I think we need some way of adding "ServerToken YOUR_TOKEN as a launch option.
(non steam) Elite can launch in Oculus mode through Pitool, no need for parallell projection but it doesnt log you in.
Elite can be started without the launcher by appending "ServerToken YOUR_TOKEN at the end of the target line in a shortcut to the executable.
Ive managed to get the dlls and found the steam app id, Elite now launches and display correctly without parallell projection on and i get to the same message as OP.
No need for the actual steam version.
Ive ran the launcherless script and tried to point the pitool import onto the shortcut output by the script but it still just starts the exe without passing along my TOKEN.
Ive also tried to manually edit the file for the pitool game entry in C:\Users\USER\AppData\Roaming\PiTool\manifest
But im guessing it breaks because there is a quotation mark that needs to be in there.
The command that needs to be ran (and is ran by the shortcut created by the script) is:
PATH\TO\DIRECTORY\EliteDangerous64.exe "ServerToken MY_UNIQUE_TOKEN
Anyone know of a way to get it passed along to the EXE on startup through pitool?
ADDITION: i dont know json files well at all but i looked up how to deal with quotation marks and saw that i could try to use use one, two and three \ before the "ServerToken to try and make it get passed along but it either doesnt get passed along, no change from OPs reported behavior or breaks the shortcut.
ADDITION2: i tried using opencomposite and then starting elite via the working shortcut, no dice, it spits out an error about openvr_api.dll.