U5.6 Native Cardboard VR: Possible to launch app in portrait orientation?

We have a cardboard app that starts into a non-VR menu in portrait orientation. When the app goes into VR, we change the orientation and enable VR. With the external Google VR SDK this was possible. However, with native VR in Unity 5.6 set to Cardboard, the android app is forced (in the AndroidManifest) to start up in landscape left orientation. We can change the orientation after startup, but this still leaves the ugly screen rotation animation when starting up and the splash screen is rotated as well.

Is there any way to force a Native VR Cardboard app to start in portrait orientation?

 

+1

 

Can you just export the project to Android Studio and change the manifest your self?

 

Due to our setup, we unfortunately cannot change the apk after Unity builds it. We still need some solution to this issue.

 

I second this issue. Pretty similar setup : Portrait menu into VR Mode.
I have to do hacky stuff to force orientations how I want them.

 

Me too. In Cardboard iOS there appears no way to do this. Crazy

Start in portrait, then switch to landscape for VR mode

 

Same here: nearly all our cardboard apps start in portrait mode and switch later to VR Mode (and back). So the main questions seem to be:

1. Why does the checkbox "virtual reality supported" overrides the settings for device orientation? After enabling this checkbox you can add "none" and "cardboard" - which already shows, that Unity thougt about this case, but it seems not long enough... it would be much less anoying, if an app shows the splash always in portrait and switch later to landscape, after first VR sdk is loaded and enabled. At least: just let developer their options!

2. If cardboad sdk is loaded and activated, the cross appears in the upper left corner. By pressing this, the app closes automatically. Again: why? Should't developer decide, what happens if user interact? I don't want to close, I just want to disable the vrmode and show 2D Menü again.

Hope we'll get some support.

 

Same here. We need to start in NoVR mode (portrait) then switch to VR. It used to work in 5.4 with google sdk.

 

Seems this issue has not reaction from unity side since beginning of the month... I opened also an issue on github: https://github.com/googlevr/gvr-unity-sdk/issues/549

 

Same issue for me, it seems that sadly the new version of Unity 5.6 brings some big limitations for VR developpers.
I don't understand those choice.

 

+1 to this feature request. I've been working on an AR app, with portrait orientation all through and mono mode (single eye). Unity 5.6 VR already doesn't quite support mono-mode, but I used this work-around for it. Not having a portrait option makes this worse, and feels like an unnecessary limitation.

 

The problems seem to be solved:

In newer versions the orientation problem and back button behavior seem to work as expected. I tested 5.6.1p4 and my test app starts now in portrait, I then change orientation after a certain button is activated, load the cardboard sdk (which was in the player settings list below "none") and then enable the vr settings and it works. Also the back button works than like with the "Escape"-Keycode. And I'm back in portrait and just disable the vr settings.

 

Right, now we need access to the close-button, so that we can define what it triggers, right?

 

The weird part about the player settings is that you can actually enable portrait mode startup if you disable VR support. After that you can simply turn on the VR support and the app regards the default orientation even though in the editor it says "This setting is overriden by Virtual Reality Support".

 

Any update for a workaround since then ? I have the same issue.
I got a half VR app. The first scene is on portrait orientation and second scene on landscape.
Although, when I got back to first scene from the second one, it seems to be force to switch from portrait to landscape again.
Player settings still warn about default orientation in VR mode in Unity 2018... It's quite annoying.