At present, virtual reality (VR) remains mostly the preserve of the video game industry. Nevertheless, this technology is slowly gaining traction in new sectors, particularly the world of work, thanks to its enormous potential. But, it still struggles to find its mark on Linux, while many VR devices and headphones still called HMD headphones (or Head-Mounted Display) already support Linux. Moreover, it is quite difficult, if not impossible, to correctly use a Linux desktop via this technology. However, everything could change thanks to Xrdesktop!

Xrdesktop is software that has been developed to allow you to work with traditional desktop environments, such as GNOME and KDE, in VR. In a way, it makes window managers aware of the existence of RV. He then uses VR runtimes to render the desktop windows in 3D space. This allows you to work on your Linux desktop using VR controllers instead of a mouse and keyboard.

This open source project was created by the startup Collabora, with the support of the Steam editor who has been supporting Linux for a long time with its Steam platform. Although Linux has never been “the ultimate gaming platform” and is still lagging behind on Desktop because of its fragmentation, Valve still sees it as “the future of the game”, as opposed to closed operating systems. which, according to the group, are out of step with the evolution of the video game market. The American company based in Bellevue wants Linux to replace Windows as the major platform for PC gaming and that is probably one of the reasons why it is redoubling its efforts to “upgrade Linux”.

Source : Collabora