How Does Playing PC VR Games on the Apple Vision Pro WORK?

It’s now really easy to play PC VR on Apple Vision Pro with the free streaming tool ALVR, and it works very decently. You can play with the headset’s own hand tracking or with Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons, which work surprisingly well, or use SteamVR controllers like the Index controllers for more precise tracking. The latest ALVR update made the setup super easy. Should you do it? That depends. Here’s what it’s like, the three controller options and a step-by-step tutorial. KIWI Design sponsored part of this video. That pays for our time, not for the verdict.

Why play PC VR on a Vision Pro

The Apple Vision Pro has one of the best screens on the market. Its resolution, colour and sharpness are top-notch, especially for a standalone headset. We also wanted to do it for science, much like we did with the Steam Deck. And if you’ve already spent this much on a headset, you might as well get the most out of it.

ALVR is a free tool that works like a magic bridge between your gaming PC and the Vision Pro: it streams PC VR games into the headset over Wi-Fi. You need a decent gaming PC and solid Wi-Fi for it.

What PC VR on Apple Vision Pro is like

I was sceptical at first. The Vision Pro’s high resolution is amazing, but it pushes your PC and network hard to keep the stream sharp. If you’ve streamed VR games before, you know grainy images, lag and glitchy visuals aren’t rare. To stream at this resolution your setup has to be right, or it’s like watching YouTube on dial-up. So you need a pretty nice gaming PC.

My first try was bad. Big thanks to developer ShinyQuagsire23 for the help: after tweaking the settings for a while, it looked way better.

Apple clearly didn’t design this headset with VR gaming in mind. There’s motion blur and glare (more on that in my full review), and it doesn’t track your hands in a wide range, which isn’t great for a lot of VR games. Apple could fix that with software updates, like other inside-out tracking headsets have done, but I don’t think Apple cares about VR right now.

So honestly, I don’t think it’s worth it for most people. It’s easier to use a Quest for wireless streaming, or a tethered headset like the Bigscreen Beyond for hassle-free PC VR. But if you already own the Vision Pro, having the option is great, and it does things no other headset can. You still see your real hands and arms in the game, which makes the virtual world feel real. That was epic in Half-Life: Alyx, and once you nail the settings, the visuals are seriously impressive.

Three controller options

Hand tracking

ALVR has a feature that turns simple hand gestures into controller input. Pinch or curl your fingers to press buttons or pull the trigger. Curl three fingers and your thumb becomes an invisible joystick. I was impressed by how well it recognises the gestures. It takes practice, it can be slow, and it only tracks in front of the headset. With patience, it’s decent for menus and simple games. ALVR has a page with all the gestures.

Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons

Joy-Cons are more reliable, because real buttons mean fewer accidental clicks. The tracking range still isn’t wide (move them behind your head and they lose tracking), and there’s a noticeable delay, so they won’t work for fast games like Beat Saber. You’ll also spend time remapping controls, and the vibration is unusually strong and noisy. If you already have Joy-Cons lying around or want a cheaper way to try this, they’re fine for casual, slower games.

SteamVR controllers

For the best accuracy, use SteamVR controllers like the Valve Knuckles (Index controllers). It costs more, because you need base stations and dongles, and it takes longer to set up. Once it’s running, it’s the best choice for just about any VR game. The controllers can get out of sync now and then, but recalibrating is easy. Because they’re streamed too, there’s still a bit of delay, so I wouldn’t use them for fast competitive games. Half-Life: Alyx played pretty decently.

ALVR lets you use hand tracking and any of these controllers at the same time, which could open up interesting ways to play. These setups might also work on other headsets that support ALVR, but I haven’t tried that. Overall, this isn’t for fast competitive games, but it’s pretty good for puzzles, simulators or hanging out in VRChat.

What you need

– ALVR (free) – A gaming PC with SteamVR installed (ALVR’s GitHub page lists which PCs are compatible) – Your Vision Pro – Your controller of choice: your hands, Joy-Cons, or for SteamVR controllers: – base stations (one works, two are recommended for the best tracking) – SteamVR controllers that support them (I use the Valve Index controllers) – two SteamVR dongles, for example from Tundra Labs – the free tool OpenVR Space Calibrator

Step-by-step setup

Step 1: Install ALVR

1. Install ALVR on the Vision Pro through TestFlight, Apple’s app for beta apps. You’ll be asked to install TestFlight first if you don’t have it.
2. ALVR updates often, so check the app’s description for which PC version you need. When we made this video it was 20.7.1.
3. On your PC, go to the ALVR installation guide on GitHub and open the download page of the release you need.
4. Download ALVR_streamer_windows.zip and extract it. It’s a standalone build, so it runs without installing.
5. Go through the setup carefully. The most important step is letting it configure your firewall, or you won’t be able to stream.

Step 2: ALVR settings

My settings are on screen in the video and work well for me, but the best settings depend on your hardware and network. I use an RTX 4090 and a dedicated Wi-Fi 6 router from PrismXR. With a different setup you may need to adjust them, and I think I can make mine look even better with more time.

Step 3A: Hand tracking

1. In ALVR’s settings, scroll to Enable Controllers.
2. Turn on Tracked and Enable Skeleton.
3. Choose the controller to emulate. I prefer the Valve Index.
4. Turn on Gestures.
5. Expand Gestures and disable Only Touch.

Step 3B: Joy-Cons

1. Hold the sync button on the Joy-Cons until the lights blink.
2. In the Vision Pro’s Bluetooth settings, connect both the left and right Joy-Con.

Step 4: Launch SteamVR

1. Open ALVR on your PC and click Launch SteamVR.
2. In the headset, open ALVR, click Start Testing and allow everything. You’ll see an IP address.
3. On your PC, in ALVR’s Connections tab, enter the hostname and IP address shown and click Save.
4. In the headset, allow the settings if asked. When it connects, the button changes to Enter. Tap it to launch into SteamVR.

Hand tracking works straight away, and so do most Joy-Con buttons, though you may need to adjust the controller mapping in ALVR.

Step 5: SteamVR controllers

1. Plug the SteamVR dongles into your PC.
2. Download and install OpenVR Space Calibrator.
3. In ALVR on your PC, enable Controllers, select Tracked and Emulate Oculus Touch Controls, then launch SteamVR (restart it if it was open).
4. Right-click the SteamVR window, go to Settings > Startup > Manage Add-Ons and make sure 01spacecalibrator is enabled.
5. Turn on your controllers and pair each one: right-click the SteamVR window, Devices > Pair Controller.
6. Put on the headset, start ALVR and enter VR.
7. Open OpenVR Space Calibrator on your PC. The Oculus controllers go in the Reference Space panel, your SteamVR controllers in the Target Space panel.
8. Click Copy Chaperone Bounds to Profile.
9. Select the left Oculus controller to target the left SteamVR controller.
10. Pick a calibration speed (slower collects more data and is usually better), click Start Calibration and move the controller in a figure eight, like calibrating a phone compass.
11. Check the alignment. If it’s off, redo it more slowly or use Edit Calibration to adjust it by hand.
12. Repeat for the right controller.
13. In ALVR’s controller settings on your PC, disable Tracked to hide the Oculus controllers.

Is PC VR on the Vision Pro worth it?

It’s pretty amazing what free software like ALVR can do, and huge thanks to the ALVR team. If you spend time on the settings, the quality is really decent, and this is only the beginning: ALVR is still in beta, and later it might use features like face tracking, or the sensors for full-body tracking. I really hope Apple steps up its VR support.

For now I’d avoid fast, competitive VR games on this setup. For relaxed, casual games it’s a decent option if you already own a Vision Pro. Don’t buy the headset just for PC VR gaming. Right now it isn’t worth it.