HTC Vive Pre User manual

Vive PRE User Guide

Contents
Unboxing
About Vive 4
Vive headset 5
Putting the headset on 6
Connecting a USB device to the headset 9
Unplugging the headset cables 10
Cleaning the headset 11
Headset status light 13
Link box 13
Connecting the headset to your computer 13
Vive controllers 15
Charging the controllers 15
Turning the controllers on or off 16
Pairing the controllers with the headset 16
Attaching the lanyards to the controllers 16
Controller status light 17
Vive base stations 17
Installing the base stations 18
Base station status light 19
Getting started
Setting up Vive for the first time 20
What is the play area? 21
Choosing the play area 21
Setting up the play area 22
Exploring Vive 24
Troubleshooting and FAQs
General 25
Tracking 26
Setup 26
Trademarks and copyrights
2 Contents

About this guide
In this user guide, we use the following symbols to indicate useful and important information:
This is a note. A note often gives additional information, such as what happens when you
choose to do or not to do a certain action. A note also provides information that may only be
applicable to some situations.
This is a tip. A tip gives you an alternative way to do a particular step or procedure, or lets you
know of an option that you may find helpful.
This indicates important information that you need in order to accomplish a certain task or to
get a feature to work properly.
This provides safety precaution information, that is, information that you need to be careful
about to prevent potential problems.
3 About this guide

Unboxing
About Vive
With Vive™, you can look and move around a room-scale virtual environment. Because your
physical location is tracked, you can explore and interact within immersive fantasy worlds.
About Vive PRE
Vive PRE includes the headset, controllers, and base stations that you need to start creating
interactive VR experiences.
Do not disassemble any of the hardware as it could injure you or damage the product.
What's inside the box
Your Vive PRE comes with the following items:
Main component Accessories
Vive headset §3-in-1 cable (attached)
§Audio cable (attached)
§Short USB cable (optional for third-party device)
§Cleaning cloth
Link box §Power cable
§HDMI cable
§USB cable
Vive controllers (2) §Power adapters (2)
§Micro USB cables (2)
Base stations (2) §Power adapters (2)
§Mounting kits (2)
§Sync cable (optional). To find out if you need to use it, see Do I need to use
the sync cable? on page 27.
4 Unboxing

Vive headset
The headset is your window to the VR environment.
The headset has sensors that are tracked by the base stations.
The sensors on the headset are sensitive. Do not cover or scratch the sensor lenses, including
the proximity sensor.
1Camera lens
2Tracking sensor
3Headset button
4Status light
5Lens distance knob
1Strap
2Audio cable
33-in-1 headset cable
5 Unboxing

4IPD (interpupillary distance) knob
5Face cushion
6Lenses
7Proximity sensor
1 Microphone
2 Nose piece
3 Lens distance knobs
Putting the headset on
1. Pull the headset down over your eyes.
2. Slide the straps around the back of your head, and adjust them so that the headset fits
snugly and comfortably.
3. Make sure that the cables pass through the sleeve at the back of the headset, and are
positioned straight down your back.
6 Unboxing

Adjusting the lens distance on the headset
If you wear large prescription glasses or have long eyelashes, you may need to increase the lens
distance further from your face. Only increase this distance as necessary, as the closer the lenses
are to your eyes, the better your field of view will be while wearing the headset.
1. Pull out each lens distance knob to unlock it.
2. Rotate both lens distance knobs to adjust the lens further or closer to your face.
3. After you're done adjusting, push each knob to lock it back in.
7 Unboxing

Using the IPD knob on the headset
Interpupillary distance (IPD) is the distance between the center of the pupils in your eyes. A quick
way to get an estimate is by facing a mirror and holding a millimeter ruler against your brow. Use
this measurement as a guide to adjust the distance between the lenses of the headset so that
you'll have a better viewing experience.
To change the distance between the lenses, rotate the IPD knob.
As you adjust the IPD, you'll see information displayed in the headset that indicates the current
distance between the centers of the lenses.
8 Unboxing

Connecting a USB device to the headset
Plug in the USB 3.0 cable to the headset for using a compatible third-party device with Vive.
1. Push open the compartment cover to access the connector slots on the headset.
2. Plug in the USB cable to its corresponding slot.
3. Connect the third-party device to the USB cable end.
4. Replace the compartment cover.
9 Unboxing

Unplugging the headset cables
When you need to, carefully unplug the cables from the headset.
1. Push open the compartment cover to access the connector slots on the headset.
2. To prevent damage to the cable tips, unplug the cables one by one following this
sequence: power cable, USB cable, and HDMI cable.
1122
33
3. Replace the compartment cover.
10 Unboxing

Cleaning the headset
Dampen the cleaning cloth provided in the box with water to wipe the headset and sensor lenses
clean. Using any other liquid may cause damage.
Cleaning or replacing the face cushion
Remove the face cushion to clean it. If the attached face cushion is too wide for your head,
replace it with the smaller-sized option that comes in the box.
1. To remove the face cushion, peel off starting from both ends of the face cushion until it
detaches from the headset.
2. When cleaning the face cushion, remember to:
§Dampen a clean smooth cloth with cold water and gently wipe the area of the face
cushion you want to clean.
§Air dry at room temperature. Don't tumble dry, iron, or expose it to direct sunlight.
§Don't scrub, wring, or bleach the face cushion.
§Don’t dip or soak the face cushion in water.
3. To replace the face cushion, align the hook and loop strips on the face cushion and
headset.
11 Unboxing

Caring for the headset lenses
1. Use the cleaning cloth provided in the box to wipe the lenses.
2. Moisten the cleaning cloth with alcohol or lens cleaner.
3. Wipe in a circular motion from the center to the outer edges of the lenses.
While cleaning the lenses, do not scratch the lenses nor disassemble other parts of the
headset.
When not using your headset, store it with the lenses pointed away from any source of direct
sunlight. Failure to do so may cause damage to the headset display.
12 Unboxing

Headset status light
The status light shows:
§White when the headset is active
§Slowly blinking white when the headset is on standby
§Red when an error is encountered (with cables, display, or the like)
Link box
Use the link box to connect the headset to your computer.
13-in-1 cable
2Power port
3USB port
4Mini DisplayPort™
Note: Cable is not provided. Use if your computer doesn’t support HDMI.
5HDMI port
Connecting the headset to your computer
1. Connect the power adapter cable on its corresponding port on the link box, and then plug
the opposite end into an electrical outlet to turn the link box on.
2. Insert the HDMI cable on the HDMI port on the link box, and then insert the opposite end
on the HDMI port on your computer's graphic card.
13 Unboxing

3. Insert the USB cable on the USB port on the link box, and then insert the opposite end on
your computer's USB port.
4. Connect the 3-in-1 headset (HDMI, USB, and power) cables on the side with matching
orange trims on the link box.
14 Unboxing

Vive controllers
Use the controllers to interact with objects in the VR world.
The controllers have sensors that are tracked by the base stations.
§The sensors on the controllers are sensitive. Do not cover or scratch the sensor lenses.
§To wipe the sensor lenses and the controllers clean, dampen the cleaning cloth provided in
the box with water. Using any other liquid may cause damage.
1Menu button
2Trackpad
3System button
4Status light
5USB charging adapter
6Tracking sensor
7Trigger
8Grip button
Charging the controllers
Charge each controller using the USB cable provided.
The status light shows a solid white when the controller is fully charged.
15 Unboxing

Turning the controllers on or off
§To turn the controller on, press the System button until you hear a beeping sound.
§To turn the controller off, press and hold the System button until you hear a beeping
sound.
When you quit the SteamVR app, the controllers will automatically turn off.
Pairing the controllers with the headset
§Once the controllers are turned on for the first time, they will automatically pair with the
headset.
The status light shows as blinking blue while the pairing is in progress. The status light
turns solid white when the controllers are paired with the headset.
§To manually pair the controllers, launch the SteamVR app, and then go to Settings >
Devices > Pair Controller. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.
Attaching the lanyards to the controllers
Using the lanyards may help prevent the controllers from accidentally being dropped.
1. While holding the controller, insert the lanyard’s thread from the top to the bottom hole.
2. Loop the lanyard through the thread, and then tug the lanyard to fasten it in place.
3. Place the lanyard on your wrist, and then adjust the lock to tighten the lanyard comfortably
around your wrist.
16 Unboxing

Controller status light
The status light shows:
§White when the controller is active
§Blinking red when battery is low
§Blinking blue when the controller is pairing with the headset. For details, see Pairing the
controllers with the headset on page 16.
§Blue when the controller is connecting with the headset
§Orange when charging
Vive base stations
§The base stations track sensors from the headset and controllers. Do not cover the LED lens
with any material.
§When the base stations are turned on, they may affect some nearby infrared sensors, such as
those used by an IR TV remote control.
1Status light
2LED lens
3Channel indicator
4Power port
5Channel button
6Sync cable port
7Micro USB port
17 Unboxing

§Do not attempt to pry open the base stations as doing so could injure you or damage the
product.
§If the LED lens are cracked or damaged, stop using the base stations.
Installing the base stations
The placement of the base stations will affect the play area. Before installing the base stations,
you should have decided whether your play area will be room-scale or seated/standing-only. See
Setting up the play area on page 22.
1. Position the base stations diagonally across the room and above your height.
It is recommended to mount the base stations on a high shelf, tripod, or to a ceiling or wall.
Avoid using unstable mounting accessories or surfaces that are prone to vibration.
2. For proper tracking, make sure that the maximum distance between the two base stations
is 5 meters.
up to 5 meters
3. Adjust the base stations so that the LED lens are facing toward the center of the play area.
Each base station has a 120-degree field of view. It is recommended that they are angled
down between 30 to 45 degrees.
18 Unboxing

4. Attach the power cables to the base stations, and then plug them each into a power outlet
to turn them on.The status lights should show as white.
5. Connect the base stations and set the channels.
Without the
sync cable
Press the Channel buttons at the back of the base stations so that
one base station is set to channel “b”, while the other is set to
channel “c”.
With the sync
cable (for added
reliability)
Using the sync cable is optional. To find out if you need to use it, see
Do I need to use the sync cable? on page 27.
Press the Channel buttons at the back of the base stations so that
one base station is set to channel “A”, while the other is set to
channel “b”.
Once turned on, do not move the base stations to another location. Doing so will disrupt the
tracking process. When you've already defined your play area, you will need to set up the
play area again if you move or adjust the angles of the base stations.
Base station status light
The status light shows:
§White when the base station is active
§Blinking white when the base station is on standby
§Purple when the base stations are trying to sync
§Blinking purple when syncing is blocked. When connecting the base stations wirelessly,
you may need to use the sync cable. For details, see Do I need to use the sync cable? on
page 27.
19 Unboxing

Getting started
Setting up Vive for the first time
Before you can use Vive, you’ll need to complete the setup process, which includes defining your
play area.
To begin, download and install the Steam app from http://store.steampowered.com/about/. You
will need to create a Steam account.
Once Steam is installed, or if you already have Steam, go to Library > Tools to install the
SteamVR app.
When done, the SteamVR app will launch. The Room Setup screen may also open.
SteamVR powers your Vive. Its main status window communicates the state of your VR system,
helps you diagnose issues, and provides access to SteamVR settings.
SteamVR can be launched directly from the Tools Library or by clicking the new VR button in the
upper-right-hand corner of the Steam client's main window.
20 Getting started