Valve has lastly revealed Steam Body, the corporate’s second VR headset. Although it’s fairly a departure from Index—the corporate’s first headset launched some six years in the past—Valve says Body is an “evolution” of Index. Certainly, Body represents a modernized VR imaginative and prescient from the corporate that intently tracks developments made within the XR trade extra broadly, however with a taste all its personal. I acquired an early take a look at Steam Body and an opportunity to speak on to the individuals at Valve who constructed it.
Steam Body is an formidable new headset that goals to be a portal to a consumer’s whole Steam library (flat or VR), whereas additionally catering to an viewers of hardcore PC VR customers.
There’s fairly a bit occurring with Steam Body. You could wish to familiarize your self with the entire specs right here earlier than studying on.
Steam Body is a very standalone headset operating SteamOS, and designed to have the ability to run most of a consumer’s Steam library straight on the headset itself. Certainly, this implies Valve has created a brand new compatibility layer to permit many PC (x86) video games to run on the headset’s ARM processor with none modifications by the developer. Much like Valve’s handheld gaming PC, Deck, whether or not or not these video games will run effectively on the headset remains to be one other query. Excessive-end PC VR video games, as an illustration, could set up and run natively on the headset with none adjustments by the developer, however getting them to run effectively sufficient to really play performantly will probably require developer optimizations which will necessitate that many PC VR video games be crunched all the way down to one thing extra akin to Quest 3-level graphics.
However Valve says Steam Body is designed to supply one of the best expertise when it’s paired with a succesful gaming PC that may stream Steam content material (once more, VR or flat) to the headset, moderately than rendering straight on the headset machine itself.
Valve appears to have a really excessive bar for what it needs from the PC streaming expertise. To make it nearly as good as attainable, Body features a devoted Wi-Fi 6E streaming dongle which plugs into a number pc to permit for a direct streaming hyperlink between the headset and the PC. This has an a variety of benefits in comparison with the same old technique of PC VR streaming, which sends site visitors from the pc to a router after which to the headset.
Body itself has a Wi-Fi 7 radio with two transmitters and two receivers. Valve says this twin antenna setup permits for simultaneous use of 5GHz and 6GHz channels, permitting one to deal with the devoted streaming connection to the Body streaming dongle, and the opposite to let the headset speak to the common router for normal web connectivity.
Valve has additionally created a brand new foveated streaming expertise which makes use of Body’s eye-tracking to optimize the streamed picture to have the best high quality on the very heart of your view. That is just like foveated rendering, however with the benefit that it applies to all streamed Steam content material while not having a particular implementation by builders. And for PC VR content material which already helps foveated rendering, the foveated streaming tech works simply as effectively on high of it.
Any performant gaming PC can stream Steam content material to Body, however Valve additionally says that its newly introduced Steam Machine ‘console’ PC will make an awesome companion for Body.
Steam Body can also be designed to be modular and expandable. Valve confirmed me how just a few clips might be undone across the facepad to take away the so-called ‘core module’, which is basically the guts of the headset, together with the processor, reminiscence, shows, and pancake lenses.
After I first acquired a take a look at the core module itself, I used to be struck by how compact it seems all by itself. It seems a bit extra compact than the equal ‘cores’ of Quest 3 and Imaginative and prescient Professional, nevertheless it’s additionally considerably lighter, weighing in at 190g in comparison with Quest 3 at 395g and Imaginative and prescient Professional at 478g.
After all this isn’t precisely a ‘honest’ comparability, as a result of each Quest 3 and Imaginative and prescient Professional cores embrace audio system and, within the case of Quest 3, a battery, which Body doesn’t. However that’s type of the purpose. By not completely attaching issues just like the facepad, audio system, strap, and battery to the core module, Valve has ensured that modders and accent makers will be capable of closely customise the headset.
The whole Body headset (audio system, battery, strap, and facepad included) can also be very light-weight at simply 435g, in comparison with Quest 3 at 515g, and Imaginative and prescient Professional (M2) at 625g.
Visuals
After I placed on Steam Body for the primary time I used to be taking a look at Half-Life: Alyx streamed from a PC in the identical room from Body’s devoted streaming dongle.
Contemplating the Body’s 4.6MP (2,160 × 2,160) per-eye decision, I used to be anticipating a picture that regarded just like Quest 3’s show, which is 4.5MP (2,064 × 2,208). However I used to be stunned that the very first thing I seen was a considerably seen screen-door impact (SDE), which is brought on by the unlit area between pixels.
Contemplating I haven’t (but) been capable of take a look at Body side-by-side with Quest 3, there’s two explanations for the considerably obvious SDE. Both I’m fully spoiled by the excessive decision shows of headsets like Imaginative and prescient Professional and Galaxy XR, or (extra probably) Body’s LCD has a decrease fill-factor than Quest 3’s LCD, though they’ve a really related variety of pixels and field-of-view.
Fortunately, most different elements of the picture regarded nice. In my quick time with the headset, it appeared like Body’s customized pancake optics have related efficiency to these of Quest 3, which have lead the trade for fairly a while. Much like Quest 3, the ‘candy spot’ (space of most readability) appeared to be very broad, spanning almost edge-to-edge. I additionally didn’t discover any apparent chromatic aberration (separation of colours), ghosting, or movement blur. Granted, I didn’t get to hand-pick the content material I used to be taking a look at, so I nonetheless wish to spend extra time wanting by way of the headset to make sure of all of those early observations.
I didn’t have sufficient time with the headset to get a really feel for the way the field-of-view in comparison with related units. Valve says the field-of-view is “as much as 110°” alongside all axes, although the corporate confused that there’s not a extensively agreed upon technique for measuring field-of-view in a VR headset (accounting for issues like eye-relief and face form), so that they confused that this quantity will not be straight akin to field-of-view figures from different headset makers. Granted, the corporate instructed me that Body’s field-of-view is ‘a bit much less’ than that of Index.
As for the foveated streaming, I can’t say I noticed any compression artifacts or stuttering, nor may I inform that foveation was occurring in any respect throughout regular gameplay. The Half-Life: Alyx world I noticed regarded precisely like I’d have anticipated from the identical headset tethered on to the pc. And but, I had the liberty to maneuver round and rotate in area as a lot as I needed with out worrying about tangling up a twine.
Except for foveated streaming tech, it appears like Valve is barely scraping the floor with eye-tracking. So far as I do know, they aren’t doing something with eye-tracking besides foveated streaming. There was no point out of eye-tracked visible corrections, automated IPD measurement, or eye-based interface interplay. This might (and I hope, will) be added sooner or later to make Body higher nonetheless.
Passthrough, sadly, was a little bit of a let down for me. Whereas each different fashionable headset has moved to paint passthrough with slowly bettering decision, the 1.3MP (1,280 × 1,024) black & white (infrared) passthrough cameras on Body really feel like a step again to the Quest 2 period.
It’s comprehensible that Valve didn’t prioritize high-quality passthrough (as a result of they seemingly aren’t very thinking about utilizing the headset for blended actuality). Nonetheless, if Valve envisions Body as an effective way to relax out and play flat video games on a giant digital display screen, a high-quality passthrough view exhibiting the room round me within the background is a simple desire over an arbitrary digital atmosphere.
Whereas it doesn’t appear that Valve thought the tradeoffs of extra price, weight, and energy consumption had been value it for high-quality passthrough cameras, they not less than anticipated that this may matter extra to others. That appears to be one main purpose why they added a hidden growth port underneath the nostril bridge of the headset which they are saying can help a twin 2.5Gbps digicam interface through a PCIe Gen 4 connection.
Valve itself isn’t committing to constructing an add-on coloration passthrough accent, nevertheless it appears they’re hoping another person will tackle that problem.
Ergonomics & Audio
Steam Body may weigh in at a powerful 435g. That sounds nice on paper, however as Apple discovered lately when it added weight to its newest Imaginative and prescient Professional headset to make it extra comfy, lighter isn’t universally higher with regards to VR headsets.
On one hand, Body well distributes its weight across the head by mounting the battery on the again of the strap. And whereas this is able to usually be a wise concept for counterbalancing the entrance portion of the headset… Body has a comfortable strap and no high strap, which implies the rear battery weight can’t truly do something to counterbalance the entrance of the headset.
I’ve actually by no means come throughout a VR headset to this point that’s extra comfy with a comfortable strap than a inflexible strap. Nor have I discovered one which doesn’t get notably extra comfy when a high strap is added.
Contemplating Index had each a inflexible strap and a high strap, it’s stunning to see Valve take this tactic with Body. It appears like they needed to get the on-paper weight down as little as attainable, even when it meant a much less comfy headset total.
And there’s one other bothersome concern with Body’s use of a comfortable strap (and lack of high strap). To tighten the headstrap, it’s good to use each fingers to drag the strap on both sides. However clearly this implies you don’t have a 3rd hand obtainable to carry the lenses within the superb spot when you tighten the strap. That signifies that placing on the headset normally includes wanting towards the ground so the rear a part of the strap can preserve the headset… effectively, in your head when you’re tightening the factor. It’s an ungainly dance that would have been averted by utilizing a ratcheting dial so the strap could possibly be extra simply tightened with one hand.
Clearly my critique wasn’t unanticipated by the corporate both; Valve is already planning to promote an elective ‘consolation equipment’ which features a high strap and ‘knuckles-style’ straps for the controllers. Although it would nonetheless lack a few of the advantages of a inflexible strap (and tightening dial), the highest strap means the battery can correctly operate as a counterbalance by distributing the forces excessive of your head, and it’ll give the headset one thing to steadiness on when you tighten the straps.
Despite the fact that I haven’t had that a lot time with Body at this level, I already know for sure that I’m going to want the highest strap.
However hey, ergonomics are laborious due to the wide selection of head shapes, hair types, and private preferences. So it’s a superb factor that Valve constructed the headset to be so modular. I’m anticipating to see a variety of third-party straps that may join on to the core module and make Body really feel like a very completely different headset.
With regards to audio, I can’t say I had sufficient time within the headset to confidently say a lot about it at this level, aside from saying there was nothing that was clearly problematic or radically higher than I’d have anticipated.
Valve set a really excessive bar for audio with Index’s legendary off-ear audio system. Whereas I don’t anticipate Body’s audio system to be fairly nearly as good (contemplating how way more compact they’re, and constructed into the headstrap), I do know that the identical acoustics engineer that labored on Index additionally labored on Body’s audio. So we might be sure they had been very acquainted with the bar set by Index.
Controllers
Body’s controllers clearly take loads of inspiration from Quest’s Contact controllers. However Valve has made some fascinating tweaks to permit them to operate like a contemporary gamepad so customers can play VR video games or flat video games with the identical controllers.
Whereas most VR controllers put two face buttons on every controller, Body’s controllers transfer all the key face buttons (A, B, X, Y) to the best controller, whereas the left controllers beneficial properties a D-pad. Along with grab-triggers and index finger triggers, Body’s controllers additionally add a ‘bumper’ button above every index finger set off. All of those selections imply the Body controllers largely mirror a typical gamepad, making for seamless compatibility with flat video games.
And, like Valve’s new Steam Controller, the Body controllers use ‘next-gen’ magnetic TMR thumbsticks, which the corporate says provides a smaller dead-zone and is extra immune to drifting points that may occur to thumbsticks over time.
Valve didn’t neglect about what made the Index controllers distinctive; the handles of the Body controllers (and all the buttons, sticks, triggers, and D-pad) embrace capacitive sensing so the controller can detect the place your fingers are whereas utilizing the controller. And the corporate is promoting the aforementioned (elective) ‘consolation equipment’ for Body which incorporates knuckles-style straps to carry the Body controllers in place, even whereas opening your hand.
Too be honest although, the capacitive sensing options of the Index controllers went largely unutilized, and there’s little purpose to suppose that may change this time round.
Software program & Expertise
Valve says Body is operating a full-featured model of SteamOS with functionally all the identical capabilities that you simply’d anticipate from Steam Deck (together with the power to drop again to a Linux desktop for full management over the machine). Body shall be obtainable with two UFS reminiscence variants: 256GB and 1TB. It additionally features a microSD slot for increasing storage additional (as much as an extra 2TB).
SteamOS places your Steam library entrance and heart. It’s just like the expertise you’d get from Large Image mode or SteamOS on Steam Deck, however on Body it doesn’t discriminate between VR and non-VR video games.
SteamOS on Body additionally makes it simple to ‘play your method’. You’ll be able to select to put in your video games domestically and run them straight on the headset, or select to stream them from a linked gaming PC the place they’re already put in. For video games that make use of Steam Cloud, you’ll additionally heave seamless syncing of sport saves and progress between units, whether or not you’re streaming a sport to Body, enjoying straight on Body, or choosing up on one other machine like Deck.
Valve says it isn’t going to restrict individuals from making an attempt to run any technically appropriate Steam sport on Body straight, although the corporate isn’t promising all the pieces will essentially run effectively. It feels like the corporate plans to have the same ‘badging’ system for Body as they do for Deck, probably providing the identical badges of ‘Verified’, ‘Playable’, ‘Unsupported’, or ‘Unknown’ to assist individuals know what’s going to run effectively on the headset itself.
With regards to VR content material, Valve says its objective is for many PC VR content material to have the ability to run natively on Body out of the field. However the firm says it ‘nonetheless has some work to do’ on this entrance, and it plans to collect suggestions from a dev equipment program and make additional compatibility and efficiency enhancements between now and launch.
Valve’s underlying thesis for Body appears to be enabling customers to entry their whole Steam library (VR or flat), whereas additionally permitting them to faucet into the facility of their gaming PC for top of the range rendering or to take their video games on the go by enjoying them natively on the headset.
It’s an interesting concept, however I can’t fairly shake the truth that a Quest 3 (or related) headset with Steam Hyperlink can already stream each PC VR and flat Steam content material from a number PC. Positive, it could be an added comfort to have the Body controllers so that you don’t want to choose up a gamepad when streaming a flat sport to Quest 3; however that appears to be a comfort moderately than a serious benefit. And positive, Quest 3 can’t play any Steam content material whereas standalone, however that’s why it has its personal big library of standalone VR content material… the one factor lacking from Quest 3 when in standalone mode then is flat Steam video games, however who amongst us is dying to placed on a VR headset to play flat video games?
Possibly it would grow to be extra obvious as soon as I’ve extra time to spend with Body. However, as of now, I’m not fairly seeing the important thing worth proposition over one thing like Quest 3.
There’s two key issues Valve may do to make me wish to attain for a VR headset when enjoying flat video games: 3D rendering for flat content material and ‘socially current’ gaming.
The primary would imply in some way including stereoscopic rendering to most flat video games so that they would seem 3D contained in the headset (although this is able to be no simple activity). And the second could be one thing like letting me sit on a digital sofa subsequent to my Steam pals so we are able to play and watch one another’s sport streams side-by-side (as if we had been enjoying on a sofa subsequent to one another). Sadly Body isn’t doing both of this stuff at current.
There’s little question that Body has a really fascinating modular design. And perhaps its direct-connection dongle with foveated streaming will turn into extra dependable and visually superior in comparison with streaming to a standalone headset with Steam Hyperlink and a daily router setup. However is that sufficient to offset some great benefits of different choices available on the market?
Really, I suppose it’s too early to see how the technique for Body will pan out in the long term. However I look ahead to testing Valve’s thesis as soon as I can see how Body suits into my life as a median gamer who already spends lots of time on Steam.
Extra Steam Body Announcement Protection
Valve Unveils Steam Body VR headset to Make Your Total Steam Library Transportable: Valve exhibits off Steam Body, the standalone headset that may stream and natively play your whole Steam library—with just a few caveats proper now.
Steam Body’s Value Hasn’t Been Locked in, However Valve Expects it to be ‘cheaper than Index’: No worth or launch date but, however Valve implies Steam Body shall be cheaper than $1,000 for the complete Index equipment.
Valve Says No New First-party VR Sport is in Improvement: Valve launched Half-Life: Alyx (2020) just a few months after releasing Index, however no such luck for first-party content material on Steam Body.
Valve is Open to Bringing SteamOS to Third-party VR Headsets: Steam Body is the primary VR headset to run SteamOS, nevertheless it will not be the final.
Valve Plans to Provide Steam Body Dev Kits to VR Builders: Steam Body isn’t right here but; Valve says it wants extra time with builders first to allow them to optimize their PC VR video games.
Valve Broadcasts SteamOS Console and New Steam Controller, Designed with Steam Body Headset in Thoughts: Discover out why Valve’s new SteamOS-running Console and controller will work seamlessly with Steam Body.
Steam Body vs. Quest 3 Specs: Higher Streaming, Energy & Hackability: Quest 3 can do lots, however can it go toe-to-toe with Steam Body?
Steam Body vs. Valve Index Specs: Wi-fi VR Gameplay That’s Generations Forward : Valve Index was once the go-to PC VR headset, however the instances have modified.
