HP's Windows Mixed Reality Headset was bulky and plasticky, and a far-cry from the more comfortable designs of devices like the Oculus Go or Rift. But now the company is back with a new headset that has a less generic name, the HP Reverb.
The new headset sports a slightly larger field of view at 114 degrees, compared to the original's 105-degree field of view. It's also only 1.1 pounds, less than the 1.84 pounds of the original. The resolution gets a bump up from the previous headset's 1440 x 1440, coming in at 2160 x 2160. Another difference: It's gotten rid of the adjustment dial back for a top strap, making it much easier to put it on and off.
Read this: Everything you need to know about Windows Mixed Reality
It's also powered by Windows Mixed Reality, has six degrees of freedom and inside-out tracking. There's support for video passthrough too, so you can see the world from inside your headset. Naturally, it supports Microsoft's Bluetooth-enabled motion controllers.
There are two versions of the Reverb, consumer and professional. HP says it consulted with business customers on what they wanted from a new Windows Mixed Reality headset and just made that for the professional model.
That version also comes with some more goodies. You'll get a 0.6m headset cable for PC backpacks and a washable fabric face cushion to make things comfortable. Otherwise, the two devices are identical.
They both come with two motion controllers, a 3.5m headset cable, and one DisplayPort to mini-DisplayPort adapter. The Pro version will cost you $649 while the consumer edition will cost $599. Both will ship out in late April.
How we test
By Husain Sumra
Husain joined Wareable in 2017 as a member of our San Fransisco based team. Husain is a movies expert, and runs his own blog, and contributes to MacRumors.
He has spent hours in the world of virtual reality, getting eyes on Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Samsung Gear VR.
At Wareable, Husain's role is to investigate, report and write features and news about the wearable industry – from smartwatches and fitness trackers to health devices, virtual reality, augmented reality and more.
He writes buyers guides, how-to content, hardware reviews and more.