Watch me set up the HTC Vive for room-scale virtual reality

Oculus Rift is out today, but maybe you’re waiting for some virtual reality that enables you to get up out of your chair to walk around. For that, you’re gonna need the the HTC Vive and SteamVR.

GamesBeat has messed around with the Vive Pre headset (from Taiwanese manufacturer HTC and Steam operator Valve Software) over the last few days, and that’s required me to get familiar with its setup process. Vive has a ton of games that work with “room-scale VR,” which is a type of virtual reality that can track your movement throughout a room. The setup process for this requires you to install two devices called “Base Stations” on the edges of an open space. You then need to complete a guide on your PC to help Valve’s SteamVR software understand the boundaries of your room. Tech adviser Digi-Capital predicts VR could generate $30 billion in spending by 2020, but a lot of people question whether their home has enough space for the room-scale variety. Well, allow me to share my experience of going through the SteamVR room setup to give you an idea of what to expect.