Valve Releases Native Steam Link App For Apple's Vision Pro (macobserver.com)
- Reference: 0181410914
- News link: https://games.slashdot.org/story/26/04/08/0554203/valve-releases-native-steam-link-app-for-apples-vision-pro
- Source link: https://www.macobserver.com/news/steam-link-beta-now-available-on-apple-vision-pro-with-native-visionos-app/
> Steam Link does not support VR titles in this beta, and Valve clearly states that the app is limited to 2D game streaming, but this still opens up a large library of games that users can play on a massive virtual screen inside Vision Pro.
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> At the same time, Vision Pro already handles 2D media very well, and this update builds on that strength by turning the headset into a portable gaming display that connects directly to your existing setup without needing extra hardware.
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> You can join the Steam Link beta [3]through TestFlight right now, and this early release shows how Apple Vision Pro continues to expand beyond media into more practical and everyday use cases like gaming.
[1] https://steamcommunity.com/app/353380/discussions/7/806847328212494915/
[2] https://www.macobserver.com/news/steam-link-beta-now-available-on-apple-vision-pro-with-native-visionos-app/
[3] https://testflight.apple.com/join/Cye7Gfyy
Non VR VR! (Score:2)
Cool, so people who own an apple VR headset and look at really big screens now for 2D games!
Re: (Score:2)
right, a bummer they didn't get the VR part done in the first release.
i'm'a willin' ta betcha bottom dollah that they'll have a v2 or some update relatively soon that WILL enable full VR experience.
of course you'll have to shell out for those PSVR2 controllers from Sony, though
Re: (Score:2)
VisionOS 26.4 added support for foveated streaming. It wouldn't surprise me if Apple and Steam have been working together on this.
Then again, Apple's treatment of the Vision Pro perplexes me, so who knows what Apple is doing there...
Re: (Score:2)
> Then again, Apple's treatment of the Vision Pro perplexes me, so who knows what Apple is doing there...
I think Apple is trying to figure it out too, so they're just letting it be a developer's playground as in "Here's some cool hardware, now do something with it".
It's a device looking for a purpose, and Apple is just trying to see where that goes. I'm sure most of what we do with smartphones today wasn't what Jobs envisioned back for the original iPhone, so the Vision Pro is similar. Maybe hoping to see if
Re: (Score:2)
> Cool, so people who own an apple VR headset and look at really big screens now for 2D games!
They are getting the same 3D games everything with computer display or TV is getting. About equivalent to an 80in TV.
That said, I've played some VR games on Meta headsets. Immersion can be awesome.
nice (Score:2)
I'm sure the three people who bought the vision pro will appreciate it.
Re: (Score:1)
> I'm sure the three people who bought the vision pro will appreciate it.
I know I do.
Like an 80in TV in the living room (Score:2)
I know one of the others. He says it's like an 80in TV in his living room. Totally happy.
To be fair he's a developer so he has other motives too. Like making sure his iOS apps run correctly, maybe augment them for something vision specific.
And yet no more app for my TV (Score:2)
They got rid of Steam Link for my Samsung TV, but release it for a device so few people own. WTF Valve? My life is measurably worse, but at least the rich f**ks can play 2D games in a VR headset now.
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> They got rid of Steam Link for my Samsung TV, but release it for a device so few people own. WTF Valve?
Why would you use Steam Link for a TV and waste precious network bandwidth and suffer compression artifacts and lag just to avoid running an HDMI cable? Even if it is in different rooms, $90 plus a point-to-point Cat5 cable will solve the problem permanently without all the hassles associated with using software workarounds.
Steam Link makes perfect sense when you're talking about headsets that are mobile, but streaming to a fixed device like a TV set sounds like a niche use case that would be better served
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My gaming PC is on the opposite end of the house, so not only would I have to run a 50' HDMI cable, I'd need a 50' USB cable for my controller, since it can't pair over BT through the multiple walls between the couch and the PC. Believe me, I've tried :) Also, running long cables down the hall and across the living room seems ridiculous and isn't looked upon kindly by the spouse. Steam Link worked perfectly and I mourn its passing every time I try one of the other options that fail to work as well. I'd sa
Re: (Score:2)
> My gaming PC is on the opposite end of the house, so not only would I have to run a 50' HDMI cable, I'd need a 50' USB cable for my controller, since it can't pair over BT through the multiple walls between the couch and the PC. Believe me, I've tried :)
Ever thought about moving the gaming PC? :-)
But seriously, there are cheap wireless KVM solutions for 1080p, and slightly less cheap 4K HDMI wireless extenders. I haven't seen any 4K + USB, but they probably exist. But I'd imagine anything wireless is going to be artifacty.
If you can run a single Ethernet cable in a crawlspace or attic, you can get a [1]KVM extender [avaccess.com] for $153, and that presumably would be a clean, near-zero-latency HDMI and USB repeater (because it's probably just a bunch of level shifters).
[1] https://www.avaccess.com/products/4kex120-kvm/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23729688950&gbraid=0AAAAACSxytNGl5OE8TBOsTDaMeFBCbcJc&gclid=CjwKCAjw-dfOBhAjEiwAq0RwI0ThKilHNS0iURde1c_DLfdZ6Aze3jI67Qm9NtD_cxSTqoHV0jHmaxoC-dQQAvD_BwE
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Unfortunately my house's attic doesn't extend over the TV area in a way that would work for wiring. You'll have to believe me that all the options have been explored. However, I have a strong mesh setup and had very little trouble streaming a 2K signal from the PC to the TV (which has ethernet to the router) over Steam Link. My current setup uses Apollo/Moonlight to stream from the PC to my Steam Deck, plugged into the TV. But that reduces compatibility (no motion control) and since the LCD Steam Deck do
Re: (Score:2)
LOL. Tell us you never used it without telling us. Some of us don't want to run 30m long HDMI cables from our computers down stairs to the living room. Compression artefacts? Lag? Not sure what you're talking about there. Likewise with network bandwidth given Steamlink required about 40Mbps to stably do 60fps on 1080p. If your network can't handle that then a HDMI cable isn't your concern, you probably have problems keeping the power running in your home.
Also can we briefly address the hilarity of you think
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This has nothing to do with Valve. Valve never made a Steam Link app for any TV. Samsung worked with a 3rd party to create a Steamlink app, the only part Valve did was consent to their name and logo. But an updated app is completely useless anyway. Long before Steamlink was announced as being dropped Samsung royally fucked up the ability to pair game controllers with the TV. Both Bluetooth and USB game controllers had their right analogue stick mapped to TV volume control.
So yeah Steamlink was a great thing
Re: (Score:2)
Good info to have! Then I can't blame Valve for the old app going away, but can we blame them for not making one in the first place? Valve made it for AVP - an extremely niche device that seems likely to have very little commercial benefit for them. Samsung sells more TVs in a month than the total number of AVPs ever sold.
Interesting story (Score:2)
But what is this "Vision Pro" thing you keep referring to?
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I'm in the same boat, I just assumed it was quietly discontinued and never to be spoken of again.