Headset tracking

The PlayStation VR unit contains several blue LED tracking lights and motion sensors located behind the front panel that synchronize with the PlayStation Camera located several feet in front of the user. Sony notes that it is important to place the camera within line of sight and to avoid any possible reflections from the ambient room environment. A handful of reviewers have already noted that using the PlayStation Camera in a dark room will help prevent distortion from bright lights or reflective surfaces that might otherwise distort tracking accuracy. This includes closing lamps and window shades to prevent light sources behind the headset from interfering with tracking. The PlayStation Camera only expects to see a single set of tracking LEDs, so any mirrors that are in view may confuse the tracking sensors and prevent input registration.

“Ambient lighting will generally not affect PS VR gameplay,” says Sony’s response in a blog post. But the company does mention that bright lights originating behind a headset wearer, including those coming from windows, can interfere with the PS Camera and interrupt the motion tracking process.

Controller tracking may also be an issue if the controllers are being used over 10 feet away. In the company’s official documentation, it says that the camera is able to track users up to 9.8 feet away, which can be a bit limiting for some larger rooms with furniture placed in the very back. While Sony’s VR system is not as expansive as some room-scale VR systems including the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, it may still require its users to rearrange furniture or simply sit closer to their television sets using a chair, futon, medicine ball or similar object.