Valve Expected To Show Off Linux VR Demo Today

[FishPls]

Nice. On Valve's timescale, this isn't even too belated. It's not been even a full year since the release of HTC Vive yet, and we're already getting Linux support. That's way above my expectations.

[mungewell]

Only one that MIGHT be able to run decent VR is syber vapor.
The other two are using a GTX 960.

You're aware that with their 'Async Space Warp' that Oculus have lowered their min-spec to be GTX960... right? ;-)

Highly possible that Vive can run likewise, on 'lesser' hardware.
Simon.

[schmidtbag]

This is super exciting news. I've been waiting for this for a very long time. I can't wait until I can play Distance in VR.

This is awesome news! I'm looking froward to any reviews from Phoronix. It's highly likely I will get a Vive if they support Linux since Oculus does not.

It would also be great to see a review of OSVR and their headsets with Linux. I have been thinking of getting involved in OSVR.

I have an OSVR, so if you have any questions let me know. I have the HDK 1.3; I heard the 1.4 model fixes some of my complaints (particularly relating to comfort) but they're otherwise pretty much the same. The comfort can easily be fixed using the foam pads in bicycle helmets; the velcro on them works fine.

As of right now, there are almost no demos available for OSVR in Linux. Pretty stupid, since OSVR is [arguably] easier to work with in Linux compared to Windows. The tricky part is getting the build scripts to work properly; they're very picky about dependencies. OSVR is readily compatible with SteamVR, so once Valve officially ports that there should be a lot more available content.

Don't forget, Leap Motion is a GREAT addition to OSVR, and is also Linux compatible. The downside is the "Orion" software is still Windows-only, which is needed for VR support.

If you do end up getting an OSVR, I have one important piece of advice for you - do not use it in a room with a lot of sunlight or incandescent light bulbs (fluorescent and LED lights are fine). The head tracking gets completely thrown off if there is too much IR light in the room. You can see what the IR camera sees in VLC or any camera-viewing program. If you can see yourself in the camera, there's too much IR light in the room.

[Wind0zB3st]

They probably needed some additional time to wrangle with the terrible graphics stack on Linux, since low latency is crucial for VR, but not possible when there are several layers of 20 year old technology inbetween each adding their own bufferbloat.

[planetguy]

They probably needed some additional time to wrangle with the terrible graphics stack on Linux, since low latency is crucial for VR, but not possible when there are several layers of 20 year old technology inbetween each adding their own bufferbloat.

Now that Wayland has pointer lock and XWayland has XWarpPointer emulation, SteamOS Chemist could move to Wayland by default and throw their weight behind XWayland for X11 game compatibility.

[schmidtbag]

They probably needed some additional time to wrangle with the terrible graphics stack on Linux, since low latency is crucial for VR, but not possible when there are several layers of 20 year old technology inbetween each adding their own bufferbloat.

I considered this, but I'm not really aware of how much worse Linux's latency is compared to Windows (if it even is worse). To me, the real mistake was that this could have been a perfect opportunity to get more people into SteamOS and Linux in general. But, HTC probably wasn't fond of the idea of limiting their initial sales to only Linux users, and considering the state of the GPU drivers, that adds a layer of difficulty when debugging. In other words, sometimes you might not know whether the headset is the problem the game, or the drivers. By focusing strictly on Windows, it's easier to eliminate drivers as the possibility.

[starshipeleven]

You're aware that with their 'Async Space Warp' that Oculus have lowered their min-spec to be GTX960... right? ;-)

Heh, I said "decent". Min-spec is "run at all".

If it went like "now GTX970 runs like the GTX980 was going before (still not 100% good)" which is roughly what seems to be from feedback, the GTX960 is running like the GTX970 before this trick, which is "it runs but you must disable lots of stuff".

But sure they can show how meh it runs on those boxes.

[mastercoms]

Finally! And if it uses Vulkan it might even be better than on Windows! Now, will I need Ubuntu for the amdgpu pro driver? There doesn't seem to be an easy way to install it on Fedora.

https://copr.fedorainfracloud.org/co...orpe/mesa-git/ You can use this Copr repo.

[mastercoms]

Now that Wayland has pointer lock and XWayland has XWarpPointer emulation, SteamOS Chemist could move to Wayland by default and throw their weight behind XWayland for X11 game compatibility.

It's probably going to be caleld SteamOS Clockwork.

[efikkan]

They probably needed some additional time to wrangle with the terrible graphics stack on Linux, since low latency is crucial for VR, but not possible when there are several layers of 20 year old technology inbetween each adding their own bufferbloat.

Speaking of low latency, I wonder why SteamOS is not using a "low latency" kernel? It should be a no-brainer to get a more fluid experience.

Anyway, those "universal" game engines are too bloated in terms of latency.