Windows Mixed Reality headset HP Reverb has LCDs with 2160×2160 pixels per eye

HP has announced a new Windows Mixed Reality headset. The HP Reverb uses LCDs with a resolution of 2160×2160 pixels per eye and has an angle of view of 114 degrees. The headset will be released at the end of April for $599.

The resolution of the HP Reverb is higher than other Windows Mixed Reality headsets to date. The first generation of such headsets contained LCDs with 1440×1440 pixels per eye. Samsung already came up with a variant with OLED panels with 1600×1440 pixels and HTC later also put those screens in its Vive Pro headset.

The angle of view of the HP Reverb is also slightly wider than that of previous WMR headsets and competing goggles. According to HP, the field of view is 114 degrees. With the brand’s first WMR headset, it was about 100 degrees. Furthermore, the design is a lot more compact and lighter. The headset weighs about half a kilogram and that should benefit the ergonomics.

Like all Windows Mixed Reality headsets, the HP Reverb works with Microsoft’s vr platform and is compatible with Steam VR. The headset works with the same inside-out tracking technique with cameras on the headset and Bluetooth controllers with light signals. Those controllers are the same as the variants that came with HP’s first WMR headset.

The goggles also support the pass-through function that allows users to see the image from the cameras as they wear the goggles. In this way, users can look around the physical space without taking off their glasses.

HP makes two versions of its Reverb headset. There will be a consumer version and it will cost $599. A Pro Edition will also be available for $649. The Pro version is identical in hardware, but has a separate cable of 0.6 meters and is equipped with a face mask made of fabric. The VR glasses will be released in the US at the end of April, when they will come to the Benelux and for what price is not yet known.