Reverb G2 black screen

[AlpineGTA]

After working fine until now, my G2 has started to randomly go black inside the headset. There's no light coming from the lenses at all, like the screen is completely turned off. I can still see DCS running on the desktop and responding to movements from the headset and I can still hear sound but no image at all inside the headset. Sometimes it'll come back on again, but then randomly go black again but sometimes it just won't come on at all.

I've also noticed that when I do have a display I can see tiny snowy specs of light and horizontal lines, like a snowy tv interference but very subtle. I never used to see that, the picture used to be perfectly clear.

 

It only started this week after the latest DCS patch but also about the same time I installed an AMD GPU driver update for my 5700 XT. At first I wondered if it was the DCS update but I'm also getting a black screen in MSFS2020 and the snowy interference even when I'm just in the Windows mixed reality house or Steam VR lodge. A quick internet search revealed other people with the black screen issue over the last couple of months (no mention of the snowy specs) and they all seemed to be using AMD GPUs but an AMD update seemed to have fixed it looking at the notes for one of their past driver updates.

 

I'm wondering if the issue has returned with the latest AMD driver. I'm hoping AMD will quickly release another update that will fix it and my headset hasn't suddenly gone faulty. I'm thinking of lending it to a friend who's running an Nvidia 3060 Ti to see if it runs fine for him. At least then I'll know the headset isn't defective. I'm just curious, is anyone else running an AMD card with their G2 and experiencing similar issues?

 

As soon as graphics cards are back in stock I want to upgrade to Nvidia. People seem to haver fewer issues with those.

[Arbitrary]

While I cannot be certain of your issue, my G1 had a similar "screen off, head tracking and audio working". One of the steps I did to fix it was delete my display settings in the Windows registry. It seemed Windows was getting confused about which displays were active and it created a new registry entry for all resolutions, refresh rates, and display combinations; my suspicion is that the display is incorrectly flagged as asleep and there is no way to kick it awake otherwise. Delete and reboot items in here:

 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers\Configuration
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers\Connectivity
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers\ScaleFactors

 

 

One other possibility:

Restart the Spectrum service in Task Manager ("Spectrum - Windows Perception Service").

[AlpineGTA]

I'll take a look at it, thanks.

[AlpineGTA]

I tried those suggestions but it didn't work unfortunately. And the issue seems to be getting worse. Maybe I have a faulty headset.

[AlpineGTA]

I'm happy to say I have it working again. I tried uninstalling Windows Mixed Reality for Steam VR, which it doesn't seem to let you do but I clicked on the uninstall button in Windows apps anyway, then disconnected and reconnected the headset power. I then got an error that the headset couldn't run in 90Hz mode, I went into Window mixed reality settings changed the headset to optimized for performance, changed it to 60Hz then back to 90Hz. I put the headset back on and the picture was perfect, no more snowy flickering or screen blacking out and I've just done a couple of hours in DCS with no issues.

 

So basically I just messed around with the Windows mixed reality software. Whether it was the messing with the settings or trying to uninstall and restart it that fixed it, I don't know, but it seems it was to do with the software being a bit glitchy.

[AlpineGTA]

So I spoke too soon. My G2 is not working at all now. I had it running for a few days in 60Hz mode, (it would no longer run in 90Hz mode at all), but I started getting the black screen again even in 60Hz until eventually it stopped working completely.

 

I tried uninstalling and reinstalling Windows mixed reality again, a couple of times, but now when it runs through the initial setup and detects my hardware I get a tick mark next to everything except for USB 3.0+, that has a cross next to it and there's a message, "Can't run mixed reality". It's exactly the same hardware and USB ports as when I first got the G2 and it worked.

 

Doing an internet search some people say using a powered USB hub or a USB PCI-E expansion card fixed their issues. I've bought and tried both a powered USB 3.0 hub and a PCI-E USB 3.0 expansion card, that includes a USB type C connection. I've tried them all, including every USB port already on my PC and I still get the cross next to the USB 3.0+ and "Can't run mixed reality" message. It seems to be a USB issue of some kind, or the headset is faulty. As soon as I plug in and power up the headset Windows Mixed Reality automatically starts up, so it knows the headset is there. Also, sometimes when I unplug and plug the headset into a USB port it crashes my PC.

 

I'm all out of options and ideas to try now, if anyone has any suggestions? At this point I'm pretty cheesed off with it. I have a $650 door stop. 

 

All of the USB ports work perfectly fine with my Quest 2 btw. I plug that in and it just works!

[SunDevilPilot]

My 3090 powered system with an HP Reverb G2 has exactly the same issue as yours, random blackouts followed by sparkles and lines (visible in dark areas). I’m trying a few experiments in an effort to resolve the problem. My latest experiment is to change the main monitor from 144Hz to a lower setting, while leaving the headset at 90Hz. I’m no engineer but maybe saving some graphical power for the 90Hz on the headset. Last DCS session had no problems with this setting. Time will tell...  will report back later. 

Edited February 21, 2021 by SunDevilPilot

[AlpineGTA]

I had a lengthy phone conversation with HP support at the weekend (very helpful guy actually) and although on paper my PC specs appear to tick all the boxes - fairly new, powerful GPU, i7 CPU, USB 3.0 etc., in reality my PC is actually built upon an older Dell workstation that I upgraded. That means my i7 is only third gen, my Windows 10 is a free upgrade from Windows 7 and most importantly, the support guy reckoned, my motherboard is pretty old and is only booting a legacy BIOS, not UEFI and the last available update for it was 2018. 

 

Basically, this all means that my PC is only capable of running old USB protocols that just aren't up to what the G2 requires. It was working up to a point when I received a recent Windows update that meant it would no longer run on the old protocols and it's just not getting the speed of communication that it needs through the USB. He said that the G2 is really designed to run on the latest and newest hardware and USB protocols, preferably USB 3.1. 

 

He said that maybe changing my BIOS from legacy to UEFI might help but he didn't sound too confident. In the meantime, I've lent my G2 to a friend who's just bought a rand new Gaming PC, so if it works on that I can be pretty confident that my headset isn't defective and my problems are likely due to running on an older PC architecture. If that's the case, I'll be ok with that, just to know that my headset isn't defective, as I plan to upgrade anyway.

 

So I would say to anyone who may be experiencing similar issues with black screens, problems connecting your headset and USB error codes, it might be something to consider. Even if you have a new GPU and USB 3.0, how old are the rest of your components? I'm sure it won't be the solution for everyone obviously, but something else to bear in mind. I hope this information might help others.

[SunDevilPilot]

I have the latest and greatest PC (Asus Maximus Hero MB, 10900K and an EVGA 3090) and I get the very same problems as you initially described.   I’m not buying the excuse it’s your system. 
 

Change in MHz did nothing...

 

Tried switching my main monitor to HDMI leaving the headset as the only DisplayPort output...  no difference. 

[AlpineGTA]

Yes, that's definitely puzzling then. It just seemed to make sense, in my case, what the guy was telling me, but that doesn't mean it's the solution for everyone. As I said, I've lent my G2 to a friend to test and if he also has problems then it would seem to indicate it's an issue with the headset. It's frustrating not knowing what the exact problem is, I hope you find the issue and get it working.

 

If you haven't already done so, it might be worth phoning HP support as I did. 1-800-334-5144 (for the US) They do seem to genuinely try to help you fix the problem.

 

Edit: As a side note, my Quest 2 works perfectly at 90Hz on the same system, which surprised the HP guy, so maybe there's still the possibility it is the headset. I'll report back as soon as I hear my friend's tested it.

Edited February 23, 2021 by AlpineGTA

[divinee]

Steamvr and wmr both still run normally after blackout, no errors?

[AlpineGTA]

I can't even get WMR and SteamVR to run anymore because it just won't connect, I get constant USB errors. 

[SunDevilPilot]

23 hours ago, divinee said:

Steamvr and wmr both still run normally after blackout, no errors?

 No errors after a black screen event but there are tiny static like pixels all over, and little horizontal randomly appearing lines...  not too visible in a daytime scene but very visible in a nighttime setting. 
 

Headset keeps on going just annoying to have the static...  a reset of WMR and SteamVR eliminates the issue until the next black screen event. 
 

I just had a black screen free several hour session in DCS. I’ll have to try it again but I booted up my computer, intentionally closed the WMR Portal....  Then manually reopened the WMR Portal...  waited about 10 seconds....  manually opened the SteamVR Portal...  waited about 10 seconds...  then opened DCS. I’ll try it again over the next few sessions and report back if it resolved the issue. 
 

My thinking was giving each bit of software time to load and stabilize before opening up another piece of the pie. 
 

*** Update...  make that two complete multiplayer sessions with no black screen issues.  I think I may be onto something. 

Edited February 24, 2021 by SunDevilPilot

[SunDevilPilot]

Make that three multiplayer missions with no blackout. Not sure why my new boot method solved the black screen issue but it sure seems to have fixed it. 
 

Alpine, you get your headset back up and running?

Edited February 25, 2021 by SunDevilPilot

[AlpineGTA]

13 hours ago, SunDevilPilot said:

Make that three multiplayer missions with no blackout. Not sure why my new boot method solved the black screen issue but it sure seems to have fixed it. 
 

Alpine, you get your headset back up and running?

 

No, it's still not working. I've just heard from my friend who tested it on his brand new system running a Ryzen 7 and Nvidia 3060 ti and it doesn't work for him either. So my next step is to collect my headset and send it back to HP for testing.

[Lt_Jaeger]

I got the same problem and I believe it is the cable. My clip broke pretty early after receiving the hmd and so I fixed the cable with zip ties. That seems to be not an good idea. After I hat brief black outs I noticed the "snow" thing to. I started to bend and wiggle the cable, staring from the headset plug and after coming to the area where I fixated the cable, boom screen completely black and won't go on again. Tracking and sound works. Contacted HP and will wait for them to decide what should happen. Back to the index for the time being.... man, the tracking is so much better as the G2, actually everything is, exepr the clarity of the picture. I miss that..... 

 

[SunDevilPilot]

6 hours ago, Lt_Jaeger said:

I got the same problem and I believe it is the cable. My clip broke pretty early after receiving the hmd and so I fixed the cable with zip ties. That seems to be not an good idea. After I hat brief black outs I noticed the "snow" thing to. I started to bend and wiggle the cable, staring from the headset plug and after coming to the area where I fixated the cable, boom screen completely black and won't go on again. Tracking and sound works. Contacted HP and will wait for them to decide what should happen. Back to the index for the time being.... man, the tracking is so much better as the G2, actually everything is, exepr the clarity of the picture. I miss that..... 

 

Anything is possible but on my system....  after a blackout and the resulting snow / lines.  If I reboot the WMR Portal the headset returns to normal, with no snow / lines. No change to cable. My cable is secure at the back under a soft Velcro on cloth counterweight. Zero damage to my cable. 

[AlpineGTA]

I collected my headset from my friend and tested it on my work PC too. Same thing with that, it won't get past the initial WMR setup, it keeps reporting USB errors. I'm now starting to think it's a cable problem.

[SunDevilPilot]

Even with my purposeful WMR / SteamVR opening sequence I’m still getting the black screen issue. Strangely, I only get two..  separated by about 5 - 10 seconds. Then it will never do it again for the session. Some type of software issue may be at play. Who knows????

 

I really enjoy my G2 but if a better quality / less quirky headset, such as an Index with high resolution, comes out I would upgrade. 
 

At least mine is usable. I feel bad for you Alpine, being totally out of service. 

 

Speaking of usb issues. Have you tried plugging in everything with exception of the power plug at the little power brick. I had a supplemental card inside my box that specified this sequence, with power being the last thing to plug in. 
 

SunDevilPilot

Edited February 27, 2021 by SunDevilPilot

[AlpineGTA]

Yes, I've tried every USB combination I can think of. I've unplugged all other USB devices and tried every USB port including Type-C.

 

The latest update is I've tested it on my PC, my friend's new Digital Storm PC, my work PC and my work laptop, which happens to be a Dell G5 gaming laptop, all of them report USB errors and won't get past the WMR setup. So after trying it on 4 separate computers, all with different motherboards, processors, GPUs etc., all reporting USB errors, I can't see how it can be a problem with my PC, it must be headset related. I've reported this to HP and they're sending me a new cable for me to try. Fingers crossed that will fix it...

[dburne]

Any black screen in the Reverb G2 is not normal.

I would say either a power issue to the headset or a headset defect issue.

Have been running mine solid probably 3-4 hours a day almost daily since getting it like around 3 months ago or maybe little longer. Have never had a single black screen <knocking on some serious wood here>.

[mytai01]

I had this problem too, and this was the fix...this issue was already identified as being caused by the volume being up too high...I forgot where I found this out...maybe it's in this forum...;)

Edited February 28, 2021 by mytai01

[SunDevilPilot]

Well...  my latest experiment...  

 

Checked and turned off the screensaver.  Not sure why that was even turned off.  I never saw it active on the main screen. 

 

I noticed I’d get the black screen when I was just sitting there (like INS Alignment or flying to a location but not using the keyboard or mouse). Screen would go black...  about 5 seconds later it would come back on...  few seconds later back to black..,  few more seconds back on and would never happen again for that session.

 

Last flight zero issues with black screen....  time will tell. 
 

* Update - Still get the occasional black screen / followed by sparkles resolved by reopening WMR Portal. 

Edited March 1, 2021 by SunDevilPilot

[mytai01]

I already told you folks...IT'S YOUR SOUND VOLUME...turn it down, and see...

[AlpineGTA]

It's not mate, at least not in my case. I already knew about the reports of the sound volume and tried it. It didn't work. Now the headset won't connect at all to even be able to try adjusting the volume anyway.