I'm somewhat curious as to why VR headsets need to maintain the rotational orientation of the scene around the Z-axis, since I assume that our brains could easily adjust to minor rotations in our surroundings, as long as they occur slowly over time. Many devices (such as Wii remotes or smartphones) use the constant acceleration of gravity to identify and align themselves with the Z-axis. As long as the user keeps their head relatively still for a long enough period of time, VR headsets could potentially keep track of the Z-axis and allow only minor changes in rotational alignment.
Here is an article with more details on how the lighthouse works, and a slow motion capture of the mechanism in the lighthouse : https://gizmodo.com/this-is-how-valve-s-amazing-lighthouse-tracking-technol-1705356768
I'm somewhat curious as to why VR headsets need to maintain the rotational orientation of the scene around the Z-axis, since I assume that our brains could easily adjust to minor rotations in our surroundings, as long as they occur slowly over time. Many devices (such as Wii remotes or smartphones) use the constant acceleration of gravity to identify and align themselves with the Z-axis. As long as the user keeps their head relatively still for a long enough period of time, VR headsets could potentially keep track of the Z-axis and allow only minor changes in rotational alignment.