38 votes

One of Valve’s forty majillion secret hardware projects is called the Steam Frame, probably

10 comments

  1. [10]
    brews_hairy_cats
    Link
    Someone on X/Twitter did a datamine, and this might be VR related https://x.com/SadlyItsBradley/status/1963491451049771216 My gosh my hype cannot be contained

    Someone on X/Twitter did a datamine, and this might be VR related

    https://x.com/SadlyItsBradley/status/1963491451049771216

    After datamining tonight's HUGE SteamVR Beta:

    I can confirm that Valve is definitely rebranding SteamVR "Overlays" to "Frames"

    Therefore, if Deckard's product name is The Steam Frame: you should now understand what it's major selling point is going to be...

    SPATIAL GAMING ✨

    My gosh my hype cannot be contained

    11 votes
    1. ButteredToast
      Link Parent
      I really, really hope that Valve’s next headset is coming soon. Spatial gaming would be a neat bonus but I’d be happy with what amounts to a 2nd-gen Index with inside-out tracking. I’m ready to be...

      I really, really hope that Valve’s next headset is coming soon. Spatial gaming would be a neat bonus but I’d be happy with what amounts to a 2nd-gen Index with inside-out tracking. I’m ready to be done with Facebook/Oculus stuff.

      8 votes
    2. [7]
      kingofsnake
      Link Parent
      Here's hoping that it comes with a renewed interest in creating software for headsets. Despite all of the new hardware releases, interest in VR has been pretty tepid over recent years and it's...

      Here's hoping that it comes with a renewed interest in creating software for headsets.

      Despite all of the new hardware releases, interest in VR has been pretty tepid over recent years and it's easy to see why.

      7 votes
      1. [6]
        goose
        Link Parent
        Yeah. I bought an Index as a COVID toy for myself, late 2020. Playing through Alyx was a groundbreaking experience for me, I truly don't think that experience could have been had any other way, it...

        Yeah. I bought an Index as a COVID toy for myself, late 2020. Playing through Alyx was a groundbreaking experience for me, I truly don't think that experience could have been had any other way, it was incredible. But after that, there wasn't much for me, I felt. BeatSaber was fun, but repetitive. Superhot VR was cool, but I beat it in less than a day. There just weren't enough major titles to keep me sold on it. I sold my Index in 2023 as a result.

        12 votes
        1. [2]
          OBLIVIATER
          Link Parent
          The index is great but I still think the future of VR is/was a headset like the Oculus quest. Making cheap, lightweight, and wireless headsets like the Quest 2/3 is the only real way VR has any...

          The index is great but I still think the future of VR is/was a headset like the Oculus quest. Making cheap, lightweight, and wireless headsets like the Quest 2/3 is the only real way VR has any chance at mass adoption (and therefore more investment by developers.) The "killer app" for VR is a headset that can be worn by anyone comfortably that doesn't make your face feel awful and lasts longer than 90 minutes on single charge.

          Unfortunately it feels like the wave of VR is over for now so it might be a while until we get any more big developments in the field. Zuckerberg blew billions on his VR pet projects and probably is scared to put much more into it because there's no way it made any money.

          4 votes
          1. ButteredToast
            Link Parent
            You’re probably right about wireless being a must for mass appeal, but my own experience with wireless is that even at its best it’s a noticeable step down from wired, especially for latency...

            You’re probably right about wireless being a must for mass appeal, but my own experience with wireless is that even at its best it’s a noticeable step down from wired, especially for latency sensitive games like Beat Saber. For that reason I hope that even wireless-first headsets continue to offer wired as an option, preferably DP alt mode USB wired instead of the bizarre encoded-video-over-a-wire thing that Quests do.

            2 votes
        2. Gummy
          Link Parent
          I had pretty much an identical experience with the index, except mine still sits collecting dust. After playing Alyx, I tried a bunch of different VR games and found stuff here and there that was...

          I had pretty much an identical experience with the index, except mine still sits collecting dust. After playing Alyx, I tried a bunch of different VR games and found stuff here and there that was enjoyable. Overall it was just hollow tech demo type experiences though. Even the VR versions of major games felt pretty low effort like VR was an afterthought and they never considered what it would feel like to be in actual VR gameplay. I know there's a lot of isolated experiences in VR that are really good for a few hours of fun but I have yet to see any game come close to feeling as complete as Half Life Alyx.

          2 votes
        3. kingofsnake
          Link Parent
          I did the same with my Vive. That said, I bought a Meta Quest to play PCVR a couple of years later as I was having a great time 3D modelling in Gravity Sketch. Pushing, pulling extruding and...

          I did the same with my Vive. That said, I bought a Meta Quest to play PCVR a couple of years later as I was having a great time 3D modelling in Gravity Sketch.

          Pushing, pulling extruding and sculpting are super intimate in VR. There's really nothing like listening to an album from beginning to end while you create models.

          If you get the chance, I'd recommend it.

          2 votes
        4. Sodliddesu
          Link Parent
          Honestly, Half Life Alyx was a pretty huge game for me. I beat it on like a week because I was moving house and didn't have a place to set everything up in my new flat so I basically played the...

          Honestly, Half Life Alyx was a pretty huge game for me. I beat it on like a week because I was moving house and didn't have a place to set everything up in my new flat so I basically played the game past midnight every night.

          But every chance I get to set up my VR right now, I only play Hotdogs, Horseshoes, and Hand Grenades (H3VR). It's repetitive but in a roguelike way.

          1 vote
    3. moocow1452
      Link Parent
      If it is ARM based, I'm hoping for a Steam Client with a compatible libsteam.so . That opens some doors for gaming that doesn't necessarily need new hardware.

      If it is ARM based, I'm hoping for a Steam Client with a compatible libsteam.so . That opens some doors for gaming that doesn't necessarily need new hardware.

      2 votes