Vive Focus Plus OpenXR ?

[Fangh]

Hello.

Does OpenXR is planned for the Vive Focus Plus ?
If yes, when do you think a first version (alpha ?) will be released ?

Thank you.

[Corvus]

@Fangh There are discussions about supporting OpenXR via the Wave SDK but nothing to announce yet.

[dario]

We are commited to support OpenXR in additional devices (not just the Vive Cosmos) and have a roadmap. You should be able to use existingi tools such as UE or Unity with their corresonding OpenXR plugins to begin development.

[dario]

To clarify, the Wave runtime will support the OpenXR and Wave programming interfaces. Currently the Wave SDK supports Wave devices including the Focus 3 and Focus Plus.

[Norlesh]

Can we get an update on this 'roadmap' and it's timeline for OpenXR support in the Wave SDK? I'm aware of the recent announcement for beta support for OpenXR on the Focus 3 but what is happening or going to happen with other devices such as the Focus Plus?

[I have a Vive Focus Plus sitting on the shelf collecting dust while I'm developing an OpenXR application using the Oculus Quest 2 for testing; Would be nice to have my code running on Wave devices, but there is no chance that I'm about to create an entire separate code branch to support them - or purchase a new Focus 3 just for testing in the short term]

[dario]

Hi, to clarify the Wave-OpenXR runtime beta support is currently only for the Focus 3 and only when you select the beta feature.

Currently there's not need to create another entire code branch anyway even if just targeting Wave and Quest.

OpenXR is supported by Unity and Unreal (though work by the Khronos group re: androidmanifest.xml is still wip).

OpenXR in Unity e.g. is a target platform much like Quest or Wave.  So only one code branch is really needed if you use Unity ProjectSettings->XR Management and a cross platform toolkit like Unity's XRI or Vive Input Utility (VIU).

 

[Norlesh]

I am developing using C++ on the native platforms (currently targeting Quest devices and Windows Mixed Reality) after having spent much time learning Unity (and Godot) and determining that I was wasting more time dealing with tool problems (bugs, added complexity, missing and outdated documentation) than I was getting actual development done... have no intention of wasting any more time learning to use Unreal since I'm pessimistic about it being any better for my purposes.

My current project has a single code base for most of the application except for initialization since Oculus is still using a kludge for there OpenXR loader.  

Frankly I don't think it's very genuine of companies to be claiming to have any sort of OpenXR support if there is not a way for developers to access there runtime and use it as per the specifications.

Edited April 19, 2022 by Norlesh

[dario]

HI @Norlesh

I agree, no company should claim OpenXR compatibility and not use it per the specifications (or use it without official approval). If you look at the list of conformant runtimes, we are on there for passing the conformance test suite (CTS) for both our PC and Android (Focus 3) OpenXR runtimes. We passed the Focus 3 CTS and became an official adopter back in Feb but kept the beta label to continually improve the runtime based on direct developer feedback.  As you can see, there aren't many official adopters with Android OpenXR runtimes yet and we do use the official Android OpenXR loader. As mentioned, we're working closely with the Khronos OpenXR group to finalize any remaining features needed in the spec for Android.  Currently we have an accessible runtime for the Focus 3 (for now as a beta feature that only needs you to send us your serial number to enable the firmware switch).  Please feel free to DM me to send me a sample build apk to test and to discuss your application directly.

best,
Dario
 

[Norlesh]

Hi Dario

Thanks for the testing offer I will keep it in mind if the platform ever becomes viable to me.

Looking at the conformant products page HTC has listed "VIVE Wave runtime (AIO)" which to my understanding is what is running on the Focus Plus hardware and communicated with using the Wave SDK (I assume this is what Unity and Unreal are targeting); is it possible to access this with the official loader, or are external developers locked out for some reason?

cheers, Shane

[dario]

Unfortunately only the Vive Focus 3 can run the Khronos OpenXR Android loader at this time. I'll certainly update this here should this change for the Vive Focus Plus, Vive Flow or other Wave based devices.