Upgrade from HP Reverb G2 to Pimax Crystal Light: Sharper, Smarter, Future-Ready

The HP Reverb G2 has long held a special place in the hearts of PCVR enthusiasts — even five years after its launch in 2020, it remains a frequent point of reference in conversations about VR headsets for PC simulation. Its combination of excellent visual clarity, approachable pricing, and straightforward setup made it a standout product in its time.

However, as the VR landscape continues to evolve, so too does the technology and software ecosystem that supports it. In 2023, Microsoft officially ended active development of Windows Mixed Reality (WMR). While WMR remains usable through manual installations and SteamVR bridges, future Windows updates in 2026 and beyond could introduce stability and compatibility risks.

In tech, it’s often said: “Buy new, not old.” With modern VR moving rapidly toward OpenXR standards and advanced display technologies, now is the perfect time to transition to a headset built for long-term compatibility, and the Pimax Crystal Light is a prime candidate.

If you’re one of those considering an upgrade, the Crystal Light offers a compelling, future-proof alternative. Let’s take a closer look at what you stand to gain — and what compromises you might make — when making the switch.

No More WMR Dependency

Compatibility is always the first concern for PCVR users. The G2 relies heavily on the Windows Mixed Reality (WMR) platform, which officially stopped receiving updates in 2023. While it’s still possible to manually install a legacy runtime or connect through SteamVR on Windows 11, future Windows updates in 2026 or beyond could introduce compatibility risks, forcing users to tread carefully with system upgrades.

In contrast, Pimax Crystal Light runs on Pimax’s actively maintained Pimax Play platform, which receives regular updates and continuous improvements. Not only does it offer native OpenXR support for seamless compatibility with modern VR titles like DCS, MSFS 2024, and sim racing games, but it also allows users to finely tune performance and visual settings for different games and scenarios — a level of control that the aging WMR platform could never match.

With Pimax Play, you no longer need to worry about the software support ending, and you can gain a more flexible, undisturbed VR environment tailored to the demands of modern PCVR gaming.

Sharper, More Vivid Visuals

When it comes to VR, display clarity is everything — and this is where Pimax Crystal Light makes one of its most noticeable improvements.

On paper, the difference is significant:

• Resolution: from 2160×2160 per eye (HP Reverb G2) to 2880×2880 per eye(Crystal Light) (+72% more pixels)

• PPD (Pixels Per Degree): from around 22 to 35 PPD

Crystal Light features a major upgrade in display technology, moving from standard LCD panels to QLED with MiniLED local dimming. This delivers not only a sharper, clearer image but also vivid, more expressive colors and significantly deeper blacks — especially noticeable in cockpit environments and scenes with high dynamic range lighting.

The MiniLED local dimming system allows individual LEDs to be turned off or dimmed as needed, greatly improving contrast and eliminating the grayish blacks that are common on LCD headsets like the G2. As a result, flight simulators like DCS and other graphically demanding titles look dramatically better on Crystal Light, bringing a new level of realism and immersion to your VR sessions.

It’s also worth noting that if you’re equipped with a high-performance GPU, these visual upgrades will be even more pronounced, unlocking the full potential of Crystal Light’s higher resolution and advanced rendering features.

More Advanced Rendering Technologies

This is another area where Pimax Crystal Light clearly outpaces the HP Reverb G2.

Crystal Light introduces system-level rendering optimizations that G2 lacks, making it possible to maintain high visual quality while reducing GPU load — a crucial advantage for demanding sim titles like MSFS and DCS.

• Fixed Foveated Rendering (FFR): Dynamically prioritizes rendering resolution in the central field of view while lowering it in peripheral areas, reducing GPU workload without noticeable image loss where it matters most.

• Quad-View Rendering: Splits the display into four independently controlled viewports, allowing for optimized resolution allocation between center and peripheral zones. This significantly boosts performance in high-fidelity sims, with minimal impact on visual quality.

In contrast, the HP Reverb G2 lacks both of these features. It has no foveated rendering capability, no Quad-View system, and very limited support for FFR through third-party OpenXR tools — which are neither officially supported nor widely adopted.

This is why Crystal Light not only delivers sharper, more vivid visuals but also keeps GPU demands under control, offering a smoother, more efficient experience in VR simulations where every frame counts.

Superior Lens Design and Sweet Spot

Another critical component of VR visual performance is lens design — and this is an area where the Crystal Light delivers a clear upgrade over the HP Reverb G2.

The G2 uses Fresnel lenses with concentric rings, which unfortunately introduce noticeable glare and god rays, especially in high-contrast scenes. More importantly, the G2’s lenses have a relatively small sweet spot, meaning that image clarity drops off quickly as your eyes move away from the center. In practice, this forces users to turn their heads frequently just to keep critical details in focus.

In fast-paced flight simulators or competitive VR shooters, those split-second delays caused by chasing clarity can increase disorientation and even lead to missed opportunities in key moments.

By comparison, the Pimax Crystal Light features custom-designed aspheric glass lenses. These greatly reduce glare and visual artifacts while offering a much larger, sharper viewing area. This gives you more freedom to move your eyes naturally across the display without sacrificing image clarity, reducing the need for constant head movement, and delivering a far more comfortable and immersive experience — especially during long VR sessions.

Audio and Comfort Considerations

When it comes to audio, the HP Reverb G2 still holds an edge out of the box with its Valve-designed off-ear speakers, which deliver clear, spacious, and immersive sound without placing drivers directly on your ears.

The Pimax Crystal Light takes a different approach. It includes a 3.5mm audio jack, giving users the flexibility to use their own high-quality headphones, or to upgrade with the optional DMAS off-ear speaker system. Once equipped, the DMAS provides an audio experience comparable to — and in some cases even exceeding — the G2’s built-in sound quality, especially for sim and open-world games where spatial audio cues are critical.

As for comfort, while the G2 is notably lighter in total weight, its design tends to concentrate pressure on the face, particularly around the cheeks and forehead. This means that achieving a truly comfortable, balanced fit often requires careful adjustment or added counterweights at the rear.

In contrast, Crystal Light is slightly heavier overall, but far better balanced in its weight distribution, reducing facial pressure and making it more comfortable for longer sessions. Many users find that with minor padding adjustments, both headsets can deliver a solid fit — but Crystal Light’s more balanced structure offers a more natural, stable feel right out of the box.

Conclusion

Pimax Crystal Light retains everything that HP Reverb G2 users value—native DisplayPort wired connection and full SteamVR ecosystem compatibility—allowing seamless use of existing game libraries, simulator profiles, and accessories without switching platforms.

Unlike many newer headsets that emphasize standalone or wireless PCVR, Crystal Light continues the wired, high-fidelity PCVR experience G2 users are familiar with, while delivering significantly sharper visuals, a wider field of view, and enhanced performance optimizations. Its dual-mode tracking system supports both inside-out tracking and optional Lighthouse tracking, offering flexible options from simple markerless setups to precise room-scale tracking with base stations and advanced controllers.

Thanks to this combination of compatibility, continuity, and improved visual and tracking performance—without forcing changes in ecosystem or usage habits—Pimax Crystal Light represents the most natural and straightforward upgrade path for HP Reverb G2 users.