What's new in Desktop+ 3.6?
Desktop+ 3.6 reduces GPU memory usage while idle, adds eye tracking support for Gaze Fade, and features adjustments for the current SteamVR beta build alongside other minor fixes.
Reduced GPU memory usage
Desktop+ now frees several intermediate textures required for processing when Desktop Duplication capture is being paused. It now also explicitly signals the cleanup of Direct3D resources that were previously only cleared by the video driver roughly a minute after they were released by the application.
Practical improvements depend on screen resolution and number of desktops.
Eye Tracking Support for Gaze Fade
Gaze Fade can now optionally use eye tracking to determine the gaze direction.
Eye tracking has to be bound and valid in the HMD's Desktop+ input bindings for the option to show up.
This shouldn't be an issue unless you've had custom input bindings for your HMD specifically before this. Default bindings are provided for "Generic HMD", which applies to any HMD as a fallback.
Also note that for Steam Link users, access of eye tracking data for other applications has to be enabled in the SteamVR Steam Link settings.
This setting remains considered as experimental as it needs testing still. It doesn't seem like there have been any issues with it on systems without eye tracking support at the very least.
Meta Quest Pro and Steam Frame should be working with this, if nothing else.
For third-party add-ons that add eye-tracking support on top of official drivers, note that an eye tracking input source path for the HMD device is required. This is separate from what games use to access the data to do foveated rendering.
Other Changes
Changed:
- Updated Steam Frame Controller bindings to match official VR Dashboard ones
Fixed:
- Fixed GPU memory leak on Desktop Duplication reset (occurs when switching resolutions, entering exclusive fullscreen, switching to secure desktop)
- Fixed Floating UI clipping into overlays in SteamVR 2.17.1 or newer
- Fixed desktops at negative coordinates being pass-through for Desktop+' own laser pointer (contributed by besauce)
- Fixed launching Desktop+ while UI is running standalone causing outdated configuration to be used
- Various other minor UI fixes and adjustments
gamescom 2026
Yet another year of me attending as an exhibitor with my good friends of the DragonBox Shop.
We'll be in the retro area in hall 10.2 from August 26th to the 30th.
While the booth is neither Desktop+ nor VR-related at all, if you happen to attend, feel free to come by, say hi (ask for some "Alex" guy), and check out some retro games and not so retro devices.
We don't have queues or anything like that so you can just jump in.
Almost two months of beta with not that many changes. Can't say I'm getting around doing anything big here lately.
Either way, here's a new stable build. Hopefully the next SteamVR beta build won't require some further adjustments right away.