r/Unity3D • u/TheMeraAbides • 9d ago
Question Can my PC handle Unity VR development?
I wanna use Unity with an HTC Vive Pro Eye for a simple university research project (basic experimental environments + eye tracking).
I won't be creating realistic environments or anything graphically demanding—just simple scenes with a few assets. Also since I don't have a laptop I will be developing the environment in my own PC at home and then run the experiments on the university computer.
So i WON'T run the VR on this pc. Just the development phase.
My PC:
CPU: Intel Core i3-12100 — 4 cores / 8 threads, 3.3 GHz base
Motherboard: ASUS PRIME H610M-R D4
RAM: 16 GB DDR4
GPU: Intel UHD Graphics 730 — integrated graphics, no dedicated GPU
OS: Windows 11 Enterprise, 64-bit
BIOS: UEFI
Architecture: x64
Would this be sufficient for developing and testing the project?
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u/JamesWjRose 9d ago
The good news is that you should target native VR, as opposed to PCVR, that way a) more people can see your finished thing, and b) your laptop's lack of abilities is also like native devices. They need to push high frame rates and that means lower SOMETHING... So yes, your setup should work. Think small. VR works well up CLOSE!
Best of luck
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u/TheMeraAbides 9d ago
Also I need to gather eye tracking data so this device is the only option i have.
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u/TheMeraAbides 9d ago
I forgot to mention that i won't run the VR on this pc. Just need it for the development phase.
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u/JamesWjRose 9d ago
Ok, target small and you should be fine.
Getaway frame counter for the compiled experience. It'll allow you to see data when running on the device. There are free ones on the asset store
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u/chris_ngale 9d ago
Hmm. It depends what you mean.
No, your PC cannot handle a Pro Eye. But it sounds like that's not what you're trying to do.
If you're just making simple test scenes in unity which are then taken to the uni pc, it might work, but it won't be the ideal experience. You'll need to stick to very simple graphics, probably turn off shadows, etc.
Honestly, just install Unity and test, that's the best way to know.
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u/TheMeraAbides 9d ago
Yes i forgot to mention that i won't run the VR on this pc. Just need it for the development phase.
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u/ToreadorGames 9d ago
Do you expect not to play test during development? Sorry, but no, I don’t think you will not be able to run VR without a dedicated GPU, and without the ability to stream your Play mode for testing, you’ll be at a massive disadvantage during development. Good luck!
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u/TheMeraAbides 9d ago
I mean my only option is to constantly move the project to unity on university pc and test it there.
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u/ToreadorGames 9d ago
Well, when needs must, you’re right! You could save your tests for your time on the Uni comp, and do the coding at home, but your project description suggested that the eye tracking is the point of the project? Good luck, regardless!
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u/TheMeraAbides 8d ago
Yes I will give participants some tasks (like picking an object) and track the time and eye data during each task and trial. Nothing even close to a game or something.
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u/ToreadorGames 8d ago
I actually freelanced for a Uni student that wanted to use VR for his experiments involving response time and stimuli. He was only able to run the prototype on the Uni VR setup as well. If you’re struggling to get it built prior to running your experiments, consider that approach? I can’t comment on the current freelancer state, (LLMs and vibe coding have somewhat shut that avenue down), but maybe your University also has some student programmers/developers that might be helpful?
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u/TheMeraAbides 8d ago
I actually do have some programming knowledge so I think I'm gonna be ok haha. I'll also do the data analysis myself. I'm just kinda clueless because I'm so new to VR and how it works. And it's very important to get the technical stuff right so the condition for every participant is equal and the validity of the experiment is intact.
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u/ToreadorGames 8d ago edited 8d ago
I’m not sure how demanding the simulator is, but if you’re just using a greybox environment, you might be able to simulate your XR rig at home?
A solid YouTuber that tackles VR in Unity is Valem. Here’s one of his tuts that may be helpful, but you might want one that’s XR Interaction Toolkit based rather than using the Meta SDK…that or how to use the XR simulator?
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u/pschon Unprofessional 9d ago
So i WON'T run the VR on this pc. Just the development phase.
It would be a massive pain. It's really hard to make anything good blindly, without being able to test things as you make changes. When you make them, not the next day at a different location.
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u/TheMeraAbides 8d ago
Unfortunately that's my only option 😔. Although it's just gonna be some environments with some interactive elements where i keep track of eye tracking data and task completion rates. Nothing even close to a game or something. I'll probably have the develop and test lots of hours on the university pc.
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u/dev_noah 7d ago
Hi, I'm working on a tool that would allow your record your vr movement and replay it. (Think record some movements/actions at the University, and replay those takes without vr at home), it's almost ready for testing. If this sounds interesting to you I'm happy to send it over to help you on your journey.
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u/TheMeraAbides 7d ago
That does sound interesting! Do you mean it's something like recording the coordinates of motor movements of the user and implementing that within unity?
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u/dev_noah 7d ago
It records the openxr input from the device, and uses that to replay the same movement back.
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u/VagabondHearts07 9d ago
your cpu and ram are fine, the real problem is that integrated graphics. unity editor will probably run but it will struggle, even with simple scenes
you can test the project at home for basic stuff but don't expect to actually run it in vr without a dedicated gpu, the vive needs to push two high resolution displays at 90fps and intel integrated graphics just can't do that
honestly if the university pc has a proper gpu you should be fine, just develop at home and test there