AMD recently launched an updated version of their Radeon Software suite which brought the ability to stream SteamVR games to standalone and smartphone-based headsets, provided you own a supported AMD GPU. Now the company has put future support for all Oculus mobile devices in doubt.
The tool is already live for Vive Focus and Daydream devices through the AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 2019 Edition and requisite Radeon ReLive for VR companion app.
When it was released last week, an AMD spokesperson confirmed that the functionality would eventually come to Oculus Go and Samsung Gear VR too. According to a statement from AMD obtained by PCGamesN, that may not be the case now, as the company is ostensibly retracting support for Oculus mobile devices on ReLive for VR.
“Due to the fact that the Radeon ReLive for VR software and the wireless streaming feature requires Steam VR, it does not comply with the requirements of the Oculus Store and therefore will not support Oculus devices.”
Tom’s Hardware also obtained a statement from AMD confirming the issue, saying that Oculus has not approved AMD’s companion app for the Oculus Store.
If Oculus Go and Gear VR are a no-go for the SteamVR app streaming service, it’s possible that Oculus won’t allow support for Oculus Quest when it arrives next year either due to the same Store policy roadblock.
To use the VR streaming feature, users need a modern AMD GPU (specifically RX 470, RX 570, RX 480, RX 580, RX 590 or RX Vega series), a Windows 10 PC and an 802.11ac (5GHz) router.
There are however alternative services that do support SteamVR app streaming to Oculus mobile VR devices such as the paid streaming tool VRidge and the free, open source tool ALVR.