Legacy Mixed Reality Methods

This page exists for archival purposes. See the Mods page for better options.

For some of these you need to make use of DepotDownloader to download older Steam game versions that you are eligible for. The App/Depot/Manifest IDs for use with DepotDownloader can be found from SteamDB.

It seems creating steam_appid.txt is an easy way to make Steam not try to launch the latest installed version and being able to use legacy bindings for games that do not support the new SteamVR Input system.

Virtual Third Controller

It’s possible to make a virtual Vive controller using an OpenVR driver that matches the position and rotation of another tracked device (e.g. LIV’s virtual tracker). This is useful for older games that don’t support generic trackers.

Arizona Sunshine (2016 “before DLC update”) is one such game.

LIV with Legacy Support

Not recommended

An older version of LIV is needed to use Legacy Composition (quads) or make the virtual tracker appear as a controller for games that expect a 3rd controller connected for camera tracking.

You can have the older version in a separate folder to the latest version to be able to use both. If you’re going between versions you should use LIV’s About menu to uninstall its driver or it’ll probably crash the other version.

On this page the only game that uses it is Arizona Sunshine (to appear as a 3rd controller).

  • LIV v2.10.4.4385ed1 (public branch 9 August 2022)
    • DepotDownloader.exe -app 755540 -depot 755541 -manifest 1510628975133772102 -username [yoursteamusername]
  • In the same folder as LIV.App.exe:
    • Create file steam_appid.txt containing: 755540
  • To change between virtual tracker and virtual controller, from the AUTO tab select a Legacy game and toggle Backup Legacy Support.

Arizona Sunshine (2016)

Older version (“before the DLC update”) supports legacy quads mixed reality. Keep in mind because it’s so old, controller bindings are jank.

  • Properties > Launch Options: -mr
  • Have a 3rd controller connected.

Is really easy to crash when trying to change things while the game is running; potentially a Steam VR dashboard, LIV overlay, or OBS thing.

Instead, you should use better methods:

Older version setup

You can have the older version in a separate folder to the latest version to be able to play both, e.g. ArizonaSunshine-MR. Since the save data is in “C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata<unique>\342180\remote\SaveGame.dat” not sure how dangerous going between the two versions is.

  • Arizona Sunshine v1.4.9225 (June 2017) before the DLC update:
    • DepotDownloader.exe -app 342180 -depot 342181 -manifest 8076665898025253975 -username [yoursteamusername]
  • In the same folder as ArizonaSunshine.exe:
    • Create file steam_appid.txt containing: 342180
    • Place externalcamera.cfg
      • You could try running the unsupported/latest Arizona Sunshine through LIV v2.10 then copy from the original folder to the older version folder, or using the MANUAL tab save a Unity one.
  • Create a shortcut/run:
    • ArizonaSunshine.exe -mr

LIV (latest) setup

  • Have the custom Open VR driver installed.
  • Don’t select any game in LIV.
  • Use OBS to composite.

LIV v2.10 (Legacy) setup

  • On the AUTO tab
    • Select Arizona Sunshine (or any Legacy game).
    • Enable ‘Backup legacy support’.
      • SteamVR status window will change from LIV tracker to LIV controller.
  • On the MANUAL tab
    • SDK unticked.
    • Target to be blank to allow using OBS’s transparency capture.
      • Hint: open a program that can appear in this list (e.g. mspaint), select it as the Target, then close the program so that the selection changes to blank.
    • Composition set to Default.
      • We can’t use LIV’s Legacy Composition for this game, you will need to use OBS to manually do it.

Composition notes

Arizona Sunshine has some mixed reality settings when pressing Ctrl+C such as to toggle the game’s hands, you need to press the button combo again to hide the settings otherwise some in-game interactions (like the projector menu) will not work.

Use OBS to manually composite the game quads and LIV output (with transparency) windows together.

  • (optional) Top-left quad: Foreground
    • If Game Capture does not work, use Window Capture (Win 10 method). Can use a dodgy chroma key filter.
  • LIV: Avatar
    • Use Game Capture with Transparency ticked.
  • Bottom-left quad: Background
    • If Game Capture does not work, use Window Capture (Win 10 method).

Budget Cuts 1 (unmodded)

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBOyECsh3Ow

To use LIV, you will need to have a version of Budget Cuts before the Arcade update. This also means it’ll be legacy controller bindings. This version had different teleport buttons to current version and Budget Cuts 2.

I’ve been able to complete the game using:

  • Vive Pro 2 with Vive controllers
  • Vive Pro 2 with Index controllers (my left touchpad is broken, have remapped buttons to act as touchpad)
  • Quest 1 with Virtual Desktop

Older version setup

From the game’s properties > beta window you can opt into pre_arcade_patch_6, copy the game folder and then go back to no beta if you want to keep the current game.

Or you can use: DepotDownloader.exe -app 400940 -depot 400941 -manifest 3443651017119539622 -username [yoursteamusername]

You can have the older version in a separate folder to the latest version to be able to play both, e.g. Budget Cuts-PreArcade. I do not believe save data works properly between older and current versions, since current version is based on Budget Cuts 2.

In the same folder as Budget Cuts.exe

  • Create file steam_appid.txt containing: 459860
  • This is the demo’s App ID, ensures you use legacy bindings or you can’t get into the main menu.

Running Budget Cuts.exe directly shouldn’t cause the Steam managed version to run.

LIV (Latest) setup

  • MANUAL tab
    • Enable use SDK.
    • Target the running Budget Cuts.exe process.
    • Composition set to Default.

Unsupported

Budget Cuts 2

Officially does not support mixed reality in any version, but there’s a mod for it.

Having a externalcamera.cfg file and LIV running will cause the main menu to be really difficult to see. When you get in game, there is still no LIV or legacy mixed reality.

Budget Cuts Premature Demo

Does not support mixed reality, this is only here if you want to have both demo, pre-arcade and current installed.

I tried it with Oculus Quest 1 and Virtual Desktop, eventually the thumbstick click to teleport annoyed me so much I had to mess with legacy bindings, throwing things was almost impossible.

  • From the game’s properties > beta window you can opt into old_demo
    • Copy the game folder and then go back to no beta for the current game.
    • Or you can use: DepotDownloader.exe -app 400940 -depot 400941 -manifest 674485332764859777 -username [yoursteamusername]
  • Inside the demo’s folder, create steam_appid.txt containing: 459860
  • Running Budget Cuts.exe directly shouldn’t cause the proper Steam version to run.

Robo Recall

This is an Oculus Rift (PC) game the uses Unreal Engine 4.16.

Despite UE 4.20 and above having documentation that shows Robo Recall as an example for Epic’s Mixed Reality Capture Framework plugin, it seems the shipped version doesn’t include anything even close.

The game does not seem to respond to having a MrcCalibration.sav file or using Oculus MRC-style command-line arguments.

The Lab

The latest version does not work. When ExternalCamera.cfg is present in the steamapps\common\The Lab folder (not next to main exe!) the left/right controllers will not work but the third controller will work for mixed reality camera.

The ‘archive’ branch (possibly 16 September 2020 or 20 March 2020) does have working controllers but it has really long load times and is a bit messy with having the virtual third controller causing one of the left/right controllers to not work. Sometimes the headset view looks warped.

Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope

Has its own mixed reality implementation that’s enabled in the “forest” menu, camera follows the third controller.

  • Avoiding the wizard menu to not select a camera input results in a grey square appearing.
  • Edit SeriousSamTLH_VR.ini to remove the camera after selecting to go back to grey square.
  • Does not use externalcamera.cfg

Have not yet checked Fusion or The Talos Principle.