Upgrading from the HP Reverb G2? What Choices are Practical & Affordable?

With a limited lifespan, Reverb G2 owners should consider what are realistic & practical choices for your next VR headset. With budgets tight these days we take a look at the sub USD1000 market.
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[@jarvis8206]

As a french guy, I appreciate your clear prononciation....Thank you, thank to you I work my english !!! 🙂🙂🙂

[@dSlayer6160]

Best HMD review video I've seen so far in terms of narrowing down the options.

[@Caroline9411]

It's very honest and very useful for me and my friend who also would love to pick up a VR HMD fit for his needs. Thank you so much!

[@jarvis8206]

The video I was waiting for a very very long time !! THANK YOU

[@seattime4075]

Quest 3 with mixed reality has got me back into VR from my big triple screens. Hard to beat seeing your hands/body and using all your peripherals in VR. Best of both worlds. Would like more clarity but cannot complain for the price. Would be interested in the Pimax XR if/when it is released.

[@MarcusSimmer1]

My 2 cents: I've been a VR enthusiast for 12 years and flight simmer 20+ years. My current combo is a beefy 4090 PC, the super comfortable Quest 3, a WiFi 6 router which lets me use Virtual Desktop in God Mode (wireless is so liberating - I'll never go back to a wired VR headset). In this mode, I cannot see any compression artefacts. I'm in awe every time I fly MSFS in VR, using DLSS and high to ultra settings. The visual quality is outstanding, instruments and scenery are perfectly sharp. I'd say the fantastic pancake lenses are the key here as there is no more hunting for the 'sweet spot'. With constant OpenXR frame rates of 45fps, I'd call it a near perfect experience. The only thing on my wish list for my next (wireless) headset would be a wider field of view.

[@SimHangerFS]

Agreed, great headset.

[@josephparry]

Agreed! I bought a Pimax Crystal and it’s awful compared to the quest 3, literally the only thing better is the resolution, I sent it back the next day.

[@steve_ire321]

But you do understand that the Quest 3 uses compression and you don't get the native resolution and the clarity that offers from a wired display port, right? Also, if you're just using it for a flight sim, why would the wire bother you? Does the constant headaches from middleware like VD and your Wifi connection having to be perfect, as well as the battery draining away very quickly not do your head in? The whole thing about wireless VR is blown well out of proportion and in its current state, is vastly overrated compared to the reliablity of a dedicated wired solution.

[@Torcsen]

@@steve_ire321 ⁠Have you tried the quest 3 with rtx4090 and i9-14900, wifi6e and a wired dedicated router?

[@dabneyoffermein595]

@@Torcsen is it ok to have a 12900K , I'm not quite sitting at 5.0 on all cores unless I try to overclock, which is a PITA. Or would I just be disappointed in the Q3? I have a 4090 and my CPU has 32GB Ram, not 64

[@scratchsescape1978]

I went from a G2 which I was very happy with to a Varjo Aero. Was very disappointed to see Varjo get out of the consumer headset market but still very happy with the Aero. At the time I got the Aero there were questions about Pimax quality control but those issues may have been resolved. If I wanted to upgrade and had the spare cash I would still go with Varjo.

[@TheMack]

Very nice video! I'm on a Reverb G1 and much like you, looking and waiting for that sweetspot headset. I think I'll hold off until the 5090 arrives, since my PC is older as well (i7 9700K and 2080 Ti), to buy a new PC and VR headset. Leaning towards the Crystal Light...

[@pjefferson2011]

I use the Reverb G1 also, great headset and still don’t use it to its full resolution potential. Like you I’ll be upgrading my GPU first before looking at a new VR headset

[@jamieh8240]

I went from the Reverb G2 to the Quest 3 and then to the Pimax Crystal. I only use the Pimax for flight sims and the Q3 for everything else. So my advice is, if you can afford the Pimax, go for it, but the Q3 is a fantastic all round headset that doesn't disappoint.

[@dotnetdevni]

Q3 need fix there charging issues tbh

[@jamieh8240]

@@dotnetdevni I can honestly say that I've never had any charging issues. The short time it takes the battery to run down was a little disappointing however, an external battery more than doubles the run time.

[@pauljrix]

I was fortunate enough to be able to get a Quest 3 with hotel points (I travel a lot for work), and so the decision was pretty easy for me although, I would have preferred the Crystal Lite. Coming from the Reverb G2, the Quest 3 has been excellent, especially since I upgraded my PC and router. The main negative with it is that you have to be aware of the battery level.

[@isaacgoren542]

LOL , when you said at the end " I am waiting for 10 years for the perfect vr set." sorry, I missed you at the Vegas convention. maybe we will meet next show. I am following you for a long time I am using the HP g2 for about 500 hours. I am a simmer since dos version of simulation. going to be 69y soon. I have the q 3 new in the box for some time my sys is quite powerful. it was very limited and long line to ck out the crystal light. but I got plenty of time on the dof3 at the show, and I am convincing it is the best for me. no need dof6 as I thought before. just waiting for the motors etc. upgrade. Love your videos Isaac

[@SimHangerFS]

@@isaacgoren542 thank you 😀

[@dabneyoffermein595]

can you clarify, are you saying the Q3 was not for your taste? very limiting? I heard you can directly connect it with a long included cord just in case you don't like the WiFi compression, is that not the case?

[@4secsharkmr352]

Excellent video, Mark ❤

[@sokola311]

I am keeping my HP Reverb G2 V2 for years to come. It's fine and even if Microsoft gets rid of the WMR platform I am sure that someone (Valve) will buy it and implement it.

[@CCitis]

I sure hope you are right

[@jimbochoo3316]

Windows 10 will still run the Reverb G2 even after updates end for it. Many games will run on Windows 10 for years to come. So, you are fine for many years if you just install Win 10.

[@ThePimpinator]

​@@jimbochoo3316good lord windows 11 sucks

[@eracer1111]

I wouldn't count on that. When I built my new gaming system I installed a custom version of Win11 that disables automatic feature updates (keeps security updates) so I can keep using my G2 as long as I stay on 23H2 (24H2 update is what will break WMR.) As for Win10 - yeah it will continue to work, but do you really want to get no more security updates after October, 2025?

[@lunai0076]

Mi going to try primax

[@kodywillnauer9422]

Just picked up a meta3 for my son and on a whim tried it on msfs. I’m impressed! But going to need to tinker with vr visuals as best I can describe it is looking through a dirty window at the moment compared to my monitor.

[@mikeluchia6555]

One thing that i have to consider before dumping my G2 is the cost of a new gaming computer Currently I"m on a 10900F WITH A 2080 super and after extensive tweaking i can get a solid 32-35FPS. I doubt any upgrade to a VR headset will run on my current computer with the same FPS.

[@JDVVV378]

For the bucks the P4 is a excellent headset and you can pick one up cheap. It’s a so comfortable to use not a brick on your head like other headsets and for PCVR it’s great!

[@stratcat3216]

I still stand by my Index tbh :) If I could afford it I'd prob drop for a Pimax.

[@MrTnnr]

I used the G2 for DCS for about a year and absolutely loved it once I got it all dialed in. So when it died (my screens started flickering and finally my left screen completely went out) I bought the quest 3 as a replacement. I've been tinkering with the settings for nearly a week now and still feel like it isn't giving me the visual clarity and sharpness my G2 did. I like the pancake lenses but really miss that resolution and colors of the G2. And there are several other little things that made it so much better. So I decided to order a new G2 off of eBay and going to do a side by side comparison but as of now thinking I will probably send the quest back. After all these years the G2 still reigns as one of the best for flying and racing Sims.

[@gizmo104drives7]

Crystal light is out of stock and so are dmas speakers.. popular headset.. still unsure if I will like it being so damn big

[@Caroline9411]

What you said should is the original Crystal, which has indeed been sold out, but the latest Crystal Light has always been in stock, and when I hesitated before, their official website guys also told me that there is a 15-day return service for no reason and no fee, which dispelled my last concerns.

[@Major.Alvega]

IIRC if you stay with Windows 10 you'll still be able to use the Reverb. Off-course Windows 10 also has an end of support date but I don't care about future Windows updates, because the PC I use VR in is only used for gaming.

[@SimHangerFS]

Yes if you stay on Win10 you can still use it. No updates though.

[@macmusica]

Misinfo right here... if you STOP WIN11 UPDATES NOW there is obviously no issue with 23H2. I did this. I am sick of the massive lies on this. G2 is way to good for what it is and costs. Just £240 or less secondhand!

[@SimHangerFS]

@@macmusicano misinformation…the question I was answering was…if I stay on Win 10….

[@macmusica]

@@SimHangerFS well obviously we are currently on WIN11 23H2 and this is supported. Plus it does work and can stop further Updates and yet still get all Security Updates and any fixes for that version. That is the info that is not being told. Instead all I hear is "BRICKED" and "END of G2/WMR". Facts need telling.

[@scottyd035ntknow]

Quest 3 so you can see your controls as well as rhe VR if you're like me and thats needed.

[@matp8493]

I'm currently on Q3 but have a preorder in for a Crystal Super when it eventually arrives

[@cowansimstudio]

G2 holds up and remains king

[@PhotoJohn80]

But you have to be on a certain version of windows 10.

[@cowansimstudio]

@Jrfeimst2 nope. It works on all. It will be unsupported in 4-5 years time

[@PhotoJohn80]

@@cowansimstudio I thought windows stop supporting mixed reality last year and made the G2 stop working? Ahh I just found it. It’s windows 11 23H2 or earlier for it to work. I’m seeing 2026 and won’t work anymore on a little search.

[@cowansimstudio]

@Jrfeimst2 yes however that's not stopping OpenXr or DCS from supporting it directly. You can stay on a previous version of windows for it to remain working 🙂

[@awol787]

@@cowansimstudio so it doesnt "work on all" as you said.

[@Muehlema1]

My Reverb G2 V2 died two weeks ago. I needed a inexpensive inside out tracking replacement. My choice ended up on the Quest 3 128GB with the Link Cable. The resolution loss is visible but i think it was the best option under 500 bucks

[@SimHangerFS]

Agreed. Good choice.

[@ResetXPDR]

Similar story, my G2 died a few months ago and the Crystal light wasn't released yet so I went with the Quest 3, using VD on a dedicated router and the headset wired to power. IMO, visual quality of the Q3 is better overall than the G2, with the pancake lenses stealing the show. Biggest surprise for me was motion reprojection, which was rubbish with the G2 so I didn't use it but on the Q3 with SSW it is magnificent, even working well when you drop below your target frame rate, acting very similar to frame generation in 2D. This feature alone has improved my flying experience significantly, like someone stuck a 6090 under the hood it's that good. I'm very happy with the Q3.

[@Muehlema1]

@@ResetXPDR I am surprised that you find the optical quality of the Q3 better than the G2. For me, at least in my sims (Warthunder, MSFS, DCS and AFS4) the IQ is noticably less sharp.

[@ResetXPDR]

​@Muehlema1 It is slightly less sharp compared to the G2's sweetspot, but it wins for me because the Q3's sweet spot is not a spot but the entire viewable screen.

[@ryanshort58]

Thank you for the video! How well do you find that the pimax or the quest work with motion compensation on your dog reality sim? I have a concern if I get the pimax with inside out tracking that the motion compensation might not work the best.thanks!

[@SimHangerFS]

@@ryanshort58 it works fine via the SRS software that runs the MC.

[@jackr.749]

Great video again Mark, I love the way you excluded the (for the rich only) HMDs. I have both a Quest 3 and a G2v2 and here are my comparison, MSFS but also sim racing (all comparisons apply to both). The Quest 3 strong points are those optics and screens and also decent resolution, the optics are the best in the business at any price. Edge to edge clarity is insane in this HMD. While using it, I love how I can use my eyes to look around, the cockpit view is amazing, where the compression starts to be noticeable is in distance viewing, not as crisp and clear as the G2. The audio of the Quest 3 is decent but nowhere as good as the off ear solution of the G2. The downside, the battery life is horrible and yes, a external battery solution is required, also when you first start the headset, it starts in "Standalone" mode, then you have to use the controller or hand tracking to get it into PCVR mode, either through the Oculus PC Software "Link or AirLink" or via the SteamVR streaming app or best of all, Virtual Desktop. The G2 doesn't have all these steps since it's a true PCVR headset. If you are going to use the Quest 3 over wifi, do NOT cheap out on a proper router, the wifi connection has to be pristine to get a good streaming VR experience, with the Quest 3, wifi 6e is best, it's faster and also less neighborhood congestion since few people are on wifi 6e (6ghz band). For me personally, I still prefer my G2v2 over the Quest 3 for sims just because of the lack of compression and the better audio. But man oh man, the Quest 3 is a VERY close 2nd and to be honest, someone who has never experienced a G2, a Quest 3 would be a great alternative. As for the Crystal Light..... still waiting.....Zzzzzz Zzzzzz LOL🤪

[@dotnetdevni]

I like idea of pimax am returning my quest 3 as charging issues so definite not good enough pimax am worried about there support and all did u here about the htv vive focus

[@oliverf944]

so there a big jump in performance from 4070ti to 4070ti super?

[@ht6501]

Loved my G2 v2 for two years however my Crystal light is a fantastic upgrade. I'll need to upgrade my PC for the 5090 to truly enjoy it at some point and then the Crystal Super comes along and we start the whole thing again. 😂

[@jarvis8206]

As I have built a watercooling for my 4090, I will wait for the 6090 !!! You can overclock your 4090 too, this is a cheaper way fot the moment. Do not forget to not buy the first 5090 as they often made improvements (I think particularly at the connector !!)

[@DavidGonzalezGarcia]

@@jarvis8206 I will wait for a 7090 or 8090....

[@Despiser25]

I just ordered a Quest 3 from Amazon for a test. I couldn't pass up sub $500 (100 mo zero interest) vs almost 900 for the Crystal light. My G2 keeps blacking out for 10-15 seconds almost always while on short approach, lol.. Its time.

[@CCitis]

I think that’s Msfs doing that. Mine does that too

[@AlgerianFoxFoot]

Did you try to lower the volume of your speakers under 70% ... it personally fixed my troubles (blacking for few secs)

[@Despiser25]

@@AlgerianFoxFoot I never used the speakers on the G2. I use external speakers and did in fact try lowering them. I disable the onboard and headset output in CP. Honestly Im glad I upgraded the G2 with the Q3. Ive enjoyed VR a lot more in the Q3 using Virtual Desktop and VDXR. Turns out the G2 is a god ray machine, lol.

[@AlgerianFoxFoot]

@@Despiser25 Oh may a matter of overheating ! Saw some people who made a hole 😄upon the headset to let the accumulated heat out and it fixed their issue. Tell me ! Did you felt a big diff between the Q3 and the G2...that worth it??

[@Despiser25]

@@AlgerianFoxFoot The test of the Q3 went great. No God Rays. The Lenses are awesome. I also ordered a Pimax Crystal Light and it was garbage despite many rave reviews. Its gone back. Im keeping the Quest 3 because of Virtual Desktop. It is amazing magical software, lol. The difference between the G2 and Q3 is night and day. The G2 was a painful device to use and never even met even my worst expectations. I had extremely low expectations of the Q3 and it surpassed them all using Virtual Desktop. It is simply a more polished device than the G2 or Pimax in almost every way but the OLEDs in the Pimax. But PimaxXR is total garbage and takes that advantage away. It runs PCVR better than any other headset Ive tried. VDXR is magic and I highly recommend

[@CCitis]

Everyone says the G2 is going to be made un useable soon. That sucks

[@sasquatch8923]

Thank you for the video. I have a G2 and have enjoyed it immensely (mostly DCS and IL2). 3080 w/i9. I run the non steam version of DCS which uses openxr. Do you have a recommendation that works with openxr? Does the Crystal light and the MQ3 run openxr? I don't want the steam version of DCS as many modules are not compatible Thank you.

[@lukebraddford3287]

openxr works no problem with the crystal. Obviously you can’t turn on eye tracking but you have the other options.

[@dSlayer6160]

To my knowledge, the latest DCS version only runs on openxr now regardless of platform.

[@sasquatch8923]

@@dSlayer6160 Great, thank you. I know just enough to play but that's about it. :)

[@sasquatch8923]

@@lukebraddford3287 Thank you. I'm not very experienced with the technical side of things.

[@SimHangerFS]

Pimax Crystal Light - you can use PimaxXR…the OpenXR variant for Pimax. 👍

[@user_16309]

I’m too leery of the QA issues of the PCL. Not worth risking the $$$ now.

[@marcushellberg907]

I was also a bit worried but my new Crystal Light is great with no issues. A good upgrade from my old Reverb G2.

[@user_16309]

@@marcushellberg907 I’m confident it is. They are in such high demand I’ll hold off until things settle. I already have my prescription lenses for it. Thanks for letting me know. Currently, the light house version isn’t being offered.

[@xxxxjet1982xxxx]

Does the psvr2 not work with the Microsoft store version of MSFS? I just ordered one and might need to return it if it won’t work.

[@SimHangerFS]

@@xxxxjet1982xxxx to be honest I am not sure, but would guess you could add store version to steam library as a non-steam game and then run it via SteamVR. I have not tried this so I am guessing. If it works please let me know.

[@Chief_Sitz_On_Bowl_TNSAGDWGCat]

It works.

[@paulmann8675]

I like every utuber gives you the price list for the pimaxcrystal light with no tax/delivery but lets say depending on the country in the uk can you can add another £300\£400 on top which brings the local dimming one with controllers over a £1000 The price list isn't accurate at all, which puts me right off even though the visuals are great but the quality I hear of the headsets a bit to be desired I'll think ill stay with my g2 until 2026

[@jamesleicher]

so if i want to use a head sent like Meta with a cable will a i9 9900 and 6800xt do the job?sook vir my eester headset.

[@SimHangerFS]

@@jamesleicher hi James, I think you might struggle with this spec. MSFS settings turned down considerably.

[@MaloIsTheGoat]

Hey do you know how to fix bugs on Xbox because when I buy planes it says “oops please try again later”

[@paulsleighty]

Weird how TAA mode gave a higher fps than DLSS balanced on the 4070ti.

[@SimHangerFS]

@@paulsleighty yes the 4070ti didn’t handle TAA very well, realistically it was too much for it at full resolution. What was interesting is the performance gap between the ti & ti super is much bigger than I anticipated.

[@paulsleighty]

​@@SimHangerFS TAA fps was higher on centre image, TAA than the right image DLSS balanced, surely DLSS balanced should be higher than TAA for fps. It is on my system anyway, in fact DLSS quality gives me higher fps than TAA on my 3090.

[@oliverf944]

@@SimHangerFS thats what im surprised about too. ive got 4070ti and now think an upgrade to ti super is worth the $$

[@oliverf944]

@@paulsleightyPaul it’s two different gpus. Ti super with taa vs ti with dlss. It appears the difference in these two models is significant in vr

[@georgefaulk2528]

I have the quest 3, 4090 wired, 120hz God Mode and have artifacts issues with clouds pixualizing.

[@SimHangerFS]

Try 90Hz. Turn TLOD down to 100-125. Make sure you are running at 100% resolution.

[@mike605]

Is there a difference in using windows 10 or 11? I still haven't up dated to windows 11 yet. I know i will have to and it keeps asking me if I want to..but I'm a stubborn old man..LOL

[@SimHangerFS]

Mainly security and GUI updates.

[@mike605]

Oh ok thank you Mark. Maybe I'll just update to 11

[@mike605]

well I updated to windows 11 and now my AIO pump took a dive so my computer is down till i get my new AIO and change it out.

[@Zetler]

I switched to WMR because it's supposed to be a more PC centric platform vs Meta's mobile centric approach. After this backstab by Microsoft I can no longer trust VR, this means that at anytime Meta or Valve can drop support and its game over.

[@ThePimpinator]

Valve wouldn't do this.

[@MrEDET]

I'm not quite sure why you're leaving out the psvr2? I don't have it but the first reviews of pcvr on the psvr2 look very promising. I'm waiting for the price drop in Europe to happen but I think I'll then switch from my G2 to the psvr2. Mostly because of the whole wmr doomsday coming.

[@SimHangerFS]

Just be aware that it is SteamVR only on PC as far as I know.

[@MrEDET]

@@SimHangerFS Good to know, thanks. But that's 99% of my games library, will use my Q3 for non-steam programs then. The Q3 would be perfect if it just would have a display port connection..

[@Tin_Fed]

@@MrEDET Sebastien of MRTV fame says in his latest video about the PSVR2, is flying MSFS using openxr and utilizing the openxr toolkit.

[@JonJon-dk3nh]

I'm not sure if a Pimax light is worth 800+ quid over a G2 which has the wick / resolution turned right up. Plus you need to deal with Pimax customer service

[@mikecoffee100]

Good Job Bravo for Team GB in the Olympics

[@stefanoandreatta6186]

I'm still trying to understand how HP can justify leaving thousands of their customers with a useless device that costs hundreds of dollars. Is it conceivable that HP lacks the capacity to develop proprietary software, like Oculus, that can sustain the functionality of its exceptional device in the future?

[@SimHangerFS]

A valid question that remains unanswered, but I believe HP is exiting the consumer VR market.

[@TheMack]

The VR market today is still pretty niche. Having to cater to a small but demanding customer base, while turning profits, is something that I personally feel is more suited to the "bleeding edge" companies like Pimax and the like. Varjo, a really dedicated VR company, dissapoints with dropping their Aero consumer headset far too early. Also, Microsoft drops software support for WMR, so basically the only way out for now is Pimax/Meta etc. As the technology matures in the coming years, I'm sure more mainstream companies will pick up the pace.

[@Chnkp]

It is not HP’s fault nor HP’s problem. We bought this thing knowing it was working with WMR only. HP never guaranteed their headsets would be supported by anything else than WMR in case Microsoftdick pull the plug on VR development. We just have to cross our fingers that someone will come up with a solution. Otherwise we’ll have to resort to stop updating windows to use the G2. Sad.

[@Chief_Sitz_On_Bowl_TNSAGDWGCat]

Best mass market PCVR headset currently available is strangely enough the PS VR2.

[@trashken]

Will just avoid updating Windows until they fix this SNAFU

[@macmusica]

All you need do is stop the Windows Updates. Simple. No other Headset is worth it right now.

[@kentnilsen6174]

totaly wrong! The pimax does not work I have sen my pimax back its not worikng at all!!

[@marcushellberg907]

Mine is working great, got it a week ago😊

[@SimHangerFS]

Maybe yours is faulty? Mine works perfectly.

mickysoaft is going backwards into the future, os decline is now obvious