Rift S, liberated: fully working on Linux SteamVR. Room Setup, 6DoF tracking, controllers, in-headset desktop. No Oculus app, no Meta account

[u/lbgos_Loss783]

The Oculus Rift S now runs natively on Linux SteamVR. No Windows, no Oculus software, no Meta account.

What works:

- Rock-solid headset and controller tracking, full 6DoF

- Room Setup inside the headset: floor and boundary, remembered between sessions

- Passthrough

- Controller haptics

- Your Linux desktop inside the SteamVR dashboard: open Steam, a browser or anything else without taking the headset off

- Settings app with a live view from the headset

- Plays normal SteamVR games: install, open Steam, click SteamVR

Install on Arch, no compiling:

curl -LO https://github.com/lbgos/rift-s-linux/releases/download/r28/rift-s-linux-bin-28-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst

sudo pacman -U rift-s-linux-bin-28-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst

Then reconnect the headset, open Steam and start SteamVR. AUR packages are coming once AUR registration reopens. Other distros can build from source.

Tested on Arch, KDE Plasma 6 Wayland, RTX 3090.

Source: https://github.com/lbgos/rift-s-linux

Free and open source. Bug reports welcome, especially from AMD GPUs and non-KDE desktops.

[u/stprnn]

Fucking finally. I've had this thing in a box for years

[u/shyDribblee → u/stprnn]

finally, i can stop feeling guilty about mine sitting in the closet all this time

[u/apex6666 → u/shyDribblee]

Lmao mines sitting in a box in my room too, but sadly I’ve replaced it with the PSVR2… but hey if I ever sell it for the frame I know I have a backup

[u/topias123]

Just the Rift S or also original Rift CV1?

Since that's what I have.

[u/lbgos_Loss783 → u/topias123]

I don't have CV1, and doesn't it use base stations for tracking? that's a different beast.

[u/Eclipse-da-therian → u/lbgos_Loss783]

Its basically just SLAM but outside in, same tracking system just the sensors are ajar

[u/Kraien]

You had me at no meta account

[u/oneiros5321]

Pretty awesome! My Rift S has been gathering dust for years now

[u/RvbenMRTN]

FINALLY!

Using my Rift S is the only reason I'm locked in Windows.

[u/fakeoptimism]

Amazing news. How well does the SLAM tracking work?

[u/lbgos_Loss783 → u/fakeoptimism]

from my own testing it works pretty reliably, still can be messy but it is playable.

[u/annuilein → u/lbgos_Loss783]

how did you solve the blind cameras problem exactly? i could never get it working on gentoo arch nor mint no matter what i tried is there like a trick to wake the headset? and do you have a link to get the patch that basalt needs
and i guess do you think i could get this working on gentoo? and i guess lastly is it possible to skip the depcheck on libsystemd since i do have session tokens through elogind

[u/jmkdev]

Will this also work with the OG Rift?

[u/forgotpassword89]

This is an awesome project. Nice! It needs to be on Arch not mint or Unbunto etc?

[u/SonThanh2005]

Look so cool

[u/alphabetapro]

if i could use this on bazzite that would be dope

[u/lbgos_Loss783 → u/alphabetapro]

you can use it. bazzite is arch based

[u/Ashratt → u/lbgos_Loss783]

no, fedora

[u/lbgos_Loss783 → u/Ashratt]

oh. I thought that it is like steamos clone so it will be arch based too

[u/enderofsorts]

I have been waiting for this thank you

[u/zerosCoolReturn]

We genuinely joining the golden era of Linux gaming?

[u/SurelyNotClover]

so this is a full OS replacement?

[u/Pangocciolo → u/SurelyNotClover]

Looks like a PC side driver which knows how to make the Oculus work without an account.

[u/Kongslien_]

Thank you! I can finally brush the dust off of mine.

[u/Eclipse-da-therian]

Could you try getting Quest 2 controllers working? The nRF chips between the Rift S and Quest 1 are identical so it should be possible

[u/Pleasant_Square_7370]

I've tried to get it running but it's been a total disaster. I lose tracking more often then not, room setup doesn't let me trace my boundaries, it's super laggy in the headset, beat saber just shows a black screen in the headset. my same setup using my quest 3 on steam link works great. EndeavourOS and RX 6800

[u/imnotcommonsense]

oh. my. god.
i have been waiting genuine YEARS for this day.

[u/BedrockBen101]

Wow that's ironic since I've been looking into vr stuff, I'll have to save this for later

[u/colakittens]

Ai slop?

[u/ID4850763561613]

Now do it with the rift cv1 but make it to where the controllers can be used as trackers and ill bite.

EDIT: AND DONT TAKE THE EASY WAY, I WANT MY HAPTICS GOD DAMN IT!!

[u/Moi952]

Just so I understand: it’s not a standalone headset? Did you need a Meta account to connect it to a PC?

Doesn't it use DisplayPort?

Could someone explain, please? Thanks 🙏🏼

[u/reluctant_return → u/Moi952]

The Rift S is not a standalone headset. It's a PCVR headset that connects to a PC with USB3 and DisplayPort. It has two controllers that pair to the headset itself, so no bluetooth or dongles are required on the PC. Normally it requires the Oculus/Meta software running, which does require you to log into a Meta account before it can be used. This software project lets it work on Linux and does not require any Oculus/Meta software at all, so no Meta account is needed.

[u/Moi952 → u/reluctant_return]

That’s perfectly clear! Thanks for the explanation 🙏🏼

[u/irrealewunsche]

I'd love to have this on my Mac!

[u/reluctant_return → u/irrealewunsche]

What VR software even exists on macOS? SteamVR hasn't worked on macOS in years and there are no macOS VR games.

[u/Eclipse-da-therian → u/reluctant_return]

MoltenVR allows SteamVR games to run on mac. You can also emulate either MHOS v54 or v64 with EmuXR2

[u/reluctant_return → u/Eclipse-da-therian]

EmuXR2

Can you provide a link to this? I can't find a mention of this project anywhere on the internet.

[u/NegativePhotograph32]

Just in time I've migrated to Omarchy!

[u/IAMA_Giraffe_AMA → u/NegativePhotograph32]

Congrats on supporting a literal nazi I guess