Valve has had the SteamVR interface for controlling Steam apps through VR headsets since 2014, during the era of the Oculus Rift. It has since been compatible with several other VR headsets such as the HTC Vive, Windows Mixed Reality, and Valve Index.
While Valve hasn’t shown much interest in VR lately, especially after the release of Half-Life: Alyx, SteamVR is still being supported. Recently, it underwent a major upgrade to SteamVR 2.0, marking its first significant upgrade since its initial release.
One notable change in SteamVR 2.0 is the integration of features from the new Steam client, including Steam Chat/Voice Chat, improved notification system, revamped storefront, and a virtual keyboard that supports simultaneous typing with two controllers. It also incorporates emoji and themes for a more personalized experience.
Running SteamVR 2.0 on Linux now requires the Steam Linux Runtime 3.0 (sniper) as the latest runtime version for better compatibility, as the Mac version has been discontinued for a while now. Additionally, numerous other bugs have been addressed and fixed.
TLDR: Valve’s SteamVR has received a significant upgrade to version 2.0, bringing new features from the Steam client, improved interface, and enhanced compatibility with Linux systems. Despite Valve’s decreased focus on VR, SteamVR continues to evolve and provide a seamless virtual reality experience.
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