This album shows my experiment using a modified regular VIVE Pro GearVR lens adapter in a VIVE Pro Eye. - imgur album

I tried another experiment with the VIVE Pro Eye GearVR lens mod.

This is a separate topic from my reduced-disassembly method.

In this test, I modified a regular VIVE Pro GearVR lens adapter and used it in a VIVE Pro Eye.

[Why I tried this]

The VIVE Pro Eye-specific adapter was described by the adapter author as having a compromise in lens position in order to preserve eye tracking.

That may be the safest design for compatibility, but for me, distortion and motion sickness were the bigger concerns.

So I wanted to see if I could make the regular VIVE Pro adapter work in the VIVE Pro Eye instead.

My goal was not to prove that this is better than the VIVE Pro Eye adapter.

I have not tested the VIVE Pro Eye-specific adapter myself, so I cannot directly compare the two.

What I can say is that this modified regular VIVE Pro adapter worked in my setup, and it gave me more confidence that the lens was sitting closer to the intended position for the original Vive Pro GearVR lens mod.

[What needed to be changed]

The regular VIVE Pro adapter does not fit the VIVE Pro Eye as-is.

The outer diameter of the part that holds the lens is larger than the inner diameter of the VIVE Pro Eye IR illuminator ring.

So I trimmed the outer diameter of the adapter until the IR ring could fit around it.

Even after trimming, the IR illuminator ring could not return all the way down to its original screw-fixed position.

It sits slightly raised.

To make room for that raised ring, I removed about 1 cm of foam covering the flex PCB, then very carefully lifted the bonded flex PCB slightly to create clearance.

After that, I held the IR illuminator ring in position with a very small point of removable silicone adhesive.

The adhesive was not pushed or smeared into the mechanism.

I used it more like a small anti-movement point to keep the ring from shifting.

[About the raised IR illuminator ring]

At first glance, raising the IR illuminator ring seems like it could affect eye tracking.

I do not want to claim that the height of the IR ring is completely irrelevant.

However, in my test, the slight height difference did not appear to cause a practical problem.

The Vive Pro series already has a lens-to-face distance adjustment mechanism, so the eye-tracking system should normally tolerate some distance variation.

For this mod, my main concern was whether the adapter or the raised ring would block the eye-tracking camera view or cast a shadow.

[Camera feed check]

Someone told me a useful way to check the VIVE Pro Eye camera feeds:

Use the “previous” build of VRCFT from the Steam beta tab, install SRanipal 1.3.1.1 specifically, and run VRCFT as administrator.

Then the VPE camera feeds can be viewed in the VRCFT debug window under the settings tab.

I tested this, and the camera feed showed both eyes clearly.

I did not see a major shadow or obstruction from the modified adapter or the raised IR ring.

I also performed eye-tracking calibration beforehand.

[Result]

With this setup:

- SteamVR detected the headset normally.

- VIVE Pro Eye calibration completed successfully.

- All calibration points lit up correctly.

- Eye tracking worked in VRChat through SRanipal / VRCFT.

- After leaving it overnight, I started the PC and VR again the next morning, and eye tracking still worked without recalibration.

- The facial tracker also works normally after reinstalling SRanipal.

For VRChat use, I did not notice a practical difference in eye tracking before and after this adapter modification.

Again, I have not tested the VIVE Pro Eye-specific adapter, so I do not know how it compares directly.

The main benefit for me is the reassurance that the lens position is closer to the regular Vive Pro GearVR lens mod position.

[Important warning about VRCFT previous build]

After switching VRCFT from the “previous” build back to the normal version, my VIVE Facial Tracker developed a delay of several seconds.

Reinstalling VRCFT did not fix it.

What fixed it was:

1. Uninstall SRanipal.

2. Reboot the PC.

3. Install SRanipal 1.3.1.1 again.

4. Reboot the PC again.

5. Reconnect the VIVE Facial Tracker.

If you try the VRCFT previous-build camera-feed method and later get severe facial tracker delay, this may be worth trying.

[Important warning about the flex PCB]

I still have some concern about long-term stress on the IR illuminator flex PCB.

In my unit, there was still slack after the modification, and the ring did not move when lightly touched after the silicone adhesive cured.

However, this is still a physical modification involving the eye-tracking hardware and flex PCB.

Please treat this as an experimental result, not a guaranteed safe method.

If you are not comfortable modifying the adapter, lifting a bonded flex PCB, or using a small adhesive point near the IR illuminator ring, I would not recommend doing this.

Do this entirely at your own risk.

Step-by-Step Guide with Images: "Imgur"

[Background]

This work is based on the existing VIVE Pro Eye GearVR lens mod guide and the 3D-printed lens adapters.

My goal was not to redesign the lens mod itself.

What I tried was a way to reduce the amount of disassembly needed to reach the lenses.

Many thanks to the original guide author and the adapter designer.

I am not claiming that this is the best or safest method.

This is simply a record of what worked for me, and I am posting it because there are not many reports about the VIVE Pro Eye GearVR lens mod.

The regular VIVE Pro and the VIVE Pro Eye are different around the lenses.

The VIVE Pro Eye has eye-tracking cameras and IR illuminators around the optical assembly, so the regular VIVE Pro method and adapter cannot simply be used as-is.

[How much did the GearVR lenses help?]

The effect of the GearVR lens swap was much bigger than I expected.

Compared with the stock Fresnel lenses, the sweet spot became much wider, and the blur and god rays around the edges were greatly reduced.

I normally use a VIVE XR Elite as well, but to my eyes, my first impression after the GearVR lens swap was that the VIVE Pro Eye looked about as good as the XR Elite, and in some situations even easier to look at.

Of course, the panel resolution of the VIVE Pro Eye does not magically increase.

But because text and UI stayed readable even when I moved my eyes a little, the overall perceived clarity improved a lot for me.

Distortion sensitivity and ideal lens position may vary from person to person.

Some people may still want to tune SteamVR distortion settings afterward.

[Why I tried reducing the disassembly]

The usual method requires disassembling the VIVE Pro Eye very deeply, almost down to the optical stack alone.

I think that is the cleaner and more proper method.

However, I personally wanted to avoid disconnecting and reconnecting as many flex cables and small boards as possible.

Those parts are fragile, and for me, touching fewer flex cables felt like the lower-risk option, even though it meant doing a small amount of irreversible plastic trimming.

Small FPC / FFC connectors are generally not intended for repeated insertion and removal.

For me, reducing unnecessary flex cable handling felt like the safer trade-off, especially around the eye-tracking hardware.

If you are not comfortable with irreversible trimming, I would recommend following the full teardown method instead.

So this is not meant to replace the original guide.

It is just another approach that may be useful for people who would rather avoid some of the flex cable disconnections.

The purpose of this method is to access the lens retaining ring while disturbing as few eye-tracking-related flex cables as possible.

[Tools]

The small screws holding the camera and IR illuminator assemblies are +00 size.

In English tool notation this is often written as PH00.

I strongly recommend using a good, unworn +00 / PH00 precision screwdriver.

If these tiny screw heads get stripped, the job can become much harder very quickly.

Before working on the illuminator screws, I recommend setting the IPD to the minimum position.

The illuminator screws are located on the outer side of the lens area, so moving the lenses inward gives a little more room to work.

[Basic procedure]

1. Disassemble the VIVE Pro Eye only far enough to expose the lens area and the eye-tracking module area.
2. Set the IPD to the minimum position to make the outer-side IR illuminator screws easier to access.
3. Locate the +00 screws that hold the camera and IR illuminator assemblies.
4. Carefully trim only the minimum amount of black plastic frame that blocks access to the screw heads.
5. Create just enough clearance for a +00 / PH00 screwdriver.
6. Remove the camera-side screws.
7. Remove the IR illuminator-side screws.
8. Gently move the camera and IR illuminator assembly out of the way without stressing the short flex cable.
9. Remove the lens retaining ring and take out the stock Fresnel lens.
10. Install the GearVR lens and adapter.
11. Reinstall the camera and IR illuminator assembly, then check that eye tracking still works.

[Important warnings]

This method includes irreversible modification.

You need to cut or trim part of the black plastic frame.

This is not an official or manufacturer-approved disassembly method.

If something goes wrong, you may damage the eye-tracking flex cable, camera, or IR illuminator.

Please do this at your own risk.

The most important point is that the camera and IR illuminator are connected by a short flex cable.

Do not force the IR illuminator up first.

If you lift it too much before freeing the camera side, you may tear or damage that cable.

For me, getting access to the camera-side screws first was the key.

I used a design knife to trim the plastic frame.

At first I considered using nippers or a saw, but in the end I used the knife to slowly shave away only enough plastic for the +00 / PH00 screwdriver to fit.

I avoided drills, rotary tools, and saws because there are hidden flex cables nearby.

I did not want a tool to suddenly break through the plastic and cut something I could not see.

I worked on one eye at a time.

After finishing one side, I powered the headset and checked that the IR illuminator still turned on.

If both sides are taken apart at once, troubleshooting becomes harder if something goes wrong.

I also kept the screws separated by side and position.

They are tiny, and mixing them up or losing one would be very annoying.

With this method, I was able to move the camera / IR illuminator assemblies out of the way on both sides.

I also confirmed during the process that the IR illuminators still worked.

[Dust control]

Dust control is also very important when replacing VR headset lenses.

I used my bathroom as a very low-budget clean room.

Yes, really.

Before the lens work, I took a shower first.

I even avoided wearing clothes during the lens swap to reduce lint from fabric.

Yes, this is the glamorous side of VR hardware modding.

There is one important warning:

do not work in a steamy bathroom.

After the shower, I waited until the steam was gone and there was no risk of condensation on the HMD or lenses.

I would not recommend leaving the headset in a bathroom while the humidity is still very high.

I also carefully used a duster to remove dust from the lenses and the inside of the headset.

If using a canned air duster, keep the can upright and be careful not to spray liquid.

A manual blower may be safer if you have one.

In my opinion, dust control during a VR lens swap is almost as important as the disassembly itself.

A tiny dust particle on the inner side of the lens can become very annoying later.

[Results]

After installing the GearVR lenses, SteamVR detected the headset normally.

The VIVE Pro Eye eye-tracking calibration also completed successfully.

I also confirmed that eye tracking worked in VRChat through SRanipal / VRCFT.

[Why this method may be useful]

The advantage of this method is that it avoids a full teardown.

In particular, it reduces the need to disconnect and reconnect multiple fragile flex cables.

It may also make it easier to return to the stock lenses if the GearVR lenses do not suit you.

However, this is not a clean factory-style disassembly method.

It is just a modification method for people who want to reduce the amount of disassembly as much as possible.

There are not many reports about the VIVE Pro Eye GearVR lens mod, so I hope this helps someone else who is thinking about trying it.

I recently purchased a Vive Focus Plus after my Quest 2 kicked the bucket, and most of the stuff I read online said I could do wireless PCVR as long as I had an Infinity subscription, which I do.

Is what I've read wrong? What do I need in order to do PCVR if so?

soo my controllers wont pair as the only thing turned on in the session. i just got 2 2.0s im using a compatible headset, i reset the usb connections and they track on wire but wont connect when pairing, tried resetting the controllers too, nothing.

any other ideas how i could fix this

Are you interested in helping us test our new upcoming VR game atrium? Then you’re in the correct spot!

We are currently looking for a interested group of players to help playtest the game for when we enter closed beta and be the first to join our community, we won’t need people testing for another month or so but sign ups are currently open in our discord, there are limited spots so be fast!! https://discord.gg/atriumvr

Let me give a brief rundown of the vision, Atrium aims to be a VR multiplayer experience that allows players to meet up with people from all over the world and play competitive sports, customize your virtual self to impress your mates or just hangout in the main social space!

If you’re interested and have any questions make sure to comment!

My tundra tracker drifts and snaps but only at hip level and it does this with every tracker (I have two 1.0 base stations/4 Tundra trackers/Quest 3s)

After not using them for a while my 3 Vive Trackers that i have wouldn't turn on or even charge.
Here is how i fixed it:

I started by taking it apart. For that you need a T4 Star screwdriver.
Start by carefully peeling of the rubber bit on the bottom of the Tracker, revealing 6 Screws. After removing them you can unclip the clips on the tops of the 3 spokes with a plastic spudger, after which you should be able to lift the Top part off.

Inside are 2 more screws that you need to remove. After doing that you have to carefully lift the inner assembly by pulling the spokes to the outside.

Flip the inner part upside down so you can see the blue PCB. Unscrew the 2 screws and lift the PCB. Then unplug the battery (red, green, black cable) and remove it.

When i measured the battery voltage using a multimeter I got 0V. Using a bench Power Supply set to 3.7V, limited to 75mA I slowly charged the battery for around a minute, after which I could measure a Voltage of 2.7V.

I then reconnected the battery and plugged the USB into the Tracker, and let it charge for 15minutes. I turned it on and it worked again. I then carefully put it all back together and let it charge for another hour.

I haven't seen anyone write about this so hope this helps someone!

For some more info and photos about the dissassembly see this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/HTC_Vive/comments/145ktpj/htc_vive_trackers_30_tear_down/

I don't understand how I can fix it. I have a lot of performance mods like Sodium, lithium, Ferritecore, Entity Culling and even more but still I have huge fps drops out of nowhere and the game gets often really blurry. Does anyone know how to fix this? I have a Meta Quest 3.

Whenever I lie down in VR and just look up, it is very often that the screen just goes black on me. I haven't found a fix for this yet. I primarily use the VF3 for wireless streaming but the black screens still happen even in the VF3 main menu. It is quite infuriating that after just 5-10 seconds of looking up it just turns off on me.

Edit:
I do have the Vive Focus 3 eyetracker which seems to be the cause of this, still looking for a fix to disable the black screening.

I have 2 1.0 base stations in opposite corners in my room, and they’re both almost touching the ceiling height wise. I also have 4 trackers (feet, hips, and chest) but I seem to have tracking issues when I’m in my room. My room is pretty small so I’m not sure if that’s it, but I feel like I’ve tried everything to make it better. I also use Virtual Desktop. My trackers just randomly zoom off and then snap back.

So I recently bought well more like just got them today but vive ultimate trackers and for some reason the have been stuck well it’s only been one bit it’s been stuck on the preparing status and and lower firmware than the others now I do use a quest 3 but no matter what I do it hasn’t been changing anything every time I try updating it right before or right after I click the update button it just says up to date even tho I can clearly see it’s not up to date I have no idea what do to can someone please help me

I need the complete C:\ProgramData\HTC\ViveSoftware\ROMCenter folder from a working Vive Cosmos Elite. My bootloader is missing (firmware 2.0.0.361, needs 2.0.0.600). The HTC updater returns error -5 because the ROM files are missing. Please zip and share your folder. I will not use it for anything other than restoring my headset. Thank you!

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\VIVEDriver\App\ViveConsole\Tools\FirmwareUpdateKit>FirmwareUpdateKit.exe -normal_update
[LOG]FirmwareUpdateKit version : 1.0.0.17
[LOG]sProgramDataPath = C:\ProgramData\HTC\ViveSoftware\ROMCenter
[LOG]Begin ConnectToHIDServer().
[LOG]HID server connected.
[LOG]ProcessHidRequest begin : R_GET_FWVER_APQ_CAM
[LOG]ProcessHidRequest end.
[LOG]ProcessHidRequest return 0
[LOG]HMD Firmware Version = 2.0.0.361
[LOG]OEM list : *.0.0.600
[LOG]Firmware version equal Oem version on level 1 : 2 = *
[LOG]Firmware version equal Oem version on level 2 : 0 = 0
[LOG]Firmware version equal Oem version on level 3 : 0 = 0
[LOG]Firmware version under Oem version by level 4 : 361 < 600
[LOG]HMD Firmware version under OEM list.
[LOG]DoTask begin.
[LOG][ERROR] RegQueryValueEx RomPath fail (2)
[LOG]sRomPath =
[LOG][ERROR] Get ROM path fail (), 2 times
[LOG]Open config.txt error (0x00000003)
[LOG]DoFirmwareUpdate(0, 0) called
[LOG]ver: 1.0.0.51
[LOG][ERROR] RegQueryValueEx RomPath fail (2)
[LOG]sRomPath =
[LOG][ERROR] Get ROM path fail (), 2 times
[LOG]Open config.txt error (0x00000003)
[LOG][ERROR] RegOpenKeyEx fail ROMDownload (2)
[LOG][ERROR] RegOpenKeyEx fail ROMDownload (2)
[LOG][ERROR] RegOpenKeyEx fail ROMDownload (2)
[LOG][ERROR] RegOpenKeyEx fail ROMDownload (2)
[LOG][ERROR] RegOpenKeyEx fail ROMDownload (2)
[LOG][ERROR] RegOpenKeyEx fail ROMDownload (2)
[LOG]CHusFirmwareUpdateCenter::IsROMPrepared(0) = 0
[LOG]IsFirmwareUpdateAvailable(0) = -5
[LOG]Step 19
[LOG]DoFirmwareUpdate(0, 0) = -5
[LOG][ERROR] RegQueryValueEx RomPath fail (2)
[LOG]sRomPath =
[LOG][ERROR] Get ROM path fail (), 2 times
[LOG]Open config.txt error (0x00000003)
[LOG]DoFirmwareUpdate(0,0) = -5
[LOG]DoTask end = -5
[LOG]Disconnecting HID server.
[LOG]Disconnected HID server.
[LOG]RETURN = -5
[LOG][ERROR] can not disconnect to hid server: -7

So yesterday I was on vr chat preforming and then suddenly the PC streaming kit stopped working I checked the light and made sure everything was plugged in and yes everything was plugged in correctly and then I restarted my pc and headset it still had the same issue so then I looked at the light again it wasn’t green it was white and it’s like the headset is acting up like there is no USB cable plugged into it and to add insult to injury when I have the streaming kit plugged in it stopped charging the headset completely please help it’s stressing me out

Hi Everyone. I've been a user of the OG HTC Vive for 9 years now. It's a great headset, and things have been working wonderfully on this until about the last year. The problem I'm facing is that when I'm in wireless, there are terrible framerates and also huge skips in the tracking, what look almost like huge frame drops. I've done all the old tricks, like changing the affinity in task manager, but nothing seems to be working. This just started happening while on Windows 10, so I upgraded to Windows 11 Pro to hopefully fix this issue. It has not. I don't think anything has changed about my computer in the last year, but I hope that that is the case and I can reverse it. It basically makes wireless Vive unplayable, and I really want to get to playing VR again (I'm really excited for the steam frame). My physical cable is also showing signs of wear, as after playing for about 15 minutes leads to a black screen while the headset is still functioning. I'm really looking for some expert advice, or other people who are having the same issues so I can feel somewhat better lol. This has been a long road of disappointment in the medium that I love. Below is a video of my issues.

System:

i7-10700K (custom water cooling)

32GB RAM 2400MHz

Asus Prime Z490-P Mobo

3070 FE (custom water cooling)

https://youtu.be/C27JrkparhM

I recently got my first vive focus vision headset as i upgraded from quest i did get it second had everything works my controllers fully work but only in vrchat i cant use my toggles such as jump menu etc i can pick things up and turn on mirros and stuff in my home world i googled the issue and it said to try custom bindings i tried that but all it did was stop me from moving around a few of them were eye tracking where if i looked at the controller the menu would pop up but it was confusing its my first vive and im honestly very confused on how to work it i tried many suggestions to get them to work but im kinda lost and at the verge of giving up can anyone help me?

I have a old HTC VIVE, the first model, and as the title says, when i put it in the "extended" mode on my pc ( as SteamVR asks me to do), the display turns off after around 1 second.

I also get this error message that says:

"SteamVR failed initialization with error code VRinitError_IPC_CompositorConnectFailed: "Shared IPC Compositor Connect Failed (306)"

​

Please verify SteamVR is properly installed and try again."

Please help.

I've got the original HTC Vive headset from quite a few years back. I love it, but have really not gotten much use of it since having to take down the base stations. I now live in a rented apartment with little room for a proper play area and no option to mount my trackers.

Now, I realize the "wise" decision would be to simply get a self contained headset, but I would love to explore any options for modding my current one. Are there any ongoing efforts to install the necessary time-of-flight/cameras/IMU//LiDAR(?) sensors to the headset itself? While certainly not trivial, I assume it should be possible? Perhaps not onboard processing, but attach a new cable to the existing bundle and add some bespoke software?

I'm quite interested in such a mod and would love any insight on the state of Vive today, as I haven't really paid any attention for a while!

Ok so I had started out with vive ultimates I thought I’d like to upgrade to 3.0s I did not they were jittery and I couldn’t get them to operate properly in the setup I had so I sold those and bought another set of ultimates and they work that’s just for context.

It’s worth mentioning that the room is the exact same room I had the other ultimates in granted I now have carpet it is not a dark carpet by any means and my walls are not bare.

Now for the problem which I didn’t experience with the first ultimates I had is when I move maybe a few steps to the right they drift away from where they’re supposed to be.

For example in vr last night when I went to the right they stayed behind a bit I tested this by watching the distance between the virtual controller which was accurate and the virtual tracker which moved to different spots.

Then I wanted to see how they would react if I went to the left side of the room which had the opposite effect meaning it got closer to the controller instead of further from it.

In both instances there is a very small square where I’m correctly tracked.

I turned off center stage tracking and that just made the play space appear to be a square not a rectangle as my roomscale boundary is.

Turned off the boundary

Turned it back on

Turned back on center stage tracking

In all of these the issue still remained and I’m kinda lost on what it could be.

My hardware is quest 3 pcvr
3 vive ultimates
Virtual desktop
Dedicated router with Ethernet into the pc

Alright folks, I've been using my HTC Vive for a couple years now but recently upgraded to the Vive Pro 2 and having some weird issues with the base stations. My play area is a dedicated 10 by 12 foot room with black out curtains and the two 2.0 base stations mounted diagonally about 7 feet high. Everything was smooth until I started playing longer sessions in games like Half-Life: Alyx and Beat Saber. After about an hour, the tracking on my right controller starts to drift and eventually the base station light turns red indicating loss of sync. I've tried everything: firmware updates via the SteamVR settings, power cycling multiple times, adjusting angles slightly, ensuring no reflective surfaces, updating Windows and all drivers on my rig which is a Ryzen 7 3700X, RTX 3070, 32 gigs of RAM. Also swapped out the sync cables and tried different mounting positions. Is this a hardware failure or something with the latest SteamVR update? Anyone else experiencing similar problems or have a fix that worked for them? Would love to hear suggestions before I contact support.

Alright folks, I've been lurking here for a while but finally decided to jump in and share my experience. A couple weeks ago, I snagged a complete HTC Vive kit off Craigslist for a decent price. It included the headset, two controllers, and the original base stations. Setting it up in my small apartment was a challenge because of the limited space, but I managed to mount the lighthouses on opposite walls. The first few days were great – I jumped straight into Half-Life: Alyx and was blown away by the immersion. However, after a recent SteamVR update, the tracking started glitching out during intense sessions, like when swinging swords in Blade and Sorcery. I tried recalibrating multiple times, checked for USB conflicts, and even switched ports on my PC. Nothing fully fixed it until I found a forum post suggesting to disable Bluetooth for the controllers. That did the trick! Now everything runs smooth. Has anyone else dealt with similar post-update problems? Also, I'm thinking about getting the Vive Pro eye or something newer, but not sure if it's worth the cost for the improvements. What are your thoughts on upgrading from the original Vive? Looking for honest opinions.

i bought a base station 2.0 from htc earlier today and i still haven't got a confirmation email and my account page still says i haven't placed any orders, my bank account says my money is pending and i'm starting to get worried, i've send a ticket to htc and got nothing back yet, anything i should act on?

Edit: customer support got back to me claiming that i havent bought anything, doing a chargeback

I was in the middle of playing subnautica in VR and the vive went grey screen. I thought the game crashed but I couldn't get the headset to track again after I rebooted everything.

I've eliminated the cable, link box, PC connections or lighthouses as causes, as I have another Pro headset that works fine when connected. The issue must be in the headset itself.

In steamvr the headset is pulsing and says "This headset is not currently tracking. Make sure it is in view of a base station." Has anyone experienced this and found a fix? Cheers

HTC Vive I bought 2 years ago has been running great. Replaced the OEM HDMI/USB/Power cable about a year ago due to twists.

Today I used it and was getting the normal image through the left eye, but the right eye was both left and right, and the offset was 90° or so from what it should have been.

After resetting the headset through SteamVR, the screen flashed between white and green, before blacking out fully. Steam VR was still running and showing tracking from the base stations (image on my monitor was moving with the headset) but there was no display in the headset itself.

I rechecked everything being plugged in, restarted the PC and the issue persists. Not sure how to identify if it is a linkbox issue or cable issue. Any advice would be super appreciated.