From PC World: The HTC Vive headset and Valve’s SteamVR are finally released and shipping! You might expect that the HTC Vive works with Valve’s own SteamOS and Linux, but it doesn’t. It’s Windows-only for now, just like the Oculus Rift.
This is especially disappointing because support for Linux, SteamOS, and even Mac OS X was targeted for day one. HTC’s Jeff Gattis said at Gamescom 2015 that the plan was to support all of those OSes when the Vive launched.
But as of its release, the HTC Vive is limited to Windows. Head to the HTC Vive page on Valve’s Steam store and you’ll see that either Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10 are required. Flagship SteamVR games—like Google’s Tilt Brush virtual reality painting program—have only a Windows logo next to them on the Steam store, indicating they only work on Windows. The SteamVR Performance Test is also Windows-only.
Valve is known for being tight-lipped and uncommunicative, so it’s no surprise the company hasn’t released any sort of announcement about future support for Linux, SteamOS, or OS X. Linux users have turned to the HTC Vive discussion forums on Steam to ask for any sort of official statement, but they haven’t received one. At least Oculus’ Palmer Luckey talked publicly about why Linux support was postponed for the Rift and what the future might hold.
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