VRCapture 0.1.0-beta.6 — Fullscreen mirror and OpenXR compatibility

Use VRCapture as a fullscreen desktop mirror, with a compatibility fix for 32-bit OpenXR mods.

What's new

• Fullscreen live preview: click Fullscreen, press F11 in VRCapture, or double-click the live preview. Escape, F11 or double-click returns to the controls without stopping the take. Move the recorder window to your chosen monitor before entering fullscreen.
• Mirror without recording: choose your source, click Fullscreen, then launch the game without arming. First-use OpenXR setup may request Windows approval. The mirror also continues while recording is paused or the main controls are minimized.
• Independent x86/x64 layer switches: disabling an incompatible 64-bit layer no longer disables VRCapture's 32-bit layer through a shared variable. The manifests now use DISABLE_VRCAPTURE_X86 and DISABLE_VRCAPTURE_X64.

Fullscreen scales the existing 1280×720 preview to your monitor. Recording resolution, bitrate, framing and audio quality settings stay unchanged. Same-file pause/resume, remembered smoothing/edge margin and the earlier capture performance improvements remain included.

Updating

Download VRCapture-0-1-0-beta-6-Windows-x64.zip. Close the game and recorder, then extract the entire ZIP over your existing installation, including both layers folders and their JSON manifests. Keep capture-settings.ini and your recordings; the ZIP contains neither. Restart the game afterward. For a new installation, extract everything into a permanent writable folder and run Test recording.cmd.

Quick start and fullscreen controls · Troubleshooting

Validation and beta scope

Both architectures passed 22 automated tests, with affected GPU checks rerun after the final adjustment. An isolated 4K60 AV1 recording with three audio tracks completed repeated fullscreen switches under deliberate preview stalls with zero missed output slots, repeated frames or recording drops. The final portable ZIP passed its recording test and full video/audio decode.

These are automated checks on the tested machine. The reported manifest collision is addressed, but the creator's exact BioShock mod has not been independently retested. Compatibility and performance still vary by game, runtime and hardware. This remains an unsigned Windows x64 beta.

VRCapture 0.1.0-beta.5 — Pause/resume and smoother capture

Pause unwanted sections and resume into the same video, with remembered camera controls and further recording-performance improvements.

What's new

• Pause / Resume on desktop and wrist. Paused picture and sound are excluded from every track. Resume continues the same MP4 without a frozen picture or silent interval. The elapsed timer freezes while the preview and input meters stay live. Stop or game exit saves the take, including while paused.
• Smoothing and edge margin now persist. Your choices survive restart and upgrades that retain capture-settings.ini. Full view temporarily bypasses these controls without erasing their values. Older builds did not store them, so adjust them once if their values were already lost.
• Further performance improvements. OpenGL capture avoids a redundant full-image copy. Desktop preview presentation runs independently of recording, and recording deadlines continue during window resizing. Resolution, bitrate, framing and audio-track quality choices remain unchanged.

On the wrist, hold your aiming dot on Pause or Resume for about 1.5 seconds, then look away before activating the same button again. Stop retains its separate confirmation.

Update

Download VRCapture-0-1-0-beta-5-Windows-x64.zip below. Close your game and VRCapture, then extract the entire ZIP over the existing installation. Keep your settings and recordings; neither is included in the download. The app, helpers and both capture layers must be updated together. Restart the game after updating.

Run Test recording.cmd and check a short take on your setup. Quick start · Wrist controls · Audio and editing

Validation and limits

The accepted owner test saved 7 minutes 46 seconds of 4K60 AV1 footage with two seamless pause/resume cuts and no reported headset stutter. It had zero missed recording output slots, recording queue drops or safety faults. Automated checks cover all three codecs, x86/x64 D3D11/OpenGL capture, settings persistence, paused fault detection and recovery, and a 60-second production 4K60 preview run.

This remains an unsigned beta. Compatibility and performance vary by game, GPU and headset connection; these checks do not guarantee every runtime hitch is resolved. SteamVR compositor capture still includes its visible wrist panel. Existing capture API limitations remain unchanged.

VRCapture 0.1.0-beta.4 — Recording performance hotfix

This hotfix addresses recorder work that could contribute to uneven frame pacing and VR hitches. Updating is recommended even if you have not noticed stutters.

What changed

• One consistent 60 Hz recording clock prevents skipped or duplicated timeline slots caused by mismatched scheduling clocks.
• Capture shaders are compiled before shipping, removing a shader-compilation stall from capture startup.
• The encoder reuses a fixed pool of GPU surfaces instead of allocating a new texture every frame. This trades some reserved memory for less allocation churn.
• Bounded post-exit timing reports help distinguish capture work, recording deadlines and VR runtime waits.

Resolution, bitrate and audio options are unchanged. Wrist microphone selection, the smoother aiming dot and silent recording warnings from beta.3 remain included.

Tested

An 11-minute F.E.A.R. VR take at AV1 4K60 recorded all 39,887 submitted frames with zero missed recording output slots, recording queue drops or reported warnings. The headset tester reported a substantial improvement. Isolated source/runtime timing spikes remain; this is not a guarantee of stutter-free gameplay on every setup.

Offline checks passed on both architectures, including 17 test suites, a two-minute 4K60 soak, all 3,600 numbered frames across H.264/HEVC/AV1, and interrupted-recording recovery. The final downloadable ZIP passed its package audit and isolated portable recording test.

Update

Download VRCapture-0-1-0-beta-4-Windows-x64.zip and extract the complete package. Close your game and VRCapture before replacing the old files. Keep capture-settings.ini and your recordings; neither is included in the download. Run Test recording.cmd, then make a short real-game take before a longer recording.

If moving to another folder, follow the quick-start guide. For remaining hitches, see stutter troubleshooting and include a rough timestamp with your report.

Windows x64 portable beta, with x64 and x86 OpenXR layers. Still unsigned and closed source. Compatibility varies by game, GPU and headset connection.

VRCapture 0.1.0-beta.3 — Wrist microphone controls and smoother capture

This update adds microphone selection inside VR, makes the wrist aiming dot more responsive, and reduces avoidable capture work.

• Choose your mic from the wrist. The panel names the selected microphone. Hold on MIC, browse Previous/Next, then Use microphone. It works before or during a take; game audio stays unchanged. A failed replacement keeps the previous mic. A brief mic gap is possible during handoff.
• Smoother head aiming. The targeting dot updates about 60 times per second while aimed at the panel. The 1.5-second hold and separate Stop confirmation remain.
• Less redundant capture work. VRCapture copies the newest ready queued frame once, skips desktop-preview rendering when minimized, and avoids unnecessary compositor setup for simple image copies. Capture reports include additional timing summaries for diagnosing stutters.
• Silent recording warnings. Alerts appear on the desktop and optional wrist panel during capture. Recorder tones cannot enter recorded audio or reset the game-audio silence detector. Test/arming tones remain before capture; fatal alarms can resume after capture stops.

Close your game and VRCapture before updating, then extract the entire ZIP over the existing installation. Keep capture-settings.ini and your recordings; neither is included in the download. Restart the game to load the updated capture layer. If moving folders, follow the quick-start guide.

Wrist controls · Audio and editing · Troubleshooting

Validated with x64/x86 automated checks, layer fixtures, microphone handoff and recorded audio-track checks, plus the final ZIP's bundled portable recording test. Headset feedback confirmed a smoother cursor and overall feel. This is still a beta: those checks do not establish stutter-free performance across games, GPUs and streaming setups. OpenXR supports D3D11/OpenGL; SteamVR compositor capture still records its visible wrist overlay.

VRCapture 0.1.0-beta.2 — Full view and ultrawide recording

Full view framing keeps the complete submitted eye image at widescreen resolutions, and 2560×1080 ultrawide recording is now available.

What's new

• Framing: Full view (keep hands visible) is available at 1080p, 1440p, 4K and 2560×1080. Bars preserve the source proportions where needed.
• Fill remains available for a cropped image. The new ultrawide preset uses the correct output aspect ratio without stretching.
• Quest 3 and Native source always use Full view. The framing control shows that choice and is disabled in those modes.
• Widescreen framing preferences persist across resolution changes and restarts. Encoding/framing settings lock while armed or recording.

Full view bypasses rotational smoothing and edge margin. It preserves what the game supplies; it cannot recover hands or scenery outside the submitted image. Fresh defaults remain H.264 / 1080p60 / Fill. Select Full view before arming to try it.

Download and update

Download VRCapture-0-1-0-beta-2-Windows-x64.zip below and extract the entire folder. Windows 10/11 x64 and a supported hardware encoder are required. Both x86 and x64 OpenXR layers are included.

Finish saving and close games. In the old copy, use Settings > Disable OpenXR capture before moving/replacing it. Back up recordings and capture-settings.ini, extract the new version fully, check Save folder, and arm to register the new layers. Run Test recording.cmd, then make a short real-game take before a longer recording.

Quick start · Troubleshooting

Verification and beta limits

The application binaries match the closed framing candidate: both architectures passed 13 CTest suites, synthetic x86 D3D11 and x64 OpenGL Full view captures preserved framing through source-size changes, and H.264/HEVC/AV1 ultrawide recordings passed complete decoding. The final release ZIP passed its 33-file inventory, checksum, architecture, dependency and documentation audit, plus a newly extracted H.264/three-audio-track recording test with only Windows directories on PATH.

No new headset, recipient GPU or fresh-machine acceptance is claimed for this update. Existing capture API and SteamVR overlay limits remain. Application source remains closed; required third-party licenses and FFmpeg corresponding source are bundled.

ZIP SHA-256: 8ba468a1f76f605679ab3f858b04a06b9458d616484e97610702ef94a3f433ef

VRCapture 0.1.0-beta.1 — Portable Windows beta

VRCapture — first public beta

A portable PCVR recorder by thefreemike. Arm before putting on your headset, record gameplay and commentary, and let the recorder save when the game ends.

Download and start

Download VRCapture-0-1-0-beta-1-Windows-x64.zip from Assets below. Extract the whole folder and open VRCapture.exe. You do not need the automatically generated GitHub “Source code” archives; they contain this repository's guides, not the recorder.

No OBS, Python, Visual Studio, separate FFmpeg or separate C++ runtime installation is needed. You need a working Windows 10/11 x64 PCVR setup and a GPU with a compatible hardware encoder. First OpenXR setup may request administrator approval. Windows N may need the Media Feature Pack.

Run the included Test recording.cmd, then make and review a short real-game take before recording an important session. Start with H.264 / 1080p60 / Auto bitrate.

Included

• 1080p, 1440p and 4K output targeting 60 fps; H.264, HEVC and AV1 where supported by the GPU.
• Right/left eye selection, full-eye formats, and supported OpenXR menu composition.
• Separate microphone/game sliders and optional Mix + Microphone + Game audio streams.
• Automatic start after arming, saving on game exit, isolated encoding, audible alerts and recovery tools.
• Optional wrist status, audio meters, head-aim/dwell Stop/Confirm and re-arm controls.
• Quick-start, audio/Resolve, wrist and troubleshooting guides, plus a real app screenshot.

Compatibility to know

OpenXR capture supports 32-bit and 64-bit D3D11/OpenGL applications. F.E.A.R. VR uses this source, including when SteamVR is its runtime. OpenXR D3D12/Vulkan and native Oculus SDK capture are not implemented.

The separate SteamVR / OpenVR source captures its composited mirror: visible SteamVR wrist overlays appear in the recording, and recorder smoothing/flat-menu mode are unavailable. Standalone Quest capture and Quest/Virtual Desktop system UI are outside this PC capture path. See the guides for details.

This is an unsigned beta, with no guarantee of universal game/GPU compatibility or protection against every recording failure. Existing real-game use and automated tests do not replace a short test on your own setup.

Distribution and notices

VRCapture is closed source; this public repository contains downloads and documentation only. The packaged FFmpeg helper is separate LGPL 2.1-or-later software, and its corresponding source/build instructions are bundled under tools/source in the ZIP. See FFmpeg and the included third-party notices. Its source archive is not VRCapture's application source.

The .zip.sha256 asset provides the archive checksum. SHA256SUMS.txt inside the package lists individual file checksums.