HP Reverb G2 Vs Valve Index Vs Vive Pro | Which Is King? — Max Lang-Orsini
As the years progress and more Virtual Reality headsets release, choosing your next VR headset becomes very difficult. It’s a good thing the VR experience has come a long way with its technology, but every competitor poses a new challenge.
However, for the average consumer, it can become pretty difficult to consider every specification of hardware and software to get the most out of your money.
HP Reverb G2 Vs Valve Index Vs Vive Pro
In this article, I (Maximilian Lang-Orsini) will go into depth about VR headsets and whether we have a king currently. I will only focus on the three top brands as of right now; the Valve Index, HP Reverb G2 & Vive Pro.
Valve Index
Released by Valve on June 28th 2019, this expensive kit gathered many fans on launch. It’s price is like this because of it’s incredible tracking accuracy on top of the best of the best audio quality along with the strapped controllers wrapping around the hand comfortably.
The index headset has a refresh rate of 144hz allowing for smooth gameplay with extremely precise finger tracking, you won’t notice anything off about it.
HTC Vive Pro
The HTC Vive is the war veteran of virtual reality headsets. This model was originally released in January of 2018 as HTC collaborated with Valve and is an upgraded version from the original Vive.
Even though the Vive has been out for (almost) three years, it can compare to even the index because of it’s high resolution giving it a high quality image.
HP Reverb G2
The HP Reverb G2 is the newest model out of the three that was released this year in November (a month ago). The Reverb G2 is set to be an upgraded version from the original Reverb, like the Vive Pro.
The headset provides an ultra high quality display, a high refresh rate and display and provides the same high quality speakers as the Valve Index. The only issue with the Reverb is that it requires a PC to operate.
Getting Nerdy
In this next segment, we will dive into the specifications of each VR headset so you can buy what’s right for you and your budget.
Image Quality
The image quality is most likely the utmost important to any casual consumer. The things you want to consider is what has the higher resolution, and what is not prone to the screen door effect.
- The Valve index has a resolution of 1440p x 1600 pixels with an LCD screen.
- The HP Reverb G2 has a resolution of 2160 x 2160 pixels with an LCD screen.
- The HTC Vive Pro has a resolution of 1440p x 1600 pixels with an OCLED screen.
On top of that, the refresh rate and field of view are also very important. Ideally for smooth gameplay, you want 90hz or more, which is what all of these headsets provide.
- The Valve Index has a refresh rate of 80–144hz and a field of view of 130 degrees.
- The HP Reverb G2 has a refresh rate of 90hz and a field of view of 114 degrees.
- The HTC Vive Pro has a refresh rate of 90hz and a field of view of 110 degrees.
Weight & IPD
The weight of every VR headset is important when buying as you do not want something breaking your neck as you slice blocks in beatsaber. All headsets are fairly light on a good note, but over long periods, you may feel strain.
- The Valve Index weighs 550g with an adjustable IPD of 58–70.
- The HP Reverb G2 weighs 550g with an adjustable IPD of 60–68.
- The HTC Vive Pro weighs 770g with an adjustable IPD of 60–73.
The Price & Worth
That is all for the nerdy specifications, but what is most important to everyone else is the price. The price must balance out the worth but, if you are on a budget, I will recommend which one you should get.
To answer which would (arguably) be the best Virtual Reality headset at the moment, I would have to say the Valve Index and I can only say this based on statistics on paper. The higher refresh rate combined with the realistic colours make VR gaming more surreal. It’s resolution is very high and has the highest field of view compared to any other headset.
Obviously, the price is way too much for the average consumer as the Index goes for $999 (with the full kit). This, I would say is the top of the range at the moment, but for those looking for a cheaper alternative, I’d say go for the new HP Reverb G2.
The Reverb G2 provides a high refresh rate of 90hz with a slightly smaller FOV of 114 degrees, but for its price, it will take over as the go to VR headset for consumers on a budget. Going for $599, the Reverb G2 has many expectations and has hype surrounding it.
By no means is the Vive Pro to be overlooked as it still has a compatible attitude to the Reverb G2 and the Index. It’s technology is still very modern, so if you currently own one, there is no point in switching just yet as it still provides an incredible VR experience.
I hope you enjoyed this article, make sure you follow for more in the future — Maximilian Lang-Orsini
