Inside-Out Tracking: The New Standard in VR?

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Inside-Out Tracking: The New Standard in VR?

Recently, the VR industry has seen the debut of two highly anticipated headsets: Samsung’s Galaxy XR and Valve’s Steam Frame. Just like the headsets from other tech giants like PlayStation and Meta, both the Galaxy XR and Frame share share a key design philosophy: inside-out tracking. As these tech giants embrace this approach, it’s clear that inside-out tracking is becoming a major trend in the next generation of VR devices.

What Is Inside-Out Tracking?

Inside-out tracking uses cameras and sensors built directly into the headset to determine the user’s position and orientation. Instead of relying on external base stations, the headset's cameras “see” the environment around you and calculates your movements accordingly. Learn more about the differences between outside-in and inside-out tracking here.

This design brings some undeniable advantages:
  • Cheaper and simpler setup; no need for external sensors or cables
  • Future proof; no reliance on availabity of third-party accessories
  • Improved portability; ideal for standalone devices
  • Cleaner play space; less hardware, fewer wires
  • Less sensitive to occlusion (e.g. People walking in front of the base stations)
  • Plus, we can use SLAM tracking cameras for hand-tracking

Why Inside-Out Tracking Is Rising

The growing popularity of standalone VR (like Quest 3 or Galaxy XR) and the demand for plug-and-play PCVR experiences are driving the shift. Gamers and creators want VR that’s easy to use and fast to set up. Inside-out tracking fits perfectly into that vision.

At the same time, modern computer vision algorithms have significantly improved tracking accuracy, and tracking cameras become both better and more affordable, narrowing the gap with traditional systems.

The Other Side of the Coin

However, inside-out tracking isn’t without its trade-offs. Even with advanced camera arrays, it can still face challenges in:
  • Low-light environments
  • Fast or extreme hand movements
  • Precise motion capture for simulation-grade experiences
  • Part of an ecosystem with e.g. Lighthouse tracked controllers and body trackers

For professional users who demand sub-millimeter precision, outside-in tracking still holds the edge.

Pimax’s Hybrid Vision

At Pimax, we believe in giving users the freedom to choose. That’s why our design philosophy embraces hybrid tracking, supporting both inside-out and outside-in options.
  • The Pimax Crystal series offers inside-out tracking for everyday use, combined with optional Lighthouse base station support for those who need higher tracking accuracy.
  • Our upcoming Pimax Dream Air continues this philosophy, combining lightweight, standalone convenience with uncompromising PCVR fidelity through DisplayPort. Users can choose both a Lighthouse and SLAM tracked version.

How Pimax does it:

All our headsets come with Pimax's own SLAM tracking algorithm, with optional Lighthouse versions. When we look at SLAM tracking, we still see some major benefits:
  • First off, base stations are becoming harder to find. Valve has stopped producing them, and their upcoming headset won’t rely on them either. In many regions, users are already struggling to get their hands on base stations. And even when they’re available, they add extra cost to your VR setup.
  • With SLAM tracking, you don’t need to drill holes in your walls or mount external hardware just to get started. That’s especially important for a small-form factor headset like Dream Air SE. It’s a headset you might want to use in your living room, your gaming room, or even take with you on the go. The headset does fit in your bag. But Base stations? Not so much!
  • And that’s exactly why many global partners choose Pimax headsets for offline events. It’s plug-and-play. No setup hassle, no additional equipment required. Just immersive VR, anywhere you need it.

SLAM tracking is already on par with base station accuracy and we’re confident it will surpass base station tracking in the future. Just look at the latest headsets from Meta, Apple and PlayStation. They're all using inside-out tracking.

One of the biggest advantages of our SLAM tracking system is that it enables hand-tracking implementation. This is also where the industry is heading, and we believe this will soon become a base requirement for users. In fact, we’re currently wrapping up final testing of SLAM-based hand tracking, before launching our public beta. Hand-tracking adds a whole new layer of portability. You can leave your controllers at home and just bring the headset. It’s that compact.
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