Valve released SteamVR 2.0 last night, following a month-long beta period. Now, the new version of Valve's OS for headsets has a flash new UI and many of the features found in the Steam client for PC and Steam Deck.
"In this release we’re bringing all of what’s new and exciting on the Steam platform into VR," Valve wrote in a blog post highlighting the announcement. "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."
The UI refresh is the biggest deal, making it easier to navigate with controllers (including using the keyboard with the controllers), rather than needing a keyboard and mouse to launch games.
Here are the major features that Valve is showcasing in the new release:
- 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
The new version of SteamVR also fixes a number of bugs across the client and on Linux systems, makes adjustments for headsets from Meta, and features updates for Valve Index controller firmware.
Notably, the new VR update is launching on its own, without any hardware to accompany it. Back in September, Valve slipped some radio hardware through South Korean regulators, and with the company denying a Steam Deck 2 anytime soon, that turned many tech enthusiast's eyes towards a successor to the Valve Index or the rumored "Deckard" standalone VR headset, which wouldn't need to be hooked up to a PC.
All headsets compatible with SteamVR should work with this update, which makes SteamVR feel a lot more like a part of the same ecosystem as the Steam Deck and Steam Client for PC.
