Sony’s Playstation VR has become one of the hottest headsets in the VR world.
It’s comfortable, it has a number of great games, and it has the support of a publishing giant behind it.
Some players, though, want more than Sony is willing to give them.
While the device is technically only supposed to work with the PS4, there are ways around those restrictions.
It’s possible to use Trinus PSVR, a program developed by Old SHeep Games, to hook up your PSVR to your PC and experience a wealth of other VR experiences.
If you’re wondering why you would bother going through the work of hooking up your PSVR to anything other than PS4, you need only to look at the wide range of games on Steam.
These games can all be played through Trinus PSVR, and you can also watch movies and TV through the headset thanks to this program.
If you’ve ever wanted to get more out of your Playstation VR unit, we’re here to help.
We’ll teach you what you need to know to get it set up.
What You Need to Start
You won’t need much to play Steam games on your PSVR unit.
You will, however, need the following:
- A Steam Account with SteamVR
- Your handy Playstation VR Unit
- The Trinus PSVR program
There’s not much here, and you probably have most of it already.
In fact, you probably already have SteamVR if you have a Steam account and the hardest part of the whole process is probably getting Trinus PSVR – which, again, is just a download.
Note that you will be downloading a free trial of the Trinus program.
If you really like it, you can pay for the full version of the programming.
How to Download and Install Trinus
Before you can do anything else, you will need to download the Trinus PSVR program.
Fortunately, this is a very easy process.
Start by launching the web browser of your choice from your computer’s desktop – if you can’t find it, check out your start menu.
You’ll then go to www.trinusvirtualreality.com/psvr/. Next, you’ll click on the download link for Trinus PSVR.
You may have to scroll down, but it will be on the page. Once the file has finished downloading, click Run.
Once the program boots up, click the “I Accept” button when prompted. Follow the directions by clicking next, then install.
Once the installation is complete, you’ll then install a driver window.
How to Set Up Your PSVR and PC
There is one big hurdle left to overcome before you can start playing games – you’ll need to set up your PSVR with your PC.
Make sure you have your PS4 nearby to make this easier.
First, plug your HDMI cable into your PS4.
You’ll then plug the other end of that HDMI cable into the HDMI port on your PC.
Next up will be plugging your USB-to-Micro USB cable into the processing unit – the USB end will be plugged into the PC.
If you want things to run smoothly, use a USB 3.0 plug if at all possible.
Next, you’ll do the easy part – plug your PSVR display into the processing unit.
From there, you’ll run the processor’s power cable into the wall. Hit the power button on your PSVR and everything should come to life.
How to Set Your Resolution
Since you’re not using Sony’ native system for this process, you will need to set up the resolution for Trinus PSVR.
Make sure your monitor is set to a 1080p resolution and that you have the display set to extend.
Make sure your PSVR is powered on before you do the rest.
This process is simple as long as you follow the instructions. Right click on your desktop, and then click Display.
From Display, you’ll want to click the arrow beneath the Multiple Displays prompt and then Extend.
Under the Advanced Tab, you should have the choice to pick your resolution, which needs to be set to 1920×1080.
Hit Apply and you should be good to go.
Setting Up Trinus PSVR
Now that you’ve got the hardware squared away, you can start working on the software.
Ensure that everything is hooked up and that you have downloaded and installed Trinus PSVR.
Put your PSVR on a flat surface and launch the Trinus program.
How to Set Up Trinus PSVR
Start by right-clicking the Trinus PSVR program on your desktop or in your start menu.
You’ll need to run it as an administrator, so right click and choose ‘Run as Administrator’ from the menu.
You’ll next click the Install button, which will automatically seek out your Steam folder.
Next, you can make a few more choices.
Click on VR, and you can choose to use the cinematic mode if you want to watch a movie or play a traditional game.
You can also assign a key to revert your view.
Your next step will be to click on the box that allows you to use your mouse wheel for adjusting the zoom.
Once you’ve got that done, hit start and let the program calibrate your PSVR – this is why it needs to be on a flat surface.
From here, click on the tab titled Main, and pick your PSVR Display from the drop-down menu.
You can do this by picking Display1 and choosing PSVR.
Now it’s just a matter of clicking the right boxes.
Go to the checkbox and click start, then open Steam as an Administrator by right-clicking and choosing ‘Run as Administrator’.
Go to VR, and then run the Room Setup option.
The only option that will work for you is Standing Only, so make sure it’s chosen before clicking Next.
Hit the Calibrate Center button, then click Next again. From here, you’ll click the height field and type in your height.
Then you’ll choose Calibrate Floor, followed by next.
Once you click Done, you’ll see the SteamVR home screen on a split view on your display.
Click Next, click done, and then click Windows+Shift+Right to put the display onto your PSVR.
This will essentially turn your headset into the equivalent of a Vive or Rift, all while still being powered through the unit you already own.
It’s now possible for you to launch any game that runs on SteamVR and run it through your PSVR.
You’ll need to hit Alt+Tab to bring up the game window on your monitor if you want to use your mouse and keyboard, though.
Using Mouse Mode
If you want to play 2D games on your PSVR, you can enable Mouse Mode.
There are a few great games that will allow you to use built-in support to play as you normally would in VR, but most will require that you use an outside program for support.
Getting your game up and running just means going to Cinematic mode.
Go back to the Trinus PSVR program and hit the Main Tab, then drop down and choose PC mode.
Click Mouse, and then choose Non-VR.
You’ll probably need to choose None next unless you know the game you are playing has built-in Side-by-Side support.
Finally, go to the Cinematic button, click it, and then click start. You should be set to play.
Put the game on the headset by using the same commands as before.
You’ll want to make sure the game leaves the standard monitor and moves over to the PSVR.
Once you have everything moved, you should be able to view your 2D games in the PSVR’s cinematic mode.
Troubleshooting Problems
Since Trinus PSVR is still in development, there are a few bugs that still need to be worked out.
Fortunately for gamers, there are already a few great fixes available for common bugs.
If you’ve got any kind of tracking or drift problem, the issue is probably due to poor calibration.
This is why you need to make sure that the device is placed on a steady surface and placed in the right direction whenever you start the program.
If you are having issues, simply restart the program with your device set up correctly for calibration.
If you have a blurry image, your first step should be to check out the headset.
If you are still having problems with the image clarity, though, you might be able to fix the problem within the Trinus software.
Just go to the IPD slider and adjust the image until the blur goes away.
It won’t always work, but it is often quite helpful.
Doing this is as easy as launching the program, going to the main tab, and dragging the slider in the ISD section.
You’ll probably want to hold the VR unit over your eyes so you can see the changes in real time.
Play around with the settings a bit until the problem is resolved.
Other Issues
Can’t fix the problem? Let others help you out.
The PSVRHack subreddit is full of people who have ironed out some of the more common bugs.
Did it work for you? Let us know how your experience with Trinus PSVR went!
What is PSVR?
The market for “true” VR headsets is much smaller than one might think.
While it’s easy enough to walk into a big box store and to see a unit proclaiming that it’s virtual reality, the bulk of the units out there actually leverage the power of a smartphone to various degrees of success.
Serious VR is usually powered by something with a little more processing ability, allowing players to jump into the worlds of their favorite games.
Sony’s PSVR is an attempt to make Virtual Reality a bit more accessible by attaching it to Sony’s Playstation 4 ecosystem.
PSVR feels and looks an awful lot like the headsets from HTC or Oculus.
The device fits over the user’s head, though all the heavy lifting is done through the Playstation 4.
Players can control games through the use of either a PS4 controller or through the Playstation Move peripherals, which allow for a bit more interactivity.
In short, it’s an experience that’s in line with any other top-flight VR set-up that’s currently available on the market.
The PSVR isn’t quite as powerful as the other big units, though.
It can definitely hit many of the same benchmarks as the Rift or Vive, but its upper limit is hampered by the hardware of the PS4.
This means that there are some VR games that just won’t run as well – or at all – on the PSVR, though that group is relatively limited.
The PSVR makes up for this by having a carefully curated array of games that are optimized for the system.
Unless you’re incredibly familiar with how well these games run on other systems, it’s doubtful that you will ever notice the difference.
While the PSVR certainly is a useful VR unit, it’s best to look at it as a peripheral for Sony’s console.
It absolutely requires a PS4 to work in any capacity and one must use Sony’s other peripherals to get the most out of its operation.
This means that there will always be some Playstation-exclusive experiences that one can only get on the PSVR and that it’s unlikely the system will ever be able to be used for other systems’ exclusive games.
It’s just too different an animal in terms of VR to really be considered the same kind of product.
The Sony PSVR is an entryway into the world of VR.
It provides a fantastic experience when playing curated games and it’s a powerful enough experience that it manages to stand alongside some of the more powerful computer-driven virtual reality platforms.
While it might not be the most complex or robust device out there, its simplicity of use makes it a great choice for those who just want a good VR experience.
If you’ve already got a Sony Playstation 4 or you are willing to pick one up, this is one peripheral that you simply cannot do without.
