- The "last-modified" date on this page - OSVR is a fast moving set of projects, so limitations mentioned here may no longer apply when you read this.
- Please refer to the "Important Product Information Guide" that shipped with your OSVR HDK
- You can view schematic drawings and access 3D printer files for all OSVR HDK versions at https://github.com/OSVR/OSVR-HDK
- The optics adjustment section at the end of this page also includes useful photos to help identify the device
- On the top of the beltbox plug in the large proprietory connector that runs from the hmd
- On the bottom of the beltbox
- plug in the power and IR camera synchronisation signal splitter cable
- plug in the usb type c connector on the combo cable
- plug in hdmi connector that is on same end of combo cable as the type c usb connector
- On Your PC
- plug in the remaining usb and hdmi connectors on combo cable making sure the hdmi is going to the gpu that you want to run the osvr hdk hmd from. N.B. You may also need to connect your primary display (preferrably hdmi 2.0) to the same gpu
- On Your IR Camera
- Plug in the power and the usb sync cables
Plug in the wall socket and connect the power from the wall to remaining power connection on splitter cable
Once you have the headset, HDMI, power plugged in, the HMD should be recognized as a new display on your computer.
- Windows users, you'll want to choose to "extend your display" in "Display Properties".
- Linux users: you can extend your display to it or you can run a separate X screen on it, your choice depending on how you want to use it. *Nvidia users; use control panel to manage hmd gpu power settings to use "maximum performance"
It will likely show up as a 1080x1920 "Portrait" display by default. This is the highest-performance mode. However, at this time most applications don't work with it in that mode, so you'll want to select the 1920x1080 resolution instead. (This doesn't mean you have to change the "Rotation" setting - just choose the alternate resolution and the HMD will perform the rotation internally.)
You'll also want to connect the IR camera at this point, if nothing else so that you can update the firmware. Unfortunately, at this time the IR camera firmware updater only runs on Windows.
There's a driver pack installer that can improve your experience. While not strictly necessary for basic use, it does provide better names for devices in the Device Manager, groups device components logically with corresponding icons in the "Devices and Printers" window, and on Windows 8.1 and earlier, is required to use the OSVR HDK control software to upgrade firmware, etc. (Windows 10 already includes the appropriate driver there, but the other benefits still apply.)
You can get the latest release here: https://github.com/OSVR/OSVR-HDK-Windows-Drivers/releases. Download and install it before moving on.
Most users will want:
- OSVR runtime
- OSVR config
- OSVR Control These will allow you to run, configure and manage osvr software and vr hardware for your vr setup. Recent builds of the the osvr runtime now ship with osvr server, tracker viewer and basic renedermanager components.
** Windows users; Download osvr software components as pre compiled binaries from: http://osvr.github.io/using/
** Other platforms; All osvr software source code is available at (including osvr hdk components): https://github.com/OSVR
Check RenderManager Troubleshooting for latest tested drivers. The osvr runtime ships with basic renedermanager components.
There are several parts of the system that have firmware that can be updated.
The IR Camera firmware is very important to update, as newer firmware can provide substantially improved performance as well as compatibility with Linux, OS X, and other software packages besides the OSVR Server video tracking plugin. On Windows, with drivers 1.2.6 or newer, from Start, type "Devices and Printers" and press Enter, and you should see a number of OSVR-related icons matching what you have plugged in.
If your icon for the IR Camera looks like this:
right-click it, and choose the "Get firmware upgrade" option. (Alternately you can go to http://osvr.github.io/using/)
Once there, you'll want to find the download for the IR camera firmware upgrader: it will be marked with this symbol: 
Non-Windows users: While you unfortunately can't do the upgrade on your system, you can check and see the firmware version, as it's part of the USB hardware ID. The vendor ID is 0x0bda, product ID is 0x57e8, and the firmware version is whatever is listed in the
bcdDevicefield (which shows up asREV_on Windows). On Linux,lsusb -v -d 0bda:57e8gets lots of information on the device, andlsusb -v -d 0bda:57e8 | grep bcdDeviceshows just the revision: 0.07 for version 7, the latest at this writing. If it's smaller, then the firmware needs an update.
The HDK main processor also has firmware.
On all versions of OSVR HDK Control utility on Windows is the best way to upgrade firmware and adjust some special features of the HMD. Go to http://osvr.github.io/using/ to get it. It can also report the current version of firmware that you have installed, etc.
Current version of latest firmware for osvr hdk 1.4 hardware is 2.00
If you have an HDK 1.2, the most recent firmware you'll want to install is version 1.84 - newer versions contain code specific to the different OLED screen in the 1.3. See the instructions for a special HDK 1.2 upgrade procedure that will automatically install this firmware, as well as automating the process of updating the processor's VID/PID in case you have an early unit where these were faulty.
The HDK firmware can be upgraded on Linux or Mac OS X. The instructions available now for upgrading HDK firmware on Linux are somewhat technical, but usable. They should also be applicable in general to Mac OS X, varying only in details. If you need assistance, contact OSVR Support.
There are two ways of getting the OSVR Server: the installer and build snapshots. Both can be obtained from the Using OSVR page. The installer is a more convenient option that bundles latest OSVR-Core snapshot, OSVR tools and documentation, while build snapshots allow to get various components individually. Most users will prefer the OSVR Runtime for Windows installer. Developers should select the OSVR SDK for Windows installer which contains additional content and tools necessary for OSVR development. If you're using a 64-bit version of Windows, either 32 or 64 bit will work (and be compatible with both 32 and 64-bit applications), so just pick one. (Linux users: please see the build instructions in this repository.)
In any case, running the osvr_server application should open a command-line window displaying some messages. If everything is working right, you'll see a line that says something like:
Added device: com_osvr_Multiserver/OSVRHackerDevKit0
If you are on Linux or Mac and do not get this output line, refer to the known issues.
You can minimize this window, but make sure to keep it running as long as you'll be using OSVR applications.
The default configuration should work for HDK 1.3/1.4 users with systems capable of direct mode, but there are other configuration options. Additionally, there's a configuration tool for the HMD itself that can allow you to customize things further. See Configuring the OSVR HDK for details.
The first application we suggest you try isn't glamorous, but it's handy for checking to make sure that things are working. On the Using OSVR page, you'll see a download link for the OSVR Tracker Viewer. Download and run that (with the OSVR Server running!), and you'll get a small window with some 3D arrows in it. If you're 3D-graphics savvy or VR-savvy, you'll probably figure out what they are and what they mean, but the important part in general is to just verify that the small arrows in the middle move when you rotate the headset. (You can right-click and drag to zoom in to see it better)
Of course, you can skip this step, but if you have problems, someone will probably ask you what you see when you run Tracker Viewer.
The OSVR Unity Palace Demo (source repo) is a visually-rich environment to look around and explore in using OSVR-supported hardware, including the HDK. The first link contains binary downloads for Windows: just download and run (make sure the OSVR server is running!), and if desired move around in the environment with a gamepad or keyboard and mouse. On the start-up screen you'll want to choose the display that your HDK is configured as, and the 1920x1080 full HD resolution.
Note that in this application, as with all Unity applications, if you "click away" from the app (so it is no longer the focused/active application) it will stop updating the OSVR plugin, and thus the display will appear to freeze (since no tracking data is being received). Most of the time you can just click the taskbar icon for the application to restore focus and pick up where you left off.
If the HDK is in rotation vector mode (as opposed to game rotation mode), you will want to calibrate the internal sensor each time you move to a different environment. This calibrates the gyros and will prevent drift. To perform calibration, simply power up the HDK, and with the HDK in your hands move it in a figure-8 motion a few times. There is no need to run any software for this calibration. The HDK will automatically store this calibration in the unit once the unit is static (e.g. on the table) for more than 5 seconds.
You can save beacon calibration config so that you do not need to perform a manual positional calibration every time you start an osvr server. More info on this subject is found at https://github.com/OSVR/OSVR-Docs/blob/master/Getting-Started/HDK/Video-Based-Tracking-Calibration.md
Custom Google Search for the OSVR project
If you're having hardware or software problems in general, just open a help ticket with OSVR Support.
Support tickets are monitored by multiple people so they'll be handed smoothly by the best person available and suited to your question. GitHub and the developer mailing list are the main ways to reach current developers contributing to OSVR. If you'd like to develop OSVR software or contribute in some way, please see the Developer Portal at osvr.github.io to join the development discussion/mailing list, and see the list of projects and their contribution information.
It's not recommended to ask about problems or post questions elsewhere (forums/reddit, twitter, etc.) if you want a developer or "official" response, since those aren't venues we (developers/technical people) necessarily frequent daily or control the "official" accounts on.
As a general rule of open-source communities, and thus in OSVR as well, it's usually considered rude to email a developer personally with a question. Among other reasons, it only allows a single person to handle your question (when there may be others who could do so and perhaps better) and doesn't archive a potentially useful exchange in searchable archives. (Don't be surprised if your email gets forwarded to the support ticket system if you do this.)
-- The HDK 1.2 and earlier have thumbscrew-adjusters underneath each eye, with pupil-distance and focus adjustment. This image is from a 1.1, but the mechanism on the 1.2 is effectively the same. 
-- The HDK 1.3 have simple sliders underneath each eye for focus adjustment (modified optics for a larger eyebox removed the need for adjustable pupil distance.). 
This diagram of HDK optics adjustments (printable full-page PDF here shows what the adjustments are. You'll want to adjust them while wearing the display and with an image displayed on the screen (plugged in, etc.), but one eye at a time (close the other eye). You can use your glasses (or lack thereof) to estimate approximately where you'll want to start the focus control at, then adjusting the IPD until the lens feels and looks "centered" with your eye and all parts of the screen are equally sharp.
The sliders on the bottom of the 1.3 adjust focus in diopters. If you normally wear glasses, you may be able to take them off and adjust the focus sliders instead to see a sharp image. Otherwise, just adjust them until you see a sharp image in both eyes, likely when both eyes are around the tick-mark labeled 0.