You Can Now Use The Razer Hydra Motion Controllers For SteamVR!
**NEW UPDATE 5/7/16 – v1.0.1.6
- OpenVR binaries updated to 0.9.20 (ValveSoftware/openvr@d645dba)
**NEW UPDATE 5/6/16 – v1.0.1.5
- Added initial angular velocity support. It is now possible to spin stuff!
- For testing purposes added ability to toggle angular velocity support with Button 2 on each hydra. It is enabled by default when IMU emulation is active.
**NEW UPDATE 5/3/16 – v1.0.1.4
IMU emulation: this feature enables the user to throw things with the controller. Since this introduces a considerable amount of jitter – even when the controllers are stationary – it is not enabled by default. To enable it, you have to pressBUTTON 1on each controller.
Today is the day all of us old Hydra users have been waiting for! That’s right! Valve has released official driver support for the Razer Hydra on SteamVR! This means anyone with a DK2 or a CV1 and a Razer Hydra can now play ALL of the HTC Vive games that are built in SteamVR! So much more content to enjoy!
As posted by BetaVR in Reddit “Valve just released an official Hydra driver for SteamVR, and is encouraging everyone to modify it to make it support other input devices.”
If you’ve been waiting for motion controls with the CV1 or DK2 wait no longer! So far everything I have tested works great! If you need help getting it working please let me know and I will be happy to help you get it working properly!
Here are the links you will need to get started:
- Razer Hydra Driver For SteamVR – GitHub
- Razer Hydra Wiki For SteamVR – Github < This link has the files you need! NOW EVEN EASIER THAN BEFORE! JUST INSTALL THE .EXE (delete previously added hydra folders if upgrading)
Having Trouble?
Don’t forget to install dependencies!!!
- Install SteamVR. It is under “Tools” in everyone’s Steam Library. steam://install/250820
- Install “Sixense SDK for the Razer Hydra”. It is also under “Tools”. steam://install/42300
- Fetch the OpenVR SDK 0.9.15 from https://github.com/ValveSoftware/openvr . That version SHA is c95571027b79644643bca044538144c96194c4f2. Newer version should also work with minor changes.
If that still doesn’t work, try this fix by “OZi187” from reddit!
Two other known issues: “VC redist 2015 x64 was failing to install due to windows not being updated.”
- Updated windows and then reinstalled VC 2015 and that fixed part of the problem.
- Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6.1 needed to be reinstalled also.
I’ve done some work and also noticed that this works perfectly when using the SteamVR SDK within Unity. Everything is tracked perfectly!
Thanks a lot for checking out this article! I hope you found it interesting and informative! Please let me know if you have any questions or comments either below or on one of my social outlets! I really appreciate it. Also, if you think that you have something article worthy let me know! I love collaborating with the community! Thanks again!
of the VR Spies www.vrspies.com
How do you get the open vr sdk to work? A tutorial for the lamen would be greatly appreciated.
Hey there! Originally the Open VR SDK was included because the Hydra needed the older version, but with the new file that was linked it is unnecessary to worry about it.
Just make sure you:
Install SteamVR. It is under “Tools” in everyone’s Steam Library. steam://install/250820
Install “Sixense SDK for the Razer Hydra”. It is also under “Tools”. steam://install/42300
then
Download:
With hydra rendermodel: https://mega.nz/#!UtgFXLaL!6NIarJ1kM9AjDH0ZXxR4-UTdO9FOLldqH2hRQDpchME
With vive wand rendermodel: https://mega.nz/#!xxhyAaIb!CdaGQrSTZwK-kKTvZGtCmOEjaG21B3Eg4zHMvFLCwqs
Installation
Unzip the contents of the file. Copy the “hydra” directory to “c:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\SteamVR\drivers\”.
Copy the included steamvr.vrsettings file to “c:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\config\”. If you don’t want to overwrite you current settings, just copy the allowMultipleDrivers line from the [steamvr] section.
Please let me know if your having trouble, if so I will make a walkthrough video!)
Can you please make a walk through video?
I cant seem to get it to work.
Steam doesn’t give an error or anything just acts like no controllers are plugged in (solid grey).
I installed reinstalled steam and programs from D:\ to C:\ to make sure it wasn’t a pathing issue and still nothing.
I installed VC redist 2015 and for the life of me just cannot seem to get it working.
Thank you so much!
Hey there, I have several videos showing the setup, although somewhat fragmented. Are you still having trouble? Let me know and I’ll try and help!
works great! except one thing: is there a way to move? wenn i push the joysticks nothing happens. i can only beam around at that’s not the best way to change position.
but again: great work so far!
In almost every SteamVR game they use a teleporting comfort mode to combat VR sickness. Which basically sucks.
not being able to walk with the jpoystick sucks big time in valves thelab
great mine came in the mail today must have been the last one in AUS secondhand, have you worked out how to add physics to the stick so you don’t throw like a girl.
thanks m8
They have a quick fix, but sadly it breaks other aspects of tracking needed to stabilize your position in 3D space. For now certain games will allow us to have throwing physics while others will only have vive wand support. Although when the Touch controllers come out you will have a new choice!
Hola! I’ve been following your site for a long time now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from Dallas Texas! Just wanted to say keep up the excellent work!
HEY CHARLES!!!! Thanks a lot for sending us some love! Dallas, Texas eh? I’ll call you VR Cowboy! haha thanks for checking out our content, really does mean a lot!!
yep new update working for stick throwing, doesn’t feel very natural but does work thanks
https://github.com/betavr/steamvr_driver_hydra/releases
Direct link to drivers
ive tried it, and it detects them and they do sort of work, but i cannot get them to center properly and one of the controllers the motion seems to be reversed.
is there anything specific in where you are supposed to setup the base station (what orientation of the base station?) and or calibration that needs to be done.
i’ve done the point at base station and the hold up to your head but then they end up half way across the room at the wrong height and one of the onscreen controllers is upside down.
(its possible my hydra isn’t working properly but im not sure how to test that)
this actually happens to me quite a bit. It’s very frustrating, but I usually unplug and plug my hydra back in several times until it does properly sync up. How much time have you spent fidgeting around with them? Sometimes it takes sometime, but usually it will work for me without this problem. Only when I get too close to the base station does the field “flip” sometimes. Anyway to screenshot your controller position in the mirror window?
I’m getting just blank grey controller images in SteamVR. It doesn’t look like its finding the controllers. I installed 1.0.1.7, and also tried to copy the files without the installed. Neither solution is working.
Hello Charles !
I’m so disappointed…it doesn’t work…
I have done all the steps: install SteamVR, install Sixense SDK for Razer Hydra, copy hydra folder to drivers folder, and copy file “settings” to config folder.
But it remains grey into SteamVR….
Maybe I have to install official razer hydra drivers before?
I succeeded!!!!!!!
Sorry for disturbing.
For other people that have the same issue, the solution is to install the MSVC 2015 redistributable, but for X86 Distribution !!!
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=48145
Great videos thx. Where do you position your dk2 positional camera when you’re doing room scale Vr?
I am at a loss – I had everything working fine – and now – nothing?
Any thoughts on what to do – I have removed the previous hydravr version and tried reinstalling, etc… did Steam update something to break it?
Okay then, following the instructions, I downloaded and installed the application and, when trying to configure my room, I found out that, for whatever the reason (interference, old/broken Hydra or something else), the position precision of my Razer Hydra was not good enough to be useful in SteamVr.
I was about to give up, then I remember that I’m an engineer and I know how to fix stuff :D.
So, good news everyone! I modified the original driver to add a “filter” to the positional tracking, greatly reducing the jitter. The driver itself (with the “jitter fix”) is available here: https://mega.nz/#!FUIGyCyB!dUfCBj_1LZ2gnsu60zIykwYMnymXkH5T3BbLPOFkPfc
Updated version of the modded version of the driver can be found here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/4sv3mz/oculus_cv1_razer_hydra_room_scale_jitter/
Updated version of the modded version of the driver can be found here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/4sv3mz/oculus_cv1_razer_hydra_room_scale_jitter/
any way to use a xbox kinect to emulate the position and height of the player, so that we dont have this bad motion when we duck in the wrong direction:) you seem like a big youtuber, and you might have some contact:)
Hey there, I know that a lot of people have been using the Xbox Kinect in tandem with the CV1, although I do not have one myself so I do not know exactly what they are doing. I’m sure that if you can think it, than it can be done.
Although I do make YouTube videos, I do it as a hobby after the normal weeks work is done. Luckily I have many developer friends, but no special Xbox contacts 😉
I think a lot more info on these subjects will be available early next year if not by the end of this one.
Hope this helps!
How did you manage to make the controllers be so precise? Mine hydras gets all glitchy just from moving a little away =/