Just Wondering

[LadySesshy]

I was wondering, how is the HTC Vive able to keep me in the VR world when I'm not facing the computer screen? When I was using it in the store playing the demo, no matter which way I turned or walked I was still in the game. How does it do that? Do I need to set up tracking equiment throughout the room or something?

[HackPerception]

, The Vive uses devices called base stations that bathe the environment with IR laser sweeps that are detected and amplified by sensors underneath the little dimples on the HMD and controllers and then converted into a location via a bunch of complex maths. 

 

If you're super curious about how SteamVR tracking works, this video provides the most easy to understand explanation of whats happening - it's a pretty magical system.