How to launch beta directly with Steam & Vive?

[CMDR Ethan Harris]

I use the Steam desktop overlay quite a bit when in Elite, so running the standalone launcher isn't an option for me. So far I've had to do the following to launch a beta:

1. Start Steam and SteamVR, get headset and controller detected
2. Start Elite: Dangerous with the "Start in VR" button either in the Windows Steam app or inside the VR Steam launcher overlay.
3. This starts E with Horizons in VR. I have to hit Esc and exit the game.
4. Now, in the Windows E launcher, which remains running after the game exits, I can select the beta from the list at the bottom and click the blue Play button.

Surely there's a faster way? (Launching without Steam isn't an option for me because like I said, I rely on the Steam Desktop overlay to get at my notes and calculations and research in Windows.)

 

[shadragon]

If you want VR you have to start Steam VR first.

I run my accounts from their respective launchers and have no issues in VR with any Steam or non-Steam account.

 

[CMDR Ethan Harris]

If you want VR you have to start Steam VR first.

I run my accounts from their respective launchers and have no issues in VR with any Steam or non-Steam account.

I think we're talking past one another... I have no issues in VR with Steam, either, and of course I start SteamVR first (it is, after all, item number 1 in my list above, I wasn't saying I did anything before that!). But I specifically want to launch the beta, not Horizons, and I don't know how to do that with Steam launching it, since Steam launches the launcher and the game (in Horizons).

 

[shadragon]

I am running the Horizons Beta.

Start Steam VR.
Open the E: D launcher and launch the game (1.6, 2.0, 2.1) you want to play.

That's all I do.

 

[CMDR Ethan Harris]

I found my issue -- I was on a Mac before I got my Vive, so I'm a little confused by things that should be obvious to Windows users...

The only Elite Dangerous "launcher" link I had turned out to be just a URL to launch steam -- when I double-clicked it, it would give me a dialog box warning me that Elite had native VR support, was I sure I wanted to run it in non-VR mode?But by creating a shortcut to C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Elite Dangerous\ED Link instead and opening that shortcut with SteamVR running, it works like you describe. Thanks!

Incidentally, is there a way to run in non-VR mode from the launcher if I want to play but I can't have the HMD blocking out the world? I've tried opening the ED Link shortcut with SteamVR not running, but that just makes SteamVR start. The original shortcut with the Steam URL seems promising at first -- it pops up a dialog warning me that Elite has native VR support, so am I sure I want to run it in non-VR mode? -- but clicking OK there doesn't actually do anything.

 

[shadragon]

Only way I know to change modes from HMD to monitor and back is go into the 3D settings in Elite and change the output device there. You should be able to do that through the active HMD or on the monitor displaying the HMD output with mouse.

I run my explore account on monitor and do the rest of my accounts on HMD so I swap all the time.