PE Beta Download: Virtual Desktop feature added (experimental). Please help testing out!

#1

Hey guys, how are you doing? We have something new for you to try out :slight_smile: Please help us and let us know how this works on your PCs.

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Ok… First off, remember this is just an experimental version of Pimax VR Experience (based on 0.74.0.0) that includes a first version of Virtual Desktop feature. This release is just something we want you to try out, and give us some feedback, We are not ready to release this to the masses, so therefore the file is not an installer, but only the entire PVRHome folder. So unzip the file and copy all the files inside of PVRHome folder into your PVRHome installation (normally C:\Program Files\Pimax\PVRHome).

Before you start, please start by reading the below notes:

Virtual Desktop feature details:

  • Virtual Desktop mode is located under the “Desktop” link in the bottom menu bar.

  • Virtual Desktop mirrors all your PC monitors (multi monitor support for up to 3 monitors) but you can only view one at a time (we will add simultanous multi-monitor view later on…)

  • Switch between your monitors by clicking the monitor icons right under the virtual desktop view.

  • Virtual Desktop mode has also been added to Calibration page (currently only main monitor 1), so you can watch video clips or browse images on your desktop when calibrating your Pimax HMD (this is still work in progress and will be improved)

  • Important 1: The current version is only optimized for all resolutions 16:9 aspect ratios and monitors. It might look bad on ultra-wide monitors or old 4:3 monitors (work in progress).

  • Important 2: Desktop mouse does NOT work with VR controller laser yet. Thats still work in progress but if all goes well, it should be added the upcoming week(s).

  • Important 3: UI mouse is currently NOT synced to Desktop mouse (your real mouse in Windows). Thats still work in progress but if all goes well, it should be added the upcoming week(s).

  • Important 4: You can un-lock your mouse from the PE window by ticking the checkbox “Unlock UI mouse”. If you dont, the mouse will stay locked to the PE window of course. Now this is when things become a big tricky because once you lose mouse focus from your window, you will need to re-focus it again to gain Mouse UI control inside PE. We are looking into possibilities for workarounds.
    Also, you can at any time press scroll-wheel button on mouse to recenter its position, but that of course requires the window to be in focus.

  • Important 5: The UI mouse currently does not hide when in Virtual Desktop mode. This will be fixed later once we have synced Desktop-mouse with UI-mouse and its click mechanism. Potentially we might get hand-tracking working with this as well!

Ultimately, the easiest way (at least for now) is to simply disable UI Mouse in PE, use to controllers to navigate to Virtual Desktop Mode, and then you can freely use your Desktop mouse on your Desktop without worrying about locking and unlocking mouse.

Now let us know what you think and please let us know how it works with your monitors and different setups, resolutions etc.

We appreciate all feedback, but we would love to get some extra feedback from people who have:

  • 3 monitors connected
  • Ultra wide monitors (which might be buggy and look different)
  • Old 4:3 monitors and other uncommon aspect ratios.

Download link: (Right click and Save As…)
http://sweviver.com/PVRHome_0.74.0.0-Experimental-Virtual-Desktop-Support.zip

Install:
This is NOT an installer. Unzip the file and copy all the files inside of PVRHome folder into your PVRHome installation (normally C:\Program Files\Pimax\PVRHome). Now start Pimax VR Experience from PiTool again, by ticking the checkbox “Start Pimax VR Home” under Settings > General.

Cheers :slight_smile:

12 Likes
Early testing of a Virtual Desktop feature in Pimax VR Experience, please help us testing!
#2

Damn you guys keep rockin! :+1: :smiley:
I have 3 Monitors (the middle one is UWQHD) and just update the PE & PiTool I will test the next days!

4 Likes
#3

Thanks man, we keep grindin’ day in day out :slight_smile:
Ah, 3 monitors - thats awesome! Big thanks man

4 Likes
#4

Awesome. I will test and provide feedback.

5 Likes
#5

Thanks @MR-Alex, much appreciated!

3 Likes
#6

Works!
(as described above)

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I can use the real mouse with UI unlock - as described.
Only the mointor order is diffrent then the laout (I have basically 2 1 3 the number placed at the physicall position)
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And the Real World (sorry for the late night chaos - i know I need to clean up)

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3 Likes
#7

Ooo, more toys! 3 monitor setup, looking forward to breaking it! Oops, I mean testing it…

4 Likes
#8

Thats awesome!! :slight_smile: I will check into how we can identify what display is 1-2-3 so they can be arranged correctly (or manually sorted). But there will be a multi-monitor view added as well!

By the way, how does the ultra wide look like in PE? Is it stretched? I think we might need to fix the aspect ratios for ultra wide as I haven’t tested that.

Lovely setup you have there btw! :heart_eyes:

4 Likes
#9

Thanks :slight_smile: Its my part time work place and nr. 1 hobby so it grew in time :grin:

The UWHQD is a little bit squished (21:9) - but not much as its wider normally then the window area in VR (if you look at the picture in VR the icons seem more lengthy then on the desktop).
You would so either need to make “black bars” on top and beneath or change the ratio of the “middle” VR Plane to fit the wide ratio.

3 Likes
#10

Hehe I can relate to that :slight_smile: Great job!

Yep I will recalculate the AR for these monitors by going by max horizontal width and adjusting the vertical height. Something for tomorrow, getting a bit tired now , been a long day today :slight_smile: big thanks!

3 Likes
#11

The thanks goes to you two!
For tomorow :wink: - the 21:9’ers are a bit tricky:
Graphics display resolution - Wikipedia

4 Likes
#12

Yes, great, this is what I wanted from the very beginning of using PE: to be able to use in VD mode, because it is sometimes necessary to return to the desktop without removing the headset, but PE did not have this feature.
It will also be great if it becomes possible to watch 3D movies without running steamVR. As far as I understand, this is in the plans.
We need Virtual Desktop features with with OU and SBS modes, it will be the bomb! :boom:

At me at 21: 9 (3440x1440) it looks flattened horizontally, unfortunately ( or stretched vertically).

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Here I see 2 ways: to teach PE to stretch the virtual screen to 21: 9 mode, or to translate 21: 9 to 16: 9 so that the geometry is not distorted (but I’m a little sad here).

Thanks, this is a great direction for development, what we need :beers: (can’t wait to run 3D movies with SVP and MPC-64 via PE, without steamVR).

3 Likes
#13

The Virtual Desktop feature works as minimum viable product.
I could only test on one monitor (but it is a 4K one :wink:).
Now we need mouse support, supersampling, bigger screen and curved options.
Keep rocking.

5 Likes
#14

Amazing!

Since your going to go this far can you add support for Half Side By Side Stereoscopic 3D mode so that I can play games like this? In 3d without having to rely on Virtual Desktop?

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Citra 3ds Emulator

Also support to curve the screen would be nice. My monitor is 32:9 (but this will require some highschool Calculus…hope you didn’t skip class)

Essentially, Virtual Desktop is the standard to shoot for…that may be a bit too high…maybe that’s not the point of this? i’m not sure)

4 Likes
#15

It works great with 3 monitors, but as expected, my ultrawide monitor (3840x1600) screen ratio isn’t correct.
But I’m impressed by the 8kx clarity… Even if I’m looking at a shrunk and stretched 4K monitor in a small VR window, I can read all the small characters easily!

Thanks guys for your work! This app will really push the Pimax Experience to a new level! :smiley:

P.S. As MReis said, it would be nice to have an option for monitors reordering.

2 Likes
#16

But don’t stop there my 32:9 needs support!

2 Likes
#17

Great! Could a maximize button needed? It would temporarily make the screen almost as big as the whole field of view and curved, with a button to return to the default size

2 Likes
#18

Thats a good Idea, I was thinking the same in terms of trying to make it a large part of the view, if you need the desktop you will most likley focus mainly on that and less on the rest, so i guess needing to look left and right should not hurt.

1 Like
#19

Large mode (including simultanous multi-monitor view) will be added. Will be similar to how Calibration is shown, by hiding the entire UI. But larger and resizable of course.

By the way, just re-factored the code a little and now all ARs are working :slight_smile:
When AR is 16/9 or wider than 16/9, max X width is set and Y based on AR
When AR is narrower than 16/9, max Y height is set and X based on AR

Now this will work much better outside of UI (as mentioned above), but at least all windows fits and scales properly in UI.

1920x1440 (4:3 AR)

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3840x1440 (24:9 AR)

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7 Likes
#20

Nice!
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1 Like