News Valve confirms SteamVR Tracking 2.0 details

It was known from Alan Yates that the 'old' (current) sensors were unable to deal with PCM or TDM so were limited to two basestations, but it was assumed that the newer single-rotor iGPs-style basestations would still be backward-compatible in a two-basestation layout. It really seems like it would make more sense to sell a Vive outright and re-buy a newer version with updated basestations, headstrap, and controllers (expected to release at the same time as the basestations) than to muck about with incremental upgrading.
Early Adopter Syndrome, I guess.

It's also rather odd that the new single-rotor design retains the opaque housing box. With a single rotor and cylindrical scan, a single basestation can cover a 360° toroidial volume with dead-spots only directly above and below, whereas with the opaque case it is limited to a small slice of that toroid.

 

Can't they just make a simple connector like cinch and sell sync pulsers as an add-on? I mean if that's the only issue. That way you can update incrementally or replace a defective old unit.