In September, Valve finally released details and an open beta for SteamVR 2.0. Years in the making, the beta has now concluded and now you can begin to enjoy the official 2.0 launch, with no beta unlocking faff.
The official launch of SteamVR 2.0 presents some major milestones in Valve’s VR plans. Originally slated for 2020 to tie-in with the Valve Index launch, the update was continually pushed back. This started to look concerning as the Index aged, with Valve’s VR plans seemingly taking more of a back seat. Thankfully, that hasn’t been the case, with highly anticipated update creating better unity across the Steam ecosystem.
SteamVR 2.0 Unification
As Valve says in its latest announcement: “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.”
So that means:
- 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
There’s a huge list of updates which you can see here in the changelog. If you’re not sure whether SteamVR has automatically updated, head to Steam > Check For Client Updates to make sure.
One other interesting take from this launch is whether Valve is planning a new headset. Rumours have swirled around for ages regarding Valve ‘Deckard’, suggesting the company is planning a standalone device to supersede Index. If this is the case – no official details have been released thus far – then unifying the Steam ecosystem would be an important step.
Have you tried SteamVR 2.0 yet? Let us know your impressions below.