Something to look forward to: After years of relative stagnation, the virtual reality industry has begun to revitalize itself. Valve's innovative VR-focused return to the Half-Life franchise with Half-Life: Alyx has launched to critical acclaim, and now reports suggest HP is working with the digital distribution giant and Microsoft to create a "next-gen" VR headset.
We don't know much about the headset at all just yet – all we have to go on is a placeholder page over on HP's website. On the page, we see a headline for a "Next Gen HP VR Headset," and a brief description blurb that describes HP's vision for the device. The URL for the device also references "reverb G2," which could mean it's the successor to HP's Reverb mixed reality headset.
HP says their upcoming gadget will offer a more immersive, comfortable, and compatible experience than current and previous-gen VR gear. HP says it will be the "new standard" in VR, which is a bold claim, however they might just be able to pull it off. Valve's Index is widely considered one of the first true upgrades in the VR headset market, and if the company truly is lending its expertise to HP, perhaps we'll see an even bigger jump soon.
Interestingly, HP's upcoming headset is also listed on Steam as a hardware product. Valve typically only sells its own hardware on the platform with the exception of the HTC Vive, so it'll be interesting to see the company's rationale for distributing a competing product.
We aren't entirely sure what HP's new headset will look like yet, but you can you see a cropped teaser image above. Hopefully, we'll learn more about the headset over the coming months.