First time using PlutoSphere? This guide is just what you're looking for!

TABLE OF CONTENTS


What IS PlutoSphere?!

PlutoSphere is a service that allows owners of standalone virtual reality headsets to access SteamVR and Oculus PC VR titles without needing to own a gaming computer. But that's not all! PlutoSphere is a complete computer, which can not only be used for VR, but also 2D/flat gaming, video editing, programming, game design, and virtually any other application you would use a normal computer for. 


By default, PlutoSphere does not include persistent storage. You will have to reinstall your games every time you start your PlutoSphere machine. To add persistent storage, you can purchase a Pluto Drive subscription on our store.  More info about Pluto Drive can be found here.


Requirements

To use PlutoSphere, you will need to meet the following requirements:


  1. You'll need a Meta/Oculus Quest or Quest 2
  2. You must have a Pluto account and can log in to it
  3. You must have a Steam account and can log in to it
  4. You have a Wifi-6 (AX) or 5ghz (AC) wireless network with a minimum of 50mbps download speed (Test your speed here)
  5. You have a ping of less than 50ms to an Amazon Web Services (AWS) region. (Test your ping here - CloudFront does not count)


If any of the above is not true, you will likely not be able to use PlutoSphere, or will see poor performance.


Quick Start Video


Note: This video is outdated. Using PlutoSphere no longer requires the use of SideQuest as it can be downloaded directly from Meta's App Lab, found in the Meta Quest mobile app. 


Before you dive into this setup guide, check out our Quick Start Video for a brief summary of the setup process.

If you're an advanced user, this may be all you need to complete the setup process.


Note: The current user interface may differ from this video.


Extended Getting Started Video


Note: This video is somewhat outdated. Using PlutoSphere no longer requires the use of SideQuest as it can be downloaded directly from Meta's App Lab, found in the Meta Quest mobile app. 


If you would like a video that goes into more detail, check out our Extended Getting Started Video. 


Below is the full guide for completing the steps covered in the above video, as well as additional info and frequently asked questions about PlutoSphere.


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Before setting up your PlutoSphere computer, please be aware of our FAQ, as it covers the most common issues users have with PlutoSphere. Many of these issues have fixes or workarounds. Always check that before reaching out for help.


Creating a Pluto Account and Email Verification

You can create a Pluto account on the PlutoSphere Dashboard (dashboard.pluto.app). 


Click Sign Up in the top right if necessary.


Then, enter the email address you wish to use, agree to the terms of service and click Next. 



Check your inbox for an email from PlutoVR with the subject "Verify Your Email Address".

You can also search your entire mailbox for noreply@plutovr.com.



When you locate the email, enter the code on the PlutoSphere dashboard as seen below and hit Next.

Note: If you can't find the email, contact us at support@plutovr.com.



Then, choose a user name and password for your account and hit Next.



You'll get a message that your account was created. Click Next. 





The PlutoSphere Dashboard

Log in to the PlutoSphere Dashboard. You can log in with either your email address or your Pluto username. 


Before you can access all features of the PlutoSphere Dashboard, you will first need to have tokens on your account. Tokens can be purchased from our Store or won on our Discord server in a giveaway.


The Dashboard can be opened from your home computer (Windows/MacOS/Linux), your phone or your Quest's browser. Leaving or refreshing the Dashboard will have no effect on your PlutoSphere computer.  


Note: Ad blockers must be disabled for the PlutoSphere Dashboard to function properly. PlutoSphere does not display ads. 



 


Once logged in, you'll see a variety controls.








1 - Navigation Tabs
     a. Dashboard - The primary info tab for PlutoSphere
     b. Tokens - A description of Tokens and how they're used, along with a link to buy. 
     c. Settings - Your account info and subscription status. In the future, there will be additional settings here. 
     d. Support - A form to contact our support team, as well as other relevant support links. 

2 - Token Info -  Your current token balance, the amount of playtime remaining and the option to buy more tokens. 

3 - Token rate - The rate at which tokens are spent while using your computer. The default rate is 600 per hour. 

4 - Machine status / Power Switch - The current status of your computer and the switch to turn it on/off

5 - News - Important updates and info will be posted here

6 - Pluto Drive - Purchase Pluto Drive or check drive stats here

7 - Desktop Streaming - When your computer is online, click this button to access the desktop.


If you purchase Pluto Drive, that section will reflect the amount of storage available.




Starting your PlutoSphere computer

On the PlutoSphere Dashboard, slide the Power switch to begin the creation of your PlutoSphere computer.


NOTE: Upon starting, PlutoSphere runs a ping test to numerous regions to determine the best location for your computer. For this reason, it is recommend to be in the same location and on the same network that you plan to use PlutoSphere on. If you purchase Pluto drive, your computer will be locked to the region Pluto Drive was created on. 


Machine Status will change to Starting Up and will display a loading animation.


During this process, a brand new PlutoSphere computer will be generated for you, and include all the latest software and features.  


This boot-up process takes between 2-5 minutes without Pluto drive, and 15-30 minutes with Pluto Drive. We will be decreasing this time in the future.

When your computer is ready, the Machine Status will show Online and the Desktop Streaming button will be active.





Click Go to Desktop to configure your PlutoSphere computer. 


You may see the following message. Click Continue. 






 

While waiting for your computer to boot, we recommend moving on to the SideQuest portion of this guide. 


Note: PlutoSphere may not function correctly if you are using a VPN. Please disconnect from VPNs before using PlutoSphere.


Errors launching your PlutoSphere computer



Latency Errors


You'll need a ping of 50ms or less to one of AWS' regions for optimal performance. 

A Wifi-6 router is highly recommended. 


High Latency  


This message means your ping to one of our servers is high. You may experience lag or other performance issues.

Suggestions - Wait an hour and try again. Move closer to your router. Power cycle your router. Follow the network troubleshooting steps in our FAQ.



Very High Latency   


This message means your ping to one of our servers is too high for PlutoSphere to be usable. 

Suggestions - Wait an hour and try again. Move closer to your router. Power cycle your router. Follow the network troubleshooting steps in our FAQ.



We can't find an instance for you right now


This may mean you are too far from our servers. 

Make sure you have a ping of less than 50 to an AWS region. 

Hit HTTP Ping on this page to find out: https://www.cloudping.cloud/aws

Pings between 50 and 100 *might* work, but anything higher than 100 will most likely not work. 

If you have a ping of less than 50 and are seeing this message, wait an hour or a whole day and try again. 

Also, trying repeatedly can also help. Keep at it!

This message may also mean there are currently capacity issues in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) region your PlutoSphere computer is attempting to start in. 


Most of the time, these issues will clear up shortly. So, if you see this message, wait 15 minutes and try again. 


Occasionally, AWS will have a larger outage that may last a day or more. 


If you've tried to connect multiple times without success, wait a day or two and try again. 


If you keep seeing this message after multiple days, please contact PlutoSphere Support. 


Installing PlutoSphere on your Quest using App Lab

PlutoSphere no longer requires SideQuest and can be installed directly from App Lab on your mobile Device

To do this, make sure you have the Meta Quest app installed on your phone (iOS / Android) 

Make sure your Quest device has been set up and registered on your Meta account. 

Then, click the Search button at the bottom of the Meta Quest app

Then, type PlutoSphere in the search box and hit Search.

Click View App.

You may see one or more apps. Click on the one just called PlutoSphere. 

Note: PlutoSphere Connect is more limited and outdated. It will be removed in the future.

You will be given a message about the nature of App Lab apps. Read it and click OK.

Click Install on Headset at the bottom



Select the headset you wish to install the app to and click Install


Put on your Quest device and go to your App Library. PlutoSphere should now be listed



Click on it to launch. 


You may be prompted to allow PlutoSphere to record audio. This allows you to use the Quest's microphone for games that require it.



From here, you can log in to your Pluto account




Note: In order to see the full PlutoSphere client, you will first need to purchase tokens for your PlutoSphere account. This must be done separately through a browser, either on your Quest, your phone or a computer. Tokens cannot be purchased directly from within the Quest app.


Accessing PlutoSphere's Hidden Experimental Menu

The PlutoSphere client has hidden experimental features. 


Note: These settings should only be changed while your PlutoSphere computer is off. 


To access this menu, hold down the A + B buttons on your right controller.



These experimental features can be used to adjust the quality of the video stream being sent to your headset, as well as options for using Bluetooth gamepads and other features. 


Note: Only increase the SteamVR quality if you are seeing no stuttering issues and have a very high quality internet connection. If you see an increase in stuttering, you may need to lower the quality again and restart your computer. 


Connecting to your PlutoSphere Computer

Your computer should now be booted. Connecting to your PlutoSphere computer's desktop is pretty straight-forward using our embedded version of Desktop Vision.

To do this, return to the PlutoSphere Dashboard. 


Reminder: Ad blockers must be disabled for the PlutoSphere Dashboard to function properly. PlutoSphere does not display ads. 


Verify that the Machine Status is Online. Then, click Go to Desktop. 



You may see the following message. Click Continue. 



If it doesn't load within 30 seconds, follow the steps here. 


When the desktop loads, it's a good idea to check SteamVR to make sure it isn't displaying any messages or errors. 


Generally, you'll want to agree with everything it recommends. For example, in the message below, you want to hit Update Permissions, not Dismiss. SteamVR is updated regularly, and updates can cause unexpected behavior. It may occasionally block addons, which will prevent PlutoSphere from working. 



Steam VR will state "Welcome: Please plug in your VR headset" when working properly.




Note the teal bar on the left side of your screen, as this allows you to control various aspects of the Desktop Vision Stream. 



Clicking the teal bar will bring up a menu. Click the top menu item (three dots) to adjust the Streaming Settings.




Here you can enable Full Screen Mode, change the streaming quality, check the stream’s ping, and open Task Manager (if are unable to interact with the desktop) 


Here you can open the Task Manager on your PlutoSphere computer, in the event that the desktop has become unresponsive. 

You can switch to Full Screen mode to maximize the size of the Desktop Vision stream. 


If the stream itself becomes unresponsive, try clicking the Refresh Stream button. 


If you're on a mobile device, you can switch between two keyboards: The phone's default keyboard and a keyboard provided by Desktop Vision. More on that below.





Using Desktop Vision on a Mobile Device

The Pluto Dashboard is fully accessible from a mobile device (iPhone, iPad, Android devices, Quest, etc)

We've created a short video to help you navigate your desktop when using a mobile device. 




Configuring your Desktop for VR Streaming

Now that you're connected to your computer's desktop, it's time to start installing the games or software you want to use.


While PlutoSphere is great for VR, it can also be used to play flat/2D games. For this, you may need to install another desktop streaming app, such as Parsec. More info here. You may also need to install audio drivers and controller drivers. 


You are welcome to install any software you are legally licensed to use. Please do not use any illegal or malicious software on your PlutoSphere computer.

Steam is pre-installed and can be logged into immediately. 


It's important to note that your computer's data will be wiped 30 minutes after shutting it off, unless you have purchased Pluto Drive. 

This is discussed further in the Storage section below.

Similarly, you must shut down your computer at the end of your session. Otherwise, your computer will use all available tokens and shut off when tokens are no longer available.


When your computer has been on for more than two hours, you will receive an email letting you know. This can give you a chance to shut your computer off if you forgot to do so. We will offer other notification methods in the future (e.g.; SMS, the Pluto Dashboard, etc)


Once your games are downloading, make sure SteamVR is running. SteamVR must be running to connect to your PlutoSphere computer with the PlutoSphere Quest client. It can be launched from an icon on your Taskbar/Desktop.



SteamVR should show "Please plug in your VR headset". This will go away once you connect to PlutoSphere.

It may also display "Headset Not Detected". This is normal if you haven't attempted to connect yet.   


If you see an error about blocked add-ons, they will need to be enabled before PlutoSphere can function properly. Click here for instructions.



Using PlutoSphere

At this point, you should have some games installing and the PlutoSphere client installed on your Quest. The rest of the instructions will all take place with your headset on.

We recommend that you access PlutoSphere on your Quest as close as possible to your WIFI router to ensure the highest quality connection. A WIFI-6 router is highly recommended. 

If you have trouble with the steps below, they are captured in our onboarding video at this timestamp.


Put on your headset.

Before doing anything else, launch the Oculus web browser. If prompted for an update, please do that and reboot your headset after.

Then, go to your App library.

The App Library doesn’t show apps loaded via SideQuest by default. We’ll need to choose to display Unknown Sources.

Click the dropdown in the top-right (Labeled All by default) and choose Unknown Sources from the bottom of the list.

If you do not see Unknown Sources, this means Developer Mode is not on. Even if you believe you enabled it, check it again. That setting doesn't always get saved properly. 


The PlutoSphere app should be listed. Select it to launch PlutoSphere.

You may receive a message about allowing PlutoSphere permissions. Click Allow. 

Once in the app, you'll see the familiar Dashboard. Log in to your account. 

Click Enter VR.


After a few moments you should see the SteamVR void. This means you are connected to SteamVR on your PlutoSphere computer!


If VR is not shown, it may mean you need to check the status of SteamVR on your PlutoSphere computer. 


When properly connected, you should see a headset and controllers in the SteamVR window. 

While in VR, you can click the Menu button on the left controller to toggle the SteamVR Dashboard and install/launch games from your library. 

In-game, you can long-press the Menu button on the left controller to bring up the Dashboard on top of the current game/app. This can be useful for checking your token balance mid-game. 




Tokens

When you use your PlutoSphere computer, tokens are spent. They are displayed in the top left of the Pluto Dashboard.



You can click Buy Tokens to add more tokens to your account. 



This will bring you to The Tokens tab which explains how tokens work. Click Buy Tokens in the bottom right.


 

This will bring you to the Pluto Store, where you can buy tokens in blocks of different values. To do this, select the amount of tokens you wish to buy. You will be prompted to log in to your Pluto account. 


Alternatively, you can click Log in at the top right. 


 

 



When all tokens are used, your PlutoSphere computer will shut off instantly. 


It is your responsibility to keep track of your token balance to prevent the computer from shutting off mid-game. You will also get an email reminder any time your PlutoSphere computer is on for two or more hours. We will have other notification methods in the future. 



Storage

By default, PlutoSphere computers do not have persistent storage. To add persistent storage to your account, you'll need to purchase Pluto Drive, which is described here.


Each time you boot your PlutoSphere computer, you will need to install any games and apps you wish to use. 


When you turn off your computer, all contents will be deleted after 30 minutes. 


Note: Rebooting your computer will not delete its data, and is much faster than the initial boot. 


For games, your save-data will persist for all games that feature cloud saves. Other games will need to be manually backed up. We recommend using a service such as Dropbox, Google Drive, One Drive, etc. 



Troubleshooting Performance and latency issues

If you experience performance issues, please review the suggestions here. 


It's important to note that many of these issues are affected heavily by your network and all the networks between your home and your PlutoSphere computer. For this reason, it may not always be possible to improve performance, beyond the suggestions in the above linked article. However, in the future, the PlutoSphere client will have more adjustable settings which should help alleviate some of these issues. 


Providing Feedback

PlutoSphere is an early access service. This means it's critical to collect feedback from users to improve the service. 

To provide feedback, go to our Discord server and post in one of the Feedback channels there. Choose the channel that best relates to the feedback you're providing. There's also a channel for suggesting features!

Alternatively, you can send an email to support@plutovr.com to submit feedback. 



How can I submit feature suggestions? 

You can submit and vote on feature suggestions at https://plutosphere.canny.io/

When submitting, the site will automatically recommend previously submitted suggestions. Please review these before submitting. If your idea already exists, upvote it. You can also submit a comment if you'd like to add additional details.



Getting Support

There are multiple ways to get help with PlutoSphere. 


Before looking for help, first reboot your Quest, your PlutoSphere computer and your personal computer and re-test the issue.


If the issue still occurs, check our FAQ to see if there's an easy fix. 


If the FAQ doesn't cover your issue, we recommend posting about the problem you're seeing in the #❔community-support  channel on our Discord Server.  Members of the @Community Support role are not official support for PlutoSphere, but are experienced users (and sometimes server moderators) that may be able to provide a quick response. 


If you don't get a response within 15 minutes, submit a ticket here as well. A member of the PlutoSphere Team will respond as soon as possible. 


Note: Regardless of which support method you use, it's extremely important that you provide a detailed description of your problem. Don't just say "it doesn't work". Tell us exactly what you did, what you are seeing, any error messages you're getting (screenshots are incredibly helpful), and everything you've tried so far to fix it. If you don't provide a complete description of the problem, we may not be able to assist you. 


Game-specific Issues

While our support staff will do their best to support any issue you experience, we may not be able to provide in-depth support for game-specific issues. However, we've started a document to keep track of known issues with games and how they interact with PlutoSphere, found here. 


If you're experiencing a problem with a game that is not covered there, post about your issue in the #❔community-support  channel on Discord. If other users have encountered this issue, they may be able to provide assistance. While most games should play fine, a handful of games simply do not work with PlutoSphere.