Boundary (Guardian)

A boundary marks the safe space where you can move while wearing a headset. Because a VR headset blocks your view of the real room, the boundary warns you before you walk into furniture, walls or people. Different platforms use different names: Meta originally called it Guardian and now uses Boundary in its menus, SteamVR calls it Chaperone, and PICO calls it a safety boundary.

Kinds of boundary

• Stationary: a small circle around you, for seated or standing play where you do not walk around.
• Room-scale: an area you trace or that the headset detects from the floor and furniture, for games where you move, duck and dodge.

When you approach the edge, a grid or wall appears, and on many headsets the view switches to passthrough if you step outside.

Tips

• Clear the space of trip hazards, pets and fragile items before you set it up.
• Draw the boundary slightly inside real obstacles, not right up against them.
• Redo the setup if you move furniture or the headset says it cannot recognize the room.

Some mixed reality apps on Quest can run without a boundary, because you can already see your room through the headset.