Added new Modern Apartment environments
• Added Performance overlay option in the Streaming tab
• Added Reset to defaults button in the Streaming tab
• Reduced latency when streaming VR games
• Displayed VR latency is now more accurate and represents the total motion-to-photon latency
• Virtual desktop microphone no longer gets disabled on disconnect
• Fixed game compatibility with: Stormland, The Climb, Star Wars: Squadrons (Steam), Hellblade, Rez Infinite, Bigscreen (Steam), Pulsar Lost Colony, Propagation VR
Proper motion to photon latency! Now people will be able to do real comparisons with Link. And compatibility with Stormland! That’s one of the big Oculus games that still wasn’t compatible.
Spent a couple of hours with the Reverb G2 last night. Quick impressions:
The video quality is game-changing. It’s amazing. Coming from the Rift, it’s like going from a composite CRT TV set to an OLED flat panel. It’s that dramatic. You’re just looking at image, not at pixels. Alyx, IL-2, DCS, and AeroflyFS2 looked absolutely amazing. Image quality is there, future progress needs to be in having more of your view filled.
I’m pretty sure the YouTube reviewers complaining about tracking either are coming from Valve setups with base stations all around the room, were using batteries that threw the controllers into low-power mode, or had lighting issues. So far, I don’t notice any difference between the tracking quality on my Rift S and the G2, though the only VR controller game I spent much time in was Alyx. Only issue I had was that I need to move my floor up a bit.
In the case of the Reverb G2, if its controllers only sense 1.2V, they assume the batteries are wearing down and go into low-power mode, which dims the tracking lights and lowers the feedback intensity. So NiMH and Eneloop batteries look like dying batteries to it. The solution is to use rechargeable lithium or NiZn batteries, which maintain 1.5/1.6V while charged.
I guess it depends on whether it’s built into the hardware or something that can be adjusted in firmware. It might not be considered a “bug” since AA voltage standard is 1.5V and those work fine. NiMH/Eneloop batteries are actually out of spec for AA; they just happen to work okay in most devices anyway.
There are some AliExpress links in the buying guide above, worst-case scenario. And it does come with four disposable AAs, so you won’t need the rechargeables until you’ve been playing with the headset for a little while anyway.
Thanks to the buying guide, it seemed those Jugee are quite good. I like how they hold 1.5 for most of their life before dropping down. And the charger is USB so no power plug compatibility shenanigans.
Managed to get 8 of them plus the 4-slot charger from eBay.
Norm is one of the few hardware reviewers that I trust completely.
Interesting the issues he had with the controllers. I think our varying critiques come from the fact that I’m coming from Rift S controllers, and he’s comparing them to the Valve Knuckles controllers. Yes, those work better, and they should, given that the controllers and two base stations will run you $575 together, with no headset.
He seemed to compare them to the Quest 2 controllers, for at least the battery life aspect. Which is a fairer test, since they use the same tracking tech.
Obviously Oculus Insight is superior to Microsoft’s version, it suffers less from the occlusion and blind spot issues he mentioned (never mind far longer battery life using a single AA in each controller, even 1.2v NiMH!).
Yeah, I wish Oculus hadn’t abandoned stand-alone headsets and had done something visually comparable to the Reverb G2. The Quest 2 looks better than the older one, but it’s not in the same league as the Reverb. And since I want this mostly for sims, with standing/controller games just a nice bonus, the visuals are key.
But boy, Oculus is less hassle than dealing with Steam VR and WMR (and Revive, if I can get it to work).
Yeah my G2 will be pretty much exclusively for seated games too, so I’m not that concerned.
I am hoping the controllers work well enough for No Man’s Sky though, which by nature is a slow-paced grindy affair where I find myself looking around while my controller is busy doing something else. Rift S controllers work well here.
And I got the Quest 2 specifically for the wireless standing/room-scale stuff.
It seems some of the hardcore VR simmers are watching this thread now. I too have a Reverb G2 on its way to me soon-ish (pre-ordered in August). I have only had PSVR up until this point, but I am excited to try some PC based games. Currently Star Wars Squadrons on PC with the G2 is the top of my desire list, but other games will follow.
Beyond that, I should just go ahead an order this set of batteries for the G2?
Most critically, I can’t decide if it is worth it to go full in on a Virpil stick and throttle. Or maybe a VKB set. I have been eyeing each of their sites for a month or so now, but still stumble at the price tag. I only have a console friendly Thrustmaster Hotas 4 right now.
If you’re only playing sims you won’t really need the batteries. Squadrons for example doesn’t use touch controllers.
But when you play other stuff, apparently yeah you will need batteries that put out 1.5v, which rules out the old NiMH rechargeables.
And I guess if you play a lot you will burn through cheap alkalines pretty quick given battery life on G2 isn’t the best.
Those EBL looked good but also consider the Jugee ones, which seem more ‘modern’ to me. They have a really flat power output, only dropping down from 1.5v at the end of the charge cycle, unlike most other rechargeables.
