Steam VR not Detecting Headset – Fixes

Error code 108, SteamVR not detected is a disappointing sight to witness. Especially when you have just got your hands on your favorite game in virtual reality. SteamVR, as the name suggests is a Virtual Reality gameplay client that allows you to have an immersive experience while enjoying your favorite game. You can get the best gameplay with a VR headset, which gives you a better experience.

Unfortunately, SteamVR not detecting headsets has become an error that keeps bugging the users. If you have also run into the same situation, do not panic. In this post, we have curated a bunch of fixes that will help you eliminate the error 108 in SteamVR in no time. 

How to Fix SteamVR Not Detecting Headset Issue

To fix this issue, there are a bunch of steps that can be taken. For starters, you can begin with the following checks – 

• Make sure that the device connection is properly configured and seamless
• Connect the Linkbox to a USB 2.0 port as there are only a few link boxes that support USB 3.0 or 3.1,
• In case connecting via Linkbox is not working, try plugging your headset directly into the HDMI or USB port of your PC. In case power is an issue, you can connect the power source to Linkbox.
• Ensure that the SteamVR headset is functional and has no lags.

After you have made it clear that the device is fine and is connected properly, try applying the given fixes!

Fix 1 – Power Cycle the Linkbox

A Linkbox is a device that works as an interface between your devices and ensures proper connections. It adds a series of functional ports that can help your device better connect with the PC. 

If you are using one to connect the VR headset, you should try restarting and power-cycling it. Here’s what you need to do – 

Step 1 – Remove all the cords from the Linkbox and disconnect it completely from a power source and the PC.
Step 2 – Head to the SteamVR application and open Settings > Developer. Click Remove All SteamVR USB Devices to completely remove the device from your PC.

Step 3 – Wait for a few minutes and then reconnect your device to give the connection a fresh start. 

This way, you can reset the connection and get rid of bothering bugs. Also, we suggest you power cycle the device as soon as the error appears so that it is not embedded in the cache memory. 

Read Also: Fixed! Steam Friends Network Unreachable Error

Fix 2 – Toggle Off Power Management in SteamVR

Power management is a functional feature in the SteamVR that makes the application consume optimal power so that it does not affect the overall performance of your PC. What it does is that practically turns all your ports off when they are not in use. 

The idea of using it is OK. However, sometimes when you have it ON, it results in unannounced disconnection of the devices. This may result in SteamVR not detecting the headset, error 108. 

To solve this problem, follow these steps – 

Step 1 – Launch the SteamVR app on your PC.
Step 2 – Go to the Settings of your PC and open Developer options from the left panel.

Step 3 – In the Developer options, click on Disable Power Management. 

Save the changes to apply them. Restart your game launcher and check if the VR headset is detected. This should resolve the issue if it is related to game configuration. 

Fix 3 – Update Device Drivers

Multiple drivers like the ones mentioned below are involved in the entire process – 

• USB drivers to ensure that the connection has no error
• Linkbox drivers so that it is properly functional on your PC
• VR Headset drivers for proper connectivity
• GPU drivers to support your VR graphics

All these drivers, along with other minor and major ones combine to create an experience with SteamVR. If any of these are outdated or not working properly, you may face issues such as the SteamVR not detecting the headset. 

Now, to update them, you may have to spend hours considering finding and installing the updates is not easy when done manually. That is why, we recommend you go for Advanced Driver Updater. This way, you can download the updates instantly. Here’s how it works – 

Step 1 – Download the application on your PC and install it. It will hardly take a minute or so.

Step 2 – Launch the app and find the Scan Now option to run a scan on your PC.

Step 3 – After the scan detects a list of outdated drivers, click on Update All and initiate the update process. 

Once the update is complete, restart your PC and try connecting the headset again. Only this time it should work properly, without any errors. 

Other than these fixes you can also try the following hacks – 

• Try launching the SteamVR client as an administrator to have all the access and privileges.
• If you are on a beta version of SteamVR for the latest updates, toggle it OFF as beta versions are often unstable and may be causing the errors.

After you are done with these fixes, you may find the error 108, SteamVR not detecting the headset is no longer a problem. For the majority of the users, updating the drive did the trick. Try it out and let us know which fix made all of it work for you. 

Feel free to reach out if you need any assistance with the steps shared and we will be more than happy to assist you. With that being said, we have reached the end of this post. Thanks for reading, good luck!

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