The new version of Virtual Desktop (1.29.7) is out now and it includes a brand new implementation of OpenXR that allows you to finally use Virtual Desktop in MSFS without SteamVR.
It is called VirtualDesktopXR, also referred to as VDXR.
This is applicable to Oculus Quest and Pico headsets.
Activating VirtualDesktopXR
Make sure VDXR is selected as the OpenXR runtime in the Virtual Desktop settings.
Is it working?
If all went well, you can check if an application is using VirtualDesktopXR by bringing up the Virtual Desktop performance overlay and look for the ‘Runtime’. If the value reads ‘VDXR’, then it means the application is using VirtualDesktopXR.
Having issues?
VDXR should be compatible with all my other OpenXR mods (such as OpenXR Toolkit). If you are having issues, just do the usual: try Safe Mode, resetting settings, or disabling any mod.
Log file for VDXR is created at %ProgramData%\Virtual Desktop (you can copy/paste that directly into File Explorer) and is called OpenXR.log. If you’re going to bring issues to me, you must include this file otherwise no support will be provided.
Thanks a lot for the precise instructions, I will give it a try tonight on my Pico 4 !
If I understand properly, I will first need to uninstall the ‘standard’ Virtual Desktop app from the headset, right ?
Thanks a lot.
I confirm it works without uninstalling. I just loaded the APK to the headset via USB cable, then loaded the APK from the headset’s file manager, and it updated Virtual Desktop to the new version
Great, so now we have an OpenXR version of Virtual Desktop that we didn’t need with Link or Air Link, with the stock Oculus OpenXR runtime. That, together with the fact that since upgrading to a i913900k/rtx4090, I dont even see any significant improvements with the OpenXR Toolkit, makes me think that this is all an unnecessary thing to do, for me at least.
Mr. Bucchia you are a marvel and have once again managed to improve and enhance the performance of my rig (and much needed Quest 3). Thank you, good Sir.
For me (13700/4800), VD+VDXR is the only way to make MSFS work well with my Q3 and I’ve tried myriads of other configurations. If it weren’t for mbucchia I would have had to send the Q3 back.
I was meaning the need to install using the beta channels instead of waiting for Virtual Desktop to update through the normal update process?
Thanks for the great work on this by the way, always great to eliminate bloat software (SteamVR) from the mix.
Wow really great work! Thank you very much!
Got 30 fps in a320 fbw with SteamVr before and now around 35-37 fps and much smoother.
Have a rtx 3080, quest 3 and playing at 26xx X 27xx resolution.
I would still recommend if you use VDXR to use the Virtual Desktop BETA, as it comes with some usability improvements. I have sort of deleted access to the previous VDXR beta, so today this is the only way to get the software.
I am not sure of the timeline for the beta to be promoted to stable. Functionally speaking, the differences between the 0.6.0 beta and this one is mostly cosmetic and integration, or fixing some bugs not specifically applicable to MSFS.
Oculus Link is very poor quality to me compared to Virtual Desktop. But requiring SteamVR was a turn off for using Virtual Desktop due to the extra bloat. The majority of people are already reporting better experience or smoothness.
But there is no universal solution to improving things. Having an RTX 4090, you have a lot of VRAM that you can waste on SteamVR
WOW, just WOW! This really is a night and day difference. Makes my biggest remaining problem to fly in VR my new headstrap for the Quest 3 not arriving until early november. The default one really is horrible for me, but I will now gladly undergo the torture.
Very minimal distortions (screen was wobbling like the ocean before), crystal clear resolution. I tried everything to achieve this, but this seems to finally be the key.
