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Make a Linux VR, please

cheery
Explorer
You've probably worried with getting Oculus Rift to work with Xorg&Linux. I think that's total and utter waste of time. In about 5 years you have huge userbase and the main use for a desktop is to directly hook it to Rift.

Instead skip the Linux desktop and start from the Linux terminal. Most enthusiasts will have Rift-dedicated computers next year anyway! This should help you to set it up in high enough quality. I don't care if my dedicated Rift computer is unable to run as a desktop computer. I won't be using it for such purpose.

If there's a display connected that is not a rift, It's OK if it displays a blank kernel terminal or even just a black screen when rift is not using it for inview.

This is important because half of your userbase is probably not wanting to use Windows 10 forever. It's buggy, it forces updates (rather than asking you to update), it's got lot of questionable features tracking you that aren't from facebook... And the list goes on. Also Linux is going to be on every IoT device anyway. Linux or Freebsd is the future.

Also, if you don't do this, Valve might do it by moving SteamVR to Steam box. I'd fire the first shot if I were you. This is from a guy who is orienting a whole programming language around your products. I wrote this because I bought the touch controllers and experienced joy with them in my hands.
11 REPLIES 11

CharlieHobbes
Rising Star
While I applaud this and part of me agrees, I think you are overestimating the amount of people who would buy a computer to only have the Rift hooked up to it.

Apart from the cost involved, or the space requirements, we live in an age of multifunctionality. 

We used to browse on computers and watch TV on TVs, now every TV is a smart TV with browsers and Netflix apps. This same TV also has a spotify app so that you can put your soundsystem to good use.

Yes, there may be a time when the hardware driving your VR set is dedicated only to VR but I don't think we're quite there yet.

There's probably more to gain right now by refining the technology and bringing down the price of entry to create a larger marketplace. This is best done utilizing what people already have (basically: a PC running Windows most likely)

So unless you can offer them a PC to drive consumer VR which is about the size of a console and costs the same or less, you're not going to get anything from it right now.
Which is why PSVR exists.

Personally I'd love to see a Pi sized unit that can effectively drive a CV1 but we're not quite there yet.

zboson
Superstar
I plan on having one system only for Oculus with Windows10 and another for Linux or I may dual boot I have not decided yet what the best solution is. In either case it will probably be inconvenient. It would be great if I could just use Linux but I don't think it is at all realistic at this point to expect VR developers to make their products for Linux as well at the point. So even if Oculus worked with Linux there probably would be very few titles for it.

The best hope is with SteamVR and OpenVR. I hear Valve will have SteamVR for Linux soon (BTW the first time I used a DK2 was playing HL2 through Steam on Linux). If they manage to get games for SteamVR then Oculus may be more interested in developing a runtime for Linux.  But I don't think Oculus makes money through SteamVR so maybe they will have no financial incentive for this.  Steam machines are not really ready to compete yet. The graphics situation on Linux has greatly improved especially for open source e.g. with Mesa but it still has a long way to go. Nvidia's closed source driver for Linux is great but the main problem is that few games are optimized for OpenGL. Vulkan is probably the best hope but few games are optimized for Vulkan either. Again Valve can improve this. 

So I expect VR Linux to come to the Vive first even though the first time I used Oculus hardware was on Linux with Steam. Valve could do a lot for Linux if they developed e.g. HL3 for Vulkan instead of DX12 which worked with SteamVR on Linux. If this worked exclusively with Steam Machines it would probably generate a lot of interest.

Microsoft with the Windows Store and Oculus with Oculus home are clearly trying to eat away at Valve's profits.  There are some that suspect that the whole point of Steam machines were a reaction to the Windows Store with Windows10 and that Valve won and since they won they have stopped pushing Steam machines. However, if Valve won they only won that battle but the war still continues and so far at least for VR I think Oculus Home is winning the VR software war. 

Valve has some great Linux developers such as Sam Lantinga.  Steam machines don't appear to be going anywhere right now but we can hope that in the near future that this changes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Lantinga

Sorry for the somewhat incoherent long text. I don't have time to make it more coherent and concise.

n3cr0-0
Adventurer
Nothing beats the compatibility of Windows....

For years I have had my gaming rig with windows on it because of this true statement. I do not wish to sit tight while developers might port over a game to the Linux environment, I would much rather be gaming on my favorite titles on launch day. Linux has no place in my gaming environment.

  With that being said.. Linux does have its place in my home as I use it exclusively for my server nods. It's just a better environment to do my daily computing and it's light weight framework frees up resources for other much needed tasks, among a myriad of other reasons.

I guess what I am saying is ... It's better to Build your machine around it's purpose.

("If you wish to  do it your way then all the power to you, I am in no way bashing your decision but I would think you would for the most part be on your own atm").

cheery
Explorer
Linux support matters for non-gaming related use of Oculus products. Also it matters for developers who are using Linux to write software. As we get to work on more advanced VR titles, it requires more work with a HMD on your head.

Also the Steam machine is a really good hedge bet against Microsoft going abusive with their own store. I think Oculus should have a similar possibility in their sleeve, or even just join with the Steam machine concept.

foley2k2
Honored Guest
I know this is an old thread, but in Linux I have Clang, Unreal Engine 4.17.1, Unity 2017.2, Blender 2.8, Audacity, Monodevelop and don't need any other tools to develop VR. Linux is much more stable than Windows for software development. Please update so I can at least get Oculus Touch support for software development. I can even target Windows from Linux, so can still support your primary target platform. If you see those version numbers, you should notice that they're *bleeding edge*. There's no excuse for not having drivers when the toolchains are current.

I just checked my nVidia driver version - 375.66, so it's about 1 year old and very close to the release date of Touch.
They do need to update that binary.

If you're reading this, thanks for taking a look.

Anonymous
Not applicable

To respond to an old thread... when you have a niche market VR you need to know the following info...

1st March 2017 Rift had sold 240,000 units... lets say the recent reduction in price has increased the number of units out in the market (lets say now out there at 350,000 units (would be interesting to know exact numbers)).

As of September 2017, Windows (7/10/8.1/XP) has ~86% of the Desktop market share, all Linux flavours are at 3%

There is no financial incentive to bring it out to Linux, zip, zero nada...

The only way you will get a sniff of it will be through a Dev at Oculus who releases something on their own time with no support...

I love Linux, host my game servers online though it, get paid to support it at my company but I'm realistic about it's use.

Log_a_Frog
Heroic Explorer
Yes !!

kernow
Heroic Explorer
The only reason I have not already switched entirely to Linux is because Oculus doesn't support Linux.
The only reason.
😕

I had been a Win supporter since Windows first came out. Win 10 changed that, and I can't support it any longer. Sticking with Win 7 until Oculus supports Linux, or until Win 7 is no longer feasible (in which case, I will basically, sadly, have to give up on Oculus).


cheery
Explorer

Rolz said:

There is no financial incentive to bring it out to Linux, zip, zero nada...



Right now, it could be argued that there is no financial incentive to go big on VR either. Several early VR startups have already crashed or changed strategy. Right now VR lives on the pure desire and playfulness to go out crazy with the new tech. That kind of demography has a lot more intersection with Linux than what an ordinary demography has.

Also, the opportunity cost of coming up with Linux support is lower than it has ever been before! Vulkan API provides standardization for a lot of functionality needed for coming up with a good and a cross-platform driver base. It is very different situation compared to the time when Oculus decided to give up on Linux support after 0.5.0 and DK1.

Disclaimer: I USED DK1 with Ubuntu and played out with prototypes that way!