Reverb G2 v2 left lens goes black then both lenses go black

[Russkly66]

HMD has worked perfectly for 13 months but as of two days ago the left lens goes black and then both go black.

Seems the lenses just switch off and will then switch on again and a few seconds later switch off.

Happens after around 10 minutes of use with no flickering or warning of a problem.

Happens when used with all the simulations I use such as MS flight sim and Il2 GB.

Also in the WMR home screen.

The monitor continues to display the image as normal and sound is still produced.

Have tried lots of solutions from the internet but still no joy.

I thought it might be cable related, as this is an oft-reported problem with the Reverb, but HP has no stock and Amazon wants £88 for one.

[Gaya1239]

Hi @Russkly66,

Welcome to the HP Support Community

I understand you are facing an issue with your HP Reverb G2 Virtual Reality Headset. Not to worry I will help you to get a resolution to resolve the issue.

Click here and update the firmware

I hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

[Russkly66]

Thanks for trying to help, Gaya, but I updated the firmware when I bought the headset a year ago.

Moreover I ordered a new v2 cable from Amazon for £88 (HP Store UK never has stock), and that hasn't resolved the problem either.

So, it appears that my £650 Reverb is useless after 13 months of use, which is coincidentally 1 month after the warranty expired.

Very disappointed.

[LukeB88]

Did you have any luck with this? My issue is 100% the same as you described...

[Russkly66]

Well, sort of:

After a somewhat arduous process of finding the right support dept. HP Instant Repair offered me the opportunity of a "Replacement Parts Only" service for £375.

The support guy I spoke to first suggested that it was a cable issue, so I assumed that the £375 was for a new cable. Needless to say I found this a little disappointing.

I then bought a replacement cable on Amazon for £88, as the HP Store UK had them for £59 but had no stock (as usual).

The new cable didn't solve the problem unfortunately, so I did a Windows 11 reset to eliminate any potential WMR or SW issue.

This didn't work either, indicating that it is indeed the headset that is faulty.

I then worked my way through the support system again and spoke to another support person, who informed me that the "Replacement parts only" service would involve the replacement of the headset, not just the cable.

Caveat: the warranty on the replacement headset would only be for 90 days.

So, I am now in a situation where I can pay a further £375 to get the headset replaced by HP and take the risk of a 90-day warranty, bringing my total expenditure on the Reverb to £1,058 (£595 for the original purchase in April 2022 + £88 for the replacement cable + £375 for the replacement headset); or I can spend the £375 on another headset such as the Pico 4 and bin the Reverb; or I can just cut my losses and park VR until the market settles down and clear winners/long-term players emerge in terms of HW & SW.

As an ex-HP employee, I am disappointed that they have not been more forgiving on the replacement cost, especially considering that the headset was only one month past its warranty expiry and that HP have very clearly experienced a lot of problems with the Reverb in terms of quality and reliability.

[Siebe123]

Wow... I have the exact same issue. Only 1 month after my warranty expiration the lenses have started doing this. I also posted a similair issue on this forum, in the same week as you did. A lot of people have been reporting this headset behavior lately and there seems to be no solution whatsoever 

[LukeB88]

So I guess this is what it is going to be like for us and the rest of the people all having problems like this on other forums.

I also tried a new cable and no luck. Except mine cost £120 off amazon - price going up got a reason.

I won't be giving HP anymore money. It will go in the bin. I feel conned and I think they know what they are doing with just a 12 month warranty. In fact I think it is a con.

[Russkly66]

I think this is the nub of the problem:

https://mixed-news.com/en/hp-allegedly-wants-out-of-vr-rumor/

In essence, people like us are left in a rock-or-a-hard-place scenario: throw more money at a replacement from HP (£375 in my case) with only 90 days of warranty and the threat of a similar or other issue occurring, unsafe in the knowledge that both HP and Microsoft will not be developing their VR HW and SW options any further (and that support will eventually cease for both elements); use that money for an alternative VR HMD like the Pico 4; or leave VR altogether until the market develops further.

I was hoping that HP would be a little more forgiving on the cost of replacement, even though my Reverb is one month past warranty expiry, but why bother, when they're exiting the B2C VR HMD market?

[CraigUK69]

Again, I have exactly the same issue to the letter.
No response from posting on this forum and so far, no response from HP.

If we can prove the item was not of suitable quality from day one, which is, of course, hard to prove but with several people on here reporting identical issues, we should be able to claim under the Consumer Rights Act (in the UK at least) for up to six years.
This is looking very poor for HP though.

[LukeB88]

Makes sense now if they are looking to pull out. Tie that in with a few people saying on some forums that HP know the G2 is flawed - which also makes sense with the short warranty and internet full of people having the same issues within the same time frame of purchase.

Easy decision for me. Hard on the pocket but I think I will cut my losses. 

I think I will be contacting trading standards and seeing what advice they can give. It won't be hard to provide evidence of major problems.