busybee fluffy rambles

First of all, definitely use a 2.4GHz-only network when provisioning them. I used an SSID which was mixed 2.4/5GHz and some of them were unable to come up fully, but reprovisioning to 2.4-only fixed that.

Second, don’t bother with the webpage setup instructions. Just use the dang app, at least if you’re on Windows. Its directions are way easier to follow.

Third, the instructions don’t quite cover how to set up the extension trackers. You’ll need to connect them before you provision the trackers. The instructions are also not very good at telling you how you should set things up. What I eventually settled on was:

• Upper arms
• Chest + hips
• Thighs
• Ankles + feet

Knowing which straps to use where was also annoying, but I eventually figured it out.

For the actual calibration, the quick-reset stuff just completely donks everything up. When I want to calibrate, I go to the “mounting calibration” and do it in automatic mode, which seems to do a good job of working things out. Manually setting up the mounting orientations didn’t work for me. The quick tap-to-recalibrate also messes everything up. I’m probably doing something wrong.

Anyway. How’s the tracking quality? It’s just Okay. It gets confused by leg poses easily (especially sitting cross-legged on the floor), and the calibration still drifts somewhat over time. I’m also a bit disappointed to find that it doesn’t actually do any elbow tracking.I might try swapping the foot extensions to my arm trackers to see if that gives me elbow tracking though, as I care more about elbow position than being able to tap my feet. And anyway, having the straps squeezing my feet seems to be a source of pain flareup.

The main annoyance is just that the whole process of putting them on and taking them off is quite the production. A set of Tundras would be a lot easier. And, for the level of tracking I’m getting, would have cost about the same, too. (But when I ordered these I still was using a Quest and wasn’t expecting to upgrade to a SteamVR setup, so at the time these were a much more sensible purchase.)

I guess what I’m saying is, if you’re already using lighthouse-based VR, go with Tundras, otherwise the SlimeVR is pretty okay.

If I do end up getting Tundras I’d probably use them both together, with Tundras on my feet and hips (where positioning matters a lot), and SlimeVR on my chest and arms (where orientation is all that really matters).

Anyway, even with the inaccurate tracking and the fiddly setup, it adds a lot to the immersion. Maybe not a thing to bother with most of the time, but it sure made today’s karaoke a lot more fun!