The latest SteamVR beta update has many users happy about what the future of this platform could be. The new update could be a hint at what we are to expect from the 2.0 update that is scheduled to come out sometime this year. Although this isn’t a stable software right now and there are some bugs to work out, the new interface is incredibly fun to work with and see.
If Steam is trying to earn the award for ‘Best User Interface in VR’, they are well on their way.
SteamVR, the virtual reality extension of the biggest gaming store in the world, is owned and developed by Valve. The Valve teams are clearly hard at work in many aspects right now. They are working on finishing their flagship VR game Half-Life: Alyx, they are developing a whole new interface for the VR world, and many other projects in the works.
SteamVR is the most popular VR platform in the world. Valve allows nearly all VR headsets to work with the content inside of the store. The requirements to get a game in the digital storefront aren’t demanding either, something Oculus can’t say ‘same’ to. One of the reasons the platform is so popular is the amount of developers and gamers that come to platform to simply test gaming mechanics out. What works and what doesn’t is something that can be learned very quickly.
The Update
This update comes after there wasn’t much of a change for nearly four years. The new in-VR UI (the dashboard) is completely new. It is cleaner than ever with only six buttons along the bottom with added functionality.
- Menu – The new menu button simply takes you out of the new user interface and and back to the Steam Big Picture interface.
- Desktops – Now you can access your PC monitor faster than ever with the click of a button. This will show your main monitor very quickly.
- Library – You will always be just one click away from your 14 apps and games you most recently have visited inside of virtual reality.
- Store -This section will be displaying the top SteamVR games right now, and clicking on it will toss you in the classic Big Picture Steam interface.
- Volume – The volume has been something that has been bothersome to all VR users for years. When the headset is on, it can be troublesome to fix the volume. This new volume button will change that, and it will work with the default speakers more too.
- Settings – Getting into the VR settings will be easier now, and it will be the same user interface that you’d find inside of the PC version of SteamVR settings.
We aren’t sure how many of these updates are going to be in the stable version when it released. There isn’t a secured date of when we should be expecting SteamVR 2.0, but we would assume its some time before the release of the HLA game that is releasing in March sometime. For more VR news and community updates, make sure to check back at VRGear.com.
