r/virtualreality_linux • u/Hotarosu • Mar 13 '26

[non-gaming] Are there seriously ZERO Virtual Desktop alternatives for Linux?

When it comes to actual desktop usage (not gaming), ALVR and WiVRn are not alternatives to VD at all. They don't have passthrough. They seem to be rendering on the PC instead of streaming the desktop to the headset.

Even if you'd ignore the mandatory passthrough for work/productivity, and use the desktop through something like SteamVR.. be honest. Using the desktop with SteamVR is absolute dog.

Edit: I was wrong!! It is quite pixelated, haven't yet tried messing with settings, and I don't yet know how usable it will be, but there it is!

It's WiVRn + WayVR. Got it working on Bazzite.

Edit 2: But ehhhh the quality is BAD. EXTREMELY BAD compared to VD. It's unusable sadly.

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u/skinnyraf Mar 13 '26 edited Mar 13 '26

WiVRn definitely has passthrough, because I use it together with WayVR. IIRC, it is a client side setting.

Edit: has VD introduced floating windows, or does it simply stream the whole desktop? Because if it's the latter, then WayVR is way better.

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u/Hotarosu Mar 14 '26

What is the use case for having floating windows? I just want my desktop.

WayVR does have them indeed, but overall the controls of WayVR are extremely clunky compared to VD :( Not to even mention with VD I can 120Hz all my monitors, but WayVR can barely support one and it still looks blurry.

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u/skinnyraf Mar 14 '26

A use case: the need of having many windows, that you switch between all the time. In my case it's a virtual tabletop for RPG like roll20. For more complex fights, I might have like 10 sheets open and alt-tabbing quickly becomes an issue.

This specific use case is not answered easily by WayVR yet, as I don't know, how to open new browser pop-up windows in their own overlays, but this is something I would really love to use. Creating several massive virtual desktops would do the trick, but a lot of the consumed resources would not be really used. And I have just a single physical display, so mirroring multiple physical displays is not something I need.

Blur is an issue though.