Virtual Handheld (SteamVR overlay)

IMPORTANT: There is a known issue where the SteamVR Bindings fail to load when Virtual Handheld (VH) is not launched through Steam. If you encounter this issue, please add VH to your Steam library and try again.

NOTICE: This software is still in development. It may be a long time before there's a full release of this software. As with all software, compatibility with your device(s), games or other software is not guaranteed.

Having Issues? Please contact the developer for support via the Discord server or the Steam Community page

Warning: This software may create flashing lights that are hazardous to people with photosensitive epilepsy.

Play your non-VR games while in VR! No need for a keyboard, mouse or gamepad! You can use your XR/VR controllers to simulate key presses, mouse movement, or even gamepad joysticks! Create custom bindings for each controller, and play your favorite games from the comfort of VR!

Virtual Handheld uses industry standard input simulation to convert XR/VR controller input into virtual keyboard, mouse, or gamepad input!

Virtual Input Options:

• Keyboard
  • US Standard QWERTY
  • Function Keys (F1-24)
  • Media Keys (Play/Pause, Mute, etc.)
  • Browser Keys

• Mouse
  • Analog Movement
  • Scroll Wheel
  • Button Clicks (Left, Right, Middle, MB4 and MB5)
• Gamepad (ViGEmBus driver required)
  • Xbox 360 Controller
  • DualShock 4 (PS4 Controller)

This is a SteamVR overlay application, meaning that it can be used to play games on top of other VR apps! Your controls can be blocked from interacting with other VR apps, allowing for inputs to be redirected to games running on your desktop!

By default, you can double tap your controllers together to enable or disable the handheld! You can also edit the Virtual Handheld settings from the SteamVR dashboard.

You can use the handheld's dual-screen functionality to put a different window or monitor on each screen, allowing for multitasking or dual-screen gaming!

See the "Screens" menu in the Virtual Handheld Settings to choose what sources are being captured, and configure how they are displayed on each screen.

Virtual Handheld can be used to play games that support stereoscopic 3D rendering! Games with stereoscopic 3D allow you to see depth in-game. VH splits the side-by-side image and shows each half to their respective eye, creating a sense of depth originally made for 3D glasses or 3D enabled screens.

3D Mode Notes:

• Do not enable 3D mode for non-3D content, as it may cause visual discomfort
• Games without stereoscopic rendering may require mods to enable stereoscopic rendering
• Side-by-side 3D video and images can also be viewed using the Handheld's screen

Virtual Handheld supports one-handed use, meaning it can be played using only one XR/VR controller! The handheld will automatically be tracked to a single controller if SteamVR is started with only one controller connected.

Actions such as handheld toggle and opening the settings can be configured in the SteamVR Bindings UI.

Presets exist for one-handed controller layouts that use the AltSet "Swap" feature, which allows you to toggle between two different sets of inputs without having to hold down an extra button!

Accessibility Features:

• Automatic one-handedness detection
• Single hand controller tracking
• One-button handheld and settings toggles
• One-handed controller presets
• "Swap" mode for alternate bindings

Requirements:

• SteamVR runtime
• SteamVR compatible headset and controllers
• A PC capable of running VR
• ViGEmBus Driver for gamepad simulation (Installer included)
• Games!

Supported VR Controller Types:

• HTC Vive Controllers
• Valve Index Controllers
• Meta/Oculus Touch Controllers
• Windows Mixed Reality Controllers
• HP Motion Controllers

Note: Other XR/VR controller types, such as PlayStation VR2 Sense or Vive Cosmos Controllers, have not been tested by the developer and may or may not be compatible

Compatibility Notes And Issues:

• Due to the nature of simulated inputs, this application is not recommended for ranked/competitive online games with anti-cheat. The developer of this app is not responsible for any issues, including but not limited to bans or other disciplinary action caused by the use or misuse of this software.
• This application may have issues running alongside some VR apps, such as Bigscreen Beta. Note that extreme jittering, flickering, rendering and tracking issues may occur in incompatible applications.
• Not compatible with games and software that prevent the use of desktop or window capture software.
• Issues may arise when attempting to run some games while VR or certain VR apps are running.
• A powerful gaming PC is required to use this software the way it was intended. It is not recommended to run this software on a low-spec machine.
• Not recommended for use with games with high intensity graphics. Games with high performance cost may affect VR performance.
• This application supports PCVR only. There are no plans to support standalone Android-based headsets (i.e. Quest, Pico, XR Elite) without a wired or wireless PC connection.
• Linux support is not currently implemented, but is planned.

Notes On Performance:

• This application is recommended to be used with games that have a low performance cost, such as games with 2D or low-poly graphics (For games with modern high-end graphics, you may use remote play or cloud play services).
• It is recommended to reduce the resolution of VR to improve performance (in Virtual Handheld Settings, see General > Performance > VR Resolution Scaling).
• Games running on your desktop may affect the performance of VR.

Special thanks to Nestorboy and Alexios for helping with store page graphics!

All trademarks belong to their respective owners

First Time Setup:

Make sure the setting “Steam > VR Settings > Dashboard > Present Non-VR Application on Theatre Screen Upon Launch” in SteamVR is disabled. If you don't disable it, Steam will force you into theater mode when you try launching a non-VR game while in VR which will conflict with the use of Virtual Handheld. 

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR VRCHAT USERS:

VRChat will want to use your emulated Xbox 360/DualShock 4 controller as in input source. You don't want this to happen, as this will cause you to move in VRC when you are trying to control the game you are playing on your handheld. This can be fixed by enabling a custom Steam Input controller layout. These are not SteamVR bindings:- this is to prevent VRChat from using your emulated gamepad as an input source. 

First, connect a virtual (or real) Xbox or Playstation controller to your PC and enable Steam Input for VRChat. Then, paste this link in a browser, and click "Open Steam":

steam://controllerconfig/438100/3038412361

Then click "APPLY LAYOUT"

Make sure Steam Input is enabled for VRChat, or the custom configuration won't work

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mustbekitten.bsky.social

Discord: https://discord.gg/hYuFk8PvaK

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3J_Wd_Po71ldLkHLV_MmeA

VRChat group: https://vrchat.com/home/group/grp_640cd786-fcd3-4296-be23-17f3aeed33d4

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2622140/Virtual_Handheld/