Frequently Asked Questions

[ggodin]

The application fails to launch on Steam?

Try uninstalling MSI Afterburner, Display Fusion or Riva Tuner as they are known to cause conflict. Also check to see if firewall rules are preventing the app from starting.

I get a message that says No VR headset found?

If you have a Rift, make sure you have Oculus Home[www.oculus.com] installed. It is not compatible with previous Oculus runtimes (0.8 or lower)
Check that your headset's USB and HDMI cables are properly connected.

I can see the background environment but get a black screen instead of my desktop?

This is most likely caused by a third party app conflicting with Virtual Desktop such as Display Fusion. Uninstalling those should resolve the problem.

I get a black screen when trying to play 360 videos?

If you have an Optimus laptop, go to the Nvidia control panel, then Manage 3D settings. Set the preferred graphics processor to "High-performance Nvidia processor" globally or specifically for Virtual Desktop (see here[i.imgur.com]).

I get a black screen when trying to watch Netflix, Hulu or other streaming service?

Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer have DRM that prevent those services from being captured. Using Google Chrome solves this problem.

I get a message that says I need to install the Media Feature pack, where do I get it?

Windows 10 with Creators Update: download it here[support.microsoft.com]
Windows 10: download it here[www.microsoft.com]
Windows 8.1: download it here[www.microsoft.com]

I cannot use the Touch or Vive controller with my browser

When using Google Chrome, go to chrome://flags and then search for "touch" without quotes and make sure Enable touch events is set to enabled rather than auto.

How do I run non-VR games in Virtual Desktop?

Just start your games as you normally would and they should appear in Virtual Desktop. If a game crashes or refuses to start while in Virtual Desktop, playing the game in Windowed, Windowed Fullscreen or Borderless mode will solve the issue. Starting Virtual Desktop outside of Steam will let you launch Steam games while in VR. Another option is to disable Desktop Game Theater mode by going in Steam to Settings, In-game and uncheck the "Use Desktop Game theater..." option

I get poor performance in Virtual Desktop?

Make sure to turn off Nvidia Shadow Play. It will be enabled by default if you have GeForce experience installed.

Is there a way to emulate multiple virtual monitors?

Windows requires screens to be associated to a display output on a video card. There's unfortunately no software-only solution to fake a monitor but you can use something like a Headless Ghost[www.headlessghost.com] to emulate one or more.

Why is Windows 10 recommended?

Virtual Desktop has very low overhead when using DirectX 11.1 features only available on Windows 8 and 10. There are no good low latency APIs on Windows 7 to capture the desktop at a decent framerate so the performance will suffer.

Is it compatible with Google Cardboard?

No, Virtual Desktop requires a PC running Windows with an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive headset.

Are there any plans to support Mac or Linux?

Not at this time.

How can I make feature suggestions>

You can vote or make suggestions on the feedback portal: http://feedback.vrdesktop.net/