XRPipe is a streaming technology for immersive multitasking. Instead of replacing what runs on the headset, it embeds PCVR sessions in new and existing mixed reality applications.
See how it worksThe stream is a layer, not a session
The standalone app stays in control. XRPipe hands the headset compositor the PC-rendered views as a stereo layer, reprojected like any app layer. Passthrough is a layer too — so the real room, the standalone app and the PC application compose into one scene, with correct depth occlusion.
- 03 PCVR streamThe PC application's frames, hardware-decoded on the headset.
- 02 Standalone appFor example, an Unreal Engine app carrying the XRPipe add-on, retaining full functionality during simultaneous PCVR use.
- 01 PassthroughThe real environment as an OpenXR layer.
Four steps, PC to headset
- 1 OpenXR runtime On the PC, XRPipe is the OpenXR runtime itself. The application runs unmodified.
- 2 Hardware encode Frames are captured at submission and encoded on the NVIDIA GPU — HEVC or H.264.
- 3 Network Wi-Fi, a landline link or 5G. Head and controller tracking flow back, so the PC renders for the headset's real pose.
- 4 Add-on layer The add-on inside the standalone app hardware-decodes the stream and gives the headset compositor a stereo layer — in passthrough, with depth compositing.
What it does
- Unmodified PC applications XRPipe is the OpenXR runtime on the PC. The application needs no change.
- Passthrough mixed reality The PC-rendered scene appears in the real room.
- Depth compositing Streamed, local and real-world content occlude one another — when the PC application supplies depth.
- Greenscreen keying The stream can be keyed, leaving only the PC scene's objects in view.
- Controllers reach in Quest controllers act inside the PC-rendered world.
- Two PC applications at once Two streams composited in one headset — including over 5G.
- Remote hosts The PC can be far away — over a landline link or 5G.
Shown with
- Unreal Engine
- Autodesk VRED
- Blender
- Gravity Sketch
- Open Brush
- Twinmotion
- VRChat
Demonstration
IEEE ISMAR 2026, 9 October
Paper
XRPipe: PCVR Streaming as an OpenXR Composition Layer
IEEE ISMAR 2026 Adjunct Proceedings