HTC Vive Tracking Wobble / Jittering Thread:

[Ragadastar]

I have opened a Thread in Reddit regarding this issue https://www.reddit.com/r/Vive/comments/4g7ym6/htc_vive_tracking_wobble_jittering_thread/

Unfortunately, So far, HTC Support is saying the wobbles are normal, however this doesn't really explain way the problem is not visible in some devices (personally tested).

Tickets are getting closed or not responded.
There is not a chance to update the Ticket I have opened ( 8 days ago) and provide the Tracking recording Data.

My current tracking status:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fnAaIu7K-I&feature=youtu.be

I hope to hear any answer, even if we don't like it.

[Basic]

This seems to occur is the base stations move very slightly from the vibration they cause. The more securely they're held in place, the smaller the wobble.

[Bluelight]

I am having this problem and mine are mounted very securely to the wall and tightened until my hand hurts. It makes no difference. Everybody seems to have different solutions for this but I think the conversation needs to dominate these forums not reddit.. as the devs are more likely to see it here I think. Everyone seems to think it came from the last firmware update. I hope that is true and that it will be fixed when a new one is released.

[Hixmegistos]

I got this problem as well.. Had the Vive for a few weeks where everything was fine.. then suddenly massive jitter. A week ago I spent 5h with HMD on and had no issues. Now after jitter startet I can't go 30 min without nausea that sticks around even afterwards. Have basically tried everything. Waiting for HTC support to come up with something in the coming week or I will return the Vive.

[northwestuk]

Yeah, I'm the same, I've still got the jitterbug (wobbling pixels). Had it since May 26th update.

Brand new top of the range computer here... I7 6700k processor (overclocked to 4.6mhz), RAM 32GB Corsair Vengeance DDR4 3000 MHz, ASUS® Z170 PRO GAMING: ATX, LG1151, Corsair H55 Hydro Cooler, SSD 512GB SAMSUNG SM951, CORSAIR 750W, GTX 980 (overclocked to 1400 mhz). - Tried at stock clock made no difference.

Using latest Steam Beta.

Tried absolutely everything and every possible solution online so there is nothing else to try now. Been at this for months. Mine is like the video at the start of this discussion. No dropped frames, just a horrible little wobble in the headset and on the computer screen when the headset is placed on a secure flat surface. Done every test possible to no avail.

The amount of people who have reported this on both this forum and R Vive is quite large. Seems to have gone quiet with reports recently though. Maybe people have just given up and are now putting up with it (gotten used to it).

It should be rock solid in a piece of equipment at this price. The strange thing is though it does not seem to be affecting everyone.

Hixmegistos, like yourself I'm hoping the developers can up with some kind of solution to stabilize the wobble soon. Surely there must be a firmware solution to this?

Over to you devs !!! Keeping fingers crossed for a solution soon.

[Bluelight]

Well I can tell you that you will have no help from calling HTC Customer support but I still have faith that a firmware update can fix the issue since it seems most people were ok before that May 26th update. I got mine after that and updated immediately (big mistake.)

Still waiting... :/

[northwestuk]

Yep Bluelight, there must be a solution to stabilize the shifting pixels in the display (wobble / jitter) in a firmware update. If not then there are going to be a shed load of RMA's coming soon from customers.

[Bluelight]

Well here is the thing. I know for a fact that it depends on the room setup you have and a lot of various thing but one thing is clear that it seems like all Vives have some wobble. The people who say otherwise are not able to detect it. Some people have keener eyes than others.. I have eagle eyes for example.

Some may not have updated their firmware as well. There is an app someone made on reddit that is a jitter detector. My main number went from 1.5 which is pretty bad.. to .40 recently when moving from my living room setup to my office setup where the sensors are closer together. .40 is still wobbling but much harder to see.. some would look at it and say its perfect but its not.

I would say .15 would be acceptable maybe. Anyone who RMAs a Vive expecting to have a better experience is probably going to be disappointed and may have a worst problem with the new one. I have one pixel that seems sort of stuck or dead in my left eye but I decided not to swap it out because I was so scared of getting one with a worse display and to be honest, I don't notice that pixel very often. Even sometimes I have to look for it for a while to find it so I figured its better not to rock the boat.

I know some may feel differently and as much as I want my $800 Vive to be perfect.. I have read to many horror stories of people sending off a unit RMA and getting one back that has morestuck or dead pixels, scuffs and scratches, missing parts, etc.

[Hixmegistos]

Bluelight:

As I said the Vive did not behave like this initally. That there may always be som jitter is ok but this gives me a constant feeling of loosing balance. Something that I didn't feel during the first weeks of use. No change in room or setup. So something has happened to it.. either hardwarewise or with the firmware.

A lazy pixel I can live with but I don't wan't people feeling sick when trying this out.

[gigurra]

I recommend we handle this in a scientific manner - given that there are already two good jitter measurement sw out there - where one developer even started gathering statistics - you should be able to to get actual numbers on it, and see whether yours are normal or not. From you video, it seems a bit more than what I have myself.

Use either of these two:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Vive/comments/4f9h4i/very_very_rudimentary_program_for_testing_your/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Vive/comments/4gl61o/i_made_a_utility_to_graph_the_wobble_that_some/

I prefer the first one and he has also gathered some statistics.

IIRC the numbers that seem normal (and I hope Valve/HTC) takes notice of this and links to these software and what numbers are acceptable:

Displacement:
Max: 0.6-0.95 mm
1 stddev: 0.1-0.25 mm

Rotation:
0.1-0.2 deg

Check what numbers people have reported here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/133n0OOrw53TNAeEx_tNBapsgfi4l0I9Vm6rIsQ0uRvk/edit#gid=1470572500

I was worried a bit myself at first that I had some broken unit, but turns out my jitter numbers are about average.

[northwestuk]

Hiya gigurra.

Yep, I've done all those tests... Just retested using the first link and I'm getting the below results...

Absolute Max Deviation 0.82

Standard Deviation 0.19

Max Deviation 0.11

Seems like an average number. Tested using distances from the middle of the lighthouses set up then closer to each base station.

I think the problem is most people are not noticing the wobble when they first use it due to the WOW factor of being fully immersed inside a virtual world.It's only when you have your first quiet moment without the distraction of people using the headset you can spot it. Especially when standing still or sitting looking at the pixels wobbling about on screen and in the headset. I'm still thinking this is a firmware issue that can be resolved because like previous posters in this thread I'm also still getting the feeling of falling over and losing balance with using it.

[Bluelight]

Originally posted by Hixmegistos:

Bluelight:

As I said the Vive did not behave like this initally. That there may always be som jitter is ok but this gives me a constant feeling of loosing balance. Something that I didn't feel during the first weeks of use. No change in room or setup. So something has happened to it.. either hardwarewise or with the firmware.

A lazy pixel I can live with but I don't wan't people feeling sick when trying this out.

I understand what you mean totally.. my wobble is worse than most in my living room (Absolute is around 1.5.) I am fairly certain it is that firmware update as I mentioned so hopefully they will get it straightened out.

[Hixmegistos]

Originally posted by northwestuk:

Hiya gigurra.

I think the problem is most people are not noticing the wobble when they first use it due to the WOW factor of being fully immersed inside a virtual world.It's only when you have your first quiet moment without the distraction of people using the headset you can spot it. Especially when standing still or sitting looking at the pixels wobbling about on screen and in the headset. I'm still thinking this is a firmware issue that can be resolved because like previous posters in this thread I'm also still getting the feeling of falling over and losing balance with using it.

Then we are not talking about the same kind of wobble. The wobble I'm having would not have left R&D at Valve.

And.. as mentioned I wore the HMD for 5h in one night.. alone.. and felt nothing a week before the problems started. Now I have to brace myself to keep it on..

Edit: I agree with the firmware cause though... looked through logs yesterday and noticed that I ran the firmware updates on the 29th of June with would correlate pretty well with when the troubles started.

[Hixmegistos]

BlueLight:

Looked through logfiles yesterday and noticed that I did the firmware updates on the 29th of June which lines up pretty well with when my problems started. I'm pretty sure that it's the firmware now.

Max Dev: 1,29
Std dev: 0,36
Max rot: 0,125

Whether numbers are "normal" or not I can't really use the Vive as it is.

If you look at the lighthouses in VR (when you open steamVR dashboard) do they wobble as well? I think mine look pretty stable compared to everything else.

[Bones]

If you use SteamVR Beta there were updates for the base stations yesterday (just bluetooth though I think).

The variation is most likely due to the fact that the base stations have moving parts. I'm sure you've all noticed the vibration/hum coming from the base stations... there is a component in there spinning around. We know that the headset is stationary so its really the only explanation. Another possible factor would be the tolerances on that spinning component. For example if you could 100% make sure the housing was steady and still got variation thats likely component itself moving as it spins.

This spinning component is also what allows for the incredibly precise tracking and range we get from the base stations

[Bluelight]

Originally posted by Hixmegistos:

BlueLight:

Looked through logfiles yesterday and noticed that I did the firmware updates on the 29th of June which lines up pretty well with when my problems started. I'm pretty sure that it's the firmware now.

Max Dev: 1,29
Std dev: 0,36
Max rot: 0,125

Whether numbers are "normal" or not I can't really use the Vive as it is.

If you look at the lighthouses in VR (when you open steamVR dashboard) do they wobble as well? I think mine look pretty stable compared to everything else.

No those numbers are NOT normal as in what they should be.. but unfortunately are sort of normal for this wobble problem. As I mentioned I have similar numbers as this in my living room so don't worry.. you are not alone.. but I dont think anybody is trying to convey that this is ok or how it should be. If someone says normal I think they mean, normal cause pretty much everyone is having this problem who has updated the firmware.

I haven't looked at the base stations while the headset is stationary but I can tell you my controllers twitch as well as the world and they twitch in different directions.

BTW it is not cause of the base stations vibrating, although some people who have flimsy setups probably do add to the problem with that.