Any non-meta headset recommendations?
I wish
Pico VR. They are also all in one headsets, but have smaller app library.
Search Amazon for “Windows Mixed Reality Headset”. If you are searching around Black Friday you might be able to find one for $300 or so.
These are the cheapest VR headsets out there, typically made by companies you’ve heard of but don’t associate with VR (mine is made by HP!)
They plug into a computer (unlike Facebook’s and Apple’s headsets that are self-contained computers).
If you don’t want to be plugged in with wires, Valve makes a wireless kit for the Vive. That set up isn’t cheap though.
When looking for a headset, consider weight important. The heavier the headset, the more uncomfortable it will be. Mine is one of the lighter ones and my head starts to hurt after about 2 hours.
Windows MR was deprecated and cannot run on the newest version of Windows; running older versions of Windows will only have support for it through to ~2026. It’s very unfortunate that it’s not long for this world because I hear the HP Reverb G2 is still a great headset.
Edit: If you’re looking for a cheap headset, the best option is usually on Craigslist/Marketplace. Used first-generation headsets (meaning the two Oculus Rift models, early HTC headsets) which are still in perfectly workable condition go for only $100-$200.
Idk what to say, I used my Windows MR headset to play I Expect You to Die 3 in Steam VR on Windows 11 only a couple weeks ago.
EDIT: I just read about it sounds like they are taking it down about a year from now. Damn. My headset has been working great and I didn’t feel the need to buy one of the $1000 ones. Hopefully the FOSS community will pick up the slack. We’ll see.
Looking for a used Vive is not a bad idea. I’m avoiding Meta/Oculus/Facebook headsets like the plague because I’m convinced their price is subsidized by the data they expect to collect from you.
Didn’t they effectively kill the oculus rifts with required logins and no more support?
It still runs SteamVR games very well.
Can you explain your setup? I use a Quest3 with immersed right now, but would also love something that looks a bit more native (like this does)
Have you tried any other headstraps before? I was torn between the M3 and a Kiwi strap, but chose the Kiwi due to reading it was a little more secure gaming wise (at the expense of some comfort).
I actually haven’t tried Immersed so I can’t really compare it, but this is just using the usual Quest window management, no special app. Godot has recently been released on the Quest app store and runs natively. I’ve then sideloaded a few Android apps to help with development: Material File Manager from F-Droid, AnyDesk for remote desktop work with Linux (mostly for Blender), and I’ve seen someone using Git through Termux, will likely employ that for larger projects in the future. SFTP through Material File Manager handles moving files between the Quest and my Desktop.
I’ve not tried any other Quest 3 headstraps (aside from the stock one), but for me comfort is king. I’ve previously owned a Quest 1, which I added a halo headstrap to, but it was still crazy uncomfortable for more than half an hour or so. Before that I owned a Rift CV1, which I also found uncomfortable after more than an hour, despite attempts to modify it for comfort. The Bobo M3 is the first time I’ve actually felt comfortable enough to use VR for literally hours at a time. It’s insane that it took seven years of being a VR enthusiast for me to finally find something like that.
Ah, I didn’t think about sideloading for remote desktop apps. How do you interact with your PC? Do you have a keyboard and mouse hooked up to the headset?
Immersed is pretty solid. It is quite involved though, which is kind of its greatest strength and weakness. I like this look of native quest 3 windows. It feels very light.
Yes I’ve got a Logitech keyboard and trackball mouse.
Extremely cool. Do you get motion sick after some time? Do you spend 100% of the time in VR or did you take breaks from the headset?
No trouble with motion sickness (although in low light the windows can shift slightly as the tracking gets less accurate, which isn’t the most pleasant). Thanks to a remote desktop viewer (my desktop is running Linux, so I’m using AnyDesk) I’m able to use desktop tools like Blender and GIMP and work for hours without taking off the headset. This wouldn’t be possible without the Bobo M3 headstrap, which 1) takes the weight off the front of my face making it comfortable for that length of time and 2) allows you to swap out magnetically attached batteries on the fly. This is my first project doing this and it’s for this week’s 48-hour Ludum Dare game jam, so I’m mostly taking the headset off for food breaks and that’s it; which also gives the depleted batteries time to charge.
Have you ever tried to build a Google Cardboard app for Android VR? If yes, may I ask for some help?
That’s wild! I would have liked to join LD again as well, it’s been ages. But life getting in the way.
