A software update for the Oculus Rift now blocks an app that allows exclusive Rift games to run on the HTC Vive. The app, Revive, let Vive owners play Lucky’s Tale and Oculus Dreamdeck on Vive headsets. That’s just got a lot harder, making it clear that Oculus is working to prevent titles from crossing over to the competition.
CrossVR, one of the developers behind the Revive app, posted on Reddit that yesterday’s Oculus update includes a new check to confirm the headset is linked to the Oculus Platform DRM in order to prevent non-Oculus hardware from connecting to the system. There’s a way to work around the block, but users would need still a consumer version of the Oculus or the second development kit connected to their system in order to fool the platform.
In other words, while it’s not impossible to enjoy Oculus exclusives on HTC hardware, you’re still going to have to shell out for a Rift to pull it off. That’s a shame, seeing as Dreamdeck is more immersive on the Vive. For now, anyone interested in unofficial ports will have to wait and see.