Hey guys! Thanks for using Desktop Portal, if you have been!
What happened?
I wanted to apologize for the lack of development and bugfixing on it in the past months. After releasing Desktop Portal I ended up getting a full-time VR development job, which has been eating away the majority of my time.
To any new potential users reading this, I might recommend using another overlay software till I've had more time to develop (see below).
I've been wanting to fix a lot of the things in Desktop Portal, but it's often just really hard to find time to context switch and develop on it.
My passion for overlay software is still itching at me, but SteamVR's overlay system is difficult to work with, and Desktop Portal itself didn't use the best coding practices when I first made it since I was still learning about development quite a bit myself. This makes it overall somewhat difficult to maintain and add new features quickly.
What are you going to do about it?
At the risk of sounding like every optimistic kickstarter ever, I wanted to mention that I've been working on a new solution to all of this, called Project Lair. Before I say anything, I want to mention that as a thank you/apology to people who've used Desktop Portal/been disappointed by it, I will make Project Lair totally free for them no matter what pricing model I decide to do with it.
So, what is Project Lair?
Project Lair is the ultimate tool for productivity in VR. It uses the same technology for window capture in Desktop Portal (that I've been working to improve) to let you build and customize your own virtual "office" in VR. I want to give a varity of preset environments to work in, or let users build and import their own rooms.
Project Lair can function as it's own standalone app that lets you work in VR, or, with the flick of a switch, transform into a SteamVR overlay, and have your favorite desktop windows follow you into any game. I've been working on some new tech that allows me to do this and almost completely avoid the SteamVR overlay system, which will allow me to do way more cool stuff than before, such as overlaying any 3d models into SteamVR, instead of just flat overlays.
When is it coming?
I don't know. I'm not going to try to give a "release date" when my schedule is as unstable as it is already. It's a passion project I'm working on and building for myself, so the motivation is always there, it's just a matter of time.
As always, you can join the Discord to stay up to date on all this stuff ^_^
Thanks for (hopefully) understanding, I still have the dream of delivering the best VR overlay software out there!