HP, Valve and Microsoft join forces to develop “next generation” virtual reality glasses that aim to be the new Reverb.
Virtual reality exploded some time ago and since then different brands such as HTC, Oculus, Valve and Sony have opted for this technology with their own glasses. While it is true that virtual reality is not yet a particularly mainstream technology, manufacturers are still betting on it. Proof of this is the recently announced alliance between HP, Valve and Microsoft, who have joined forces to develop what they have dubbed “next generation” VR glasses.
There are not too many details about it, to the point that they have simply announced that they are working on them. There are also no details on its price and launch, but that Valve is within this alliance may give us the clue that they are a headset designed for video games. Add to that the launch of ‘Half Life: Alyx’, Valve’s new game that has put virtual reality back on the table.
A few possible Reverb G2
First of all, it must be remembered that HP already has its own virtual reality glasses on the market. Last year, at the end of March, the company announced the Reverb Pro Edition, a virtual reality glasses with a resolution of 2,160 x 2,160 pixels per eye, 114º viewing angle and 90 Hz refresh rate. That, back then, was four times the original resolution of the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. Its current price is 664.29 euros.
There is a possibility that these new glasses are the Reverb G2, and it is something that can be guessed from the URL of the HP website (reverb-g2-vr-headset.html). These glasses, by the way, were also developed by Microsoft to take advantage of its mixed reality technology. On what will be glasses designed for games, the best clue we have is the presence of them in Steam, where they are defined as:
“The next generation of HP Virtual Reality HMD – developed in collaboration with Valve and Microsoft – offers an immersive, comfortable and compatible VR experience. It is the new standard in VR.”
From what we can see in the teaser and in the HP image, these new glasses would retain a similar design to the first. In the front part you can see two black dots, where we will foreseeably find the cameras that give life to Windows mixed reality and that serve to monitor the glasses and the controls
All in all, HP Reverbs don’t seem to be a very popular product with VR gamers. In Steam’s hardware and software survey, updated February 2020, Reverbs don’t even show up. On the contrary, the most popular devices are the Oculus Rift, the Oculus Rift S and the HTC Vive, which are left with almost 81% of the pie.
At the moment these glasses they have no release date or price, but in the video of the Steam file the three companies drop that they will arrive “very soon”.
More information | HP
