Xbox Engineer Revives Windows Mixed Reality Headsets
▼ Summary
– Microsoft’s Windows 11 24H2 update last year rendered Windows Mixed Reality headsets non-functional by discontinuing the platform.
– A Microsoft Xbox engineer, Matthieu Bucchianeri, has created a free driver called “Oasis” to restore functionality to these headsets.
– The Oasis driver enables SteamVR support, allowing headsets to run OpenVR and OpenXR applications with full tracking and native rendering.
– This driver requires an Nvidia GPU due to missing features in AMD and Intel graphics drivers and was developed independently through reverse-engineering.
– The driver is available for free on Steam, though its source code will not be released, and users must follow provided documentation for setup.
The sudden discontinuation of Windows Mixed Reality left many headset owners with expensive hardware that no longer functioned properly. In an unexpected turn of events, an Xbox engineer has stepped in to revive these devices, offering a new lease on life through a custom driver that enables full SteamVR compatibility.
Matthieu Bucchianeri, a former Windows Mixed Reality engineer now working on Xbox, developed and released the free “Oasis Driver for Windows Mixed Reality” on Steam. The name Oasis pays homage to Microsoft’s internal codename for the Mixed Reality initiative. This driver, which requires an Nvidia GPU due to certain missing features in AMD and Intel graphics drivers, bypasses the need for the now-defunct Mixed Reality Portal application.
The Oasis driver supports both OpenVR and OpenXR applications through SteamVR, delivering complete headset and motion controller tracking along with a native SteamVR rendering pipeline. Though Microsoft itself did not provide this solution following the platform’s deprecation, Bucchianeri took matters into his own hands, reverse-engineering both Nvidia and SteamVR code to create a functional workaround.
As a result of its proprietary reverse-engineering methods, the source code will not be released. However, the driver will remain free for all users. Those interested in testing the Oasis driver can download it directly from Steam and should carefully follow the included quick-start documentation to ensure proper setup.
(Source: The Verge)
