SteamVR Troubleshooting

SteamVR + HTC Vive Troubleshooting

Welcome to the troubleshooting guide for the HTC Vive + SteamVR. Troubleshooting for the first generation development kit can be found here.

If you have a Vive Pre Developer kit, the troubleshooting instructions below will also apply to you. The only difference is the Vive Pre uses white LEDs instead of green LEDs to signify that a device is ready to be used.

For a guided troubleshooting experience, please visit the SteamVR help site.

General PC Troubleshooting

Please ensure that you have optimized your PC Settings for SteamVR by completing the following steps:

• Set your PC's power plan to "High performance" (Press the Windows key > Type: power > Select "Power Options" > Select "High performance")
• Set NVIDIA power management to "prefer maximum performance" as outlined here.
• Get the latest drivers from NVIDIA or AMD.
• Set your default audio playback device to HTC-VIVE-0.
• Make sure you are running Steam as an administrator.

Headset

If you are experiencing issues with the Headset, please see the topics below for troubleshooting suggestions:

Controllers

If you are experiencing issues with the Controller, please see the topics below for troubleshooting suggestions:

Base Stations

If you are experiencing issues with the Base Stations, please see the topics below for troubleshooting suggestions:

Tracking Issues

Tracking issues commonly manifest as a drifting or floating movement. Open your Frame Timing graph (from the SteamVR menu, choose Developer > Advanced Frame Timing) and look for frame timing spikes. If you see spikes, the issue is most likely with CPU performance, and not with tracking.

If a device's icon in SteamVR Status is pulsing green, it means it is not tracking. The in-headset displays go grey when your headset loses tracking. Check the following if you are having tracking issues:

• Make sure your base stations are set up correctly. They should be above head height (at least 6.5 feet), angled down 30-45 degrees, and no further than 5 meters, or 16 feet, apart.
• Check to make sure your devices are in view of at least one base station, and your bases are powered and synced. Their LEDs should be green if everything is good. See the Base Stations section above for more information about syncing.
• Loose cable connections can also cause tracking issues. Make sure all connections at the headset, Link Box, and PC are secure.
• While most issues caused by reflective surfaces have been solved, in some situations they can still cause tracking issues. If you are losing tracking or motion controllers occasionally float away in VR, try covering reflective surfaces in your VR area.
• If your headset has a front-facing camera, enabling it can sometimes cause tracking issues. If you lose tracking every time you bring up your dashboard, your camera may be at fault. Try disabling the camera or adjusting camera settings to see whether tracking improves.

SteamVR Issues (Error 301)

If you are experiencing problems with missing or corrupt files in SteamVR or you are encountering an Error 301, make sure the SteamVR tool is correctly installed by verifying the integrity of tool files.

1. Quit SteamVR and go to the Steam Client.
2. Locate SteamVR in your Library (you may have to enable Tools in the drop-down).
3. Right click on SteamVR and select Properties. Click on the Local Files tab.
4. Click Verify integrity of tool files.

If that doesn't work, try deleting the local files. Right click SteamVR and select Manage > Uninstall. Double click SteamVR in the tools library to reinstall.

Audio Issues

Wireless Receivers

There are two wireless receivers built into the Vive headset, used to communicate with the controllers. If you are experiencing issues with the wireless receivers, or if you are encountering "Wireless Receiver Not Detected" or "USB Device Not Recognized" errors, please see the topics below for troubleshooting suggestions:

Still Need Help?

If you can’t find a solution here, please visit the SteamVR help site for in-depth support.