Here's an unpopular opinion: the death of the HP Reverb G2 is a good thing. I know, because I bought twelve of them in November 2021, right before the VR landscape shifted. That mistake cost our company about $9,600 and a full week of setup chaos. I've spent the last three years living with the consequences, and I've come to see the Reverb G2's sunset not as a loss, but as proof that the industry is evolving.
Buying on Specs Without Understanding AR vs. VR
The first mistake I made was a classic one: I assumed that a high-resolution VR headset would automatically be useful for every immersive project. It wasn't.
At the time, our team was pitching an interactive training demo to a manufacturing client. They wanted workers to see digital overlays on real machinery. That's augmented reality, not virtual reality. In case you've ever wondered what the difference between augmented reality and virtual reality is—here's the short version: AR adds digital elements to your real environment, while VR replaces your real environment with a simulated one. The HP Reverb G2 does the latter, and only the latter. There's no useful pass-through camera for AR-style work (the one it had was grainy and delayed). We bought the wrong tool for the job, and the client knew it before we did.
The result? We had to lease an AR headset from another vendor at double the cost, and the Reverb G2s sat in their boxes for three weeks. I still kick myself for not asking the obvious question first.
Hardware Is Temporary; Ecosystems Are What Last
In late 2023, Microsoft announced that Windows Mixed Reality would be deprecated. HP had already quietly pulled the plug on the Reverb G2 earlier that year. If you only looked at the specs, that seemed absurd—the Reverb G2 still had one of the clearest displays in consumer VR. But the specs didn't matter anymore.
What I learned the hard way is that a headset is only as good as the software behind it. SteamVR support for WMR headsets became patchy, with more and more games requiring workarounds to even launch. Meanwhile, standalone headsets (I won't name names, but the ones with their own app stores) started selling in numbers that made PC VR an afterthought in marketing plans. In the January 2025 Steam hardware survey, VR headsets accounted for roughly 2% of users, and the top models are all standalone or connected via wireless streaming.
That's not to say PC VR is dead. But the era of 'buy the best-display headset and plug it into your gaming PC' is fading. The fundamentals haven't changed—you still need good visuals and tracking—but the execution has transformed. Anyone who tells you otherwise is probably still holding onto a 2020 mindset.
Don't Forget the Rest of the Setup (I Did)
Another mistake that cost me? Headphones. I originally paired our Reverb G2 units with standard Xbox headsets because they were already in the office. That's a pairing I'd strongly warn against. The audio delay was noticeable enough to break immersion, and the spatial positioning was mediocre. For VR, you need headphones that handle positional audio well and have low latency.
Eventually, I tested the Audeze Maxwell Wireless gaming headset, which is overkill for most people but excellent for VR. The planar magnetic drivers made a real difference in 3D audio, and the low-latency wireless mode worked surprisingly well with the Reverb G2. But here's the thing: the Maxwell costs as much as a budget VR headset, and it's not automatically compatible with every VR system. The audio ecosystem is evolving in parallel with the headset market, and that's easy to underestimate.
So, should you buy an expensive wireless headset for your VR setup? Sometimes. Depends on context. If you're using your VR system a few times a month, the built-in speakers might be fine. If you're running training sessions daily, the audio matters as much as the display.
What About the 'Reverb G2 Is the Sharpest' Argument?
I know what some of you are thinking: 'But the Reverb G2 still has a higher resolution than most standalone headsets.' You're right. It does. In a direct comparison, the G2's visuals are crisp, especially for flight sims.
But that's the point. The industry has moved from 'sharper display' to 'better integration.' The best standalone headsets now offer wireless streaming from a gaming PC, giving you the clarity you want without the cable or the fragile tracking setup. And they've improved enough that the difference is less obvious than it was in 2021. The G2 was a great product for its time. 'Great for 2021' is no longer a compelling purchase reason in 2025.
Also—and this is the part I wish someone had told me—a headset is only as good as your ability to keep it running. Repair parts for the Reverb G2 are scarce. The cable, in particular, was a fragile point. We had two cable failures in the first year (ugh, twice). When the manufacturer exits the VR market, 'cheap replacement parts' stop being a thing.
The Future Is Uncomfortable—and That's Fine
I have mixed feelings about the Reverb G2's demise. On one hand, I genuinely loved the clarity and the design. On the other, the product's sunset freed us to reinvest in a better, more flexible setup. Part of me still feels silly about our purchase. Another part is grateful for the lesson.
If you're in the market for VR in 2025, ask yourself the questions I didn't: What will this headset be running in two years? Is the ecosystem growing or shrinking? Does the base unit support the audio, tracking, and content you actually need? Ignore the hype cycle and think in terms of the whole setup—because the industry has, and it's not going back.
The Reverb G2 was a good headset. I just didn't question the world around it. That's a mistake I won't repeat—and hopefully, you won't either.