PC games giant Valve has recently launched the beta version of SteamVR 2.0, which drives the complete virtual reality experience on Steam. From connecting to hardware to the interface for navigating virtual worlds, it has received numerous new features.
The company said in a statement, “Today we are shipping SteamVR 2.0 in beta. We see this as the first major step toward our goal of bringing all of what’s new on the Steam platform into VR.”
In the beta release, SteamVR 2.0 includes Steam Chat and Voice Chat, enhances the Steam store with a focus on VR, as well as a keyboard update which now supports themes and emojis. It also incorporates many of the existing features found in Steam and Steam Deck.
This could be significant because ever since the introduction of the Steam Deck, we’ve witnessed massive enhancements to both Steam Deck and Steam, particularly in big-picture mode.
More to come!
Aside from these new updates, the Steam company has clarified that this is only the start of its SteamVR 2.0 journey, noting that, “We’ll have more to share in the coming weeks and months as we collect feedback and work on the features mentioned above.
“This beta will give us a chance to iron out the kinks as more and more people try it out. As with all betas, this means SteamVR 2.0 will get better and better as we prepare it for its eventual full public launch,” said Valve.
SteamVR 2.0 could signify more than just enhancing the VR interface. Valve’s recent efforts, running in parallel with these interface improvements, hint at ongoing work on a standalone VR headset. Whether we’ll witness its release soon remains uncertain – Valve Time tends to be full of surprises.
However, we don’t have precise confirmation of Valve’s intentions regarding a next-generation headset, especially not something as definite as a release date.
In the meantime, these SteamVR 2.0 improvements will come in handy for Valve Index owners and anyone with a SteamVR-compatible VR headset. This includes the Meta Quest 2, and it’s reasonable to assume it will also apply to the forthcoming Meta Quest 3 which was revealed at Meta Connect 2023.
To give the new SteamVR beta a try, users can follow the steps provided on the Steam website. Also, they’ll need to enrol in the Steam Client beta to ensure everything functions correctly.
