Cosmos Public Release 1.0.7.1

[C.T.]

VIVE Cosmos 1.0.7.1 – Release Notes 

Released 31st October 2019 

[Tracking] 

HMD: 

• Improved low light tracking, with better prediction during fast movements. 
• Fixed a bug where the too bright/low light notification would not show up. 
• Enabled VIVE Wireless Adapter compatibility.  

Known issues: 

• You may experience performance issues on older & lower end CPUs. We are working hard to improve this in the next release.  
• If you experience connectivity, audio or display issues, please disable USB power management. 
• Please note Cosmos requires a new 21W power bank, the connection cable for Cosmos, Velcro clip, and a new pad to attach to the headstrap. Due to the new inside-out tracking on Cosmos and other features, the headset draws slightly more power than the current Vive Wireless Adapter battery can support, so this new battery is needed to power this headset wirelessly. In addition, Vive Cosmos processes all the camera tracking data solely in the headset and never sends the visual tracking data to the PC. While this means we are securing user privacy in their play space, this approach results in a higher headset power consumption. 

Controllers: 

• Improved low light tracking stability. The minimum brightness requirement for reliable tracking is now 60% lower. 
• Improved high brightness tracking stability. The controllers will now track much better against a bright background, such as windows and studio lights. 
• Improved prediction models for the case when a controller exits the headset’s field of view (FOV). 
• Positional recovery is now faster and more accurate when returning into the headset’s FOV. 
• Improved tracking close to HMD. Optimal range is now reduced up to 10 cm/4 inches from the HMD.  
• Improved slow movement occlusion tracking prediction, which will help with content where the controllers are frequently occluding one another. 
• Improved the tracking algorithm to be better at ignoring other Cosmos controllers and patterns that may resemble the Cosmos controller, especially when the connected pair are out of the headset’s FOV.  

*We will be continuously improving all aspects of the tracking algorithm in future updates. 

 [ViveVR Runtime] 

• Fixed Error Code 210 runtime bug. 
• Non-HDCP errors on certain laptops caused by old Nvidia V-BIOS identified, notably on some MSI laptops. It will now be separately reported as Error Code 220 (previously aggregated with Error Code 210). If you encounter this on an MSI laptop, please reach out to MSI Technical Support for an updated new V-BIOS. 
• Fixed a bug with the play area boundary transparency settings and fine-tuned its appearance behavior. 
• Optimized the camera passthrough vignetting to better align and render safety boundaries.  
• Added error logging and troubleshooting for SteamVR compositor crashes, installation path and cases involving Safe Mode. 
• Improved mapping of error codes for edge case situations. 
• VIVE Origin is no longer forced as the default home environment. 
• Optimized tracking pose prediction to improve visual experience. 
• Resolved an issue where the IPD display would sometimes show when the HMD was moving quickly. 
• Updated low light notification strings for Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian & Swedish languages. 

[VIVE Console] 

• Fixed a bug where the DisplayPort connection errors would pop up before the connection had time to stabilize. 
• Added Beta Release Notes and a link to all VIVE Cosmos Release Notes. 
• Fixed registry issues caused by switching Windows accounts and installation changes. 

[OOBE & Room Setup] 

• Fixed a bug where a transparent window would appear during setup when the HMD was connected. 
• Fixed a bug where UI elements and Russian fonts were displayed incorrectly at 4K monitor resolution. 
• Improved the animation explaining how to put on the HMD during setup and updated the Cosmos Setup shortcut icon. 
• Updated and improved the animations and instructions for Room Setup. 
• Updated the environment UI around the animations for the room scanning step. 
• Fixed the null button UI bug for Chinese (Traditional/Simplified), Korean and Japan languages. 

[Lens] 

• Improved the accuracy of the Cosmos-compatible filtering behavior. 
• The Lens will no longer prevent launching of incompatible or unoptimized Cosmos titles from your Library. Instead, a warning icon will be displayed on top of thumbnails for titles that may not be compatible with Cosmos. However, it will launch properly.  
• Added “New Releases” store carousel on the VIVEPORT page. 
• Added support for limited-time trial content and ability to correctly indicate its access permissions. 
• Added language support for Italian and Russian. 
• Fixed bugs with French voice output.  

Next Update (Mid-November Beta) 

We are continuing to work to improve our tracking. To get access to future releases earlier, you can opt-in to our Beta program. Our next update targeted for beta in mid-November will work to improve the following scenarios: 

HMD:

• Further improvements in jitter reduction in low light environments. 
• Improved wireless experience on older and lower end CPUs. 

Controllers:

• Improved controller occlusion tracking to support two-handed “rifle mode” in shooting games. 
• Optimized tracking trajectory when a controller exits and re-enters the HMD’s FOV. This will improve content that involve the controllers frequently going behind the HMD or experience large amounts of swinging, such as racket & melee-based games.  
• Better alignment of right and left controller tracking pose behavior after being near the HMD. 

[T]

@C.T.

Is the public 1.0.7.1 the same as the beta 1.0.7.1? Or are there any aditional fixes/features in it?

[C.T.]

3 hours ago, T said:

@C.T.

Is the public 1.0.7.1 the same as the beta 1.0.7.1? Or are there any aditional fixes/features in it?

It's the combinations of Beta 1.0.7 and Beta 1.0.7.1 with bug fixes for those who didn't join beta program to receive the general updates. 
Cheers

[Phr00t]

Just got done testing v1.0.7.1.

Tracking has been improving in v1.0.5, v1.0.7 and v1.0.7.1, but I wouldn't consider it acceptable yet. One thing not listed in your "controllers" section that contributes to perceived "bad tracking" is how much they move in the virtual world when held completely still. If I hold my controllers as still as possible, the controllers will slowly wander around the general area.

Getting the scene to render to the horizontal ends of the LCD panel would maximize the field of view possible, so I'll keep watching for at least an option to do so.

Ultimately, I have extended my return window by getting a used Cosmos because I like what I've been seeing so far. However, if after this new return window nears its end and tracking and field of view is better on my Odyssey+... I'd really hate to give up on it, but I think I'd have to. The hardware seems so solid and was really what I've been looking for.

If we can get those things cleared up, I'd keep it, share why I think it was worth keeping, and then I'd love to talk reprojection. 🙂

[TomCgcmfc]

@Phr00t

I don't seem to have any 'Wandering' controller issues.  I just finished testing this with one of my Flight sims (X Plane 11).  I mainly use flight sticks but I do use the controllers to access menus and flick the odd switch.  I set the controllers in a specific spot in my cockpit where they are visible and after flying around for ~1/2 hour they were still in exactly the same spots.  I manually exited this sim and when I went into the Vive void the controllers showed up in the correct spots.  Maybe your Wandering is caused by low battery levels on one or both controllers and/or poor/uneven lighting?  Who knows?

One thing I did notice today was that there is still some kind of lag problems when I startup the Vive Console.  Twice today I had to reset the Link Box (just turned in off then on again).  This always then connected fine after this restart.  I'll try to remember to send a logfile to Vive support next time it happens.  I'm on the latest beta version btw.

[TomCgcmfc]

@Subzer0

I'm also a long time Rift cv1 and Rift S user.  Actually Oculus's first solid tracking improvements did not take place until release 1.39 (July 22, 2019) and final fixes in release 1.40 (Aug 19, 2019).

You can view their release notes here; https://support.oculus.com/release-notes/

 

[Phr00t]

In regards to wandering controllers in the virtual world while being held completely still in the real world: my battery life meters show full. My Odyssey+ controllers in the same lighting conditions are rock solid. It is possible a more ideal lighting situation would improve controller tracking, but we have to ask ourselves... how ideal does the lighting conditions have to be for acceptable Cosmos tracking, when significantly cheaper VR systems handle the same lighting conditions far better with fewer cameras? I'm hopeful HTC is continuing to improve in this area, because they need to. Glad it is working acceptably for others, though.

[Mr George]

Hi there,

certain games as "racket Fury" still does not work with controllers. whatever the configuration in the paddles setting of steam... 😢

Mr George

[stvnxu]

Hey @Phr00t - Totally hear ya! Tracking improvements are an ongoing effort and top priority for us to push in our SW updates. I understand if you need to return the product by the deadline and do apologize in advance if that does happen. By no means is this public update our last effort to improve tracking, lighting conditions, etc. We want to communicate with our customers each step so you're aware of the progress being made. 

Thanks again for your patience and support. 

Steve

[stvnxu]

Hi @Mr George,

Thanks for the feedback and apologies for the issue. This sounds like a content compatibility issue? Or are you defining "not working" as in tracking accuracy? 

Content Compatibility:

• If you find your headset tracking in the game and not your controllers (e.g. they are stuck on the floor), then it's most likely due to controller compatibility. This means that the developers of the VR title have not directly supported the new Cosmos controllers at the moment. 

  We do have one workaround which is using the custom controller bindings provided by the Steam community.

  1. SteamVR

  2. SteamVR Dashboard (three lines on top left corner)

  3. Devices

  4. Controller Settings

  5. Select game (e.g. Gorn, Pavlov)

  6. Select Cosmos controller (make sure your cosmos controllers are on)

  7. Select Community Binding and apply. 

  8. Play

Controller Accuracy

• If you find the content is difficult to play due to the accuracy of the controller tracking. Please stay tuned for future updates as we continue to improve controller tracking, occlusion and lighting conditions. Make sure you're up to date with our latest software! 

Thank you