Live data from Hacker News

Steam Frame

store.steampowered.com

151–160 of 717 posts

Re: Steam Frame

#151

Foveated streaming! That's a great idea. Foveated rendering is complicated to implement with current rendering APIs in a way that actually improves performance, but foveated streaming seems like a much easier win that applies to all content automatically. And the dedicated 6 GHz dongle should do a much better job at streaming than typical wifi routers. > Just like any SteamOS device, install your own apps, open a bro…

> Roughly equivalent resolution to Quest 3 and less than Vision Pro. This won't be suitable as a monitor replacement for general desktop use. The real limiting factor is more likely to be having a large headset on your face for an extended period of time, combined with a battery that isn't meant for all-day use. The resolution is fine. We went decades with low resolution monitors. Just zoom in or bring it closer.

Whether or not we used to walk to school uphill both ways, that won't make the resolution fine.

To your point, I'd use my Vision Pro plugged in all day if it was half the weight. As it stands, its just too much nonsense when I have an ultrawide. If I were 20 year old me I'd never get a monitor (20 year old me also told his gf iPad 1 would be a good laptop for school, so,)

Re: Steam Frame

#152

This is going to be an instant buy for me, and my first VR device ever. I've used the previous Steam VR headset over at a friends' place many times, but never bit the bullet to get one myself. The fact that this can run standalone, doesn't have a bunch of wires dangling from it, and is pretty much a fully working Linux box makes this am almost on-brainer for me. I do _hope_ the price is reasonable though, if it ends…

They've cut some fairly shallow corners, like mono vs color cameras so I imagine getting it within a decent price range has been of high importance. I really doubt it'll be any thing close to $1k.

Re: Steam Frame

#153
post #85

Foveated streaming! That's a great idea. Foveated rendering is complicated to implement with current rendering APIs in a way that actually improves performance, but foveated streaming seems like a much easier win that applies to all content automatically. And the dedicated 6 GHz dongle should do a much better job at streaming than typical wifi routers. > Just like any SteamOS device, install your own apps, open a bro…

> Roughly equivalent resolution to Quest 3 and less than Vision Pro. This won't be suitable as a monitor replacement for general desktop use. But the price is hopefully low. Question, what is the criteria for deciding this to be the case? Could you not just move your face closer to the virtual screen to see finer details?

It's just about what pixel per degree will get you close to the modern irl setup. Obviously it's enough for 80 char consoles but you'd need to dip into large fonts for a desktop.

Re: Steam Frame

#154
post #71

This looks really cool, but USB-A on the wireless adapter? Really?

I'st much less likely to break a usba dongle compare to usb c though.(the area is much mcuh bjgger) And I don't think the dongle really need the 40gb potential of a usbc port.

Re: Steam Frame

#155
post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

AA means they don’t have to handle battery replacements; and it’s not too-too hard to get rechargeable batteries. I would prefer batteries in machine, too; but this does have some sustainability and repairability (by not needing it) advantages.

You're right that it's "not too-too hard" to get them, but it's also "not too-too easy" to actually use them in comparison just plugging a USB-C cable into the device. The process you will have to go through to recharge this will become incredibly annoying for something that will eat through batteries as quickly as a VR headset. Think of all the criticisms Apple has received over the years due to the Magic Mouses cha…

The controller is the only part that uses AA. The computer/headset portion uses USB-C recharging.

I would hazard a guess that the battery in the controller will have a life measured in weeks if not months.

Re: Steam Frame

#156
Anybody know the limiting factor to providing lower IPDs on VR headsets? My wife had always struggled with this with an IPD in the 50s when we were exploring early gen VR headsets. The Frame bottoms out at 60.

Re: Steam Frame

#157
post #94

>2160 x 2160 LCD (per eye) Here's hoping it will be like the Deck and we get Frame OLED in a year or so.

Last time I read up on OLED in VR, it was said that pancake lenses dissipate too much light. Might be dated of course, and iirc there is now at least one OLED+pancake HMD on the market.

I have the Bigscreen Beyond 2 which is OLED + pancake fine. But only if you have the perfect light seal that the BSB face gasket ensures. Your eyes just adjust to it and I never thought about it while using it. The upside of having perfect blacks is sooooo worth it in my opinion. Flight sims in VR at night are an amazing experience

Re: Steam Frame

#158
post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Roughly equivalent resolution to Quest 3 and less than Vision Pro. This won't be suitable as a monitor replacement for general desktop use. But the price is hopefully low. Question, what is the criteria for deciding this to be the case? Could you not just move your face closer to the virtual screen to see finer details?

There's no precise criteria but the usual measure is ppd (pixels per degree) and it needs to be high enough such that detailed content (such as text) displayed at a reasonable size is clearly legible without eye strain. > "Could you not just move your face closer to the virtual screen to see finer details?" Sure, but then you have the problem of, say, using an IMAX screen as your computer monitor. The level of head m…

Even the vision pro at 35ppd simply isn't close to the PPD you can get from a good desktop monitor (we can calculate PPD for desktop monitors too, using size and viewing distance).

Apple's "retina" HiDPI monitors typically have PPD well beyond 35 at ordinary viewing distances, even a 1080p 24 inch monitor on your desk can exceed this.

For me personally, 35ppd feels about the minimum I would accept for emulating a monitor for text work in a VR headset, but it's still not good enough for me to even begin thinking about using it to replace any of my monitors.

> https://phrogz.net/tmp/ScreenDensityCalculator.html

Re: Steam Frame

#160
post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

you run FEX, not direct ARM games

That doesn't magically fix the Qualcomm GPU or the drivers.

I don’t think you will be on latest nightly. LTS are good and stable, if FEX is targeting those specs I don’t see a stability issue.
Post reply on HN