Controller tracking problems aren’t rare for Oculus Quest headset users. Sometimes users report tracking frequency malfunctions while other times it’s the headset tracking issues that prompt users to contact support. In this guide, we’ll take a look at errors that can wreck your experience with your Oculus Quest headset. We’ll also talk about other hardware issues that can arise.
If you find that one of these solutions addresses the exact same issue that you’re having, then you can try that one first. Otherwise, whether or not you have the same problem, you should start from the first solution and then move to other solutions on the list. These may not address the exact same issues you face but they’ll address the same thing: solving the tracking lost problems on Oculus Quest.
Make Sure Your VR Headset’s External Tracking Cameras Aren’t Dirty
Your Quest 2 VR headset has embedded external cameras. The device uses them to keep track of your surroundings and controllers while you’re exploring a virtual world, playing Beat Saber or doing anything else with the device. They’re a vital part of a VR setup which means that issues with them can cause errors to plague your VR experience.
If these cameras aren’t clean and their view is foggy from dirt or moisture, they won’t be able to do their job and your headset will have tracking problems. You’ll need to clean them and remove any obstructions before they’ll be able to work properly again. More specifically, take off any decals or any other type of sticker that you may have close to your camera lens. Make sure the lens has a clear view of your surroundings with nothing obstructing them.
It’s always a good idea to wipe them from time to time to get rid of the dirt that may lead to tracking lost problems. You can use a microfiber cloth for example or anything else in your room to clean the device’s lenses and see if your problem is fixed. If not, then try the next trick.
Restart Your Oculus Quest
If cleaning the four cameras didn’t fix the tracking error then you can move forward with the standard stuff. Turn your Oculus Quest off and then turn it back on again. You’ll be surprised to see how many problems a simple restart can solve when it comes to any kind of electronic device.
So how do you restart your Oculus Quest? You press the power button and keep it pressed until the Oculus headset shows you the Restart option on the screen. Click the option to progress further and restart your device.
Fix Your Light Setup
To provide the proper environment so your Oculus doesn’t keep showing you tracking lost notifications, you need to make sure your room has the right light setup. The Oculus can’t carry out accurate tracking if the light in the room isn’t right. Since it relies on a camera, don’t make your room too dark or too bright. Most of the time, such changes on their own can get rid of tracking lost problems.
Don’t have your camera under direct sunlight and don’t use your Oculus Quest 2 outside. It’s also best to use your device in a room with few windows or with dark curtains covering the windows so that you can have more control over the amount of light in the room.
Change Your Playing Room
If you play in a certain room and you figure out that your Oculus Quest 2 has started to mess up your games then switching rooms can fix whatever is wrong with your Oculus. Many users have solved the tracking loss bug by changing their setting. So if correcting your lighting structure didn’t fix whatever is happening with your Oculus, just move it someplace else and see if it stops giving you the tracking lost notification.
If You Have Any, Fix Your Mirrors and Christmas Lights
As mentioned before, to track your controllers, the Oculus Quest uses cameras. The controllers come embedded with infrared LEDs that the cameras track to translate your real-world movement into the virtual world.
These LEDs can malfunction if there are other LED sources in your playing area. Without going into too much detail, the Quest 2 finds it confusing when there are two LED sources in a single room.
Christmas lights are a very common culprit behind problems for the Quest 2. Similarly, mirrors can mess up Quest 2 devices that previously worked fine. Cover any mirror that’s in the same room as your Oculus or try moving it to a different room.
Delete Saved Guardians
Any time you use Oculus Quest 2 to create a new guardian, the headset will keep a memory of it. As a result, you’ll never need to create another guardian as long as you don’t change your room. With that said, if you change too many things in your playing area a bit too quickly then your Oculus Quest might generate a tracking lost notification.
The obvious thing to do here is to delete saved guardians. To do that, you’ll first have to go to Settings and then to the option that says Guardian. From there, click on Clear Guardian history. After that, you can link to a new one.
Low Controller Batteries
When you’ve fixed your lighting issues, at the same time, you also have to make sure your controllers have sufficient battery power. Low power can cause a poor connection or may make your LEDs dimmer than they need to be for your Oculus Quest 2 to function properly.
You have to use a AA battery in each of your controllers for them to work. Once they’re low on battery, your Oculus will start showing you tracking loss notifications. When that happens, you should replace your batteries and then restart your device. You should be sure to use non-rechargeable batteries as some rechargeable batteries won’t be able to provide the required power after several recharging cycles.
Pair Your Controllers Again
While rebooting the Quest headset itself is helpful, restarting your controllers can get rid of tracking lost issues as well. To restart your controllers, you’ll need to unpair and re-pair them. First, make sure your Oculus app has the latest update then go to the Settings menu from the Oculus app and select Quest Headset. Then click on Controllers, pick the controller you want to modify and click on Unpair.
Once these steps are completed you need to pair the controller again. You’ll have to repeat the same procedure for the other controller. If this doesn’t solve the tracking loss notifications problem then move on to the next solution.
Disable Hand Tracking
There are two ways you can use your Oculus Quest. One is with controllers and the other is with hand tracking. Since the Quest uses software to work with both, if the software has a bug, it can lead to tracking loss notifications.
The Oculus Quest can switch between the two automatically. While that’s convenient, it can be prone to malfunction. Try disabling hand tracking to see if it fixes the issue. From the Oculus app, go to Settings and then to Hand and Controllers and turn off the Hand Tracking option. As always, reboot the Oculus Quest afterward for the best results.
Factory Reset
A factory reset should be your last option to fix the tracking lost issue. Only do this once you’ve contacted Oculus Support to ensure that they don’t have any other suggestions for you that we haven’t mentioned here. There may be a software patch coming or a new menu option that will fix the problem without you having to reset your device.
To perform a factory reset, open the Oculus app, click on Settings and then click on the headset that needs resetting. Then click on More Settings and then click on Factory Reset. Finally, click on Reset. You can do a reset and get rid of the tracking loss problems without the app as well by following the directions on the Oculus Support website.
Conclusion: How To Solve Oculus Quest Tracking Issues
We hope our guide helped you fix your controller tracking lost notification issues on your Oculus Quest headset. Now you should be able to get back on track with Beat Saber and start racking up some points.
Tracking issues and other error messages aren’t rare on a device like the Oculus Quest headset. To avoid these tracking issues, you’ll just need to ensure that your device is updated, the cameras’ lenses are clean and the lighting is appropriate for the device to operate.
FAQ
My Oculus Quest Continues To Lose Tracking. Do I Have a Defective Headset?
It’s possible that your Oculus headset is defective. If you’ve cleaned your headset lenses, re-installed games and have restarted your device but still haven’t solved your tracking issues, then that establishes a clear link to a defective headset. Contact Oculus Support to see what they suggest you do next.
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