Valve announced its wireless PC VR streaming software, Steam Link, is getting additional support for Apple Vision Pro, although VR game support is still on the to-do list.
The News
Valve announced in a Steam community post that it’s releasing a native Steam Link app for visionOS, which lets Vision Pro users play Steam games via a Wi-Fi connection to their PCs.
Valve’s Sam Lantinga says in the forum post that the update improves network performance, allows streaming up to 4K resolutions, and allows you to dynamically adjust the curve of the display in panoramic mode.
Still, at least for now, the Steam Link beta for visionOS doesn’t include support for VR content—only traditional games via the virtual display. When it does eventually support PC VR games on Vision Pro though, users will need a supported motion controller, such as a PS Sense controller.
Initially released in 2023 for Quest 2 and 3, Steam Link now supports a variety of VR headsets, including the Pico 4 and Pico Neo3 series, HTC Vive Focus Vision, and HTC Vive XR Elite. Notably, Samsung Galaxy XR users have also found their own unofficial way to add Steam Link support to Android XR.
Vision Pro owners can get the beta now through Apple’s TestFlight distribution platform.
My Take
Steam Link on Vision Pro will no doubt be convenient for the odd subsection of Vision Pro users who are also PC gamers, although that’s not really the point. It’s all part of a bigger step in Valve’s next gambit, which just so happens to involve three new bits of hardware: Steam Frame, Steam Machine and Steam Controller. Nope. No idea when any of them are coming or at what cost, but at least Valve’s strategy is fairly clear.
Specifically with Steam Frame, Valve’s upcoming standalone VR headset, the company is pretty plainly attempting to do with VR headsets what it did with Steam Deck, i.e. it’s not only trying to find new ways to directly filter users to Steam, but it’s laying down a blueprint so other companies can follow suit.
And yes, while Steam Frame is a standalone VR headset at heart—and not terribly far ahead of Quest 3 in specs—Valve is essentially couching it as a Steam Deck for your face, capable of downloading and playing practically any flatscreen game on the go on a massive theater-size virtual screen. Sure, it also natively plays optimized PC VR games, and can directly connect to PC VR setups for more graphically intensive games over its Wi-Fi 6E (6GHz) adapter, but those feel more like enthusiast-level things on Valve’s periphery.
A part of Valve’s battle today is to establish some form of Steam connectivity on all devices, because tomorrow’s war may be much larger. Cloud gaming isn’t very diffuse yet, but companies are making real headway. Meanwhile, Valve seems to be staunchly in the “own your hardware, own your game” camp, which will be interesting to see if it holds as a lasting strategy.
For now though, Steam Link on Vision Pro isn’t an end to a means, but rather a way for Valve to ensure that Steam is present wherever high-end XR gaming shows up next. It may not support VR yet, but I’d argue it really doesn’t even need to right now, given how few people likely own a Vision Pro, gaming computer, and compatible motion controllers.
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Steam Link is far from the only way to play Steam games on your Vision Pro. Common setups include ALVR for Vision Pro, and Moonlight XRoS with the addition of Sunshine, essentially an open-source replacement for Nvidia GameStream. Users can also technically use Mac Virtual Display, which is a perfectly cromulent solution if you’re okay with the limited number of macOS-supported titles on offer.
