Somnium VR1 delivered 6 Feb 2025

PC status and preparations   FAQ

System File Checker, drivers, hardware

• Intel i5-13600K 3.50 GHz, 32GB DDR5-6000 CL30, Galax GeForce RTX 4090 SG,
  MSI Z790 Tomahawk
• System File Checker
  
  

  2025-02-05 06:38:30, Info  DEPLOY [Pnp] Corrupt file: C:\WINDOWS\System32\drivers\BthA2dp.sys
  2025-02-05 06:38:30, Info  DEPLOY [Pnp] Repaired file: C:\WINDOWS\System32\drivers\BthA2dp.sys
  2025-02-05 06:38:30, Info  DEPLOY [Pnp] Corrupt file: C:\WINDOWS\System32\drivers\BthHfEnum.sys
  2025-02-05 06:38:30, Info  DEPLOY [Pnp] Repaired file: C:\WINDOWS\System32\drivers\BthHfEnum.sys
  

• 
• Intel graphics driver update also fails:  
• Windows 11 Home 23H2 22631.4751
• crashes to BIOS if/when motherboard HDMI connector is reseated
• dual-link DVI monitors to displayport via adapters
  - one to RTX 4090 - another to motherboard
• 7-channel audio via motherboard HDMI
• 2GB RAM drive
• OVR Lighthouse Manager
• Windows DirectX End-User Runtimes

Somnium VR1 Tool - Walk-Through Video

• Initial setup wizard
• Cable Connection
• Hardware Check   ignore recommended driver if > 546.01
• OpenXR driver
• STEAMVR driver   Continue with Next Step
• Ultraleap driver   Continue with Next Step
• Ultraleap driver   Continue with Next Step

For the rest of the video to make sense, launch SteamVR now

• Home screen   firmware and software - quick actions
• Settings
  • Rendering
  • Foveated Rendering

      - Enabling dynamic foveated rendering (Artur's PDF)
    Dynamic foveated rendering works only in OpenXR apps
      that support it, e.g. hello_xr

    VR1 OpenXR is fully compatible with DCS quad views.
    If FPS drops when using quad views,
    lower VR1 Tool main resolution setting to about 40%.
    for background images at that resolution.
    Render quad views (100%) foveated resolution
    with 25%/25% foveated size.
    

  • Screen brightness, contrast
  • Hand tracking
  • Eye tracking IPD (63-5 for me), calibration
  • Sound mic, earphone levels, tester
  • Firmware version, update, VR1 serial number
  • 4 Button bindings
  • Advanced FoV, eye relief / world scale
  • Software repair, IPD overlay
    enable/disable OpenXR, SteamVR

    - disabling VR1 OpenXR leaves SteamVR's OpenXR runtime,
      which then calls VR1 OpenVR for OpenXR apps.
    - disabling both OpenXR and OpenVR disables VR1..
  • VR view display on monitor
  • Tracking Tab OpenXR Origin;
      add VR1 IMU to SteamVR Lighthouse
  • Mixed Reality test camera connection
  • Masking mode overlay(default), 3D mesh, chroma key, combo, Cinema:  mixed reality image on a virtual screen
• If, after some days, VR1 image doesn't feel right with defaults,
  tweak settings

    Warping profiles + rendered FOV + focal distance value
    HEAVILY change eyes' perceptions:

  1. Measure seen FOV with any FOV tool.
  2. Set VR1 Tool values according to seen FoV.
  3. Pick best focal distances between `-10` and `+10`.
  4. After that, try different warping profiles   -   older profiles

  
  Close VR1 tool and vrg services before profile changes;
  - ignore update message after warping profile changes.
  - In folder:  C:\ProgramData\vrg\warping\SomniumVR1\
    replace files: warping_left.bson and warping_right.bson
  - best results may employ mixing different left and right profiles.

  There always will be slight warping in aspheric lenses.
  In case of VR1 you can’t see it in vast majority of use cases
   unless you artificially look for it.
  
  Our aspheric lenses are laser tested for an incredible precision
   with maximum tight tolerances.
  
  People do need to adapt to aspheric lenses
   and 99.9% do adapt and love it!
  
  Good aspheric lenses (like in VR1) in bring a lot of advantages
   over any other lenses on the market so far.
  Clarity, brightness, sharpness, sweet spot and FOV among other things.
  
  - Artur | Founder & CEO
  

SteamVR

• Does not need to run for OpenXR apps;
  OpenVR base station and tracking services run in background.
• SteamVR detects current headset,
  resets to defaults Valve Index per game settings
  
• Don't change SteamVR resolution scale,
  this is set in the VR1 tool and then sent to SteamVR;
  - changing it in SteamVR causes unnecessary extra overhead.
• Disable "Motion Smoothing" if VR1 "Space Warp" is enabled;
  - these are similar technologies.
• Leave VR1 Tool open

This Leap Motion SteamVR driver requires getting used to;

• check app settings, and really play with it.
  
• Disable it and enable it in the SteamVR addons section.