2 recently, a massive upgrade from the CV1, though it's taking some getting used to (mostly because I now notice things get blurry on the edges on the lens, on CV1 screen door effect masked it). I'll be making the replacement face gasket, but for now, the one provided works pretty well. However, I'm pretty certain than once it's time to upgrade to whatever the 3rd generation VR headset I pick, I'll pay close attention to FOV.

 

Interestingly, my 1080Ti is actually working quite well with it. Il-2 seems to run smoothly so far, the other sim less so, but in any case, I've yet to fiddle with graphics settings, they're still set up with the CV1 in mind. Another thing I've yet to try is X-plane, it was rather painful to use without controllers (my CV1 was from before they were a thing), maybe with them it'll be less so.

[dburne]

Yeah Oculus CV1 to Reverb G2 would be a massive improvement.

 

 

1 hour ago, PatrickAWlson said:

Just ordered the G2. I get that it's probably not a massive upgrade over the G1 that I already have, but it should still be an upgrade.  I am very happy with the G1,  so "the same thing only better" is fine by me.  If the cost of the Vive was $799 instead of $1k or more I would consider it, but I just can't pull the trigger on $1000 at this time.

 

If you run at at 100% Steam VR resolution which is around 3100x3100 , and I would suggest Motion Smoothing on and forced to 45 fps (90 Hz refresh), you should get a sharper image and smooth performance.

I never had the G1 so can not say directly comparing the G2 to it.

Edited June 8, 2021 by dburne

[PatrickAWlson]

50 minutes ago, Dragon1-1 said:

Got the G2 recently, a massive upgrade from the CV1, though it's taking some getting used to (mostly because I now notice things get blurry on the edges on the lens, on CV1 screen door effect masked it). I'll be making the replacement face gasket, but for now, the one provided works pretty well. However, I'm pretty certain than once it's time to upgrade to whatever the 3rd generation VR headset I pick, I'll pay close attention to FOV.

 

Interestingly, my 1080Ti is actually working quite well with it. Il-2 seems to run smoothly so far, the other sim less so, but in any case, I've yet to fiddle with graphics settings, they're still set up with the CV1 in mind. Another thing I've yet to try is X-plane, it was rather painful to use without controllers (my CV1 was from before they were a thing), maybe with them it'll be less so.

 

My G1 was a massive upgrade over the CV1, imagine the G2 is much more so.

[Guest deleted@134347]

30 minutes ago, PatrickAWlson said:

 

My G1 was a massive upgrade over the CV1, imagine the G2 is much more so.

 

if you're getting the G2 then I recommend the vrcover replacement gasket:  https://us.vrcover.com/products/facial-interface-and-foam-replacement-set-for-hp-reverb-g2

 

1) makes the vertical FOV larger, this is super obvious when using G2. I don't understand why HP purposefully limited the vertical FOV with a smaller gasket opening.. very strange. It doesn't increase the horizontal FOV though, but at least the bump in vertical is there..

2) allows you to remove/reinstall the nose gap rubber flaps, since the original gasket has zero light bleed in to it, which makes it hot, etc.. etc..

 

just my 2 cents..

[Dragon1-1]

No light bleed also makes it hard to see the keyboard, which is a problem in Il-2. Less so in other sims, but the lack of clickable cockpits really hampers Il-2 in VR. I've only got so many HOTAS buttons.

[dburne]

10 minutes ago, Dragon1-1 said:

No light bleed also makes it hard to see the keyboard, which is a problem in Il-2. Less so in other sims, but the lack of clickable cockpits really hampers Il-2 in VR. I've only got so many HOTAS buttons.

 

Get more buttons...

 

Just funnin - I will say though in my case, I do my best so's I never have to look at my keyboard and so far I do pretty good with it. And yeah I tend to buy controllers that have lots of buttons.

Only thing that makes it a little tough on me is I now have some memory issue, so remembering what I have where is tougher than it used to be.

Edited June 8, 2021 by dburne

[N0.10_Paladin]

On 6/4/2021 at 10:38 AM, SCG_Fenris_Wolf said:

Then there is a new function in SteamVR, which can be used to limit framerate. So the example is: Run Headset at 120hz, enable Motion Compensation in Vive Console, set  framerate limit in SteamVR to 80fps. Viola, no worries that Motion Compensation can only be set to (auto) or (off) anymore, this way we can force it to (always on).

Hey gents,

This might be a stupid question but I have no idea where to change the framerate limit in Steam VR. I have the Beta running. Where the heck do you make that change?

 

Thanks

Picard out!

 

Edited June 9, 2021 by US213_Picard

[Varibraun]

15 hours ago, Dragon1-1 said:

No light bleed also makes it hard to see the keyboard, which is a problem in Il-2.

 

If you don't mind speaking while flying, Voice Attack is the perfect solution to handle anything that isn't easily located on your HOTAS.  Thanks to VA, I don't ever touch the keyboard while I am in VR.

 

For VR sims, I think Voice Attack may be the best $10 I have ever spent.  Elite Dangerous even has a paid VA companion 3rd party program, HCS VoicePacks where the ship answers you (and maybe mocks you) in the voice of many of your favorite actors.

[Voyager]

Curiously, I'm seeing a bunch of Vive Pro 2 reviews report poor clarity on their units, including in camera views. Seems to be a 50-50 split. 

 

I'm wondering if there might be a quality control issue with the first wave of units? 

[N0.10_Paladin]

7 minutes ago, Voyager said:

Curiously, I'm seeing a bunch of Vive Pro 2 reviews report poor clarity on their units, including in camera views. Seems to be a 50-50 split. 

 

I'm wondering if there might be a quality control issue with the first wave of units? 

Mmmmm, I don't know. Clarity is such a subjective thing. Plus, so many things can affect it. Speaking for myself, the first night I tried it, clarity was horrible. Then I changed a few things, settings, face gasket, etc. And after that the clarity was much better.

 

Edited June 9, 2021 by US213_Picard