After years of development, Valve has released SteamVR 2.0. The company is rumored to be developing a standalone VR headset that does not require a PC.
Valve, the company behind the Steam gaming platform, is strengthening its position in VR with the release of an upgraded software platform. They state that it is the first step in a larger effort.
The SteamVR 2.0 platform. Photo: Valve
- "Today we are excited to ship SteamVR 2.0 to all users! In this release we’re bringing all of what’s new and exciting on the Steam platform into VR. This is our first big step in a larger ongoing effort to better unify the Steam ecosystem for all users, providing a more consistent experience across devices. This update also allows us to add new Steam features in the future much faster and more frequently," announced Valve.
It makes sense for Valve to venture into virtual reality, as many of the most popular applications for headsets like the Meta Quest are games or interactive experiences resembling games.
Standalone Steam VR headset?
In 2021, multiple reports surfaced indicating that Valve was developing a second-generation headset codenamed 'Deckard.' It would complement the company's existing hardware lineup, which includes the AMD-powered handheld Steam Deck console.
In contrast to the Valve Index headset, which was launched in 2019, the new version is believed to be a standalone headset with a built-in processor, eliminating the need for tethering to a PC. It is also said to be capable of tracking movement.
While there has been no official comment from Valve, the continued work on SteamVR 2.0 is a strong indication that the company is planning expand its presence in the VR space.
SteamVR 2.0 – features and changelog
| Highlighted features:
- Most of the current features of Steam and Steam Deck are now part of SteamVR
- Updated keyboard with support for dual-cursor typing, new languages, emojis, and themes
- Integration of Steam Chat and Voice Chat
- Improved Store that puts new and popular VR releases front and center
- Easy access to Steam notifications
Release Notes - SteamVR 2.0.8:
General
Fixed crash on exit for some Unity titles.
Increased the system layer resolution limit. This was previously 1.5x the recommended render target scale, but is now applied to width and height independently.
Fix a case where controller configuration would not be localized in the user’s preferred language (as configured in Steam).
Added a prompt to install the Bigscreen Beyond Driver when the headset is detected.
Improved double click reliability in desktop view.
Added a button to toggle multitasking view for desktop overlays (Windows 10 and 11 only).
Fixed scaling issues with floating dashboard overlays.
Fix for SetSkyboxOverride always showing only the last texture.
Fix issues caused by running vrstartup from a different SteamVR install when SteamVR is already running.
Laser pointer smoothing, click, and double-click refinements.
Added support for dual-laser typing on the new keyboard.
Fixed a bug where dismissing the keyboard would dismiss it forever in controller binding UI.
Fixed cases where binding callouts would stay up even when they should be dismissed.
Desktop windows now show their actual icon in addition to their name.
Dashboard
Refreshed styling of the VR Settings and Now Playing overlays when using the new 2.0 UI (connected to a Steam Beta client).
Sound effects are more consistent across SteamVR UI elements.
Adjusted more UI colors for consistency.
Index Controller Firmware
Fixed a bug where haptics could stop responding after playing certain repeated haptics events.
Restored grip input functionality for EV3 developer controllers that was broken in the previous update.
Only EV3 and older developer hardware will be flagged for this update.
Meta
Hide the SteamVR IPD slider since Meta already shows one.
Meta controller dashboard default bindings: B and Y navigate 'Back' through Steam UI, and right clicking in desktop view has been moved to thumbstick click.
Linux
Transition to the Steam Linux Runtime 3.0 (sniper) for improved compatibility.
Fix runtime configuration to launch in Steam Linux Runtime 3.0 (sniper), addressing startup issues on some systems.
Fix vrcompositor to launch under legacy scout runtime, addressing startup issues on some systems.
Fix SteamVR Home to launch under legacy scout runtime.
Drivers
For drivers which provide a manifest but don’t specify "resourceOnly", default to true if there is no bin directory.
Add a manifest entry "showEnableInSettings" which can be set to force a driver to appear in the "addons" settings even if default rules would hide it.
When a specific driver is forced with the "forcedDriver" setting or the VR_FORCE_TEST_DRIVER, load it even if it is disabled.
When a specific driver is forced with the "forcedDriver" setting or the VR_FORCE_TEST_DRIVER, only allow an HMD to activate from that driver (even if other drivers are loaded due to "activateMultipleDrivers" and they activate an HMD first). The forced driver always had the first opportunity to activate an HMD before, but now we will wait for it to hotplug an HMD rather than letting another available HMD win.
The "LastKnown" section in settings (which updates with the manufacturer and model of the last used HMD) now also keeps track of the "ActualHMDDriver" (e.g. "lighthouse") that provided the HMD. |
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