Difference between revisions of "HTC Vive"

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Revision as of 06:49, 5 May 2016

HTC Vive
Htv vive cv1 hmd1.jpg
Basic Info
VR/AR Virtual Reality
Type Head-mounted display
Subtype Discrete HMD
Platform SteamVR
Developer HTC, Valve
Release Date April 5, 2016
Price $799, €899, £689
Website http://www.htcvr.com/
Requires PC
Predecessor HTC Vive Pre
Successor HTC Vive CV2
System
Operating System Windows
Storage
Display
Display Dual Panel
Resolution 2160 x 1200 (1080 x 1200 per eye)
Pixel Density 455.63 PPI per eye
Refresh Rate 90 Hz
Image
Field of View 110° (diagonal)
Optics
Optics Fresnel Lenses
Tracking
Tracking 6DOF
Rotational Tracking Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Laser Position Sensor
Positional Tracking Base Stations
Update Rate Rotational: 1000Hz, Positional: 60Hz
Tracking Volume 120°H x 120°V (over 21 feet range)
Latency  ??
Audio
Audio Built-in headphones, external headphones
Camera Pass-through camera
Connectivity
Connectivity 2 HDMI ports, 2 USB ports, 1 headphone jack
Device
Input Controllers in both hands
Cable Length 5+ meters
See also: HTC Vive Developer Editions

HTC Vive also known as HTC Vive CV1 or simply as the Vive is the first consumer version of HTC Vive (Platform) Virtual Reality HMD developed by HTC. It is part of the SteamVR ecosystem created by Valve.

Pre-orders for the Vive begins on February 29, 2016 for $799. Vive released on April 5, 2016. HTC Vive CV1 comes with the head-mounted display, 2 wireless, motion tracked controllers and 2 lighthouse Base Stations positional sensors that enable room-scale VR.

Features

  • Room-scale VR - Move around freely in a 12 feet by 12 feet space. Both HMD and the 2 controllers are accurately tracked within that space.
  • Chaperone - Prevents the user from bumping into real life walls and other obstacles.
  • Front facing camera - Allows the user see the real life environment in front of them while wearing the HMD.
  • Smartphone connectivity - Connect the HMD to your smartphone via Bluetooth, allowing the user to receive calls, messages remainders and return calls.

Hardware

Review

Design and Ergonomics:

The all-black HMD is sleek and sturdy. It is secured to the user's head with a harness-like series of straps. The user's face contacts the HMD with a soft and comfortable facial interface. The foam gasket part of the interface can be removed and replaced by lifting it from the velcro. Vive comes with 2 foam gaskets: the larger "Wide Face" and the smaller "Thin Face". The You can change the distance between the lenses to fit your IPD with the dial on the right side of HMD. Eye relief, the distance between the lenses and your eyes, can be adjusted with 2 gray knobs that you can pull out and rotate to extend or retract the sides of the HMD. While this function allows the Vive to accommodate most glasses, please be aware that increasing the eye relief does negatively affect the FOV.

Display and Optics:

Vive features dual OLED panel displays of 1080 x 1200 per eye. The colors are vibrant, the resolution is adequate and the screen door effect is minimal. The only glaring flaw of Vive's display and optics system is the god rays. The god rays are caused by Fresnel lenses' ridges which scatter light. They look similar to lens flares and are noticeable whenever there are high contract elements on the screen i.e. white text on a black background.

Front facing camera:

A camera is located in the front, bottom of the HMD. The camera can bring up a wide FOV view of the environment that is in front of you. Players can activate the camera by double tapping of SteamVR controller's "System" button or set it to automatically activate when you wander too close to the Chaperone boundaries. Working in conjunction with Chaperone, the camera create another layer that keeps the player safe while moving around wearing the HMD.

Tracking:

Tracking in Vive has no visible latency. The tracking system employed by HTC Vive is called Lighthouse. While rotational tracking is achieved with IMUs, positional tracking is accomplish with 2 IR base stations called Base Stations. The Base Stations would constantly flood the room with IR that are detected by sensors on the HMD and SteamVR Controllers. HMD and controllers would figure out where they are in relation to the Base Stations (inside-out tracking). Vive's tracking is designed for both seated, standing and most importantly Room-scale VR experiences.

Vive is designed to accurately track the position and orientation of the HMD and controllers within 12 by 12 feet space.

Voice and Audio:

Vive has a built-in mic but does not have built-in headphones. It comes with a set of earbuds that can be plugged into a headphone jack extending from the HMD.

Cables and Ports:

In The Box

Htc vive cv1 in the box1.jpg

A. 2 Base Stations

B. Sync cable - optional

C. 2 Base station power adapter

D. Mount kit

E. Link box

F. Link box mounting pad

G. Link box power adapter

H. HDMI cable

I. USB cable

J. Earbuds

K. Alternate face cushion (narrow) -

L. Cleaning cloth

M. Documentation

N. Headset with 3-in-1 cable and audio cable

O. 2 Controllers (with lanyard)

P. 2 Micro-USB charger

Specifications

Part Spec
Display Dual OLED Panels
Resolution 2160 x 1200 (1080 x 1200 per eye)
Pixel density  ???
Refresh rate 90 Hz
Persistence Low
Field of View 110° (diagonal)
Optics Fresnel lenses
IPD 60.2-74.5mm
Tracking 6 degrees of freedom
Rotational tracking Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Magnetometer
Positional tracking Base Stations
Update Rate Rotational: 1000Hz, Positional: 60Hz
Tracking Volume 120°H x 120°V (>21 feet range)
Latency
Connectivity Multi-part cable with HDMI, USB and power that is connected to a junction box
Weight 555 grams (1.2 pounds)

System Requirements

Recommended

  • GPU: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 970, AMD Radeon™ R9 290 equivalent or better
  • CPU: Intel® i5-4590 / AMD FX 8350 equivalent or better
  • RAM: 4 GB or more
  • Video Output: HDMI 1.4, DisplayPort 1.2 or newer
  • USB Port: 1x USB 2.0 or better port
  • Operating System: Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1 or later, Windows 10

SteamVR Performance Test

SteamVR Performance Test is a benchmark software that checks if your system is ready for Vive. It checks your system's OS, GPU and CPU to see if it has the capability of running VR at 90 FPS and whether VR content can tune the visual fidelity up to the recommended level.

Play Area Requirements

The play area sets the virtual boundaries of Vive. Your interaction with VR objects happen within the play area.

  • Make sure your play area is free of furniture and other obstacles.
  • Place your PC next to the play area because the cable of your HMD connecting to your PC is 5 meters long.
  • Make sure your base stations are mounted near power outlets.

Room-scale VR Requirements

For Room-scale VR, you need a space where you can move freely.

  • Minimum room size: 2 m x 1.5 m (6 feet 6 inches x 5 feet)
  • Maximum between base stations: 5 m (16 feet), Room size: 3.5 m x 3.5 m (11 feet 7 inches x 11 feet 7 inches)
    • Base stations can track further but the length of headset cable is 5 meters.

Standing/Seated VR Requirements

  • No minimum space requirements

Setup Tutorial

HMD Setup

Putting the HMD on:

  1. Pull the HMD down over your eyes.
  2. Slide the straps around the back of your head, and adjust them so that the headset fits.
  3. Make sure that the 3-in-1 cables pass through the sleeve at the back of the headset, and are positioned straight down your back.

Adjust IPD: IPD is the distance between the center of the pupils of in your eyes. You can adjust the distance between the lenses to match the distance between your pupils by turning the knob on the right side of HMD.

Adjust Eye relief: Eye-relief is the distance between the lenses and your eyes. Keep the lenses as close as possible because increasing the eye-relief lowers the field of view. Only increase it if you really need to, such as fitting eye glasses. You can adjust your eye-relief with the 2 large, circular knobs on the sides of HMD. Pull the knobs out then rotate them to increase or decrease the distance. Press them back in to lock the HMD in place.

Replace face cushion: If the face cushion is too wide, replace it with the thin cushion cushion. You can exchange the cushions by peeling the velcro off from the two ends.

Replace nose rest: Remove the nose rest by peeling the flap too. Replace the nose rest by pressing the tabs into their slots and make sure that the flaps are behind the face cushion.

Unplugging the 3-in-1 cable: Slide open the small compartment on top to reveal the cables. Pull the tag to unplug the HDMI cable. Unplug the other cables (USB and power). Slide the cover back on to close the compartment.

Link Box Setup

  1. Connect the 3-in-1 cable from the HMD to the orange trim side of the link box.
  2. Connect the power adapter cable to its corresponding port on the link box, then plug the other side of the cable to an electrical outlet.
  3. Insert the HDMI cable to the HDMI port on the link box, and then insert the other end to the HDMI port on your computer's graphic card.
  4. Insert the USB cable on the USB port on the link box, and then insert the opposite end on your computer's USB port.
  5. You can permanently secure the link box to an area by using the adhesive pad.

Controllers Setup

Charging: Charge the Controller with the microUSB cable and/or power adapter. You can check the battery level of the controllers when no apps are running, or when the System Dashboard is up. Dashboard is up.

On/Off: To turn the Controller on, press the System button until you hear a beep. To turn the Controller off, press and hold the System button until you hear a beep. Controller automatically turns off when it is idled for a long time or when you exit SteamVR.

Pairing with HMD: Controller pairs with the HMD automatically when it is on. To manually pair, launch the SteamVR app, tap Down, and then select Devices then Pair Controller.

Updating Firmware: When SteamVR notifies you about outdated firmware. Connect the Controller to your PC with the microUSB cable to update automatically.

Base Stations Setup

Placing the base stations:

  1. Mount the base stations diagonally at the opposite corners of your play space.


Using the mounting kits:


Update base station firmware: When SteamVR indicates that base station firmware is out of date, unplug and unmount the base stations. Connect the base stations to the PC with a microUSB cable, one at a time. While pressing the Channel button at the back of the base station, plug in the base station’s power adapter. Update should start automatically once SteamVR detects the base station.

Play Area Setup

  • The minimum space for a room-scale VR experience is 2m x 1.5m (6ft 6in x 5ft). Standing and seated VR experiences do not require much space.
  • Clear of furnitures and other obstacles in the play area.
  • Place the PC near the play area. The HMD cable is 5m (16ft 4in) long.
  • Place the base stations diagonal to each other, on the opposite corners of the play area space. Make sure there are power outlets near the base stations. Use 12V extension cords as needed.
  • Do not leave your HMD in direct sunlight, display can be damaged.

Software Setup

Input Devices

SteamVR Controllers - 1 held in each hand, these controllers are tracked by the same system as the HMD (Lighthouse).

Other devices compatible with Steam

Apps

HTC Vive CV1 is shipped with 3 free games: Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives by Owlchemy Labs, Fantastic Contraption by Northway Games and Tilt Brush by Google.

Connecting to Your Phone

Users can install the Vive mobile app on their phone from the App Store[1] or Google Play[2]. The apps enable your HTC Vive HMD to connect to your mobile phones through Bluetooth. It allows your Vive HMD to receive calls, texts and calendar reminders while your are in VR.

To make phone calls, users need to download the Vive software package [3] for their PC. Now when you receive a call or text, you'll be able to call back the individual through the Vive menu.

Developer

Tracking volume

See also: Tracking volume

Htc vive tracking volume1.png

120°H x 120°V (>21 feet range)

History

February 29, 2016 - Pre-orders for HTC Vive CV1 begin.

April 5, 2016 - HTC Vive CV1 is officially released.

Images

Htc vive cv1 set1.jpg Htc vive cv1 hmd2.jpg Htc vive cv1 controllers1.jpg

References

  1. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/htc-vive/id1091173853?mt=8
  2. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.htc.vivephoneservice&hl=en
  3. https://www.htcvive.com/us/setup/