A recent potential leak suggests that HP Reverb G2 eye-tracking – and even facing tracking – may arrive in the form of a new model.
Aggiornamenti Lumia is the source behind the supposed leak for what it calls the HP Reverb Omnicept Edition. The image we use below comes from that report. At first glance, it may look like the usual HP Reverb G2, but you can spot one major difference from the off.
On the bottom of the device, between the two front-facing cameras, is what looks like a small tab. The original report notes that this tab includes a face camera, which could well track the movements of the lower half of your head. Feasibly, it could then take that data and relay it onto, say, a virtual avatar of yourself. Aggiornamenti Lumia also reports the headset has eye-tracking, though it’s hard to verify this in the images without having a look inside the headset.
The report also spots a difference in the type of strap on the side of the device and Road to VR also spotted what could be an electrode embedded in the face lining. Companies like Emteq use similar tech to scan muscle impulses as a means of facial replication in VR, accessing a deeper range of realistic emotions than what’s currently possible. Recently, Facebook Reality Labs shared new research for its own photorealistic face tracking that no longer requires a camera, but it’s still very far off.
If this is all true, it’s possible that the Omnicept Edition will be a more expensive version of the Reverb G2 aimed more towards enterprise customers. The original device, set to ship this fall, offers 4K VR and improved design and audio for $599. HP did recently tease it would have more exciting announcements on the VR end, and this could well have been one.
Would you be interested in an HP Reverb G2 eye-tracking headset with a face camera? Let us know in the comments below!
