Valve makes test version SteamVR 2.0 available

Valve has made an opt-in beta version of SteamVR 2.0 available to all users. The VR interface software should completely change the UI and add many new features. No concrete release date for the software has been announced yet.

SteamVR 2.0 introduces according to Valve almost all current features of Steam and the Steam Deck in the SteamVR ecosystem. While the company doesn’t provide details about these features, it has been regularly bringing feature and quality-of-life improvements to Steam and the Steam Deck lately, partly in relation to Big Picture Mode. So far, SteamVR users, on the other hand, have had to miss out on many standard features in the native interface. Practically all Steam functions are already available via the desktop mode, which can also be used via a VR headset.

Valve also says that SteamVR 2.0 updates the virtual keyboard, including support for new languages, emojis and themes. The chat and voice chat functions can now also be used natively in SteamVR. The store section of Steam will also receive an update that will show games specifically for that platform in VR.

Since 2018, Valve has released an improved main version of SteamVR every few months, consisting of several small beta updates that were tested beforehand. However, there have been no really major feature updates lately. Various media therefore speculate that Valve is again working on a standalone VR headset. This product, which has been the subject of speculation for several years, would be internally called Deckard.