Valve adds OSVR headset support to Steam

I huess this would be more pertinent if SteamVR would do anything on Linux at the moment. Cool that they are adding more support for peripherals in general (like the recent PS4 controller support.) On that note, it would be spectacular if they added support for steering wheels. Being able to change the input gor games that really should support wheels but don't would rock! I can readily think of a few.

OS VR seemes awesome, though I already have a Vive that needs more play time!

What I really want is an option to stream VR content from a Linux PC to the likes of Cardboard or GearVR using phones/tablets. I have a set up right now that I'm pretty happy with using a Samsung refurbished tablet (so no cellular contract) and a Homido VR goggle set that is big enough to fit the tablet. Works great and cost me about $250 for everything. I don't know of anything that can match that price for VR right now. The problem is all phone VR games are junk, and all the streaming from PC software I know of is windows only. Hopefully this will be an option soon, because I won't be able to afford Oculus/Vive anytime soon.


Last edited by InverseTelecine on 30 Nov 2016 at 1:37 am UTC

so does something work on steam on the vive on linux at the moment?

You got me excited there for a moment liam :/

so does something work on steam on the vive on linux at the moment?

You got me excited there for a moment liam :/

Sure it does... if it is connected your login screen appears on it and you can use it like a monitor... if you can make yourself go cross-eyed. :)

At the moment that is all the vive does in Linux.

What I really want is an option to stream VR content from a Linux PC to the likes of Cardboard or GearVR using phones/tablets. I have a set up right now that I'm pretty happy with using a Samsung refurbished tablet (so no cellular contract) and a Homido VR goggle set that is big enough to fit the tablet. Works great and cost me about $250 for everything. I don't know of anything that can match that price for VR right now. The problem is all phone VR games are junk, and all the streaming from PC software I know of is windows only. Hopefully this will be an option soon, because I won't be able to afford Oculus/Vive anytime soon.

I initially got a GearVR for my Note 4. It was pretty cool, but I didn't even have much luck with any streaming from the computer to it. Netflix and the 360 video stuff is neat, but you are right, 'Mobile' gaming is crap, VR or not... give me back hardware buttons on a phone and gaming might be better...

Dread halls is pretty awesome, but the fact that Oculus Activities and Facebook Messenger somehow cheat and auto-update on my phone even though I tell the play store to ot auto update..

Anyhow, before phone / tablet to PC streaming becomes actually usable, we would probably want better wifi and more Vulkan support so it isn't yack city.

That and the difference between head tracking with goggles vs 'true' VR where you can interact with things... you just aren't going to get that from the cheaper things for years to come. Even the PS4 VR doesn't do that all that well.

Sure it does... if it is connected your login screen appears on it and you can use it like a monitor... if you can make yourself go cross-eyed. :)

At the moment that is all the vive does in Linux.

Hmm, no.

Vrui works, see http://www.vronlinux.com/

And I've got Vivecraft working somewhat https://github.com/jrbudda/minecrift/issues/241

What I really want is an option to stream VR content from a Linux PC to the likes of Cardboard or GearVR using phones/tablets. I have a set up right now that I'm pretty happy with using a Samsung refurbished tablet (so no cellular contract) and a Homido VR goggle set that is big enough to fit the tablet. Works great and cost me about $250 for everything. I don't know of anything that can match that price for VR right now. The problem is all phone VR games are junk, and all the streaming from PC software I know of is windows only. Hopefully this will be an option soon, because I won't be able to afford Oculus/Vive anytime soon.

http://trinusvr.com/

seriously though, google is a thing.

and i use this program it works great.


Last edited by Code_Eye on 30 Nov 2016 at 8:46 am UTC

What I really want is an option to stream VR content from a Linux PC to the likes of Cardboard or GearVR using phones/tablets. I have a set up right now that I'm pretty happy with using a Samsung refurbished tablet (so no cellular contract) and a Homido VR goggle set that is big enough to fit the tablet. Works great and cost me about $250 for everything. I don't know of anything that can match that price for VR right now. The problem is all phone VR games are junk, and all the streaming from PC software I know of is windows only. Hopefully this will be an option soon, because I won't be able to afford Oculus/Vive anytime soon.

http://trinusvr.com/

seriously though, google is a thing.

and i use this program it works great.

He said "from a Linux PC". TrinusVR is Windows only.

What I really want is an option to stream VR content from a Linux PC to the likes of Cardboard or GearVR using phones/tablets. I have a set up right now that I'm pretty happy with using a Samsung refurbished tablet (so no cellular contract) and a Homido VR goggle set that is big enough to fit the tablet. Works great and cost me about $250 for everything. I don't know of anything that can match that price for VR right now. The problem is all phone VR games are junk, and all the streaming from PC software I know of is windows only. Hopefully this will be an option soon, because I won't be able to afford Oculus/Vive anytime soon.

There's a number of VR VNC apps for Android that you can use to receive your desktop. It's not incredibly useful though, as they all just put your screen in front of you, whereas I was hoping for a way to have it placed in a virtual theatre for films or to be able to watch 3D or 360 videos, neither of which works.

31 titles that support OSVR on Steam right now also support Linux

But how many of those support OSVR on Linux?

31 titles that support OSVR on Steam right now also support Linux, so that's nice.

My experience is that VR and steamos are mutually exclusive. There were a very select view I could start on my DK2.
All others had no VR build for steamos even though it was my primary reason to buy it.

31 titles that support OSVR on Steam right now also support Linux, so that's nice.

It's not. As far as I know. 0 of those actually have OSVR support *on* Linux. They just have OSVR support on Windows and then they also have a Linux version without OSVR support.

The two main reasons are:
OSVR's unity plugin doesn't work on linux: https://github.com/OSVR/OSVR-Unity-Rendering/issues/5
OSVR's unreal plugin doesn't work on linux: https://github.com/OSVR/OSVR-Unreal/pull/123

The thing is that nobody is *really* trying to make OSVR applications work on Linux.
You would assume that Mozilla would care for WebVR with OSVR on Linux, right? Wrong: https://github.com/OSVR/OSVR-Docs/issues/83

I'm confused. So can I now run ANY VR apps on my SteamOS-based machine? I don't care if I have to buy additional hardware. I just want to know which H/w I should get and which software to acquire.

I initially got a GearVR for my Note 4. It was pretty cool, but I didn't even have much luck with any streaming from the computer to it. Netflix and the 360 video stuff is neat, but you are right, 'Mobile' gaming is crap, VR or not... give me back hardware buttons on a phone and gaming might be better...

Yeah, mobile gaming seems like such a terminally infested (with microtransactions) arena that even when I find a game that looks good all I ever think is "ugh, I wonder how they ruin this one."

Dread halls is pretty awesome, but the fact that Oculus Activities and Facebook Messenger somehow cheat and auto-update on my phone even though I tell the play store to ot auto update..

Anyhow, before phone / tablet to PC streaming becomes actually usable, we would probably want better wifi and more Vulkan support so it isn't yack city.

I'm not convinced Vulkan would be a requirement, even for medium range systems. The resolution that the games need to put out for the little areas of the mobile device's screen is pretty low, and the frame rate required isn't nearly what it is for Vive. It really shouldn't be too hard even without optimal performance.

That and the difference between head tracking with goggles vs 'true' VR where you can interact with things... you just aren't going to get that from the cheaper things for years to come. Even the PS4 VR doesn't do that all that well.

Wait, stop. Let's take a step back here. VR is still way too new a technology to start talking about what is "real" or "true" already. Mobile device based VR is still plenty impressive even if it's not on the same technical level as Vive. We can always ruin any experience for ourselves by thinking about how there is a "better" experience out there somewhere. That is a pointless way of thinking that will keep us from enjoying what we have, even when we have plenty to enjoy!