Hardware Emulation
Overview
VR hardware emulation allows consumers or developers without a full VR headset to use or test VR software. The two current ways of achieving that are by leveraging existing tracking and display sensors in phones, or by emulating the hardware in its entirety. The first can be done with Vridge on Android, and iVRy (or Trinus VR) on both iOS and Android devices. The second can be achieved by using Valve's null VR driver.
Subjective evaluations are based on trials with a Windows 10 PC (i5 3470, GTX 970), a Samsung Galaxy S7 (with a SM-R322 Gear VR), and an iPhone 6. SteamVR Home was used for for general testing and Race the Sun for in-game testing. Wireless streaming used a dedicated 5ghz wireless ac router within 3 feet of the device (for ideal conditions).
Tutorials
Software Options
iVRy for iOS and Android
Client Platforms: iPhone 6 (or newer), Android 4.4 (and newer)
Host Platform: Windows 7 (or newer)
Price: Free version desaturates colors after 5 minutes, $7 (on iOS) or $7.50 (on Android) for full version
Required Software: iTunes (for phone drivers if using iOS), custom VR headset driver, Steam VR
Advantages:
Cross platform
Active development
Cardboard support
Very easy setup
Highly customizable (in phone app)
Integrates directly with SteamVR, no middleman software
Low streaming latency
Streaming stability
USB streaming support
Disadvantages:
USB streaming on Android requires external tethering
Requires iTunes software for iOS
No direct Oculus integration, requires external Revive software
Subjective Evaluation:
Very easy to set up, and default settings work well. Tracking is accurate, and the delay is comparable to (and possibly slightly lower than) Vridge. The iTunes requirement is annoying, but reasonable and the direct integration with SteamVR is fantastic. It's essentially plug-and-play on iOS. The best option for iOS, and tied with VRidge for the best option on Android
Vridge for Android
Client Platforms: Android 5.0 (or newer), Gear VR
Host Platform: Windows 7 (or newer)
Price: Free for 10 minutes at a time, $15 for unlimited
Required Software: Riftcat server
Advantages:
Active development
Cardboard support
Easy setup
Highly customizable (in server app)
Gear VR support
USB streaming support through Android USB tethering
Direct Oculus integration
Disadvantages:
USB streaming requires external tethering
Noticable streaming latency
Dropped frames while streaming lead to significant short term artifacting
Subjective Evaluation:
Easy to set up and works reasonably well. Tracking is accurate, but with a slight delay. Tracking is more accurate with the Gear VR, but USB streaming support isn't available at the same time, so latency worsened. Tied for the best option for Android phones with iVRy. However, the infrequent frame drops caused the entire application to hang, and were followed by serious compression artifacts.
SteamVR null driver
Platforms: Anything that supports SteamVR.
Price: Free
Required Software: Steam, SteamVR
Advantages:
Simple
Built into SteamVR
Easy to test rendering without any VR hardware at all
Disadvantages:
No head tracking support. No VR controller support. Interaction is limited to a single rendering, and whatever external input support is provided by the software (keyboard, mouse, gamepad)
Technical setup (see tutorial)
Trinus VR for Android and iOS
Client Platforms: iOS 9.2 (or newer) / Android 3.1 (or newer)
Host Platform: Windows 7 (or newer)
Price: Free for 10 minutes at a time, $10 for full version
Required Software: Trinus VR sofware for Windows, custom SteamVR driver (installed via Trinus software)
Advantages:
Cross platform
Cardboard support
Highly customizable (in server app)
USB streaming support through Android USB tethering
Supports arbitrary streaming of PC applications and SteamVR integration
Supports Playstation PSVR headset
Disadvantages:
Difficult to set up
Noticable streaming latency (when not using USB)
Subjective Evaluation:
Difficult to set up initially, with a poor server and phone interface. Tracking is accurate, but latency (even with settings tweaking) was greater than the other two options. Being able to stream the desktop is convenient, however, and the ability to use a PSVR headset (untested) is novel. The experience on iPhone and Android was essentially equivalent.
Attribution - Zach