As you may have noticed, Windows Mixed Reality (WMR) is kind of a mixed bag. While the hardware can be extremely good, the software and infrastructure behind it are almost nonexistent. The "Cliff House," as the WMR virtual space is known, is serviceable. And the Skyloft, the other space, is even a little nicer than that. But, really, if you are into gaming in VR, the WMR software is just an unnecessary hurdle.
The SteamVR experience on Mixed Reality is still a little janky, but thankfully, with the SteamVR for Mixed Reality app now available and the SteamVR Beta, there is an easy way to circumvent the Cliff House altogether and load straight into the game-friendly, albeit uglier, Steam House.
More: How to play Rift games on Windows Mixed Reality
How to skip Cliff House and go straight to Steam House in WMR
Just follow these easy steps:
- Plug in your Mixed Reality headset to open the Mixed Reality Portal.
- Open Steam.
- Turn on your WMR controllers.
- Open the Windows Mixed Reality for SteamVR app.
- Wait until the display shows "Ready Steam VR Home"
- Put on your WMR headset and play.
The process is fairly simple but everything needs to be done in order. The first thing to do is make sure your Mixed Reality Portal is open and running. If you unplug your WMR after every use, plugging it back in will automatically launch the portal for you and, of course, you can turn on the controllers instead of waiting for Steam.
You need to make sure your Steam app is launched and your Family block is turned off so you can launch the Windows Mixed Reality for SteamVR app. Once you've launched it, you can get yourself ready to play, but make sure you have edited the controllers so you can use the thumbsticks for walking around, otherwise the Steam house is kind of inaccessible. Once you are ready to go, put the WMR headset on and you will be greeted with the Steam environment instead of the WMR Cliff House.
Your thoughts?
Do you use the Cliff house or Skyloft, or do you prefer transferring straight into the VR Home environment of Steam? Let us know in the comments.
