Important info for G2 users/ Windows 11.

[Chilli_40]

 

[354thFG_Drewm3i-VR]

Can't believe they're doing this. 

[JG1_Vonrd]

Any lawyers here? Class action lawsuit?

[GOA_Karaya_VR]

Thanks god i dont have win11.. 

[robbiec]

Might have to reverse engineer the Reverb driver and WMR interface.

 

Some manager in MS got a bonus, a line in a list got struck through, a small paragraph in a deprecation notice and a set of team(s) laid off. And the pigs burrowed deeper into the trough... 

[kissTheSky]

I wonder whether a game gets affected if it has native OpenXR implementation. I’m almost tempted to update and test it in iRacing even if I have to reinstall W11… ? Naaah, ?

Edited February 11, 2024 by kissTheSky

[firdimigdi]

The compositor for WMR is in dwm.exe (Desktop Window Manager) which is a core part of the OS and will not include it (the compositor) any longer. So it won't matter what you have installed or what the game expects - unless someone figures out how to make a stand alone compositor: no show.

 

Here's the low down from someone more knowledgeable by far:

https://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/microsoft-is-discontinuing-windows-mixed-reality-wmr/622334/191

Edited February 11, 2024 by firdimigdi

[354thFG_Drewm3i-VR]

19 hours ago, JG1_Vonrd said:

Any lawyers here? Class action lawsuit?

This. Sign me up.

[paul_leonard]

It’s possible that support may remain for a while.  But all of us G2 owners are now on the Endangered Species list.  As are Varjo owners.  Where are we to go?  There has been lots of traffic on other hardware, but which one should I be buying?

Paul

[firdimigdi]

6 hours ago, paul_leonard said:

It’s possible that support may remain for a while.

 

As far as we know: if you are on Windows 11 and don't upgrade to 24H2 or if you stay on Windows 10 then until 2026 you will be able to set it up from scratch if need be, after that, who knows. That being said: already most WMR headsets are outdated and of those only the G2 sort of hangs in there due to its resolution as a viable seated/sim PCVR HMD. By the end of this year the situation of available HMDs and their prices will likely have cleared up, that will also mark a full 4 years since the release of the G2, which is a pretty good lifespan for that generation of HMDs.

 

For sure it's a dick move to kill it like that, but that was always an apparent danger from their choice to integrate WMR in to parts of the OS - the only path remains in Monado (https://monado.freedesktop.org/) having added support for Windows, but honestly by that time most consumers will have moved on and WMR will be another item on the pile of discarded Windows features that for some reason got integrated in a core part of the OS while enthusiasm was waxing in corporate boardrooms.

[jollyjack]

7 hours ago, paul_leonard said:

It’s possible that support may remain for a while.  But all of us G2 owners are now on the Endangered Species list.  As are Varjo owners.  Where are we to go?  There has been lots of traffic on other hardware, but which one should I be buying? Paul

 

A while back i was tempted to buy a G2, glad i did not fall in to yet another HP moneymaking trap;

just dumped my still working HP officejet printer finally because of the ongoing ink mafia they impose on clients.

One brand i'll try to avoid from now on.

Wonder now what brand to buy eventually which has good quality and also a reliable life span and aftersales.

Edited February 12, 2024 by jollyjack

[WWGeezer]

Here is the actual text from the Windows Insider Blog

The guess is that this update to version 24H2 lands in September / October

[TheSNAFU]

Freakin Microsoft SOB’s. What bs this is. 

[Chilli_40]

Here is the latest updated info on what Microsoft has in store for the demise of WMR.

Microsoft begins forced updates to Windows 11 23H2 — targets PCs running 21H2 and 22H2 | Tom's Hardware (tomshardware.com)

[jollyjack]

On 2/11/2024 at 1:25 AM, GOA_Karaya_VR said:

Thanks god i dont have win11.. 

 

He does neither .. 

 

 

[Gryphon_VR]

Perhaps they should consider leaving the code in the OS but have it activated by a switch like the (useless) Game Mode. It would be off by default, and give us the 'this functionality is unsupported' caveat if we turned it on. 

 

If my experience is typical, WMR VR performance has improved a lot in last 2 years largely due to the work done on OpenXR, OpenXR Toolkit, and opencomposite. Unless MS really wants Meta to define all the standards for VR going forward (and probably own them too) it would pay them to not rip WMR out and stifle all that innovation.

[Aapje]

34 minutes ago, Gryphon962 said:

Unless MS really wants Meta to define all the standards for VR going forward (and probably own them too) it would pay them to not rip WMR out and stifle all that innovation.

 

OpenXR is not a Meta standard, but a Khronos Group standard.

[spreckair]

So, we are inching closer to the day when the Windows 11 version 2024/H2 comes out and deprecates Windows Mixed Reality (WMR).  From what I have been able to gather, this will brick WMR headsets.  I also understand that not updating to Windows 11 version 2024/H2 will allow users to continue using WMR headsets until November 1, 2026.  It would be nice to know the exact date that Windows 11 version 2024/H2 is to be issued.

 

I just today disabled the automatic Windows Updates function on my gaming rig to stay on Windows 11 version 2023/H2 to see how this all falls out and to get as much life out of my Reverb G2 as I can.  Is anyone else with a WMR headset doing the same?  Any thoughts?

[dgiatr]

3 hours ago, spreckair said:

So, we are inching closer to the day when the Windows 11 version 2024/H2 comes out and deprecates Windows Mixed Reality (WMR).  From what I have been able to gather, this will brick WMR headsets.  I also understand that not updating to Windows 11 version 2024/H2 will allow users to continue using WMR headsets until November 1, 2026.  It would be nice to know the exact date that Windows 11 version 2024/H2 is to be issued.

 

I just today disabled the automatic Windows Updates function on my gaming rig to stay on Windows 11 version 2023/H2 to see how this all falls out and to get as much life out of my Reverb G2 as I can.  Is anyone else with a WMR headset doing the same?  Any thoughts?

yeah count me in too,

i am trying to keep my G2 as long as possible hoping to find a new headset that would make a considerable difference for better visuals - fov, e.t.c at an acceptable price till the end of G2's life... 

[Sgt_Joch]

On 8/25/2024 at 10:36 PM, spreckair said:

I just today disabled the automatic Windows Updates function on my gaming rig to stay on Windows 11 version 2023/H2 to see how this all falls out and to get as much life out of my Reverb G2 as I can.  Is anyone else with a WMR headset doing the same?  Any thoughts?

yes, so did I. If you have Win 11Pro, you can use the “Local Group Policy Editor” to force Windows to stay with 23H2 until the end of service date.

 

https://www.elevenforum.com/t/specify-target-feature-update-version-in-windows-11.3811/

[=420=Syphen]

On 9/19/2024 at 10:04 AM, Sgt_Joch said:

yes, so did I. If you have Win 11Pro, you can use the “Local Group Policy Editor” to force Windows to stay with 23H2 until the end of service date.

 

https://www.elevenforum.com/t/specify-target-feature-update-version-in-windows-11.3811/

 

Thank you!

[Sgt_Joch]

So another tip is to use Win 11 Pro “ Local Group Policy Editor” to either disable Windows update or make it manual.

 

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-stop-automatic-updates-windows-11
 

I use the second option to make windows update manual. Windows update will notify you of an available update, but you decide whether to download and install it.

 

The “Target feature” option explained previously will keep windows on 23H2 until end of service (2025 or 2026) and you can then use the “disable windows” option to stretch it out for some more time.

 

On another note, there was an intriguing article last month hinting that Microsoft may be reversing course and planning to produce its own Mixed Reality Headsets in 2026. Not sure what that would mean for our G2s, but there may be a reprieve in the future.

 

 

https://www.windowscentral.com/software-apps/windows-11/microsoft-new-vr-headset-2026-hololens-3-williams-bay-windows-cloud-android

[1Sascha]

Not upgrading Windows/blocking updates is generally considered a bad idea, isn't it?

 

That said... I guess that means I can forget selling on my old G2, even for the low, low price I was looking for... 

 

 

S.

[spreckair]

2 hours ago, 1Sascha said:

Not upgrading Windows/blocking updates is generally considered a bad idea, isn't it?

Yes it is.  I have two decent desktops, and one that I use exclusively for IL-2, so I have the insurance that only the one desktop is at risk.  That being said, since I only use the one rig for IL-2, there isn't much that a hacker will get from that PC.

[Sgt_Joch]

On 10/2/2024 at 10:27 AM, 1Sascha said:

Not upgrading Windows/blocking updates is generally considered a bad idea, isn't it?

Depends on what, 24H2 is supposed to be an “optional” update and MS has said they will continue supporting 23H2 with updates and security patches for the next 1-2 years, so the security risk should only be after MS stops official support.

[1Sascha]

1 hour ago, Sgt_Joch said:

Depends on what, 24H2 is supposed to be an “optional” update and MS has said they will continue supporting 23H2 with updates and security patches for the next 1-2 years, so the security risk should only be after MS stops official support.

 

Hmm... good to know.. so it'll be another 2 years or so until G2s turn into e-waste?