XSOverlay system requirements
Minimum:
- OS: Windows 10
- Processor: Intel i5-4590 or AMD FX 8350 equivalent
- Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon R9 290 equivalent
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 500 MB available space
- Sound Card: Not Required
Recommended:
Recommended requirements are not yet specified.
SteamVR is a headache to use without this.
Being able to summon up my desktop in vr, play videos, music and look up information on the fly.
Plus summoning 169 virtual screens really makes you feel like hackerman.
This is an awesone overlay for steamvr, but don't expect too many updates
You need to wait like 3 months for each update
At least you can go to the discord server if you have some issue
This has made seeing discord, the time, playing music, and everything else so much easier. Worth the $10
made a bug report about half a year ago in regards of a bug that breaks xsoverlay. never got an answer nor help
"You've used this title for 24 hours" .. VR was delivered 4 days ago ... I already feel like I should've paid more
Numerous issues persist with this overlay with seemingly no acknowledgement from developer. May other users have also seem to be having issues with no threads being addressed. Only stable version that doesn't crash for me is FallbackBuild502 and current build is 561....
It's not updated anymore at all, most bugs remain unfixed for months now and it's unusable for me on windows 11, because of bugs. Another Early Access software on steam that is early access since release and has numerous bugs that remain never fixed.
Most of this software just doesn't work most of the time. The wrist watch, and everything inside that, including media controls, work absolutely flawlessly. But the windows to view apps / desktop are incredibly unreliable. You'll open one, or a few of them. And they work fine, until you disable the editing mode, once you re-open it, they all freeze. Closing them causes the new ones you open to literally just not work. They'll be completely see-through, but if you hover the cursor over their general direction, you can see the toolbar for editing them, doing this results in all of the viewable apps appearing as "-no name-" and all desktops being a blank screen. This persists until you restart the software. It never fixes itself, running as admin, verifying files, re-installing, none of it works. Do not buy this. Please.
The overhaul of this overlay that came out in August 2021 came with bugs that made the overlay unusable for me. Fortunately a fallback older build has been made available that is still functional for me but the fact that there has been no response to my bug report in over a year discourages me to recommend this to others because there's been no visible continued support.
A near essential tool to enjoy most VR games with friends. Gives you easy access to desktop programs, takes a little bit of getting used to with the controls, could not name a better tool.
causes stuttering in my games. i have a high end computer and adjusting graphics setting changed nothing
easy to use just click the plus button you have a new screen and you can set what you want on the screen from the menu under the screen gives alot of customizability without the menus feeling cluttered and hard to use
Despite a few major bugs that are STILL not fixed after many months, this is better than alternatives. I personally can't play VR without it.
doesn't say amen to left clicking
Lets me watch youtube while I ignore people in vrchat.
Doesn't support the Windows Touch API input or 2 handed gestures, Yet the dev insists its the most accessible. Buttons don't have labels unless selected (used to be a feature), Pointer doesn't have any line cast from the controller to hint at interact point, Default open action requires both controllers yet you cant use two hands at once anywhere else. No reduce motion option to disable all animations. Lack of built in descriptions of various options requiring you to check the documentation. Multiple options buried in config files that could easily be UI options.
Lacks text suggestion, voice input on keyboard and you can't disable the 3D interact animation.
Tutorial can't be canceled or restarted.
XSO doesn't have an admin service compared to OVRTK so you manually have to launch as admin, go back to the PC and accept the UAC prompt.
Github issue tracker is rarely used.
Very cool, I now I never have to leave VR :D
would be nicer if didnt crash every 20 min
Big problem: I can't left-click anything, and after 119 minutes of troubleshooting, I'm pretty sure I'll be forced to return it. I can left-click using ANY OTHER method. I can left-click on XSOverlay's in-app GUI, but as soon as I try to interact with XSOverlay's desktop/windows display, it interprets both right and left clicks as a right-click.
I've tried every possible binding I can think of, and can't figure this one out. I have some stick drift, so my advice would be to return this app quickly if your controllers aren't working perfectly and you run into any issues. Otherwise, it seems pretty cool. I just can't get it to function.
Hands down an essential for SteamVR, 10/10 ^.^
ovr toolkit looks horrible after using this one time
I've been using this product for months and absolutely love it. However, I wouldn't recommend it at this time as something in the last 2-3 months changed that has led to the overlay freezing after an undetermined amount of time while in VR and thus all windows opened in it are unresponsive. The only solution is to close and reopen XSOverlay until it inevitably freezes again (usually within 5 minutes). It seems to leave bright yellow outlines around the windows on my desktop after being closed as well. Once this bug is fixed, I would happily endorse this application again as it's featureset otherwise is generally better than other overlays I've used.
Probably the coolest watch in a game, ong.
Coming from a person that has 900 hours in OVR Toolkit, this is muuuuuch better. Very happy with my purchase.
It has been a little while since I used it, but I figured I would write a review to hopefully shed some light on possible issues, or to see if I was doing something wrong.
Overall, I actually think this is a pretty great overlay system. But I will be explaining why I don't recommend it.
Pros:
- The interface is very clean, snappy, and user friendly. This is what I value most in any application.
- Having the wrist clock and shortcuts is cool, and I like the computer usage stats so I don't need to open Task Manager.
- The keyboard generally feels nice to use in terms of it's design and what not.
- The presets for monitors is fantastic.
- While not perfect how I would use it, the way you can manipulate monitors and the keyboard especially for laying down is good.
- Being able to capture specific windows instead of just monitors is very useful.
Cons:
- The desktop and window capture performance is horrendous.
- The keyboard sounds + input feel slighty delayed, so it's difficult to type fast like I can on the Oculus Dash.
I am not sure why, but I only get a stuttery 10 or less FPS when trying to view the desktop, mainly with the mouse inputs.
My only logical guess is that it's because by default, Oculus Dash runs on my CV1, and they both are probably trying to capture even when my Oculus has no monitors up. I checked my system usage and I tried both capture methods, but neither fixed the problem.
Given that this is such a serious problem, it is pretty obviously something on my end, and I doubt others have problems. However, I also am coming from the Oculus Dash where the keyboard and monitors were very responsive with at least a 60+ FPS capture.
I hope I can fix this problem and change my review, but frankly I don't have any motivation chasing down a probably very specific problem that will be difficult to solve. Oculus Dash has been pretty much fine so far and I haven't found a need to have more advanced features like XS offers.
I'd still rate the software something like an 8.5/10 if it wasn't for the desktop and window capture performance.
Used both ovrtoolkit and xsoverlay, ovrtoolkit crashed and never opened again, and always has been doing that even after getting a new pc, xsoverlay never failed me. Great software for a great price.
Its good cant complain works for the long voyages in elite dangerous and very simple ui easy to setup, understand, and use only complain is the little options bar under windows wont go away after a certain time however i forget its there after a while 9/10 would recommend for elite dangerous players that are bored between flights
Better then OVR Toolshit and i've been adoring this software
Better than OVR Toolkit. Would like to have Discord notifications though.
XSOverlay is a Desktop Overlay application for OpenVR. It aims to be as intuitive as possible, minimalist and out of the way, but fully functional. XSOverlay conforms to your needs, and will adjust itself as such!
after using this for 60 hours, I can say that it's really nice to just have the wristwatch with media controls, tracker and controller battery percentage, PC stat info, and clock.
I have found a few annoying bugs and little things that could be done more intuitively with the desktop mode, but it's not the main reason I use the software. I just like to have the watch there to monitor stuff.
Basically a cheaper and better OVR Toolkit
Just a preference over others. It does what I need it to do. ^^
BEST THING TO EVER EXIST
if you are a busy person and like chill back games like "vr chat" or "pokerstars"
you can muti task and play the game or have a convo with someone, its the best tracking accursy ive seen and I use this for so manny things and if u dont want your pc screen in your face 24/7 you can just switch to a diff moniter or turn it off. you can have up to 15 screens like the same one or diffrent and honestly ive never needed that but its very helpfull. the ammout of love I give this softwear is to much for me to say it lol
-sorry for spelling errors im bad at that-
way better than OVR toolkit. It shows me my PC's status, I dont gotta worry about losing the window, and has lots of more options, also runs better to!
really good overlay for vr users, even if you think "regular steamvr is enough", once you have xsoverlay you just can't go back
Really wish I could recommend this, but I just can't.
This is a great application that was exactly what I wanted. You can put your monitors or specific windows where you want them in the 3D space around you. You can save layouts so that in the future you can get those windows/monitors exactly where you liked them, although the vertical positioning was always wrong for me when I loaded a layout (randomly several feet above or below where I had placed them) which is an easy fix. Put media controls (Spotify, VLC, etc.) or your chat/Discord on the back of your hand like a watch so they appear with a twist of your wrist then disappear when you don't need them. Any other minor issues I could assume were due to being early access.
The absolute deal-breaker reason I cannot recommend this in the current state is that the application occasionally decides it doesn't want to left-click for a few minutes at a time. The shortest length of time that this happened was at least 30 seconds, but it typically lasts 1-2 full minutes, and while it's happening you cannot left-click using your VR device. Everything works fine for a while, maybe 10 minutes or so... I would be interacting with windows on the (virtual) monitor and my left-clicks would suddenly begin to constantly register as right-clicks. When this happened I would try adjusting my grip, pressing buttons to make sure none were sticking or being pressed accidentally, and using other button combos to see if anything else would work. Without luck. Needless to say, during this time it is essentially unusable. I was able to confirm that my mouse would work so it wasn't an issue with the PC itself. If this gets fixed I will gladly update my review and change to a recommendation.
After using OVRToolkit for a few thousand hours and switching to XSOverlay, each tool has their own ups and downs. OVR seems to have more features, especially with accessibility, Although I've had issues with it crashing and just plain not working. With XS, it has less features, but I've never had issues with it, and doesn't use as much resources. Personally I recommend XS over OVR for general use, it gets the job done and does it very well.
i downloaded XSOverlay about two days ago and it for some reason when i click on laout mode or any other thing it doesnt work i tried uninstalling it and uninstalling steam vr yet noting worked.
nah fam, barely works half the time. cant click on anything when a window is open because the trigger automatically registers as a right click.
Veri gud.
It feels lightweight, its design is nice and not cluttered, controls are intuitive and awesome. Check the tutorial before writing a negative review about "right-clicking everywhere".
If you're choosing between OVR Toolkit and XSOverlay, I would say go for XSOverlay, at least at the time when this review was made.
First, I was really excited to get this program and utilize it. It has a pretty good UI when you finally understand what you're doing. However, I use the Rift S and there does not seem to be any support for those controllers: It will perpetually think you're using Rift Touch controllers. That said, you can change the control settings, but it doesn't seem to have any actual effect.
But I've been perpetually running into a problem while using it. If I open up any windows and set them to show a specific program, then close the windows and reopen them, XSO just breaks. I can no longer interact with the windows or change what they are set to. If I press the button below that lets you change the program that a window shows, all of the options to choose from show as "-No Name-" and cannot be selected. On my desktop I see the yellow outline of the screen capture, but I cannot get it to change or do anything. Basically, this program is only good for the data that shows on the wrist, but if you're hoping to use XSO to check things like discord, twitch, or your music player, XSO will break and you will not have a good time.
It's great to have this overlay for Steam VR as a wrist watch while playing VR Chat. I still have to learn other features of it, but It's pretty cool as it is, thanks.
the fact that you're not able to chose how a window sits in your hand is a big turn off.
Welp. Time to uninstall OVR Toolkit.
Garbage software. Want to display a specific window on your wrist? Good luck, click the window you want and nothing happens. Want to display a specific monitor? Good luck, click the monitor and nothing happens. The only thing this software is good for is a glorified wrist watch.
awesome but how the fuck do i get the achievements
use this if steamvr overlay is too buggy :)
makes a difference playing steam vr in a positive way amiright
Smooth even when laggy, clean UI, easy to use and customizable
dont know how i ever played steam vr without it, very customizable and miles better than ovr toolkit
It is EXTREMELY useful to use in games like VRChat and any other games in general, and ever since I've gotten it, I have not stopped using it. I love how I am able to access my desktop just by looking at my wrist and tapping one button, it's just so useful!! My only gripe is that whenever you open an app that requires administrator, XSOverlay stops working until you either minimize or close the app requiring said administrator from your physical PC. One such example is Task Manager. Regardless, I still fully recommend and do not let that administrator thing dissuade you!
Extremeley useful, extremely good design and extremely versatile.
Better, Faster and more lightweight than OVRToolKit. Essential if you stream in VR or listen to music.
I cannot use the desktop as I am having a issue with the clicking it will only allow me to use, right click but no left click and it is really annoying, but overall it is still good
Where have you been all my life?
Great work on the software! Works great for me
i can play runescaope while playiung m inecraft vr 10 out of 10
Holy crap is it useful. Best keyboard I've seen in VR, tons of customization, multiple windows.. It's a better SteamVR HUD
Dont know if its just me, but this software just does not run well. Maxes out my gpu and stops being responsive quickly. For the devs, im on the quest 2 if that makes any diffrence. Sadly cannot recomend in its current state, let it update a bit and id imagine this will be a fine alternative to OVR toolkit, but for now use toolkit.
bettter then ovrtoolkit but the only bug i have is i got to press layout mode sometime to be able interact whit my menu in vr on just to be able to move
way more setting then ovr tool kit and even the keyboard have it as normal and can use the copy and paste i realy happy i buy it and pretty sure you guys too will love it setting for window keyboard and the little menue can control lightning on it whit all of them i will say it a 9/10 only because that bug that got reclick to be able do someting
Didn't lag the shit out of my PC or have a complex set up like Toolkit. Get this instead it's cheaper and better.
I am a software developer with a 3 monitor setup and I will probably be using this more than my monitors
If you are into VR and use it a lot, this software comes in very handy, it provides useful information and spawnable displays / keyboards, works with any VR title and is a must have for any VR enthusiast.
Better than OVR Toolkit, definitely worth the price.
Fantastic software. Works flawlessly to see other windows while in VR games, i.e. spotify within iRacing
like more easier to use than OVR tool kit, and much smoother.
To start off, there are upsides and downside but overall I recommend. It's UI is easier to understand than OVR, it runs lighter and it's computer stats are better.
HOWEVER, with multi monitor setups in VR -- which I use for monitor access in Beat Saber and No Man's Sky -- dragging between monitors is finicky and only sometimes works. This is VERY situational and I don't have to do it often, but it is very annoying when it comes up.
Another thing to keep in mind is that monitors don't attach to the room, they attach to you in reference to the room. This means that they cant load on start up, so you'll have to load your overlay manually each time, again not a big problem, just a minor inconvenience.
Other than these I have absolutely no complaints. Overall it's very good and worth the purchase, but if these things make it less appealing to you then it'd be wise to stick with OVR.
I really want to recommend XSOverlay for VR users but I always have the same issue and have reported the bug about my monitor's resizing super SUPER SMALL. Until that's fixed too annoying when you get 3 screens in place on your hand/screen and you have to readd everything since its too small to click on resize. I just refuse to use it until its fixed, So I continue to use OVR Toolkit. (Not the only one experiencing this also).
The bug happens on Vertical Monitors but changes ALL my window sizes.
I recommend if you don't use a Vertical Monitor.
I don't recommend if you do use one.
Crashes within 10-15 minutes every time
A lot better compared to OVR Toolkit. The interface looks a lot cleaner and every movement feels super smooth. Other than a good overlay for games its also pretty neat to use while working. Would recommend to anyone!
As much as it likes to randomly crash on me, I still very much love using this overlay. It makes everything easier for me and definitely looks neat, doesn't annoy you way too much, you can even see the batteries of your controllers and trackers. Definitely worth buy.
Also
I WANT ALL THE ACHIEVEMENTS BUT I CANT SEEM TO GET THEM AAA
Alerts on player join/leave and portal drops for PC users. win. (There is a free program called XSOverlay VRchat Parser that finds the relevant log file and tracks that to see players entering/exiting and portal drops, etc, and feeds that info to XSOverlay.)
To compare this to OVR Toolkit is like comparing win 11 (if it worked like it should) and win 10
Where this is win 11, more pleasing to the eye, got some nice and sometimes neash futures that OVR doesn't.
They work well but could be better.
OVR is solid, not as many futures or as nice looking but it works exactly as expected.
Used OVR TK for over 3500 hours, and was happy with it for the most part. However XS is just significantly better in nearly all aspects.
A must have for anyone who plays VR games on a regular basis.
Feels way better than OVR Toolkit, impacts performance less and is generally way easier to use, I love it
Must have in VR, only downside is the random crashing when opening / pinning windows.
Lot more polished than OVR Toolkit. Maybe it has less options, but the UI is very easy to understand. Everything has upside and downside, so can't really compare one to one. Overall, I prefer this one.
love to use this for my music whilst playing with friends in vrchat. i dont have to go to my desktop to change my music or anything
Makes Watching certain adult videos easier while In my favorite game of all time, VRchat.
I love OVR Toolkit but this feel so much smoother
While still incomplete and sometimes buggy, this software works as intended and works well, unlike another software that did not even display in my HMD after hours of troubleshooting, *cough cough* OVR Toolkit *cough cough*.
The only real issue I have at the moment is that there seems to be no way to increase/ decrease the angle at which added windows appear and disappear on your wrist.
But besides that, I love it and highly recommend it.
Easy to customize, easy to use, not laggy. Worth every cent.
It's a lot like OVR Toolkit but I prefer this one, it's a lot more simpler sleek and runs well, I don't lag as much with this but when I would use OVR Toolkit I would which I don't understand why, I have a fairly decent PC.
Awesome tool despite the slight/small learning curve. Allows a good management of your windows and other things.
Great way to get "Known User" in VRChat. You join online class, while watching movie and playing VRChat.
Yes, this overlay is lighter than anything else, it barely consume video memory. So, it safe to join populated worlds in VRChat while messing up with your monitors.
Best desktop overlay I could ask for - especially with laying out individual windows of various scales and arrangements
it does it job \:/
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i like it cuz its way easyer for me to use then overtoolkit
pretty good
i use it every now and then
have you ever wanted to watch porn infront of your friends without them knowing? me neither but this is pretty kewl :D
Much easier to use and way better than OVRtoolkit. Love it.
Very intuitive would recommend.
you will use this more than anything else
It's really good, heard its better than OVR Toolkit but I wouldn't know.
very goooood softwareeeeeeeeeeeeee
If you're getting an overlay (which in itself is a must have for VR), then you won't regret buying this one.
Switching from Quest 2 to Index, I missed certain quality of life features when it comes to managing my personal space and windows. This closes that gap and extends functionality into the applications themselves. Also the improved battery life tracking is a vast improvement over steam default. Love it.
Best app for ingame overlay. Simple.
Better than OVR Toolkit, can confirm that. Really good!
Really love this! It's been easy to use and has worked exactly as it's supposed to in almost every way. The only issues I've had with it so far are:
A) Sometimes after closing out the of SteamVR menu, the game I'm playing won't register controller input, but this can be fixed by disabling then re-enabling Layout Mode.
B) Occasionally, the button in settings to access controller bindings stops working, and can only be fixed by restarting the app.
C) The space I can move the wristwatch within is fairly limited.
D) Opening desktop items can be annoying because you have to keep the cursor still while you double-click. Luckily you can also just right-click then click "Open," but it would be more convenient if double-clicking worked.
Other than these minor issues, it's been great!
Not stable what so ever, and nice functions... if they worked... and everytime its started i have to restart it minimum 3 times just to get the meters working.
Idiot-safe. After some fighting with a turial which didnt want to go away, i managed to use it easy. Now it feels like it was always part of my VR me and thats fine.
idiot-approved
Much better than the built in SteamVR or Oculus overlays, UI is aesthetically pleasing and more importantly has great utility.
A must for social multitasking in VR programs
Read discord, browse, or watch videos while hanging out in VRChat
Useful if you want a webpage reference on hand while playing a game
Or keeping track of a incoming food delivery while in other worlds
way better than the steamvr keyboard and you can move away from it while it stays in the world it moves wherever you want and you can change the fps and how much the opacity is
I watched shrek while seeing eboys infront of a mirror in vr chat 10/10
Great addon for VR. Makes it much easier to access the desktop with no resource drain.
its good because my friend marma uses it
Love it and is way better than OVRToolKit.
Much easier to use and way better than OVRtoolkit. Love it.
This is a very good overlay, its the one I will continue to use. Wish it had some more customization to personalize my version of the wrist display.
left click doesn't work, and tutorial prompts won't go away even if i do them
Would definitely recommend if u play vr way batter that ovr tool kit I used both and xsoverlay is far more better..
And the screen overlay is nice and smooth good if u want to text on discord watch a quick YouTube video or “other” stuff 👀…
this is a game changer for PCVR. well worth the price imo