What are base stations?
Base stations, also known as ‘lighthouses’, track the exact location of your headset by sweeping the room using wireless pulses and laser lines. These devices form a cornerstone of high-precision positional tracking systems for virtual and mixed reality. Full 360° coverage of your surroundings can usually be achieved with two base stations, enabling a fully immersive virtual reality experience where your movements are accurately mirrored in the virtual space. However, larger or more irregularly shaped spaces may require additional base stations to ensure comprehensive coverage. When set up correctly, this positional tracking system enables you to move anywhere in your space and re-orient yourself in any position in a virtual or mixed reality environment. If you have a static VR/XR simulator setup with a seated, front-facing position, such as for racing or flight simulations, a single lighthouse may sometimes be sufficient, as fewer movement dimensions need to be tracked.
When setting up your headset, installing the base stations correctly into your space is highly recommended. A wrong setup could lead to for example the following issues:
- Headset blackout
- Motion sickness
- Choppy visuals
- Incorrect positional tracking of the headset, leading to breaking the immersion
Check the user manual or installation guide included with your VR system to ensure your base stations are set up correctly.
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