Free Roam VR and Tracking
The foundation of Zero Latency is Free Roam VR. Unlike traditional VR, you are not limited to one spot – you can move freely around a real-world arena, which covers approximately 150 m² at Zero Latency Prague. Your physical movement is then transferred into the virtual environment.
This is handled by the tracking system. The white lines in the arena serve as reference points that the headset tracks using infrared cameras. Thanks to a high tracking frequency, the system can continuously determine where the player is and how they are moving.
HTC VIVE Focus 3
Players use the HTC VIVE Focus 3, featuring LCD displays with a resolution of 2448 × 2448 pixels per eye, a refresh rate of 90 Hz and a field of view of up to 120°. Audio is provided by Edifier W820NB Plus headphones with active noise cancellation.
The headset runs on Android, which we have extended with a custom Zero Latency software layer for faster communication with the server infrastructure. We have 18 headsets in total, while a single game can accommodate up to eight players.
The Weapon as a Controller
Zero Latency also uses proprietary physical weapons that work as game controllers. Their position and orientation are tracked using the HTC VIVE Wrist Tracker, attached directly to the weapon. The movement of the physical weapon can therefore be transferred into the virtual environment.
The controls are intentionally simple – the weapon has four buttons, allowing players to focus on the game instead of searching for the right button.
What Holds the Whole System Together?
Tracking determines where the player and their weapon are located. Communication with the server infrastructure is handled by Wi-Fi 6E routers installed throughout the arena.
The entire system uses 11 servers – one Master server, another for image transmission, another for system control, and additional servers dedicated to individual headsets. Computers then handle the actual games.
Games
Zero Latency Ltd. develops its own games for its locations. We currently offer nine titles, with Jumanji and Cyberpunk in development. The games use Unreal Engine 4, Unreal Engine 5 or Unity and run through the proprietary Zero Latency platform.
Each title offers a different experience – Outbreak focuses on action and zombies, Space Marine on team communication in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, Sol Raiders on PvP and strategy, and Haunted on horror and jump scares without weapons.
One Step, the Whole System
The player moves, the tracking system records their position, the data travels through the network to the servers and computers, the game updates the virtual world, and the result is displayed in the headset.
Free Roam VR is therefore not a single technology, but an entire interconnected ecosystem of hardware, software and communication.
