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VRidge

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VRidge
Information
Type PC VR streaming
Industry Virtual reality
Developer RiftCat Sp. z o.o.
Operating System Windows (PC client); Android and iOS (mobile app)
Supported Devices Android and iOS phones in a mobile VR viewer; Samsung Gear VR, Oculus Go, Oculus Quest, HTC Vive Focus, Daydream headsets
Release Date June 2016 (paid early access); 17 January 2024 (Steam)
Website https://riftcat.com/vridge


VRidge is commercial software from the Polish company RiftCat that streams SteamVR games from a Windows PC to a smartphone placed in a mobile VR viewer such as Google Cardboard, so that the phone works as the display of a PC VR headset. It has two parts: the RiftCat desktop client on the PC and the VRidge app on the phone. According to the Steam store page, VRidge makes the PC treat the phone as an HTC Vive, Valve Index or Oculus Rift headset.[1] Later versions also ran on standalone and phone-based headsets, including the Samsung Gear VR, Oculus Go, HTC Vive Focus and Oculus Quest.[2][3]

VRidge went through an open beta in the first half of 2016 and became a paid product in June 2016.[4] In May 2021 RiftCat said it considered VRidge complete and was keeping it in "maintenance mode" while the company moved into game development.[5] The software was released on Steam on 17 January 2024, and as of October 2026 it is sold there for US$14.99.[1][6]

Reviewed 15 October 2026. Dates, versions, prices, quotes and requirements checked against the cited RiftCat blog posts, FAQ, Steam and Google Play listings, press coverage and the two papers. About review dates.

Developer

The developer is RiftCat Sp. z o.o., a limited company registered in Białystok, Poland.[7] A 2019 company press release said RiftCat was founded in 2015 and described its aim as "making VR technology more accessible by developing VRidge streaming technology".[8] Besides VRidge, the company sold GameWarp, a paid VRidge add-on for playing non-VR games in a headset, and VRidge Controller, an Android app that turns a spare phone into a motion controller.[9][10]

In its May 2021 update the company wrote that the VR market had become "unsustainable for such small company as RiftCat", citing Google's cancellation of Daydream and HTC's move toward enterprise VR. It said it was shifting to game development and working on a tycoon-style strategy game for mobile devices.[5]

History

Beta and launch (2016)

The first update posted on RiftCat's development blog, beta version 0.5.3.1 of 11 March 2016, updated device discovery and added a detailed VRidge log for troubleshooting.[11] Experimental SteamVR support followed in April 2016; the developers warned beta users not to buy SteamVR games specifically for VRidge because compatibility could not be guaranteed.[12]

UploadVR covered the beta in May 2016. It described VRidge as an Android app that streamed games made for the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive to a phone in Google Cardboard, with rotational head tracking only: room-scale movement and moving the head through space were not supported.[13] PCWorld reported the same month that the beta was available to users of RiftCat's PC software.[14]

On 21 June 2016 RiftCat ended the open beta and moved VRidge to a paid early-access stage with a one-time payment. Beta testers registered before 16 June 2016 could unlock it for 9.99 EUR or US$9.99 (50 percent off), and other users for 14.99 EUR or US$14.99 (25 percent off).[4] RiftCat had announced a planned regular price of US$19.99 a few days earlier and said it had rejected subscriptions and in-app advertising.[15] The free version was limited to 10 minutes per session.[15] With VRidge 2.0 the free version no longer required registration; in January 2018 The Ghost Howls reported sessions of 5 minutes without a RiftCat account and 10 minutes with one.[16] UploadVR still described the free version as available "in 10 minute sessions" in May 2019.[17]

A dedicated Gear VR edition was released on 9 September 2016. Because third-party Gear VR apps could not easily be installed outside the Oculus Store, it was distributed through SideloadVR, which repackaged the app for each user.[18]

Tracking API and NOLO (2017)

In March 2017 RiftCat released a VRidge API in its beta channel, with sample code on GitHub. It had two endpoints: one let third-party software send motion controller states without writing a full OpenVR driver, and the other let it supply or modify head tracking data.[19]

In January 2017, ahead of CES, Road to VR reported that Lyrobotix's NOLO, a positional tracking kit for mobile headsets, would rely on VRidge for SteamVR compatibility. It described VRidge as "a piece of bridging software" that sends VR rendered on a gaming PC to the headset.[20] At first the NOLO VR tracker had to be connected to the PC. VRidge 1.5.0, released to the beta channel on 7 August 2017, added a wireless mode in which the tracker plugs into the Android phone's USB port instead.[21][22]

VRidge 2.0 and standalone headsets (2018)

VRidge 2.0, which RiftCat said had been rewritten from scratch, entered beta in December 2017 and was released on 30 January 2018. It needed a fresh install and could sit alongside the older version, later called VRidge Classic. The release moved setup to the PC side, made a RiftCat account optional, shrank the desktop client from over 50 MB to 8 MB, allowed stream quality to be changed during play, and added optional streaming through the Moonlight client, an "integrations" system for add-ons, and Polish alongside English.[23][24] The Android listing for the original app, "VRidge (Classic)", was last updated on 26 June 2017, and RiftCat's FAQ states that VRidge Classic is no longer supported.[25][3]

In May 2018, after working with HTC, RiftCat began a beta for the HTC Vive Focus using a VRidge app on Viveport. It supported the Focus's positional head tracking and its 3DoF controller.[26] VRidge 2.2, released on 7 August 2018, added official support for the HTC Vive Focus, Oculus Go, Gear VR and Daydream View, mapped their 3DoF controllers to SteamVR, and used each platform's built-in reprojection on those devices. According to the release post, the Vive Focus version was already on the Viveport mobile store, while the Oculus Home and Daydream store versions were still in the approval process.[2]

Controllers, iOS and Oculus Quest (2019)

VRidge 2.3, released on 31 January 2019, added free integrations for moving and controlling virtual hands with an Xbox controller or a mouse and keyboard, and full support for the WorldSense positional tracking of Daydream standalone headsets such as the Lenovo Mirage Solo. RiftCat also launched VRidge Controller, a US$5 Android app that turns a spare phone into a 3DoF controller.[10]

The iOS version arrived with VRidge 2.4 on 9 May 2019, which also brought the number of interface languages to 22.[27] RiftCat's press release said "hundred thousands" of Android users had tried VRidge before the iOS launch.[8]

RiftCat published a preview version for the Oculus Quest in May 2019. Installation required putting the Quest in developer mode and sideloading the app.[28][29] The Quest version left beta on 17 July 2019, when the Quest controllers began to appear in SteamVR as Rift S controllers. RiftCat said it had tried to get VRidge into the official Quest store but had to keep its own installation process because of the store's content requirements.[30] RiftCat's FAQ recommends installing it through SideQuest.[3]

GameWarp entered beta with RiftCat 2.5 in October 2019 and was released on 12 December 2019 as a paid expansion. RiftCat set the prices at 14.99 EUR or USD to unlock VRidge, 9.99 to unlock GameWarp, and 19.99 for both, describing GameWarp as a "soft" price increase that left the base product's price unchanged.[31][9]

Streaming and reprojection updates (2020-2021)

VRidge 2.6, called "Streaming Enhanced" and released on 14 April 2020, corrected over-saturated colors in the stream; RiftCat said optimizations would cut stream latency by a further 5 to 10 ms on NVIDIA graphics cards.[32] VRidge 2.7, released on 16 July 2020, added RiftCat's own rotational reprojection for Android and iOS phones. RiftCat explained that it had previously relied on built-in reprojection on Daydream-certified, Oculus mobile and Vive devices, and that Daydream was no longer supported on recent phones.[33][34]

A beta of Android version 2.7.9 in May 2021 fixed problems with Android 11 and high refresh rate displays. In the same post RiftCat said that most standalone headsets were rolling out their own streaming solutions, "so we are not pushing there further".[5]

Steam release (2024)

On 17 January 2024 RiftCat released VRidge on Steam with a launch discount and regional pricing, and removed some obsolete features. Licenses bought before the Steam release remain valid in the non-Steam "Legacy Client" on RiftCat's website.[6] The Steam release has a free demo and sells GameWarp as downloadable content.[1] As of October 2026 the Steam page shows a "Mixed" user rating, with 124 of 210 reviews positive.[35] The Android app on Google Play was last updated on 13 May 2026.[36]

Release history

Version Date Notable changes
0.5.3.1 (beta) 11 March 2016 First update published on the RiftCat blog[11]
Beta 21 April 2016 Experimental SteamVR support[12]
1.0 June 2016 End of open beta (announced 21 June); paid early access[4]
Gear VR edition 9 September 2016 Native Gear VR app distributed through SideloadVR[18]
1.5.0 (beta) 7 August 2017 NOLO VR wireless mode[22]
2.0 30 January 2018 Rewritten client, live quality settings, Moonlight option[24]
2.2 7 August 2018 Vive Focus, Oculus Go, Gear VR and Daydream support; 3DoF controllers[2]
2.3 31 January 2019 Xbox and mouse-and-keyboard movement, WorldSense tracking, VRidge Controller app[10]
2.4 9 May 2019 iOS release[27]
Quest release 17 July 2019 Oculus Quest version out of beta[30]
2.5 12 December 2019 GameWarp add-on[9]
2.6 14 April 2020 "Streaming Enhanced" color and latency changes[32]
2.7 16 July 2020 Software reprojection on phones[34]
2.7.9 (Android beta) 21 May 2021 Android 11 and high refresh rate fixes[5]
Steam release 17 January 2024 Release on Steam; legacy client kept for earlier buyers[6]

How it works

The RiftCat client runs on the PC and installs a VRidge driver for SteamVR; the phone app receives the video stream and sends head orientation back to the PC.[1][37] The two connect over Wi-Fi, where RiftCat recommends a 5 GHz network, or over USB tethering, which its FAQ calls the most stable option.[3] On ordinary phones head tracking uses the phone's own sensors and covers rotation only (three degrees of freedom); RiftCat's 2019 press release said this allows most "seated" VR experiences to be played.[8] Headsets with their own tracking, such as the Quest, Vive Focus and Mirage Solo, add positional tracking and controllers.[26][10][30]

The Steam page lists these requirements: Windows 8.1 or later; an Intel Core i5-2500 class processor; 4 GB of RAM; an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 with NVENC support or an AMD Radeon 7750 with VCE 1.0 or later; and an Android 5.0 or later or iOS 12.1 or later phone with a gyroscope in any Cardboard-compatible viewer.[1]

RiftCat's FAQ says VRidge supports games built with Oculus SDK 0.6, 0.7 and 0.8, games for Oculus SDK 1.3 and later through the Revive compatibility layer, and SteamVR games that do not rely on motion controllers as the only input. It names "cockpit" games such as space, flight and racing simulators as the best fit, including Microsoft Flight Simulator, Elite Dangerous, Minecraft with the Vivecraft mod, War Thunder and Skyrim VR. The FAQ puts latency "in the ballpark of 50ms" under normal conditions, and says head rotation can feel faster because of prediction and reprojection.[3]

GameWarp captures a non-VR PC game and shows it in the headset in a side-by-side (SBS) view. Head movement can steer the mouse, and VR controller buttons can be mapped to keyboard and mouse commands.[31][9]

Research

A 2021 study of synchronous remote rendering for VR by Viktor Kelkkanen, Markus Fiedler and David Lindero listed VRidge among existing remote rendering systems for VR, alongside Trinus VR and ALVR. Discussing frame synchronization, the authors cited RiftCat's 2.6 release post as an example from industry of time drift between server and client. They estimated from RiftCat's graph that about 0.3% of frames were still dropped after the fix.[38]

A 2020 paper by researchers at Telkom University in Bandung, Indonesia, ran VRidge, SteamVR and the games on a host computer alongside the Parsec cloud gaming service, with a low-specification laptop as the Parsec client and an Android phone (a Nokia 6.1 Plus) in a Google Cardboard-type viewer as the headset. Its test scenarios paired low, medium and high VRidge quality settings with bandwidth limits of 10, 15 and 20 Mbps, using two games, PinballVR and WarRobotsVR. The authors concluded that at least 15 Mbps was needed to play at medium quality, reporting about 56 FPS in the abstract (55 FPS in the conclusions).[39]

Reception

Reviews generally treated VRidge as a low-cost way into PC VR rather than a substitute for a dedicated headset. In 2016 UploadVR called the setup "all very makeshift but no less fascinating to see in this primitive stage".[13] PCWorld noted RiftCat's claim, as reported by The Verge, that VRidge added only a frame or two of lag, but argued that this "still amounts to at least 30 milliseconds, and probably more, of network-induced lag".[14]

Reviewing the 2.0 beta in January 2018, The Ghost Howls praised the new interface but wrote that its tests "have not been much positive", with the phone repeatedly disconnecting. It still concluded that VRidge "has an amazing potential" and called it "a great entry point solution for VR", and said version 1 had been downloaded by more than 200,000 users.[16] On the Quest preview, UploadVR wrote that on the Very High setting it "worked pretty well" but "did stutter sometimes, have artifacts, and smear visuals occasionally".[28] When the iOS version launched, UploadVR described using phones as controllers as "a fun experiment but in no way a proper replacement for a real PC VR headset".[17]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "VRidge on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2677750/VRidge/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Dev Update #43 - VRidge 2.2 is now LIVE!". RiftCat blog. RiftCat. 2018-08-07. https://blog.riftcat.com/2018/08/dev-update-43-vridge-22-is-now-live.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "FAQ & Help". RiftCat. RiftCat Sp. z o.o.. https://riftcat.com/faq. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Dev update #16 - Open Beta ending". RiftCat blog. RiftCat. 2016-06-21. https://blog.riftcat.com/2016/06/dev-update-16-open-beta-ending.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Dev Update #60 - Beta Android 11 bug fixes.". RiftCat blog. RiftCat. 2021-05-21. https://blog.riftcat.com/2021/05/dev-update-60-beta-android-11-bug-fixes.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Dev Update #61 - VRidge releases on Steam.". RiftCat blog. RiftCat. 2024-01-17. https://blog.riftcat.com/2024/01/dev-update-61-vridge-releases-on-steam.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  7. ↑ "VRidge - Play PC VR games on your Cardboard". RiftCat. RiftCat Sp. z o.o.. https://riftcat.com/vridge. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "VRidge will turn your iPhone into a PC virtual reality headset". TweakTown. RiftCat (press release). 2019-05-09. Archived from the original on 2020-11-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20201107235505/https://www.tweaktown.com/pressrelease/13336/vridge-turn-iphone-pc-virtual-reality-headset/index.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 "Dev Update #55 - GameWarp release!". RiftCat blog. RiftCat. 2019-12-12. https://blog.riftcat.com/2019/12/dev-update-55-gamewarp-release.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 "Dev Update #47 - VRidge Controller and Tracking Update released!". RiftCat blog. RiftCat. 2019-01-31. https://blog.riftcat.com/2019/01/dev-update-47-vridge-controller-and.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "First update - 0.5.3.1". RiftCat blog. RiftCat. 2016-03-11. https://blog.riftcat.com/2016/03/first-update-0531.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Dev update #7 - The one with SteamVR". RiftCat blog. RiftCat. 2016-04-21. https://blog.riftcat.com/2016/04/dev-update-7-one-with-steamvr.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Jamie Feltham (2016-05-08). "With VRidge You Can Play any PC VR Game in Google Cardboard". UploadVR. https://uploadvr.com/vridge-can-play-pc-vr-game-google-cardboard/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Jared Newman (2016-05-10). "VRidge streams PC VR games to smartphone headsets, and might make you hurl". PCWorld. https://www.pcworld.com/article/414795/vridge-streams-pc-vr-games-to-smartphone-headsets-and-might-make-you-hurl.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Dev update #15". RiftCat blog. RiftCat. 2016-06-16. https://blog.riftcat.com/2016/06/dev-update-15.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Skarredghost (2018-01-30). "VRidge 2.0 review: play SteamVR games with your Cardboard or Gear VR!". The Ghost Howls. https://skarredghost.com/2018/01/30/vridge-2-0-review-play-steamvr-games-cardboard-gear-vr/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Jamie Feltham (2019-05-10). "RiftCat Finally Brings Its VR Streaming Software To iOS". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/riftcat-ios/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Dev update #22 - Gear VR first release". RiftCat blog. RiftCat. 2016-09-09. https://blog.riftcat.com/2016/09/dev-update-22-gear-vr-first-release.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  19. ↑ "Dev update #28 - VRidge tracking API". RiftCat blog. RiftCat. 2017-03-27. https://blog.riftcat.com/2017/03/dev-update-28-vridge-tracking-api.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  20. ↑ Paul James (2017-01-02). "NOLO VR Promises $99 Positional Tracking and SteamVR Gaming on Any Mobile VR Headset". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/nolo-mobile-vr-positional-tracking-system-compatible-steamvr-ces-2017/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  21. ↑ "Dev update #30". RiftCat blog. RiftCat. 2017-06-23. https://blog.riftcat.com/2017/06/dev-update-30.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 "Dev update #32 - NOLO untethered". RiftCat blog. RiftCat. 2017-08-07. https://blog.riftcat.com/2017/08/dev-update-32.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  23. ↑ "Dev Update #35 - VRidge 2.0 Beta is here!". RiftCat blog. RiftCat. 2017-12-07. https://blog.riftcat.com/2017/12/dev-update-35-vridge-20-beta-is-here.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Dev Update #36 - VRidge 2.0 is LIVE!". RiftCat blog. RiftCat. 2018-01-30. https://blog.riftcat.com/2018/01/dev-update-36-vridge-20-is-live.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  25. ↑ "VRidge (Classic)". Google Play. Google. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.riftcat.vridge. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 "Dev Update #40 - VRidge Beta for HTC Vive Focus headset". RiftCat blog. RiftCat. 2018-05-25. https://blog.riftcat.com/2018/05/dev-update-40-vridge-beta-for-htc-vive.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 "Dev Update #49 - VRidge 2.4 is LIVE - iOS released!". RiftCat blog. RiftCat. 2019-05-09. https://blog.riftcat.com/2019/05/dev-update-49-vridge-24-is-live-ios.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 David Jagneaux (2019-05-22). "How To Play SteamVR Games Like Skyrim VR On Oculus Quest". UploadVR. https://uploadvr.com/how-to-steamvr-oculus-quest/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  29. ↑ "Dev Update #50 - Oculus Quest Beta version and iOS update.". RiftCat blog. RiftCat. 2019-05-30. https://blog.riftcat.com/2019/05/dev-update-50-oculus-quest-beta-version.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 "Dev Update #51 - Oculus Quest release.". RiftCat blog. RiftCat. 2019-07-17. https://blog.riftcat.com/2019/07/dev-update-51-oculus-quest-release.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 "Dev Update #52 - RiftCat 2.5 Beta Available". RiftCat blog. RiftCat. 2019-10-31. https://blog.riftcat.com/2019/10/dev-update-52-riftcat-25-beta-available.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 "Dev Update #57 - Streaming Enhanced release.". RiftCat blog. RiftCat. 2020-04-14. https://blog.riftcat.com/2020/04/dev-update-57-streaming-enhanced-release.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  33. ↑ "Dev Update #58 - RiftCat 2.7 Beta - Reprojection for Everyone". RiftCat blog. RiftCat. 2020-04-28. https://blog.riftcat.com/2020/04/dev-update-58-software-reprojection.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 "Dev Update #59 - RiftCat 2.7 - Reprojection for Everyone RELEASED". RiftCat blog. RiftCat. 2020-07-16. https://blog.riftcat.com/2020/07/dev-update-59-riftcat-27-reprojection.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  35. ↑ "VRidge - user review summary". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/appreviews/2677750?json=1&language=all&purchase_type=all. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  36. ↑ "VRidge". Google Play. Google. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.riftcat.vridge2. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  37. ↑ "Dev update #14 - New user interface". RiftCat blog. RiftCat. 2016-06-09. https://blog.riftcat.com/2016/06/dev-update-14-new-user-interface.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  38. ↑ Viktor Kelkkanen, Markus Fiedler, David Lindero (2021-07-20). "Synchronous Remote Rendering for VR". International Journal of Computer Games Technology, vol. 2021, article 6676644. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6676644. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  39. ↑ Muhammad Fadhil Rahadiansyah, Ridha Muldina, Sussi Sussi (2020-07-16). "Virtual Reality Headset Implementation on Parsec Cloud Gaming Platform". JOIN (Jurnal Online Informatika), vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 97-104. https://doi.org/10.15575/join.v5i1.578. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
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