bye bye VR - Windows 11 24H2 Update

[v2tec]

To be honest, I didn't know the consequences of the latest windows update.

Unfortunately, I had to reinstall my windows 11 yesterday. So I installed DCS today and also tried to install / activate my HP Reverb G2. It was not possible. I searched the internet for some hints and saw the notification that WMR was removed with Update 24H2. Sh...

I don't know what I should do now. I like playing flight sims (MS FS 202x, DCS), but only in VR.

But it is also not a simple update, there are already many updates for 24H2 installed - not sure, if want to uninstall all of them.

Do we have some workarounds how we can use WMR with 24H2? Is it worth buying a valve (steam) headset... it's very old stuff. How about the pimax headsets, do they still work - I guess not?

Bad day today.

[speed-of-heat]

The impact of 24h2 was widely publicised on WMR, it is dead, unless you have access to an earlier ISO for 11 or 10 then I don't know how to bring back WMR. It even told you about it during the update...it said it was going to remove WMR.

However pimax works fine, as do other non WMR headsets.

Edited March 8 by speed-of-heat

[speed-of-heat]

Windows 10 iso https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10ISO

[speed-of-heat]

You might still be able to get a legitimate iso (albeit late beta) for windows 11 23H2 via the insider program, it's free to join, see here https://www.yourwindowsguide.com/2024/10/windows-11-23h2-iso.html

Note sooner or later it will get forced to update, unless you turn updates off.

Edited March 8 by speed-of-heat

[speed-of-heat]

also there is anew headset due from Steam this year, likely towards the end

 

 

Edited March 8 by speed-of-heat

[EightyDuce]

The demise of Windows Mixed Reality with the 24H2 update was pretty publicly known at this point on this forum and others. The options at this point are Windows 10 or download or build a 23H2 version of Windows 11, which is what I did, and disable feature updates.

[LucShep]

You can only use Windows Mixed Reality (WMR) with Windows 11 if it's version 23H2 (or older), and you pause/block all updates.
If you're on Windows 11 version 24H2, then you'd have to revert/downgrade, by using an Windows 11 ISO image for version 23H2 and reinstal it. (I know, it's complicated)

WMR was working with Windows 10 latest version (22H2), until the latest KB5052077 update of 25th February 2025 (a non-security update) has broken it there as well.
To avoid it, any WMR user should imediately pause/block updates of Windows 10. WMR will no longer work now if you're installing any and all updates on Windows 10, same crappy situation as was already on Windows 11.

If you want to block updates, you can do it with the Windows policy editor, or with simple third party apps like WUB (blocks all updates) or InControl (blocks only non-security updates). Any of these two apps work with both Win10 and Win11.
 

 

Edited March 8 by LucShep

[coldViPer]

If you have W11 Pro version (not Home), I recommend using Policy editor. It only blocks feature updates, does not affect security updates. I have used this and it works great

https://www.elevenforum.com/t/specify-target-feature-update-version-in-windows-11.3811/

[Aapje]

20 hours ago, v2tec said:

How about the pimax headsets, do they still work - I guess not?

The only headsets affected are the WMR-headsets. None of the newer headsets are WMR, which is exactly why they are killing that technology, because no new headsets are coming out with it, so there is no future for it.

As people said above, you can get a temporary stay of execution, but it's not a long term solution. The Pimax Crystal Light and the Quest 3 are the best value headsets right now.

[Qcumber]

21 minutes ago, Aapje said:

The Pimax Crystal Light and the Quest 3 are the best value headsets right now.

The pico 4 is still a good option. Cheaper than the Q3 and much cheaper than a Crystal Light. Also a used Quest Pro is a very good option. 

To qualify I have significant experience with rift s, pico 4 and Quest Pro. 

[Zebra1-1]

On 3/8/2025 at 4:30 AM, LucShep said:

WMR was working with Windows 10 latest version (22H2), until the latest KB5052077 update of 25th February 2025 (a non-security update) has broken it there as well.
To avoid it, any WMR user should imediately pause/block updates of Windows 10. WMR will no longer work now if you're installing any and all updates on Windows 10, same crappy situation as was already on Windows 11.
 

 

Unfortunately, this update installed for me and broke WMR. Super annoyed about it because now I pretty much have to do a complete reinstall. Tried uninstalling the update several times and it just fails. Would have been nice if MS gave us a heads-up first. I won't hold out hope that it will be fixed in the next patch. 

 

Really hoping that Steam comes through on a new headset soon.

[EightyDuce]

20 minutes ago, Zebra1-1 said:

Unfortunately, this update installed for me and broke WMR. Super annoyed about it because now I pretty much have to do a complete reinstall. Tried uninstalling the update several times and it just fails. Would have been nice if MS gave us a heads-up first. I won't hold out hope that it will be fixed in the next patch. 

 

Really hoping that Steam comes through on a new headset soon.

It will not be fixed in the next patch. WMR is dead.

I also didn't have luck rolling back from 24H2 and had to do a clean reinstall. You will have to find a 23H2 image as the latest build from MS includes 24H2. Your other option is a non-WMR headset.

I have since moved on to 24H2 (provides a noticible boost in gaming for me over 23H2) and a Quest 3. It was good while it lasted. 

[jackd]

I bought my win 10 and 11  LTSC keys from Kinguin or CJS keys, all worked OK. Get win 10 again? Prices around 10 $.

Edited Sunday at 06:29 PM by jackd

[Zebra1-1]

16 minutes ago, EightyDuce said:

It will not be fixed in the next patch. WMR is dead.

I also didn't have luck rolling back from 24H2 and had to do a clean reinstall. You will have to find a 23H2 image as the latest build from MS includes 24H2. Your other option is a non-WMR headset.

I have since moved on to 24H2 (provides a noticible boost in gaming for me over 23H2) and a Quest 3. It was good while it lasted. 

I'll probably stay with Windows 10 until I get a non-WMR headset for now. I have the media creation tool downloaded, I just hope it doesn't include that last update. 

I thought about getting the Quest 3, but the reviews I've read and watched say it's not as good as the G2 when it comes to clarity. I've been waiting for the new Valve headset to come out, but they are really taking their time with it. Might just have to go with the Quest 3 or Pimax Crystal if there is no Valve offering this year. 

[EightyDuce]

1 hour ago, Zebra1-1 said:

I'll probably stay with Windows 10 until I get a non-WMR headset for now. I have the media creation tool downloaded, I just hope it doesn't include that last update. 

I thought about getting the Quest 3, but the reviews I've read and watched say it's not as good as the G2 when it comes to clarity. I've been waiting for the new Valve headset to come out, but they are really taking their time with it. Might just have to go with the Quest 3 or Pimax Crystal if there is no Valve offering this year. 

I'll be honest, it's been a month or so since I've upgraded to 24H2 and Q3 via VD+ethernet (I couldn't get consistent results over WiFi); but I can't tell any difference in clarity with VC1 @200Mbps Godlike preset locked st 72Hz. The only two things I miss about my G2 is the downside of a super narrow sweetspot in combination with fixed foveated rendering. With such a small sweetspot I didn't notice the blurry peripheral on the G2, now with the Q3 I stopped using FFR because the full screen sweetspot makes the downsampled peripheral extremely distracting. That and the ease of plug and play with the display cable connection.

I probably won't try another wireless headset. Really wish Pimax wasn't such a s.ht show with QC, I don't mind spending the money for premium hardware but I also expect quality QC...at this point, Pimax just isn't there. 

[Zebra1-1]

22 minutes ago, EightyDuce said:

I'll be honest, it's been a month or so since I've upgraded to 24H2 and Q3 via VD+ethernet (I couldn't get consistent results over WiFi); but I can't tell any difference in clarity with VC1 @200Mbps Godlike preset locked st 72Hz. The only two things I miss about my G2 is the downside of a super narrow sweetspot in combination with fixed foveated rendering. With such a small sweetspot I didn't notice the blurry peripheral on the G2, now with the Q3 I stopped using FFR because the full screen sweetspot makes the downsampled peripheral extremely distracting. That and the ease of plug and play with the display cable connection.

I probably won't try another wireless headset. Really wish Pimax wasn't such a s.ht show with QC, I don't mind spending the money for premium hardware but I also expect quality QC...at this point, Pimax just isn't there. 

Agreed. Thats pretty much the only reason I haven't pulled the trigger on a Pimax Crystal yet.

I was just doing some research on the Valve "Deckard" (as it's currently known) and there's been a bit of talk around it the last few days. Currently looking good for a 2025 launch at a $1200 price point. Sounds like it won't require base stations (which I really like) and will have some Steam Deck functionality. Hopefully all that is true and we hear more about the specs in the near future.