2 vive systems in same big room creates base station conflict

[playboxgamingcenter]

I have big room so I installed 2 pcs and 2 full vive systems (4 base stations, 4 helmets, 2 helmets).

It seem to be that vive can not recognize which base station is related to which pc.

I get the following message:

"please make sure only two base stations are visivle to your headset and controlles".

 

I need to have the two systems in the same room (I do not have any other space at home).

 

How should it be configured.

I want to assume that vive creators did not want us to play alone:mansad:

 

please help....

 

 

[Rockjaw]

Two base stations is actually the answer. If you have four (4) base stations set up, that's too many!

 

To make this work, you should...

 

1) Set up two base stations surrounding your play area (where you intend to use the Vives). The other two can stay untouched as spares!

 

2) Configure the first Vive by running room scale setup. (While you do this, make sure the second Vive is completely turned off, or you might pair it by mistake.)

 

3) Once you've set up the first Vive, quit SteamVR and make sure it's totally powered down.

 

4) Then on your second PC, configure your second Vive. You'll be using the same base stations as before, which should register fine with the second Vive. Once everything is paired, you should be able to power on and use both Vives at once.

 

As we always point out, be careful with two people in the same play space! For seated games this isn't usually a problem, but for apps that make you move around, be careful about people running into each other.

 

Let us know if it works for you. :)

[comprensoldotna]

We are trying to do something like this as well, but we don't want two people in the same play space.  We want two separate play spaces very close to each other.  We are a retail computer store that sells gaming computers and we have two Vive's setup to demo VR to people.  We wanted to be able to demo multi-player games to people as well.  There are display tables (about 4' wide) separating our 10'x10' play spaces and we were planning on putting up a divider curtain that will hopefully prevent the infared transmissions from the lighthouse stations from interfering with each other.  Right now we only have one rig connected in our first play area because with the 2 lighthouse sensors plugged in (but not configured) in the second play area the controllers/headset take off with tracking issues in the first play area.

 

Without re-aranging our entire retail store is there a way to have two separate play areas, on two different Vive rigs, within close proximity to each other?

[AldoUSMC]

As already noted... just use one set of light houses.  Run VR Setup on both computers.. and define the play area for each Vive system.  So you have two play areas for two different Vives.. running whatever on two computers (one for each Vive)... each with its own version of Steam VR running...  It works... there is a chance you might have people get in the way of the lighthouses in one or the other play area if too many people get in or in between one or both play areas... but just put the lighthouses 6' to 7' off the floor as they recommend. Good luck... you're welcome :smileyhappy:

[Synthesis]

That's exactly right.

If for some reason, you do NOT want to do it the way described above and insist on 4 base stations, you'll need to partition them off from each other as there is no other possible way to do it. You'll want to find a wall or curtain that's higher than the base stations and thick enough/opaque enough to block the IR and laser beams.

Thank you,

-John C

[comprensoldotna]

The two lighthouse option mentioned simply won't work in our configuration for a couple reasons. 

1-As stated there is a 4' wide display in the middle of our two play areas with computers / monitors for sale.

2-The total play area we have availible is 20' x 20' with a 4' gap in the middle for displays which gives us a distance between sensors of 31' which is more than double the maximum distance recommended by the vive.

 

My main question is since the control box communicates wirelessly with the lighthouse sensors, how do I prevent steam VR from seeing the other two lighthouse sensors?  Do I have to unplug the other sensors for system #2, run the setup on system #1 , then reverse the process?

[AldoUSMC]

I would recommend you try the suggestions made in this thread to see what does and doesn't work. Your writing to date implies you have not tried it... you are just asking how it might work.  If I've mis-read that... sorry.

 

To keep one Vive Headset from physically detecting/seeing the "other" two lighthouses laser outputs with its sensors you will have to physically mask between the two sets of lighthouses (maybe hang a thick cloth/material cool banner or a big solid sign ??). So as suggested, hang something of sufficient density to now allow the lasers to pass through it to the "other" headset sensors.  Be aware that the laser energy can "splash" off reflective surfaces so aiming of your lighthouses into the specific play areas may play a key roll in your mitigating splash between the two sets in addition to putting up a mask.  Steam Workshop has a pretty good PewPew mod/skin for the lighthouses that lets you see the center of aim of each lighthouse and the spread of the lasers to know if you've pointed them well... (when you are runninng SteamVR and wearing the HMD).  As I understand it...Vive HMDs don't communicate with the lighthouses per-se... the HMD is used by your computer to register the locations of the light houses, the floor, and the edges of the play area when you run the room setup... because the HMD can detect the light emitted by each lighthouse and reports it to SteamVR software... so the computer knows where the HMD is at any time based upon an effectively run room-scale or standing-sitting setup.  Good Luck.

[AldoUSMC]

... to NOT allow the lasers to pass through it to the "other" headset sensors... sorry.. typo... 

:robotwink:

[comprensoldotna]

We do have both rigs hooked up, but I had to unplug the lighthouse sensors from VR rig #1 as we noticed right away they were interfering with the tracking on rig #2. As soon as rig #1 lighthouse sensors were unplugged all tracking issues went away. That's what led me to this thread doing a little more research. I've got a hospital curtain on order to pull between the units and I hope that will be enough because building a wall(s) would definitely disrupt a lot of our usable retail space.

 

Thanks for your input, I do appreciate it.

[Synthesis]

 

 

Just to reiterate, if you're trying to use two Vives in the same area, you just need a single pair of Base Stations. Any more than that and you'll have severe tracking issues. There's absolutely no reason you can't do it this way at all.

If for some reason you, really, really, can't stand having two people with unobstructed LOS towards each other playing Vive using the same base stations, you'll need a partition that is thick enough to block IR and lasers, and then you can set two pairs up as long as they can't see each other at all.

Thank you,

-John C