Windows Remote Play: Unleashing Your Inner Racer with Windows 11, Logitech Wheel, Raspberry Pi 4B & VirtualHere

For racing game enthusiasts, the dream is a dedicated setup: a comfortable seat, a responsive steering wheel, and a massive screen. But what if your gaming rig isn’t in the most convenient location? Enter the world of remote play! Today, I’m sharing my experience setting up a surprisingly smooth and responsive Windows remote play system using some clever tech.

My goal was to play racing games on my MacBook Pro downstairs, leveraging the power of my Dell workstation tucked away in the loft. Here’s the breakdown of my setup:

• The Powerhouse: A Dell workstation in the loft, hardwired to a blazing-fast 10Gbps connection. This runs Windows 11 Pro on a virtual machine hosted by Proxmox.
• Graphics Muscle: The Windows 11 VM has a dedicated Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti passed through, ensuring excellent graphical fidelity. You also will need Steam and Moonlight(Sunshine) installed.
• The Client: My MacBook Pro connected to a CalDigit docking station with a solid 2.5Gbps wired connection.
• The Magic Link: The fantastic Moonlight streaming app on the MacBook handles the low-latency video and audio streaming from the Windows 11 VM.
• The Controller: My trusty Logitech steering wheel (model left intentionally vague, as the principle applies to many!)
• The Secret Sauce: A capable Raspberry Pi 4B running VirtualHere.

Now, you might be thinking, “A Raspberry Pi? What’s that doing in a high-speed setup?” This is where the magic happens for peripherals. While Moonlight excels at streaming video and basic controller input, getting a complex device like a steering wheel with force feedback working seamlessly over a network can be tricky.

Enter VirtualHere, Powered by a Hardwired Pi 4B. This ingenious piece of software allows you to virtually connect USB devices plugged into the Raspberry Pi to a remote computer over your network. Crucially, my Raspberry Pi 4B isn’t just wirelessly floating; it’s hardwired to my network via a UniFi Flex Mini switch, the same switch my MacBook’s docking station connects to. This ensures a rock-solid, low-latency connection. Here’s how it works in my setup:

1. My Logitech steering wheel is physically plugged into the USB port of the Raspberry Pi 4B.
2. VirtualHere server runs on the Raspberry Pi 4B.
3. VirtualHere client is installed on my Windows 11 VM.
4. The VirtualHere client on the VM detects the steering wheel connected to the Pi 4B as if it were directly plugged into the VM itself.

The Result? Incredibly Smooth Racing with 1ms Peripheral Latency!

Thanks to the hardwired connections throughout my setup, including the Raspberry Pi 4B, the latency is impressively low. My ping between the loft workstation and the downstairs MacBook is a mere 1ms, and the dedicated connection for the steering wheel through the Pi 4B and UniFi switch also boasts that same lightning-fast 1ms latency. This means the delay for my steering wheel inputs and force feedback is virtually imperceptible, leading to a remarkably immersive and responsive racing experience.

Key Takeaways:

• Moonlight Remains a Top Performer: This open-source streaming client continues to impress with its performance and ease of use.
• VirtualHere on a Hardwired Pi 4B is a Game Changer for Peripherals: The dedicated, low-latency connection ensures complex USB devices like steering wheels function flawlessly remotely.
• Raspberry Pi 4B’s Network Prowess: Even for demanding tasks like low-latency peripheral forwarding, the Raspberry Pi 4B, when properly networked, delivers excellent results.

This refined setup, with the Raspberry Pi 4B hardwired into the network, has elevated my remote racing experience to a new level of responsiveness. If you’re looking to bring your advanced gaming peripherals to a remote location with minimal lag, ensuring a stable and fast wired connection for your VirtualHere server (especially on a capable board like the Raspberry Pi 4B) is key!