my Reverb G2 just died. Now what?

Helmut Grokenberger

Helmut Grokenberger
Hey there.

Apparently my Reverb G2 just died. I did an extended session in the CG CZs this afternoon, everything was fine. I took a break for a bit and put it back on just now, I saw a brief flicker of the display, and then... nothing.

I'm pretty sure it is not the cable. For one, I took good care of it, it has no marks, bends or twists, because I removed the original clip and put it around the back of the strap on day one. Apart from that, everything works fine - the hp light is on, it gets warm, sound works, prximity sensor, tracking - everything as it should, but no image. I am guessing the panel died? Crap.

Of course it is out of warranty. I bought it in march 2021, so the one year warranty is long over. I can probably send it in to have it repaired, who knows how long it will take and what it will cost.

So what do I do now? I guess I can buy another one. The pros for that solution would be I can keep using what acessories I got for the G2 - prescription lenses, a pretty good 3D-printed gasket, headband protection, the NiZn rechargeables I bought specifically for the G2's controllers... I would save around 200 bucks in acessories. The con is Amazon.de doesn't have it. I bought the first one from bestware, which was a breeze, but they don't offer them without the controllers (does anyone?). But that would work.

What else is out there that I can buy right now (in Germany, if that's important), preferrably with inside-out tracking? I know there are ways to get them, but I am not buying a Meta headset. There is the Valve Index option, but it is pretty expensive (I would neet the whole kit, and I'm not too keen on basestations) and I think it would be a step back visually.

I've seen the Pico 4, it's pretty cheap and also available at bestware, but I'm not convinced about the streaming thing...

hmm. Reading back what I just wrote the only option seems to be getting another G2. Damn. I will contact HP to see how much money and effort it will cost to repair my G2... but I really don't want to be without a headset for what could possibly be weeks.

Crap. Any other ideas?
 

Ashnak

Ashnak
Do it now, and you might have it back for the christmas holidays.
And be prepared to spend up to the cost of a new headset for that repair. When the plastic headband broke on my G1, they wanted roughly half the new price for a replacement. I mounted it on a generic headband instead.

Sorry, but that's my best idea.
 

Helmut Grokenberger

Helmut Grokenberger
Ashnak said:
Do it now, and you might have it back for the christmas holidays.
And be prepared to spend up to the cost of a new headset for that repair.
Click to expand...
Yeah I'm not doing that :). I know it's wasteful, but I am not waiting weeks or months for a repair for the price of a new unit.

This sucks.
 

aXeL

A
I picked up a 2nd hand G2 on gumtree after my G1 cable got temperamental and paid ~370euros.

If you want to spend a bit more, the HTC Vive Pro 2 is almost comparable to the G2 and, from the through the lens videos I've seen, whilst it's not quite as pin-sharp as the G2, the fall-off in focus, outside the sweet spot, seems to be far more gradual than the G2.

If my G2 died tomorrow, I'd look at the HTC... :unsure: Nope, I'd be back on Gumtree for another G2.
 

Helmut Grokenberger

Helmut Grokenberger
a complete Vive Pro 2 set will cost me around 1400 Euros. That's a bit much for my taste. There is a G2 on eBay Kleinanzeigen (I'm guessing there is no english equivalent for that name :) ) for about half the new plrice... but the seller mentions connection problems with the right speaker. I am usually very cautious and don't really like buying used. Meh.

The headset is properly dead now. After fiddling around some more (of course I fiddled around some more) WMR now says it has no USB connection. My money is on the connector inside the headset (or the circuit board it is mounted to) to be broken. I have boxed it up and will call hp tomorrow. Meanwhile I will probably spend half the night pondering if I should just order a new one and be done with it.

Meh.
 

Helmut Grokenberger

Helmut Grokenberger
I just got good news. I contacted HP, turns out they don't even offer repair, if the unit is out of warranty they do... nothing. Well, they would gladly sell me a new one. But! Turns out it is still under warranty from the seller, who gave 24 months of warranty and will exchange the headset. So I will be getting a new one by the end of the week or beginning of next week.

I'm very glad that problem is resolved. Thanks for listening :).
 

Globusdiablo

Globusdiablo
aXeL said:
Interesting point of note - don't by direct from HP but look for resellers with longer warranties
Click to expand...
But. If you want to be sure to get the G2V2, you need to use HP. I bought one from Amazon.de, turned out to be V1, so I sent it back. HP only ships V2 (when they have them in stock...).
 

Helmut Grokenberger

Helmut Grokenberger
Globusdiablo said:
Just curious. When you say extended session, how long is that?
Click to expand...
My sunday afternoon session was about four hours, maybe five, I think? I've done far longer sessions in the past, though.

As said, I did not have the typical cable break symptoms described on the internet. I suspect a breakage in or around the jack. Even if you are careful, the plug is pretty long and probably puts quite some strain and torque on the jack and the board. I'll probably not find out though.

I have to plug one for bestware, first of all for extending hp's warranty to 24 months. Plus I had a very pleasant phonecall yesterday, got an immediate ticket response and return shipping label, and they said they will ship the replacement as soon as it arrives (which was this morning, I got it out the door right after work yesterday).

So yeah, never buy from the manufacturer. Always go for a reputable supplier. At this point I'm glad I did . I'm getting a brand new unit just before the warranty expires, that's the best case.
Globusdiablo said:
But. If you want to be sure to get the G2V2, you need to use HP. I bought one from Amazon.de, turned out to be V1, so I sent it back. HP only ships V2 (when they have them in stock...).
Click to expand...
bestware explicitly advertises the V2 if you buy from them now. Other sellers are very vague. Mediamarkt.de sells the G2 for 599,- but doesn't state which version, neither does notebooksbilliger. I'm pretty sure it would be a V1 unit. Other sellers like Reichelt and Jacob as rediculous prices for it.

I hope I will get a V2 as replacement. But to be honest I'll be as glad with a V1.
 

Helmut Grokenberger

Helmut Grokenberger
Who says I don't take breaks ;). I still like to fly a looooong time. A piece of kit like this should be able to handle this. Well it did... for 20 months :D.
 

[VR] SpaceGhostC2C

[VR] SpaceGhostC2C
Knock on wood my G2 is still going strong. I had one of the 1st sets in the US, ordered it on day 1. I recently got the new cable and power brick. I've always unpluged my power brick from day 1. I play for hrs at a time, nearly 4k hrs in VR, i let my head set run on a table and take brakes, pick it back up never missed a beat.
I'm hoping it lasts until the new Index releases
 

aXeL

A
I'm also starting to worry about static. Socked feet on my carpet generate so much static that the act of standing up and walking away from my desk ( without touching anything ) causes the laptop to register a HW disconnect due to my cheap cr@ppy peripherals. The electrostatic field is THAT strong.

Last night I sat down at my gaming rig, in very fluffy socks, having been sliding around the living room to test how strong the effect was on my laptop; powered up the headset and got a 'cannot connect at 90Hz' error for the first time ever. I switched the headset off, grabbed one of the metal rails on my Cosmos Stacker case and then powered up the headset again - working perfectly.

Now I know, from my laptop, that the electrostatic charge I accumulated can affected a device from a foot away so just how much stronger is it with a device and high bandwidth, high density cable right next to my head? Recall that an electrical signal travels outside the wires, even though we all like to picture it as internal, so is it sensible to assume that a strong electrostatic field has zero effect? I never used to even consider this but after seeing what I can do to my laptop peripherals, I'm being careful to earth myself before I put the headset on because that thing is doing more signal processing than any peripheral device I have used ever.
 

BigBANGtheory [VR]

BigBANGtheory [VR]
aXeL said:
If you want to spend a bit more, the HTC Vive Pro 2 is almost comparable to the G2 and, from the through the lens videos I've seen, whilst it's not quite as pin-sharp as the G2, the fall-off in focus, outside the sweet spot, seems to be far more gradual than the G2.
Click to expand...

The VP2 also has other benefits such as a wider FoV, is much better for room scale tracking (if that is of use to you), better LCDs in terms of colour and resolution, pairs easily with Index knuckles controllers (far better than either the HP, Meta or HTC wands). Its only real weakness is the price, lens clarity at the sweetspot not being quite as sharp but decent edge to edge clarity and god-rays in a select number of scenes like big white text on black.
 

Helmut Grokenberger

Helmut Grokenberger
Aaaand I'm back in VR. Changes I noticed when setting up: The power brick in the cable (the square one) now has a power button. The new gasket with the removable extension is a nice idea, but it is still too narrow for my spongebob head. I*m back to my 3D printed gasket.

Plugging in the cable into the HMD is still a pain. That is one thing they should have improved.

I think the lenses are a bit clearer than my old ones, but I am not sure. I am curious if I get less tracking artefacts with the new cameras. Getting back in the game now.

Again: Happy camper :).
 
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