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SteamVR Thread: Virtually a |Thread 2|

SimplexPL

Member
Current TPCAST has two deal breakers
1) Router
2) No microphone support

Hopefully either they or their competition remedies this.
 

Paganmoon

Member
There also needs to be an option to connect directly with the computer, in situations when the battery is dead, and recharging. Like connect the regular 3-in-1 cable to the tpcast temporarily.
 

deadfolk

Member
I bit out of date on VR - haven't used my Vive for a while.

What's the best option to use for Allow Asynchronous Reprojection and Allow Interleaved Reprojection?
 

DocEbok

Member
I bit out of date on VR - haven't used my Vive for a while.

What's the best option to use for Allow Asynchronous Reprojection and Allow Interleaved Reprojection?

Most ppl just leave async on only. Unless you are doing oculus games with revive then you can use other setting
 
Current TPCAST has two deal breakers
1) Router
2) No microphone support

Hopefully either they or their competition remedies this.
The microphone issue is apparently driver related so fixable. The router is more complicated. My understanding was they were shooting for a USB stick to replace it, but the FCC page suggests they'll still be releasing a router.
 

Paganmoon

Member

That was quite interesting (the transformable controller grip mention was a bit weird thrown in there like that)

-

On a different note, I've tried out the "adding weight to the back of the DAS" thing, to see how it feels. Bought some steel plain washers and velcro'ed them to the back-frame. It does work in the way that you can put on the HMD and don't even need to tighten it much. It balances out completely and you still have the focus-sweetspot in the right place. I still removed the washers after trying it though, somehow I don't feel comfortable with the added overall weight, it's even but it's still more than before. And it's not like the difference was so substantial that you'd have to use it (not even close imo)

So, I gave it a try, but don't really like it. Also the DAS is not really build to tack something to the back of it, feels like the frame gets distorted a bit when adding weight to a single location/spot which I also wasn't happy with.
 

ArtHands

Thinks buying more servers can fix a bad patch
Swevivers 2 weeks TPCast usage report

Still not sure I want to go with this, someone invent better battery tech and make the transmitter set up into a USB stick plox.
(that he can hear more compression in the sound is actually my main concern as the main usage of the headset for me lies in music related games)

Is that the China version though? Because they said the later oversea batches for the rest of the world will be improved.
 
Is that the China version though? Because they said the later oversea batches for the rest of the world will be improved.

He said in the first video that he got the first version of the TPCast... I assume that means there is a second and he has the chinese version but I have no idea really.
 
He said in the first video that he got the first version of the TPCast... I assume that means there is a second and he has the chinese version but I have no idea really.

The only one out there right now is the Chinese version. The one they're releasing outside China is considered their consumer version but they haven't confirmed exactly what will be different/improved other than that it will include the larger battery.
 

Paganmoon

Member
Man what a rabbit hole it was to read up on Light Field Displays, seems cool as shit, and Nvidia's been apparently demoing it att SIGGRAPH since 2013.
Going to need some mighty good hardware to power it fully if we're going to keep the fidelity we've come to expect.

Going to dive in and read up on the denoising solution they talked in the presentation now.
 

Zalusithix

Member
Technically not a SteamVR thing (yet), but the new "Buffered Haptics" that Oculus recently introduced is something that I've been wishing SteamVR had for some time. The LRA in the Vive wands is severely held back by the limitations of IVRSystem::TriggerHapticPulse. Frankly, for a company that recognized the benefits of high resolution haptic feedback way back with the Steam Controller, the fact that Valve didn't give more advanced control over it is baffling.
 

Padinn

Member
Can I get some impressions on the Deluxe Audio Strap for the Vive? I got a $100 Amazon Giftcard and I've been debating between it, the T.16000m HOTAS setup (for elite dangerous), another hard drive, or upgrading my motherboard.

None of these are things I "need," but each seems to offer a benefit.
 
Can I get some impressions on the Deluxe Audio Strap for the Vive? I got a $100 Amazon Giftcard and I've been debating between it, the T.16000m HOTAS setup (for elite dangerous), another hard drive, or upgrading my motherboard.

None of these are things I "need," but each seems to offer a benefit.

It's a must as long as you don't plan to take off the headphones.

EDIT: TPCast just showed up on Amazon. Showing a September 15th release date, but who knows if that's legit.
 

Paganmoon

Member
If the German Amazon price is anything to go by, this will be very DoA. €450.

Edit: Though I suppose that's not an official listing.
 
Had one of the weirdest reactions yesterday when a friend of mine (who already spend about 9 hours in two sessions in VR using the old headgear) tried out the Deluxe Audio Strap, couldn't deal with at all, it took only seconds to say "Nope, this thing feels weird!". The old gear was totally fine.

Super strange und unexplainable reaction to me but it was such a barrier that we turned VR off and instead went out to a restaurant.

I guess I'll have to swap out the head gear in this particular case the next time, I haven't actually removed the DAS since I attached it to the HMD because everyone else was fine with it so far. I'm not sure how to remove it again, gotta look up some youtube vids about it.

People are different.
 
My third controller developed a squeaky trigger aswell. I have bought an additional controller in case one of my friends destroys one unintentionally and so I put the controller with the squeaky trigger away as a replacement just in case. Now the new controller also started squeaking.
The build quality in that regard is really shoddy, I wish they'd hurry up with the knuckles controllers (now they could also have squeaky triggers of course, who knows?)
 

Zalusithix

Member
My third controller developed a squeaky trigger aswell. I have bought an additional controller in case one of my friends destroys one unintentionally and so I put the controller with the squeaky trigger away as a replacement just in case. Now the new controller also started squeaking.
The build quality in that regard is really shoddy, I wish they'd hurry up with the knuckles controllers (now they could also have squeaky triggers of course, who knows?)

You can fix that issue easily enough without taking the controller apart. I've used a bottle of Dupont Teflon dry lubricant and a hypodermic syringe to precision apply it to the trigger base near the hinge. With the right tilt to the controller and a bit of blowing on the area, the alcohol suspension will carry the lubricant to the hinge contact points. Keep working the trigger until the squeaking stops (it shouldn't take much lubricant), and then let it sit for a few minutes so the alcohol evaporates and the Teflon film sets up. It's not necessarily a permanent fix, but it only takes a few minutes, so it's not hard to redo if/when it needs a reapplication.

Doing this will no doubt void the warranty (leaves an obvious milky white Teflon film on the contact areas), but mine was expired anyhow. That and given the fundamental problems with the design and long RMA turn arounds, people are better off fixing just about every problem with the controllers themselves anyhow.
 
You can fix that issue easily enough without taking the controller apart. I've used a bottle of Dupont Teflon dry lubricant and a hypodermic syringe to precision apply it to the trigger base near the hinge. With the right tilt to the controller and a bit of blowing on the area, the alcohol suspension will carry the lubricant to the hinge contact points. Keep working the trigger until the squeaking stops (it shouldn't take much lubricant), and then let it sit for a few minutes so the alcohol evaporates and the Teflon film sets up. It's not necessarily a permanent fix, but it only takes a few minutes, so it's not hard to redo if/when it needs a reapplication.

Doing this will no doubt void the warranty (leaves an obvious milky white Teflon film on the contact areas), but mine was expired anyhow. That and given the fundamental problems with the design and long RMA turn arounds, people are better off fixing just about every problem with the controllers themselves anyhow.

That was actually my next plan, I've tried to resolve the squeaky trigger of my first controller with graphite powder (I know it's conductive). That actually worked for a short while but I was not comfortable with the ammount of graphite I had to use to get it to where it needs to be (was a bit messy) and the short time it had an effect.
I will try the syringe method, just have to buy one and some electrical grade lubricant. I prefer to do such things with a guide with pictures or a youtube how-to video so I dont mess up the entire controller but haven't found anything online.
 

Zalusithix

Member
That was actually my next plan, I've tried to resolve the squeaky trigger of my first controller with graphite powder (I know it's conductive). That actually worked for a short while but I was not comfortable with the ammount of graphite I had to use to get it to where it needs to be (was a bit messy) and the short time it had an effect.
I will try the syringe method, just have to buy one and some electrical grade lubricant. I prefer to do such things with a guide with pictures or a youtube how-to video so I dont mess up the entire controller but haven't found anything online.

Yikes, I'd never want to use a conductive lubricant in an area with electronics. Graphite is also messy as hell to work with. I chose a dry Teflon lubricant because it's non-conductive/capacitive/reactive and doesn't migrate/drip after setting. The absolute worst that could happen is it somehow getting on a sensor, but you'd need to use a lot of excess lubricant for that to have any real chance of occurring. Even if it did somehow happen, I doubt anything short of multiple applications over the entire face of a sensor could deposit a layer opaque enough to block the IR light.

As for visual guides, it's not really something that'd need it. It's pretty much just a matter of holding the controller with the trigger side up such that the part of the trigger that you touch is straight up and down. Using the syringe you'd put a drop or two to either side close to where the hinge is, then work the trigger and potentially blow a bit on the trigger to push the lube around the sides to the contact points.
 
Ok, went to a big electronics store and asked if they can provide me with non-conductive lubrication for mechanical parts close to electronic circuits (though the Vive trigger doesn't have them nearby that close). Blank faces lol

They have a big selection of train modelling stuff (alongside electric minicars and drones, helicopters, boats and planes) So I've bought a bit of oil meant for car dampeners/shock absorbers. Didn't habe a syringe so I just put two drops near the corners of the trigger on the Vive controller.

I was mistaken in that I thought the squeaking was coming from the metal spring mechanism inside the trigger (why didn't anybody told me?) it was just the plastic/rubber between the hard shell of the controller and the trigger. The squeaking went away immediately, fixed both my controllers that way.

Should have done that in the first place, works way better than graphite!
 

Zalusithix

Member
I was mistaken in that I thought the squeaking was coming from the metal spring mechanism inside the trigger (why didn't anybody told me?) it was just the plastic/rubber between the hard shell of the controller and the trigger. The squeaking went away immediately, fixed both my controllers that way.
The squeaking can come from either location actually. At one point I had squeaking from the shell rubbing against the side of the trigger. Later I had squeaking from the actual internal hinge mechanism. It's obviously much easier to deal with the former situation since it's all in plain view.
 
The squeaking can come from either location actually. At one point I had squeaking from the shell rubbing against the side of the trigger. Later I had squeaking from the actual internal hinge mechanism. It's obviously much easier to deal with the former situation since it's all in plain view.

You're probably right that it could come from both of these places, both of my controllers where fixed by superficial application of the oil... now there is the possibility that it actually went through the gap and also reached the metal parts, but if it did then I'd be surprised by how fast that worked and the ammount of oil applied.
 

Zalusithix

Member
You're probably right that it could come from both of these places, both of my controllers where fixed by superficial application of the oil... now there is the possibility that it actually went through the gap and also reached the metal parts, but if it did then I'd be surprised by how fast that worked and the ammount of oil applied.

The hinge squeak is caused by the two plastic parts of the hinge rubbing against each other - much like the situation with the trigger side rubbing the shell. If you look at how the trigger is designed, it's pretty easy for the lubricant to make its way to that area.
jrpJK9d.jpg
By applying lubricant to the upper corner areas with the controller at the right angle, gravity will pull it along the surface to the hinge and down the sides. It wouldn't take much to reach and coat that surface - especially with something like a thin oil. Mind you, oils have risks on plastic. Depending on the chemistry compatibility they can eat away / weaken the plastic, or gum up over time. We'll hopefully not be using the Vive wands much longer anyhow, but it's a risk worth mentioning, and was one of the reasons I chose a Teflon based dry lubricant - it's chemically inert in addition to being electrically safe.
 

Exuro

Member
So I just got my audio strap in today(Super comfortable, liking it's mechanism more than the rifts spring system). I've heard that using hdmi audio is better than usb, but I'm not seeing the option in the SteamVR settings. I am using a mini displayport though to connect to the breakout box(hdmi used for tv) so I'm wondering if I have to use an hdmi cable to connect to the breakout box or if there is a fix to get it to show up with displayport.
 

SimplexPL

Member
So I just got my audio strap in today(Super comfortable, liking it's mechanism more than the rifts spring system). I've heard that using hdmi audio is better than usb, but I'm not seeing the option in the SteamVR settings. I am using a mini displayport though to connect to the breakout box(hdmi used for tv) so I'm wondering if I have to use an hdmi cable to connect to the breakout box or if there is a fix to get it to show up with displayport.
I was using DP cable with a rift - I stopped because it was very inconsistent. HDMI audio device was randomly disappearing, forcing me to reinsert the cable which would make it reappear, until it randomly disappeared again.
 

Durante

Member
Yeah, I've also switched to using the HDMI port for the Vive.

(I just bought a DP->HDMI adapter for my projector which was using that port previously)
 
D

Deleted member 22576

Unconfirmed Member
Thinking about having a friend over to try out the Vive, but he has glasses and I'm super worried about damaging the lenses if they make contact with his glasses. They are pretty slimline ones, how realistic is this fear? Any tips?
 
Thinking about having a friend over to try out the Vive, but he has glasses and I'm super worried about damaging the lenses if they make contact with his glasses. They are pretty slimline ones, how realistic is this fear? Any tips?

Far sighted or near sighted? If they're near sighted they may not need the glasses at all.
 

Zalusithix

Member
This is really 500 euro (on amazon.de)? Why I had the impression that it will be a bit cheaper?

I don't see a price on amazon.de, but the other german retailers are 350 euro, so I can't see Amazon being 500 officially. Still more expensive than ordering direct from China, but I guess that's the price paid for having a warranty.
 
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