Haptic feedback, passthrough AR videos improvements and NEW Christmas environment in DeoVR v13.5!

06.12.2022

Just in time for Christmas, there's a new update for the DeoVR app, with plenty of exciting new features and useful improvements. Read on for more details

This latest update is available for the DeoVR app on Quest and Windows PCVR. Please note: DeoVR for the Pico 4 is coming soon, it's in the final stages of being signed off to appear on the Pico store. You can sideload the DeoVR app onto your Pico 4 using SideQuest. Go here for more detailed instructions.

So what's new? Along with some necessary bug fixes, there are three major new features and a number of improvements:

New Features for v13.5

An exciting and fun new feature is a new virtual environment for Christmas so you can make the most of the festive period while enjoying the best VR content. The app will automatically switch to it if you have the default (black) background, otherwise, you can find it inside Global Settings under Personalize - simply select Christmas 2022.

The Meta Quest Pro is now fully supported, which is great news for all you users of possibly the best VR headset on the market today.

Haptic feedback makes everything feel better and more responsive, and now you'll find haptic feedback in action on your controllers when hovering over buttons, sliders and scrollbars (please note: this is not yet active for the Pico or HTC Vive headsets). You can disable haptic feedback inside Global Settings under Player. Simply switch the Controllers vibration switch to off.

Improvements for v13.5

There are also a number of small but important improvements, most notably to the chroma key when using the passthrough AR videos feature.

Chroma key/passthrough AR:
- The color range slider is now less sensitive
- The color box is now visible when dragging sliders
- Improved performance when using the color wheel
- An icon has been added to thumbnails on the hub so users can easily see which videos have passthrough configured

Other improvements:

H265 is now the default codec on PICO devices
The quality and encoding dropdown menu is now hidden when playing videos that do not support it
Virtual environments are no longer affected by software re-centering

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Want to know more about the previous updates? Here's what was included in the previous iterations of the DeoVR app.

Version 13.4:

Version 13.4 of the DeoVR app is available for multiple VR headsets and platforms, including Quest, Windows, Windows Oculus, Windows SteamVR, Sidequest and Pico.

What’s new? Apart from some necessary bug fixes, there are three major new features and a number of improvements:

New Features

Interactive stories, AKA Build Your Own Journey (BYOJ)

This is a new way to make interactive videos in VR, similar to the Choose Your Own Adventure story books. With BYOJ you can use any DeoVR videos and combine them in a way that works best for you. It opens up endless possibilities, allowing you to make your own compilations, stories or remixes.

Passthrough support for the Pico Neo 3

Now you can try out the hugely popular passthrough feature on your Pico VR headset. You can enable passthrough in Player Options under the Passthrough panel.

Combine multiple filters when using search

When you apply a filter via search, a '+ Add' button will appear next to the filter you're looking for, allowing you to add more filters, so you can finetune your search to find the precise content you’re looking for.

Improvements

The DeoVR devs have also made some important improvements to existing features:

Chroma key/passthrough

Added a color wheel to make it easier to choose colors instead of using sliders
Changed the Color Range option’s maximum value from 100 to 1000 for more precision
Renamed Opacity to Falloff and changed the maximum value from 100 to 1000 for added precision
Please note: the chroma key algorithm has been changed, so a previous configuration might look different now

Playlists

Added the option to Shuffle playlists
Added the options to Loop playlists, including your Favorites, Watch Later and custom playlists
The Suggested playlist list will be active by default
Selecting a playlist will automatically play the first video in it
Changed browser engine from Gecko to Chrome on Android devices

New Devices

Finally, the Pico 4 is now supported, including color passthrough. Access through the Pico store is currently pending but we expect it to be finalized very soon.

DeoVR v13.3

Version 13.3 of the DeoVR app is out now, available for the Quest, Windows, Windows Oculus, Windows SteamVR, Sidequest and Pico headsets.

Along with some necessary bug fixes, there is an important new feature:

Virtual environments: You can now personalize your dashboard environment via settings. Choose between multiple different environments, including passthrough, custom panorama, gradient and multiple different 3D scenes.

Plus there are other notable improvements:

The username is now properly displayed if it uses both upper and lowercase text
Holding/dragging a slider no longer breaks the UI when automatically switching between videos
Pressing the back button when the app is loading no longer breaks the login window
The Premium button has been added to the player's main panel, dashboard and navigation panel
Premium popup has been added for premium videos
The like button is now enabled when there are 0 likes
The favorite button is now visible when lock channel is enabled
Reloading the project now works when signing in from popups
The diamond icon has been changed to a crown when the user has Premium

If you’re a skilled dev with a passion for VR, come and join the DeoVR team. You can find more details here.