HTC Vive VR: How much room space do I really need?

HTC Vive setup guide — The HTC Vive takes up a lot of space − so much, you might have to move your sofa HTC

The HTC Vive is one of the most impressive pieces of technology we have ever used. It takes virtual reality and turns it up a notch by letting you walk around inside the virtual environment as if you are not just playing the game, but actually a part of it.

The problem is, setting up Vive is a lengthy process and there are certain space requirements to get the system working. Trying to play Vive in your tiny spare bedroom simply isn't going to work.

Thankfully, after setting up and playing Vive for ourselves, we've come up with this handy guide for checking you have enough space, then installing Vive in the best way possible − and we've employed a few makeshift hacks along the way.

But first, the basics:

Vive requires a minimum play area of 1.5m by 2m, or 5ft by 6.5ft. Some games require much more, up to 3m by 3m.
The two lighthouses that track your movement cannot be more than 5m (16ft) apart. They each require a mains plug within easy reach.
The lighthouses need to be around 1.8m (6ft) in the air and pointed down slightly into the play area. A pair of included wall mounts with screws and ball joints are the ideal solution, but we found taping one to the top of a wall-mounted TV and balancing the other on a GoPro mount stuck to the window with a suction cup worked just fine.
Your computer or laptop needs to be positioned so that the Vive headset, tethered by a 5m cable, can reach across the entire play area.
HTC suggests you cover all windows, mirrors and other reflective surfaces, although we had no trouble using Vive in a meeting room where two walls (both acting as edges to the play area) were entirely glass and with no blinds or curtains.

A sad truth

The sad truth is that few people (especially in London, where IBTimes UK is based) have a free space large enough to accommodate Vive. To this end, HTC quite literally suggests you move your sofa and other furniture out of the way to make room. This is far from ideal and, although Vive can work in a space littered with tables, chairs and pets, you are guaranteed to stub your toe the moment you put the headset on.

HTC Vive lighthouse — We taped our lighthouse to a GoPro suction cup. Not pretty, but it did the job IBTimes UK

Once you have cleared your room of furniture, pets and the massive box Vive comes in, you simply walk around it with a controller in one hand to tell Vive where the boundaries of your play area are. If Vive makes a hash of this (it will, repeatedly), you can enter Advanced Mode and pull the controller's trigger when stood in each corner. This worked better for us.

Amusingly, Vive will ask you to "locate the floor". This is done by putting both controllers on the floor and clicking next. Simple.

HTC Vive lighthouse setup — Ideally, the lighthouses need to be fixed to your walls 6ft up. Better go buy a drill... HTC

We made our play area as large as possible, but soon found Vive to glitch when we got close to the edges. This is probably because of how badly our lighthouses were positioned, but shrinking the area slightly fixed this. In truth, you only need a small area to play in (enough to make two steps in each direction from the centre), as otherwise you'll keep tripping up over the cables.

Standing room only

If your room simply isn't big enough for Vive, don't worry. You can still play in the system's 'Standing Only' mode. The lighthouses still need to be mounted 6ft high and at opposite ends of your space, but there's no need to map out a play area, as in this mode there's no walking around involved − just lots of turning, leaning and in-game teleporting instead. You could even sit down, but this takes away almost all of what makes Vive so special.