AltspaceVR

AltspaceVR is an immersive 3D platform which supports VR headsets, PC and Mac.

Getting started

Getting started considerations (user)

  • Must have a Microsoft account. Work MS-linked accounts are not recommended, we have had mixed success with these accounts. Personal accounts are reliable.

  • Requires download of the Altspace application (quite large)

  • Mouse and keyboard input options on pc/mac

  • VR headsets are not required, but for those able to use them they do add an immersive aspect to the experience

Getting started considerations (organiser)

How to create and share worlds.

Step-by-step guide

AltspaceVR can be run on a variety of VR headsets, Windows and Mac computers. It hosts a large number of different events every day, from lectures, concerts, games and networking events.

  1. All new users will need a Microsoft account to access the platform (AltspaceVR was recently taken over by MS). If you already have a Microsoft account (note: we do not recommend using Microsoft-linked work email addresses), you should be able to use this to log into AltspaceVR. You can check this by trying to log into AltspaceVR on their website: https://account.altvr.com/users/sign_in

  2. Download the AltspaceVR app from https://altvr.com (big green button at the top of the screen). The Mac version does claim to be a “beta” edition, but seems to work fine when we tested it.

Start the AltspaceVR app either on your computer or headset and log in. On the left-hand menu panel, you should see an option for “enter code”. For TFOM events, we will provide an event code (similar to a Zoom invite, please do not share this publicly) and you’ll be able to head into the virtual event! It always takes longer than expected to download and log in for the first time. If at all possible, we therefore recommend logging in the day before the event to debug any issues. Subsequent loads are usually faster than the first time once assets have been downloaded.

Accessibility

No captioning.

Weighing it up

Pros

Cons

Demo video

Rika and Glen present this walk-through demo of AltspaceVR.

References

This guide has been adapted from the original version written for IR2022 and updated for S4PG-2022