As I mentioned in my last article on the subject, skip the vorpX tutorial and you’re going to have a bad time. For those who can’t be bothered to read the full instructions, here are the five basic steps for configuring your triple-A, non-native VR games for virtual reality using vorpX.

STEP 1: Confirm Your Game

First, make sure that the game you want to play is supported by vorpX. While some titles that aren’t on the official list have been reported to work, there’s no guarantee they will. I recommend searching through YouTube where users have posted their own guides for optimizing specific, unsupported games in VR.

If you’ve just purchased your game and have never played it on your PC before, then run it without vorpX first to create a user config file. Play until you can save your game, then quit back to desktop. Now your game is ready to be configured.

STEP 2: Choose Your Headset

Once you’ve installed vorpX, there will be three new shortcuts on your desktop. Open the one named “Configure vorpX” and the configuration window will appear. On the left, click on “General” and choose the Head Mounted Display you’ll be using to play your game in virtual reality. The current version of vorpX is compatible with Oculus DK2, CV1, and the HTC VIVE.

STEP 3: Download Your Game Profile

On the left, click on “Cloud Profiles”. At the bottom right, click on the register link and create a username and password to access the vorpX Cloud. Once done, type your game title in the Cloud search window, and you will see a list of advanced settings profiles uploaded by vorpX, or shared by other users. You can experiment later by trying different user profiles, but for now select the official vorpX profile and click “Import profile”.

STEP 4: Optimize Your Game and Check For Manual Tweaks

On the left, click on “Game Settings Optimizer” and a list of all supported games will appear. Find your game in the list and select it. Displayed on the right are all the settings vorpX will be changing in your game. Make sure each box is checked, and then click the “Optimize Settings” button.

Read through the displayed settings changes a second time, this time taking note of any manual changes your game may require you to apply once inside the game. While not all games require manual tweaks, those that do usually involve adjusting the Field Of View, which can be the difference between a natural-looking world and a distorted one, so DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!

STEP 5: Start Your Game

To the bottom right, click on the “Apply & Close” button, then find the “Start vorpX” icon on your desktop, open it, and then start your game. If the image in your HMD feels zoomed in or warped, apply whatever manual changes you were instructed. (TIP: Clicking on the center mouse button will pull you out of first person view and free you to look about the screen from a distance. Do this if you ever feel dizzy or overwhelmed). If your image is still distorted, quit and go back to the vorpX configuration app, under Game Settings Optimizer, and check for anything you may have missed. Start your game again and apply manual changes.

And that’s it! Your game should be up and running with the basic settings for VR. That being said, everyone is different. IPD, lens position, or just personal taste will mean you may want to do some personal tweaking. I suggest importing different profiles shared in the vorpX Cloud. If none of those are to your liking, you can activate the advanced settings option by opening the Configure vorpX application, selecting “General” and checking the box “Enable Expert Settings”. Click “Apply & Close” and the next time you’re in your game, you can tweak every aspect of your VR experience through an in-game HUD by hitting the “Delete” key on your keyboard. But that’s a story for another article.

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