There were hints yesterday, but today it's official. Valve has started over hauling SteamVR, using the SteamDeck and Big Picture improvements as a basis. More to come.
This makes the likelihood of a new VR headset, possibly even stand-alone, more likely than ever.
Press Release:
Greetings! Today we are shipping SteamVR 2.0 in beta. We see this is as the first major step toward our goal of bringing all of what’s new on the Steam platform into VR.
Users who opt into this beta will notice a new UI with lots of added features:
· Most of the current features of Steam and Steam Deck are now part of SteamVR
· Updated keyboard with support for new languages, emojis, and themes
· Integration of Steam Chat and Voice Chat
· Improved Store that puts new and popular VR releases front and center
This is just the beginning of SteamVR 2.0’s journey, and 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.
To try out the new UI, opt in to both SteamVR Beta and the Steam Client Beta.
Instructions for Steam Client Beta:
https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/276C-85A0-C531-AFA3
Instructions for SteamVR Beta:
https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/4F5E-AD22-7402-2EAD
Thanks!
-The SteamVR Team
EDIT: Pictures:
