I want to get started with VR gaming in Linux and am looking at a headset. What are you guys using? Oculus 3 seems to be popular but I assume there are some caveats.
Check out the Linux VR Adventures wiki: https://lvra.gitlab.io/docs/hardware/ it has lots of useful info
But in general, best supported are:
- Quest headsets via either the
SteamVR+ALVR, orMonado+WiVRnstreaming solutions - Most lighthouse headsets like the OG Vive, Valve Index, etc, with either SteamVR or Monado. however there are some caveats on some newer ones (Bigscreen beyond needs a kernel patch for amd, does not work on nvidia until they do some driver support bits for exapmle)
Also for wired headsets, SteamVR on linux is kinda broken and does not do proper reprojection, so the view will be stuttery, Monado is remommended instead.
- Quest headsets via either the
I’ve got a Quest 3, and it is the sole reason for my Windows partition to exist. The only way to get the frames from your PC to your headset is through the FOSS Air Light VR. While I do commend the tireless efforts of the volunteers who built it, it is very much not a painless experience to get it working properly. Once set up, it’s more stable than I expected it to be, but I still need to connect the Quest twice every time I want to use it.
I have not played enough games with it yet to say for sure, but if they don’t have native Linux binaries, I can’t guarantee you a playable, let alone comfortable experience. Among Us VR and IEYTD gave me a flickering and nauseating mess, which isn’t too bad on its own, but I could not find anyone who had the same problem or a solution for it (but now with my broader knowledge I guess that my problem is having an Nvidia GTX 1650). Very few people game on Linux, and even fewer play VR games. Hopefully Valve can save the day again if and when they come out with their standalone Index successor.
I suspect that you’re a newbie to VR (me too honestly, but probably not nearly as much). I didn’t get the Quest 3 myself (it was my sibling’s birthday gift). After using it for almost a year, I’ve decided that I won’t get a standalone headset for myself. There’s enough hurdles to play VR already, like needing a bunch of empty space to not destroy your controllers and your home, the cost, the motion sickness, the computing power etc. With how I use VR, the Quest 3 just isn’t that great. The only money Zuck will ever get from me is from my cold, dead hands, so I buy my games off of Steam. This means that every time I want to play VR, I need to make sure that my headset and controllers are charged and updated (controllers as well!), make sure that they are all connected to the same Wifi network as my PC, launch ALVR, launch ALVR again, and pray that the game I want to play works at all. I feel lucky if I can have any fun at all on Linux with VR.
When there are more than enough VR games that I can enjoy out there and I have enough money for it, I’ll look into getting my own setup for it as well. With my current experience with standalone, I’m eyeing the Bigscreen Beyond. It’s super lightweight, has high-res OLED displays and is wired. It is also about twice as expensive as the Quest 3 even without controllers or base stations, but it seems to solve all of my afforementioned problems with standalone, which in my mind makes it worth more than twice as much. To solve the issues of being tethered to a wire and a need for lots of space, I could also get a treadmill. The KatVR ones use lubricated shoes with optical sensors, like those on a mouse, to run (more slip and slide) on a shallow bowl. It’s surprisingly cheap(ish) for what it does, costing about 1000 bucks. While these two devices along with a Valve Index controller and base station kit costs more than three grand, I don’t expect it to provide anything less than a grand VR gaming experience.
My experience with the Quest 3 on Linux was trash compared to my nearly seamless experience with desktop gaming. I don’t know if a different headset could prevent these problems. I can only hope that you will find a great option.
Have you tried using Wivrn instead of ALVR? I found it to work way better. Also, I don’t think the Bigscreen beyond is well supported yet on Linux.
I certainly have not! Thanks for informing me.
LVRA is a great source of Linux VR info. Wivrn is easiest to setup using envision. Its biggest disadvantage is that it uses a translation layer for OpenVR games, though it works pretty well.
Thanks for this, I’ll look into another option than quest 3. I don’t mind the cables that much anyway.
I have a HTC Vice pro that I’ve been using with arch for about a year now. I have occasional issues with some vr ported games jut every native vr game I’ve tried runs great.
No problems with the built in headphones? I can’t get them to sound right… there seems to be some sort of samplerate shift as soon as I start SteamVR with my HTC Vive Pro.
I’ve had problems with the headphones on one or two games, but I used proton tricks to install xact_64 and its solved them for the most part.
Hmm, that doesn’t sound like my issue. As soon as I turn on SteamVR the sound goes haywire. I can still use other headphones fine without any issue, but the built in ones have distorted sound with SteamVR running (but not when I turn that off).
The best three brands with natively-supported hardware:
- HTC’s Vive series headsets
- Bigscreen’s Beyond
- Valve’s Index
Pretty much everything else requires a lot more tinkering than just launching SteamVR/OpenVR applications.
Some helpful links for diagnosing compatibility:
Yeah, Occulus and Linux are not the best friends. There are some work arounds to make it somewhat work with SteamVR, but don’t expect too much.
My recommendation would be to look for a second hand Valve Index or HTC Vive if using it on Linux is your priority.
Or wait for the rumored new standalone headset from Valve, but that will probably not happen before end of 2025 if at all.
Index works mostly fine. Sometimes it drops out but my Bluetooth stack hasn’t been the most stable on this install. Arch btw.
I did grab the PSVR2 PC adapter box and it does work to get a display showing in the headset as another monitor which is pretty sweet. But the PSVR2 app on steam just straight up doesn’t work in any form of compatibility mode I’ve been able to try so it’s no dice there.
Ah, I was hoping to hear about experiences with the PSVR2 on Linux. Too bad it doesn’t fully work yet. But that it is only a problem with the app might mean Monado support is possible.
Yeah the box shows up as a monitor in the system display settings, can even enable it and use it like a normal display. The headset will do the spatial tracking and you can recenter with the headset button. It’s just small and low resolution so you can’t even use it for productivity. Until the app works, no games at all.
With Oculus you will have to use ALVR. It is a two-part software with a client running on the headset and a server running as a SteamVR plugin on your PC. Setup used to be a pain in the arse but it’s gotten better. But it’s still Alpha software so things might break down the line.
Don’t expect every game to work. I tried both Batman VR (older one) and 7th Guest and they didn’t work. But most of the other games do work.
The good thing about the Meta Quest headsets is that they also work without a PC. The bad thing is that you’re at the mercy of Meta. My Quest 1 is still working quite well but no longer gets any OS updates. Normal Android stuff. Maybe the Pico 4 (or whatever their current one is) is better with that. No idea.
That said, I love the standalone headsets because you don’t have to fight with a cable with them. It’s great, especially if you have the space for room scale VR.
In terms of VR modded games they might not work on Linux. I don’t know about those Unreal games but at least Alien Isolation’s VR mod cannot work on Linux unfortunately.
Don’t expect to get any official support.
I have an OG Vive, it works fine. I have more issues wrestling with the flatpak version of steam’s steamVR components than with the actual hardware
