The HP Reverb G2 is a great VR headset that’s held back by a few issues, the most prominent of which being controller tracking. If you’re really keen to use G2’s incredibly clear display, though, there is one thing you can do; sync them up with the Valve Index Controllers.
How To Use HP Reverb G2 With Valve Index Controllers
Note: This guide wouldn’t have been possible without this helpful video from Eric for President, so many thanks for that!
Syncing up the Valve Index Controllers with the Reverb G2 provides superior SteamVR tracking with amazing clarity. It’s also fairly simple to setup, provided you have a few (expensive) items.
What You’ll Need
Exactly what you need will depend on what existing SteamVR gear you have. If you have an older headset like the HTC Vive or the Index itself, you’ll already have most of the gear required. But let’s walk you through the basic components first.
Those are:
- The HP Reverb G2 – $599
- Valve Index Controllers – $280
- Valve SteamVR Base Stations (either first or second generation) – $149 each
Already you can see this is quite an expensive proposition. But to actually sync the Index Controllers to your PC, you’ll also need some sort of receiver. This could be an HTC Vive or Valve Index if you already have one, or a SteamVR dongle included with HTC’s Vive Trackers. You can also buy these dongles separately from third-party retailers. Note we haven’t tried these dongles for ourselves but Tundra Labs claims its dongle is the official version supplied by HTC itself.
- Tundra Labs Vive Tracker USB Dongle – $28.99 (more stock expected in January 2021)
With these components gathered, we’re ready to go.
Setup
1. Setup your Valve Index Controllers with SteamVR – If you have a Vive or Index headset, go through the standard SteamVR setup process to get your Index controllers synced up to your PC. Note that you will need to leave your other headset plugged in when you want to use the Index controllers – it won’t need to be connected to HDMI/Displayport but it will need to be plugged in with USB and powered on for the controllers to link up to it. If you have the USB dongles, again, make sure they’re plugged in at all times.
2. Download the free OpenVR Space Calibrator tool – OpenVR Space Calibrator is a great piece of software. It’s what you’ll be using to essentially trick your SteamVR setup into showing the Valve Index controllers. You can get it for free from here.
3. Launch SteamVR inside WindowsMR – Getting into SteamVR with your Windows VR headset requires a different app than the standard one, but it’s still available for free. Especially make sure you’re using this app if you have either the Index or Vive still plugged into your PC.
4. Launch OpenVR Space Calibrator and turn on your Index Controllers – To open OpenVR you need to press the menu button on your right Windows MR Controller (not the indented Windows button but the small circular one next to it). You should see the OpenVR logo on the bottom left of the menu. Click it and you’ll be presented with another screen with two sections at the top. In the left section, you’ll see your Reverb hardware listed. Now turn on your Index controllers and they should be listed in the second section on the right. You should also see the controllers in the virtual space at this point.
5. Sync The Controllers – Now you need to select one of each controller — either the left or right side– to sync together. You can press Identify Selected Devices to get the chosen controllers to rumble and ensure you have the right kit. Now hold your Index controller over the top of your Reverb controller (easier said than done so use both hands) and click Start Calibration. After a short process, you should see the controller moved to much more accurately reflect its position in virtual space. If you’re not satisfied, you can try the process again until you get it right. I also didn’t have to sync the other controller for this to work.
6. Restart Windows SteamVR without the controllers – Time to wave goodbye to the controllers. Quit out of SteamVR, make sure to turn your Windows controllers off (hold the Windows buttons) and then, on desktop, restart SteamVR. Turn your Index controllers on and they should appear in front of you and usable. It’s possible that one won’t show up but it should be fixed if you turn it off and on again.
And that’s pretty much it! You should now be able to start enjoying the Reverb G2 with your Index Controllers and won’t need to use the Windows MR controllers anymore.
Did you find our How To Use HP Reverb G2 With Valve Index Controllers guide useful? Let us know in the comments below!
