We are always happy to see more people entering Virtual Reality or people who are interested
in getting a headset.
This is a video especially for all of you.
Chary and I bought the HTC VIVE in 2016, this was our first VR headset ever and it was the
headset that sold us on VR.
So in this video I wanted to share what we have learned in the past few years and hopefully
help you get started as fast and convenient as possible.
These are tips for new HTC VIVE owners, but a VR veteran might be able to pick up a tip
or two too!
If you are an Oculus Rift owner, you can check out our Oculus Rift tips and tricks video,
the link is down below.
But if you use SteamVR too, this might be a nice video for you to watch too.
Coming up!
Don’t forget to subscribe if you want to see more VR videos like this one!
NOW, let’s get started with some Tips before entering VR.
And a quick note, anything I mention that should include links, will be of course linked
below in the description.
Tip number 1.
Mount the lighthouses properly.
Ideally, you place them in opposite corners, high up and facing down.
Make sure it covers the playspace and make sure it cannot wobble.
If you need to move the lighthouses, never move them while they are on and spinning.
You can put the lighthouses on a light stand or tension poles with ball heads.
If you have any issues with tracking, I will give you a couple of tips on that later in
this video.
Tip number 2.
When you get started with VR, you will at some stage just accidentally hit a wall or
something valuable.
So before you start playing VR, make sure you remove any breakable items and cover sharp
edges, so you don’t hurt yourself.
You can even go as far as turning around your monitors to make sure they are safe.
Tip number 3.
The original VIVE cables are long enough for our playspace, however, in some cases, you
might need extension cables.
For example, some people have their VR setup in a different room than their PC, because
they have more space there.
Not every extension cable is compatible though, so make sure to check this list of compatible
ones:
Tip number 4.
Do you experience bad sound quality?
Try switching your playback device on Windows from the VIVE USB to the VIVE HDMI output.
Tip number 5.
When you are ready to play, you will have to do the room setup, where you also set up
your borders, called a chaperone by SteamVR.
When you do this, give yourself a little space before the walls with the chaperone to make
sure you don’t punch a hole in the wall or something expensive, like your monitor.
Tip number 6.
When you do your chaperone, you don’t necessarily have to walk a circle.
You can also pick Advanced Mode.
This lets you just pick the corners and it will make a neat square or rectangle for you.
Tip number 7.
To get the sharpest display as possible, make sure you know your IPD, which is the distance
between the centers of the pupils of the eyes.
If you don’t know this, you can try measuring it at home.
Or go to your local glasses store to get it measured.
You can adjust the IPD on the VIVE here.
It’s the same spot for the VIVE Pro.
The IPD on-screen display does not always show up immediately though, it is a bit buggy.
If you don’t see it, just make sure to turn the dial back and forth for a bit until you
see the display.
Tip number 8.
Now you might still not see sharp enough, even after adjusting the IPD.
The reason for this could be that you are not wearing the headset right.
There is a sweet spot that is sharp and clear and you need to find it.
I usually tug at the back of the HMD to get the HMD higher up my face.
This is a personal thing though, so I suggest experimenting with this until you get comfortable.
When I get it comfortable, I can play a game for at least 2 hours without getting uncomfortable.
And while you are watching this video, don’t forget to leave a like, especially if you
want to see more of these types of videos!
Let’s continue with the tips while playing!
Tip number 9.
Try some of the best free VR games on Steam, like The Lab, Google Earth, Accounting, Rec
Room, VRChat, AltSpace, PokerStars VR.
Tip number 10.
You can use ReVive to play Oculus exclusive games.
Make sure you follow the installation instructions here.
Also, make sure to check ReVive’s compatibility list.
Sometimes ReVive can work with other games not on this list, but sometimes the controller
mapping could get messed up, so I would recommend to only buy the games that are on this list.
Tip number 11.
Some early VR games can be rather short with only 2 hours of gameplay in total.
If you are not sure if you want the game, you can always wait for the Steam sales to
buy the game.
A sale usually makes the shorter games worth it.
But also, enjoy the games you play.
And explore!
A polished game usually has cool interactions with random items.
Like recently, I was in a game where I could virtually drink beer by actually putting the
mug on my mouth like I would in real life.
Then seeing the mug become more and more empty and my character become a bit drunk.
It was funny.
Tip number 12.
Check out the different VR options to avoid motion sickness.
Most games have different settings for locomotion and turning.
For me for example, I like smooth locomotion, but only if it follows my head and not my
hands.
I also much rather use snap turning than smooth turning.
Tip number 13.
There are also very smart people working on stuff like natural locomotion.
It cost a bit of money, but I’ve heard it is a ton of fun, more immersive and less motion
sick-inducing.
Tip number 14.
If you would like to try out full body tracking, you can try out the VIVE Trackers for this.
You can also use it on peripherals like gunstocks.
It works very well.
This is a more expensive approach though, you can also use a Kinect with Driver4VR to
get full body tracking.
The tracking view is less with the Kinect though, but it also works well.
Tip number 15.
If you are into multiplayer games, be sure to check out its player base before you buy
the game.
Because the VR industry is so small, some games don’t have enough players.
Check out VRLFG to check how many people are still playing a certain game.
This is especially needed when the game doesn’t have a single player campaign.
Tip number 16.
SteamVR has a setting called supersampling that you can tweak to improve image quality.
What Supersampling does, is render your game at a higher resolution than your display and
then scaling it back down before it is sent back to the headset.
It reduces aliasing in the image which makes everything look cleaner and sharper.
I wouldn’t do this if you are on the minimal recommendation specs, but if you have a good
graphics card and CPU, it is definitely worth it to try out these settings.
Tip number 17.
You can also use OpenVR Advanced Settings for this.
This is a handy add-on that I use quite often.
Tip number 18.
Once installed, it will be displayed here, in the VIVE menu.
There are a lot of manual options in Advanced Settings.
And statistics.
Here you can easily see if you are getting any frame drops or reprojection.
If the number here is high, it mostly means you are taxing your system too much.
The settings I use often is the chaperone settings, you can easily adjust it here without
having to go through the room setup again.
You can also turn it all off if you’d like.
Change the audio options here, in case you don’t want to take off your headset for
it.
And here you can see how many times you’ve been turning.
You can use this to untangle your cables if needed.
Honestly though, after getting used to VR, I never tangle the cables anymore.
Tip number 19.
HTC VIVE has its own Wireless Adapter, which we recommend over the TPCast.
It just works so much better and has an easier setup.
It is quite expensive though, so if you are on a budget you can also try one of these
cheaper solutions that give the same kind of experience...
The dog leash ceiling setup.
Or the IKEA Regolit lamp.
Tip number 20.
Follow the SteamVR updates.
Sometimes very handy features are introduced that you will love!
If you are the kind of person that likes this kind of things, definitely check out this
page.
You can also get involved in the development by giving feedback in the comments.
With an industry, this small, any feedback given to developers is usually appreciated.
Plus why wouldn’t we all work together to make VR even better?
Also always make sure to update your lighthouses and controllers.
Tip number 21.
Get a floormat that is smaller than your playspace.
This way you can reduce or remove the chaperone boundaries to increase immersion.
We are using a Proximat for this, but you can use any floor mat you can find.
Tip number 22.
Now, when you have a VR headset, you will most likely also demo experiences to friends
or family.
Most games automatically mirror what the player sees on your monitor, but this usually does
not show the menu screens.
To show this and help out your friend while playing, you can turn on SteamVR’s Display
Mirror.
You can select which eye you want to see or a center view.
Also, this view gives you a better field of view.
Don’t forget to mirror your audio as well!
After playing in VR for a while, I am pretty sure that you will love it!
Maybe I’m biased though...
But here comes some EXTRA hardware tips for when you start to get addicted to VR.
Tip number 23.
You can open the HTC VIVE cable cover in the front.
There is an extra USB input there that you can use to plug an external microphone or
something else.
Since the built-in microphone does not sound very pretty, you might want to plug in an
external one.
That is if you play a lot of multiplayer VR games.
Tip number 24.
If you get hot easily in VR, you can get a Vive’n chill, which plugs into that extra
USB input.
This is a nifty little thing that provides cooling when needed.
I am not using it myself, because I don’t really need the cooling, but I have heard
good things about this product.
Tip number 25.
If you like your headset, definitely invest in a Deluxe Audio Strap.
With the DAS it is so much easier to put on the headset and it distributes the weight
better too.
It also gives you on-ear headphones, making it less troublesome to get audio from your
headset.
Tip number 26.
Get VRCovers.
If you don't wear glasses, I would recommend a thinner foam from them.
This increases FOV slightly, it will increase the sweet spot and it distributes the weight
better across your face.
A leather one would be even better, because it is easier to clean, especially needed if
you share your headset or sweat a lot.
VRCover also has covers for the Deluxe Audio Strap.
As an extra, I have more tracking tips for you in case you experience issues with tracking.
Tip number 27.
If you have tracking issues, check your USB Bandwidth.
Each USB port on your PC is attached to a particular USB controller.
The controller has limited bandwidth, so if you put a lot of high bandwidth devices on
a single controller, you can experience bandwidth related issues.
You can use a tool like USB View to check if you have connected too many USB devices
on a single controller.
If you use the VIVE camera, turn it off.
The camera can saturate USB bandwidth.
Tip number 28.
Remove reflective surfaces, like mirrors or windows.
Anything reflective can cause a momentary loss of tracking, that looks like a frame
skip or have your controllers fly away.
If you are unsure if a surface is reflective, you can use a laser pointer to check.
Tip number 29.
If you are still having issues, do not let Windows manage power through Device Manager.
Make sure that you have Power Management mode set to Prefer maximum performance, which is
what Steam recommends as well.
In the Nvidia Control Panel, it’s under 3D settings.
Tip number 30.
And last but not least, please store your VIVE properly.
Do not let any sunlight get on the lenses.
And maybe don’t leave it around either if you have a pet ;)
Hope you enjoyed these tips and tricks!
And if there are any tips that we may have missed, then please comment them down below
so that us, but also everyone can read it!
Let’s help each other out.
A special thank you goes to our Right Hand Patron artArmin.
A special shout out goes to his Patreon page as well.
Check it out if you have the time.
And that was this video.
So...
VR on!