Linux Installation Documentation Fixes and Changes #402
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This is not a finished change, as the only changes made were at the start of the page. Will finish soon
- Added new tips, warnings and information to allow users to understand any extra steps they need to take and anything they else need to know - Added new section for downloading the SlimeVR Feeder App, which is necessary for VR tracking - Changed various sentences and words to make instructions clearer - Changed the Legacy Setup to go under a collapsed section as it takes a lot of space, and probably isn't going to be needed - Fixed various typos Let me know if I've missed something, or got something wrong :)
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when you say SteamVR's Desktop View doesn't work whatsoever, do you mean it just doesn't load at all when you launch the flatpak app? |
This happened on the native app on multiple OSes. I'm currently using Kubuntu 25.10 on my PC with a dual monitor setup with Steam downloaded through the .deb package, and it still doesn't work. If there's a way to fix it, that's cool, but again, I wanted to give others a slightly easier way of fixing the desktop view. Plus, I wrote it down as an extra tip either way. |
- Updated dates - Added a new Troubleshooting/FAQ section which should help new people out - Removed a bunch of admonishes as they weren't needed - Added a new Additional Resources section which links to the Linux VR Adventures Wiki which has a lot of tools and guides to assist in VR
| ### 3. Extract and install | ||
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| Extract the archive you downloaded in step 1. This should give you a bunch of files and folders nested in a root `slimevr` folder. Simply move the `slimevr` folder into the `drivers` directory identified in step 2, and the plugin should now be installed. If done correctly, you should now have a `steamapps/common/SteamVR/drivers/slimevr/bin/linux64/` folder (among other things). | ||
| Extract the archive you downloaded in step 1. This should give you a bunch of files and folders nested in a root `slimevr` folder. Simply move the `slimevr` folder into `~/.steam/steam/steamapps/common/SteamVR/drivers/`, and the plugin should now be installed. If done correctly, you should now have a `steamapps/common/SteamVR/drivers/slimevr/bin/linux64/` folder (among other things). |
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I don't really see why we are Identifying the target directory if we just tell them to ignore what they identified and just use a set directory afterwards.
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I mainly did this because I was always taught that we shouldn't refer to previous steps, and it's better to be more concise than simplistic, as it might confuse the reader
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I get that, but it basically makes the previous step redundant. Like, first they should find a directory and then ignore what they found and just copy to one set directory?
| # Running SlimeVR | ||
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| > [!WARNING] | ||
| > The Linux download located at [slimevr.dev/download](https://slimevr.dev/download) currently links to the Flatpak version of the SlimeVR Server. For this guide, it is not used, so it is recommended to download the AppImage linked below instead. |
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While the appimage is better than the Flatpak, the best version is usually the native version for the distro, so the deb/rpm or slimevr-beta-bin on arch (the non-beta aur versions are just based on the appimage so it doesnt really make a difference there)
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I mean, yeah, but the guide was explicitly made for the AppImage. I made this PR to fix some information that was incorrect or never stated prior, not for showing how to do use the other packages (like .deb and .rpm ones)
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Sure, but linux-installation.md is not appimage specific, its meant to be there for all linux setups
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| If you're receiving a warning during the automatic mounting phase mentioning that you aren't in VR mode even when you are, it's most likely due to the SlimeVR Feeder App not being installed. | ||
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| The AppImage release of the SlimeVR server does not include the SlimeVR Feeder App, which allows the SlimeVR Server to read the position of everything in an OpenVR instance (in this case, SteamVR) so the positions of the controllers and HMD are able to be marked as trackers. This helps with quickly and accurately seeing the rig of your full body in a small preview, and allows for tools like Virtual Motion Capture (VMC) to send your controllers' and headset's postional data. |
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This actually is not appimage specific. I dont think any slimevr package includes the feeder or driver
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Huh, didn't know that. Although, I do think that the one for Windows does. Can't test it though, because f*ck Windows.
But either way, this guide was made for the AppImage release, so that's why I said it
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| A quick and easy way to uninstall the Flatpak version is to run `flatpak uninstall dev.slimevr.SlimeVR`, which should remove the Flatpak installation of SlimeVR entirely. | ||
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| After doing this, make sure you read the "Running SlimeVR" step in this guide. |
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I think there are workarounds for the flatpak to allow it access to some directory which can make it work. Im not sure of the specifics but if you can figure it out it might be worth mentioning.
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Yeah, I agree with you on that. The only thing is that, again, the guide was made for the AppImage. I might add a note beside it that identifies that it could work, but Flatpaks are annoying af to configure and I don't really have the time to fix it.
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Heyo! I'm making this pull request as I just received my elbow upgrade before my enhanced core set arrived, and luckily it allowed me to get a head start on making sure everything was set up so that I can make sure everything goes smoothly when the rest of the trackers eventually arrive.
However, during my setting up, I was following the documentation, and I discovered that a lot of the stuff that was required through set up was not documented properly.
Here were my main problems:
Even though I did eventually figure this all out, it would still help for it to be on the documentation for people who aren't too tech-y. Although, people who aren't tech-y should probably stay away from Linux...
The pull request I've created should fix all of the problems I mentioned earlier, and some additional things along the way. I've written most of what I've done in the commits.
I am completely new to this sort of thing, so let me know if I need to do something on my end at all.
Thank you!