The latest major SteamVR update has arrived, coming with it an improvement to Steam Link for Quest.

Initially released in November 2023, Steam Link is Valve’s own app on the Meta Quest Store which allows users to quickly and easily connect their Quest headset wirelessly to SteamVR to play PC VR or flatscreen PC content, essentially letting you bypass Meta’s own Air Link.

The 2.5 update includes a number of bug fixes and quality of life improvements across SteamVR, however if you’re a Quest user, you ought to notice some better stability when it comes to using Steam Link.

SEE ALSO
Quest 3 Finally Replaced Index as My Main PC VR Headset, and I Have Valve to Thank

In the update log, Valve says improvements to Steam Link include:

  • Improved prediction for increased lateral tracking stability.
  • Fix initialization issue causing connection failure. Requires client and server to both be updated.
  • Fix issue causing persistent failure when headset goes into standby and returns.
  • Fix deadlock on host when USB devices are inserted or removed.
  • Resolved two client crashes.
  • Fix an issue with video encoder initialization on certain AMD integrated GPUs.

Check out more about Steam Link here, which includes information on minimum specs and other requirements, and also includes troubleshooting so you can get the most out of your at-home Wi-Fi setup.

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Scott Hayden
Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 3,500 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • ViRGiN

    Cool to see updates for the Valve Deckard app

    • ViRGiN

      I knew I’d be on this like a rash. They’ll be a good three people who haven’t block posters like this.

      But, I’m sure comnents on here will stop Steam, and I can make sure Gabe himself reads my ramblings.

      And PC players especially, it’s a dead platform, right? It’s only been around for decades and VR games are developed on it, but I hate it because, and I know this to be a fact, I’m a prick.

      • ViRGiN

        You forgot to say I hate PCVR cause I can’t afford it

        • kakek

          Are you answering someone I can’t see for some reason ? Cause it looks like you are talking alone to me, and it worries me a bit. ( I don’t remember blocking anyone, don’t know where to check. )

          • ViRGiN

            No, replying to imposter

          • Christy ShitWacker

            Does not appear to be an axe-grinder…

          • Christian Schildwaechter

            Different user accounts by different persons using the same display name and icon. Look at the disqus URL: the one ending in Rj is the original ViRGiN, the one ending in Pu someone else parodying/pissing off the other.

            I blocked both and only see them when not logged in, but my impression is that this morally borderline “identity theft” has been more effective in stopping the original from spewing out an endless deluge of questionable comments than any previous attempts to calmly and rationally counter them with actual facts ever managed to.

    • Dawid

      Do you often hear some voices telling you that PCVR is dead?

      • ViRGiN

        Do you hear some voices nagging you that it is not? Sounds like you do, unable to comprehend fact and evidence, because you might personally enjoy one or three PCVR games.

  • Kenneth Chang

    So much pain recalling the process of making things work, I will try it maybe a few years later

    • ViRGiN

      Room calibration, just like everything else is stuck in 2016 era..

      • ViRGiN

        I’m a funny guy, hi everyone, see me roar !11!1!!11!!!

  • STL

    While I love Steam, especially for PC VR and even more in connection with Nexus and Vortex, the effort for improving Steam Link appears a bit wasted. Isn’t everybody using Virtual Desktop by now? I certainly do!

    • Andrew Jakobs

      No as VD is a paid application. Why pay if you have two free alternatives. I’m glad Valve is also trying to improve their Steamlink. If only it was also available on the Pico 4 (although as I gather, the latest version of Pico connect is also very good).

      • Traph

        From the perspective of a Quest Pro owner, all three have their own niche.

        – AirLink: best compatibility, best spacewarp implementation, only option for wired

        – Virtual Desktop (w/ VDXR runtime): best performance for OpenXR (sometimes significantly so), best UI by a country mile, has a few niche features (eg: chroma key games for passthrough) that are difficult/impossible to pull off elsewhere

        – Steam Link: lowest latency, especially good on Quest Pro where eye tracked encoding lets you drop the bandwidth fairly dramatically with little visual impact. My personal choice for fast paced PCVR like BeatSaber

        • ViRGiN

          “PCVR” + “Beat Saber” …

    • Ondrej

      Valve needs their own free solution to make it streamlined for their customers and potentially also for their own headset in the future, if they decide to release it.

      People tend ot underestimate how important vertical integration is. Just look at Apple. Would you expect them to rely on some other tiny company like that?

    • MeowMix

      No, many don’t use VD. I personally use AirLink because it is a less latent solution, and can push higher bitrates.

  • Foreign Devil

    Still waiting for a solution that works even when your PC is not wired by cable to the router. I’m not moving my PC next to my router and I”m not going to snake a super long cable all across my home. . just to play wireless PC VR. So for now I just use a link cable from headset to PC.

    • ViRGiN

      … like a built-in mobile hotspot? Your internet router can stay where it is, and you can just use a second one from your PC for lan

    • ShaneMcGrath

      Maybe you just need a better router or you are connecting using higher speed but shorter distance like WIFI 6e or 7?
      I play VR in a different room and separated by hallway, So a number walls in the way and I get decent enough WIFI even WIFI 6(non e).
      My router is ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AX11000.
      You could also try a WIFI repeater or extender or set up a mesh network with an older router?

      • Christian Schildwaechter

        A new router can be a gamble, if the issue is dampening by the walls, as newer types of Wifi will occasionally suffer from that even more. Wifi repeaters recasting the signal add at least some latency and increase collisions/reduce speed, if the problem is spectrum congestion. A Wifi network extender requires running an ethernet cable to a second Wifi access point just reusing the DHCP etc. server functions from the original router. It’s technically the best solution, but violates the “I’m not going to snake a super long cable all across my home” condition.

        An alternative solution might be a dedicated network created with a USB Wifi adapter for the PC, which are available for cheap. There is/was also the D-Link VR Air Bridge created in partnership with Meta as a Wifi 6 adapter to connect to Quest 2/3/Pro as a solution for those having troubles connecting reliably to their Wifi router, which might be worth it if other options don’t work, but comes with mixed reviews as a somewhat unfinished product. The configuration can end up in a lot of trouble shooting, it works great for some and not at all for others.

    • NL_VR

      You dont have to “snake a cable” across your home.
      Do it firm and clean and it’s a one time job that pays out alot after.