Whirligig News

Hi all,

I’m continuing to work on updates, and this beta release includes some major backend improvements. Whirligig has always used Unity’s built-in render engine, but it’s now been upgraded to the Universal Render Pipeline (URP). This was a major change under the hood, especially with how stereo eye rendering works in VR.

[h2]Render Engine Updated to URP[/h2]

This update should bring better performance and help future-proof the project. URP enables single pass rendering, which reduces VR overhead significantly. I’ve also spent time identifying and fixing bottlenecks, and overall, this version should feel much snappier and more responsive.

[h2]Video Render Path Switching Improved[/h2]

Previously, switching between video render paths meant reloading the level, which caused delays and occasional crashes. Now you can switch paths without restarting, making it a smoother and more stable experience.

[h2]General Updates[/h2]

[] Windows title bar updated to match the in-game UI.
[] Distance and screen size controls now allow the screen to be brought closer—great for passthrough viewing.
[] Updated to the latest versions of AVPro and Unity.
[] Improved error checking to reduce crash risks.

• General performance optimisations.
  

[h2]WMR Headset Notes[/h2]

This build uses the latest Meta SDK. In the past, this has caused issues with WMR headsets. I haven’t been able to test this version with WMR yet, so if you encounter crashes on launch, please roll back to the previous version—it should still work fine.

[h2]Standalone Builds + Free Codes[/h2]

The Pico and Meta Quest versions have been updated on Itch.io and the Meta Store. I’m still offering free codes for anyone who wants to try Whirligig standalone. Just email me at [email protected] with your preferred store/platform, and I’ll send a code your way!

[h2]Final Thoughts[/h2]

If you try this beta release, I’d really like to hear your thoughts. Have you noticed a performance boost? Run into any issues? Have suggestions for future updates? Your feedback is always welcome and helps guide the development of Whirligig.

Until next time, happy watching!

Phil

Hi Everyone

Thanks for all your support. I'm still working hard on updates and the next beta should be another big one but until then this is a small update that hopefully should fix some issues with controllers not appearing on some systems.

Update notes
Here is a list of the controllers that appear in my controller profiles.


A lot of manufacturers will supply profiles for there controllers and once you've added them they will work. Some manufacturers rely on things like SteamVR and building there controllers to be cross compatible with another controller. I've had reports the PSVR controllers work for example and they don't have an SDK I can use. regardless this is the list and hopefully there aren't any more to add. If there are please let me know as it's a small update that I can easily do.

I've also updated Unity to 6.1, which opens up more possibilities for the future.



I've got Whirligig on multiple platforms including standalone for quest 1,2,3,pro and Pico 4(might work on other Picos but I've only got that one to test on). After a major update I then move onto getting that version to work on other the other platforms.

Both versions for Meta standalone 2/3/pro and Pico 4 are now available on the Meta Horizon store and Itch.io for Pico (I will be trying to get it on their store as well).

I have a policy that if you own it on one store you can have it on another. So if you want a meta horizon key or an itch.io key, or both, then email me and I'll send one over. My email is [email protected]

https://www.meta.com/en-gb/experiences/whirligig-media-player/3581543561949869/?srsltid=AfmBOopKjb-L12ZPHJXMluWbbhWA1KaDWF60kJ8PSJzkwqq0-M3ONgI5

https://phileday.itch.io/whirligig

I'm also working on Standalone versions for Pimax and Vive focus 3, which will also be available through itch.io so if you have those headsets and want a code in preparation I'll be happy to send one over.

[h2]Reviews[/h2]

I have good amount of interaction from the community on Steam, which a really appreciate, especially when bugs are reported that I can fix. When it comes to the other platforms I'm almost completely unknown. Releasing updates for Standalone is harder and because of that they are less frequent.

This new release is a significant jump from the last version and I really want to let people know it exists. So if you already own it please give a review to help increase engagement. If you don't email me and I'll send a code for whichever store you want but above all I hope you are enjoying Whirligig and want to continue to use it.

All the best and happy watching :)

Phil

Hi Everyone,

I've been working on a lot of new things and fixing bugs along the way. Some of the new features are large but probably irrelevant to most, while others are smaller and beneficial to everyone.

I've been doing extensive testing and releasing beta versions for people to test for a while now. My reluctance to release a new default version in fear of breaking it for users has meant that now I'm finally releasing the update, there has been a lot of changes. Hopefully you'll find that this latest version runs better, loads more features and better desktop support.

Updating your builds to default can be a difficult process and with VR still changing and developing it's a bigger minefield as you have people with cutting edge technology alongside people with first generation tec. Because of this there will be instances where people find bugs or issues they previously didn't have after the update.

[h2]What to do if you are having issues[/h2]

Return to the previous default version
The previous default version is still available in beta "whirligig_v5.25" and if you have real issues switch back to that version. If you're not sure how to switch to betas it's very easy. I made a tutorial video a while back and even though it's a bit out of date it should still help:
https://youtu.be/z9pv-cgn4IE

Reset Whirligig.
Removing all the setup files can help to fix problems that might have developed over time. The most robust way to do this is to follow these instructions.
Close Whirligig.
Navigate here :
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming
Find the folder called 'Whirligig' and rename or delete it.
Restart Whirligig.

Let me know
Post here or in the Steam forum and let me know. I'm very responsive to bug reports and feedback and right now I'll be even more so as I want to make sure this works for the most people. Send me a message report the issue and I'll do my best to fix it and update. I can also help you return to the previous version if you need help

[h2]Features[/h2]

• Passthrough option added to the Themes menu for headsets that support it.
  
• Hand tracking (beta) where available*.
  
• Cropping video and chroma keying added.
  
• Browser optimized for large folders.
  
• Top and bottom menus now appear when using the full-screen cinema mode, allowing for play, pause, skip forward/back, and jump to position.
  
• 3D depth for non-VR moved to the Depth menu.
  
• Lenticular 3D option added. This is still experimental, and I’m continuing to tweak the output.
  
• Subtitles now have position and size options.
  
• Projection mapping for non-VR added, allowing you to use four projectors to create a 360-degree space. (This is a big update, but probably won’t be used by many.)
  

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]

• 3D icon now updates more quickly.
  
• Skip forward/back now reveals the progress bar.
  
• Subtitles no longer appear behind the UI.
  
• Cursor hiding issues fixed.
  
• App now tests for VR, and switches to non-VR if no headset is found.
  
• Fixed passthrough material issues where some backgrounds were incorrectly visible*.
  
• Menu now appears even if the screen is closer than the menu itself, allowing changes to be made.
  
• In Rooms, the UI no longer moves when something is blocking it—blockers are now hidden.
  
• Fixed issue where selecting half-width stereo would squash mono video.
  
• Arrow key navigation in the browser reinstated and improved.
  
• Fixed subtitle issue where metadata had the same name.
  
• Fixed issue with Windows mouse appearing in NoneVR.
  
• Fixed issue with mouse not appearing on edge when resizing the window,.
  

[h2]Plugin and Engine Updates[/h2]

• Unity3D 6
  
• AVPro Video plugin
  
• VLC Video plugin
  

Top/Bottom Menu for Cinema fullscreen:
I've been working on improving the none VR playback and fullscreen mode. When you've chosen "Cinema fullscreen" from the advanced menu, when watching videos in cinema you'll also get the addition of top/bottom menus that work like a standard video player.

Passthrough:
To get passthrough working on Meta you have to installed the Meta Core SDK into Unity. It was being reported that Windows Mixed reality headsets were crashing when this was installed so I've converted the passthrough to use OpenXR and ARFoundation. This is the implementation that manufacturers are moving towards, however PC passthrough is the last thing to get the update. For this reason I'm using the ARFoundation implementation on the default release knowing that few if no headsets support it yet but also that Windows Mixed reality headset won't crash on startup and I'll be providing a Meta version of Whirligig for people with those headsets so they can get passthrough "whirligig_v5.57_meta". This is currently available in the beta . Hopefully the manufacturers will eventually update all this so I don't have to build for different headsets.

Hand tracking (beta):
The hand tracking implementation was broken so I've fixed that. Hand tracking for PC is still not very well supported, which is why it's disabled as default. If you enable it and your headset doesn't support had tracking properly on PC yet you'll get a attempt as hand tracking but using the controllers to get finger positions. This isn't very good and it's advised to just turn off hand tracking on none supported headsets.

Screenshots:


[h2]Known issues[/h2]
I've worked hard to reduce the chance of issues by keeping up to date on the engine and sdks but some issues will still occur. I'm working to reduce the change of this issues but it's important to make you aware of them so here is a list of ones I've come across. If you find other issues I've not listed please let me know so I can fix them.

Slow loading and no input on first load
I've noticed an issue that when you load Whirligig for the first time after an update it takes a while to load and then, sometimes you can't select anything. This fixes itself next time you load whirligig. I know that a Unity (game engine I use) project has to compile shaders the first time it's run. I don't know if this is the cause of the no input as well and I'm not sure it happens on other system. Just be aware.

Windows cursor appears
I've programmed in so that the windows cursor isn't present when in the Whirligig window. The windows cursor should not be visible but sometimes this becomes visible and requires a reload to fix it. I don't know why this happens and have worked on fixes but sometimes it happens. A restart fixes this.

Crashes
I've worked hard on reducing Whirligigs overhead so that it's less likely to crash. This has been helped dramatically but there are sometimes crashes that happen. This tends to happen when switching between video paths. Again a restart fixes the issue and I intend to work on this issue for future versions.

[h2]And Finally[/h2]
I really hope you like the update and new features I@ve been adding. If you have enjoyed using Whirligig then please let me know with positive reviews. It helps to show that development is still happening and it also helps to massage my ego, which I need as to everyone bad review it takes ten good reviews to recover it :) With a big update like this there is also a good chance I'll end up with bad reviews when it changes in a way people don't like. So please let people know that you like the player if you do :D

And lastly please know I'm very grateful for all of your support over the years. I'll continue to develop Whirligig for the foreseeable future and I really hope you continue to join me on this journey. Let me know what you think and where you would like to see Whirligig go next.

Happy watching everyone

Phil

Hi Everyone

I'm now preparing to release this latest version as the default build. Since the last build a couple of weeks ago I've been working on any bugs, testing on different headsets and adding a couple more features. I'll go through this in a little more detail.

Bugs and their solutions:

Cursor visibility
I've spent a long time trying to get the cursor to disappear correct in all circumstances. Each control mode has different was it works with the cursor. I've added hand tracking as well so there have been many configurations to consider. If you find that you are watching your media and the cursor is still there when you expect it to vanish let me know.

Passthrough:
To get passthrough working on Meta you have to installed the Meta Core SDK into Unity. It was being reported that Windows Mixed reality headsets were crashing when this was installed so I've converted the passthrough to use OpenXR and ARFoundation. This is the implementation that manufacturers are moving towards, however PC passthrough is the last thing to get the update. For this reason I'm using the ARFoundation implementation on the default release knowing that few if no headsets support it yet but also that Windows Mixed reality headset won't crash on startup and I'll be providing a Meta version of Whirligig for people with those headsets so they can get passthrough. Hopefully the manufacturers will eventually update all this so I don't have to build for different headsets.

Hand tracking (beta):
The hand tracking implementation was broken so I've fixed that. Hand tracking for PC is still not very well supported, which is why it's disabled as default. If you enable it and your headset doesn't support had tracking properly on PC yet you'll get a attempt as hand tracking but using the controllers to get finger positions. This isn't very good and it's advised to just turn off hand tracking.

New features - 3D Projector support:
I've been trying to add noneVR options that can take advantage of 3D and 360 degree content. Because of this I've included several updates to the 3D noneVR display. The latest addition is 3D project support.

As most, if not all 3D projectors will support side by side or over under footage I've added this to the player. So when enabled Whirligig UI will display sbs or ou and the stereo options will work correctly when set. The 3D will work with all the 3D content including 3D 360, allowing you to pan around using the mouse.

And Finally
Updating Whirligigs default release is nerve-racking as I don't want to break anyone's setup but I still want to continue to improve Whirligig. I've done a good amount of testing but if you find any issues please let me know.

Expect to see the Whirligig Steam page to change a lot over the coming weeks to highlight the new features and open up it's audience to a wider community of enthusiasts.

Thanks for your support and I hope you continue to enjoy using Whirligig long into the future :)

Happy watching

Phil

Hi Everyone,

I've been working on a lot of new things and fixing bugs along the way. Some of the new features are large but probably irrelevant to most, while others are smaller and beneficial to everyone.

This beta release marks the start of a testing phase before it becomes the default build and gets rolled out across all the different stores. Because of this, I'm not going to go into too much detail just yet—that’ll come with the default release—but I’ll go over some of the major changes and bug fixes. I’ll likely forget to include some things, so expect this list to grow.

Features

• Passthrough option added to the Themes menu for headsets that support it.
  
• Cropping video and chroma keying added.
  
• Browser optimized for large folders.
  
• Top and bottom menus now appear when using the full-screen cinema mode, allowing for play, pause, skip forward/back, and jump to position.
  
• 3D depth for non-VR moved to the Depth menu.
  
• Lenticular 3D option added. This is still experimental, and I’m continuing to tweak the output.
  
• Subtitles now have position and size options.
  
• Projection mapping for non-VR added, allowing you to use four projectors to create a 360-degree space. (This is a big update, but probably won’t be used by many.)
  

Bug Fixes

• 3D icon now updates more quickly.
  
• Skip forward/back now reveals the progress bar.
  
• Subtitles no longer appear behind the UI.
  
• Cursor hiding issues fixed.
  
• App now tests for VR, and switches to non-VR if no headset is found.
  
• Fixed passthrough material issues where some backgrounds were incorrectly visible.
  
• Menu now appears even if the screen is closer than the menu itself, allowing changes to be made.
  
• In Rooms, the UI no longer moves when something is blocking it—blockers are now hidden.
  
• Fixed issue where selecting half-width stereo would squash mono video.
  
• Arrow key navigation in the browser reinstated and improved.
  
• Fixed subtitle issue where metadata had the same name.
  
• Fixed issue with Windows mouse appearing in NoneVR.
  
• Fixed issue with mouse not appearing on edge when resizing the window,.
  
  

Plugin and Engine Updates

• Unity3D 6
  
• AVPro Video plugin
  
• VLC Video plugin
  

And here are some screenshots of the changes.


As you can see, a lot has changed. I’ve been working hard on improving reliability and fixing bugs, while also adding new features. But with so many updates, there's a good chance a few bugs slipped in. I’ll be testing throughout next week, but please let me know if you run into any issues so I can squash them before the default release.

And lastly, thank you for supporting me while I’ve been working on Whirligig. I’m a solo developer, so I take your feedback very seriously. Many of these updates and changes are a direct result of your input—without that, Whirligig wouldn’t be what it is today. I hope to continue improving it and making it the player I most want to use.

All the best, and happy watching!

Phil