HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition Revealed

October 20, 2020

Due in 2021, HP is planning to release their Omnicept Edition of its Reverb G2 Virtual Reality headset. It’s packed with some brand new features, most interesting is the face tracking sensors and its ability to measure stress levels and cognitive load of the user.

How good would it be for a lecturer to know how their students are dealing with the learning process? Having this information would help companies fine tune their approach and learning content.

HP’s upcoming VR headset is set to do just this. Using four cameras it can sense expressions, heart rate and eye movements. HP pitches “foveated rendering, this HMD delivers lifelike VR like never before”. This is quite a step forward in the VR world, there is some speculation about how developers will use this sort of biometric data. Gaining knowledge of the users reactions helps create better courses and content.

HP is looking forward to see how their new technology will be used and says “By capturing user responses in real time, you can generate insights and adapt each user’s experience,”

The developers’ tools that come with the headsets can show how each user is dealing with the “cognitive load”. This means the lecturer can see how students are faring in the VR world that has been created. It’s really good to know how well the user is dealing with the content they are given. With this technology you are able to see what parts of a VR experience the student is liking and what they are not.

HP says “HMD firmware safeguards sensor data at every moment of capture and no data is stored on the headset. HP Omnicept powered applications help ensure the capture and transfer of data comply with GDPR and keep user data confidential”.

Currently HP are offering their Reverb G2 PC-powered headset without the Omnicept sensing capabilities for around $600 USD. They made this original headset in partnership with Valve and Microsoft with 2160 x 2160 resolution per eye, which is quite good by today's VR standards. New orders for this device are expected to ship by December.

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