Valve launches SteamVR 2.0 beta with updated UI, Steam chat intergration and more

Valve has just announced a major new update to its SteamVR software, with the launch of SteamVR 2.0 in beta form. According to Valve's update, "We see this as the first major step toward our goal of bringing all of what's new on the Steam platform into VR."

SteamVR 2.0 includes the following all-new 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

In addition, it has a number of smaller changes and bug fixes compared to the last major SteamVR release, 1.27:

SteamVR:

• Floating overlay windows can now be interacted with while the dashboard is hidden.
• Fixed crash on exit for some Unity titles.
• Increased the system layer resolution limit. This was previously 1.5x the recommended render target scale, but is now applied to width and height independently.
• Fix a case where controller configuration would not be localized in the user’s preferred language (as configured in Steam).
• Added a prompt to install the Bigscreen Beyond Driver when the headset is detected.

Meta:

• Hide the SteamVR IPD slider since Meta already shows one.

Linux:

• Transition to the Steam Linux Runtime 3.0 (sniper) for improved compatibility.

Drivers:

• For drivers which provide a manifest but don’t specify “resourceOnly”, default to true if there is no bin directory.
• Add a manifest entry "showEnableInSettings" which can be set to force a driver to appear in the “addons” settings even if default rules would hide it.
• When a specific driver is forced with the "forcedDriver" setting or the VR_FORCE_TEST_DRIVER, load it even if it is disabled.
• When a specific driver is forced with the "forcedDriver" setting or the VR_FORCE_TEST_DRIVER, only allow an HMD to activate from that driver (even if other drivers are loaded due to “activateMultipleDrivers” and they activate an HMD first). The forced driver always had the first opportunity to activate an HMD before, but now we will wait for it to hotplug an HMD rather than letting another available HMD win.
• The “LastKnown” section in settings (which updates with the manufacturer and model of the last used HMD) now also keeps track of the “ActualHMDDriver” (e.g. “lighthouse”) that provided the HMD.

People who want to check out SteamVR 2.0 can do so by opting in to both the Steam Beta Client and also the SteamVR Beta client.

Valve says that it will share more info about SteamVR 2.0 "in the coming weeks and months" while beta testers try it out. The full public launch is currently scheduled to happen sometime later this fall.

The South Korean government recently listed a new device from Valve Corporation with a "1030" designation. It's possible this could be a new Steam VR headset that could launch alongside the non-beta launch of SteamVR 2.0.