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Steam Frame

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521–530 of 717 posts

Re: Steam Frame

#521

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it depends on whether or not you have good 6ghz connectivity. The headset comes with a 6ghz usb dongle pluggable to your rendering PC for locales without a 6ghz router or good 6ghz penetration, but due to 6ghz lack of wall-penetrating capability, that's probably going to be more/less line-of-sight. The LTT video [0] does explicitly mention the ability to use either mode of connection though- over your existin…

I thought 6Ghz is not allowed world wide? For example Germany? Are you sure it's not just wifi6?

[deleted]

Re: Steam Frame

#522
post #424

I would've never bet on an Arch being the one that won the gaming market, but here we are. Wild.

I am running Endeavour OS an Arch based distro, and it has been almost hassle free for games. Even less hassle than windows since I didn'teven have to download and install GPU drivers. Games with anti-cheat sometimes won't run, but that's not the fault of the OS.

I don't play just niche games either, AAA titles work too. Currently playing Arc Raiders without issue and that only just came out. Installed it via steam, started playing. 10 years ago I would never have seen this coming.

Re: Steam Frame

#523

Earlier quoted context omitted.

SteamOS at its base is just Arch with Steam and some additional software installed.

that doesn't in any way mean you can install an alternate OS. But i get your point that at least you can run Arch stuff. Isnt Arch ARM support unofficial? (its been ages since i tried) You dont hear of people running it on RPis for example

https://lists.archlinux.org/archives/list/arch-dev-public@li...

They're being a little vague about it but this collaboration to improve Arch's build service/infrastructure is being done in part to faciliate support of multiple architectures.

iirc it was in Tested coverage that Valve said the hardware supports other OSes. It'd be out of character for Valve not to allow for this.

Re: Steam Frame

#524

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it depends on whether or not you have good 6ghz connectivity. The headset comes with a 6ghz usb dongle pluggable to your rendering PC for locales without a 6ghz router or good 6ghz penetration, but due to 6ghz lack of wall-penetrating capability, that's probably going to be more/less line-of-sight. The LTT video [0] does explicitly mention the ability to use either mode of connection though- over your existin…

I thought 6Ghz is not allowed world wide? For example Germany? Are you sure it's not just wifi6?

Germany allowed it in 2021 or so.

The biggest variation is above 6 GHz: most of the world allows 5.9-6.4 but reserves 6.5-7 GHz for cellular or haven't decided yet if it'll be for wifi or cellular. There's a nice map on https://6ghz.info/

Re: Steam Frame

#525

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Valve is focused on making a device that works well with their existing game catalog. It's a Steam device first, and it needs to be inexpensive to compete with Quest (which is subsidized by Meta), so they need to prioritize which features get included. I wouldn't be surprised to see a first party AR camera attachment a while after launch. The expansion port seems specifically designed for this, with the inclusion of…

I get that there needed to be tradeoffs, I just disagree with this particular one. I could suggest many other ways to save ten bucks in hardware costs. Any other cost saving measure would still allow to play the same games, just with worse performance. But this choice cuts the stock device off from an entire class of apps - in my opinion the best of them all.

I'm sure they did their market research. For me it's the exact opposite. Performance is absolutely key to me, and AR is just a fad in my eyes. All it does for me is give a glimpse into the real world if I'm about to bump into something. AR games are scarce and have never truly impressed me.

Re: Steam Frame

#526

Earlier quoted context omitted.

that doesn't in any way mean you can install an alternate OS. But i get your point that at least you can run Arch stuff. Isnt Arch ARM support unofficial? (its been ages since i tried) You dont hear of people running it on RPis for example

Well. It doesn't say in any docs or specs, but for what it's worth, Valve's hardware has always been open like that. You're free to install windows on your steam deck, for example.

> Well. It doesn't say in any docs or specs, but for what it's worth

They do hint that you can install a different OS on it:

> Just like any SteamOS device, install your own apps, open a browser, do what you want: It's your PC.

Every other SteamOS device does allow you to install whatever OS on the device, so seems Frame will be the same, judging by that landing page blurb.

Re: Steam Frame

#527

Such a miss not having good full-color AR included. I’m a VR enthusiast with a Meta Quest 3, and it’s a shame that this headset is better than the Quest in every way except the most important one. In my opinion, VR gaming never becomes more than a gimmick. It adds a questionable improvement in graphics and immersion at the incredibly high cost of excluding yourself from the real world. Right now it’s not worth it, an…

I have little to no interest in AR and i'm glad they didnt waste more money or resources on it. I don't use it on my Q3 and I wouldnt use it on this.

Exactly. Performance is welcome for everyone. AR is, right now, a gimmick that would eat into performance if you kept the price point the same. Good choice by Valve imo.

Re: Steam Frame

#528

I'm disappointed it seems to have dropped lighthouse tracking with the previous Valve Index. Especially because with the Valve Knuckles controllers are my favorite with how they strap to your hand.

Per the LTT video [0], the new Steam Frame controllers will have a (separately purchasable) accessory pack which includes a knuckles-like strap. Supposedly the controllers have enough capacitive-sensing ("on every input surface, and on the grips") for knuckles-like five finger tracking. Linus says "just like" the valve knuckles a couple times, but who knows how they'll feel comparatively. I've personally never used t…

These new controllers look just like the Quest 3 controllers. Ergonomically I really like them, and they have capacitive touch for most surfaces as well.

Re: Steam Frame

#529

This is the first standalone headset with an open ecosystem. That's a big deal. Meta Quests & Apple Visions require developer verification to run your own software, and provide no root access, which slowed down innovation significantly.

I just want a "dumb" headset that I can use as a portable private display for my laptop. That's it. I don't need 3D, I don't need VR, I don't need weirdass controllers trying to be special. Just give me a damn simple monitor the size of my eyes. Fuck off with your XR OSes and "vision" for XR, not even Apple could get it fully right, the people in charge everywhere are too out of touch and have no clue where the fuck…

HUD glasses kind of suck since having a display oriented to your head is uncomfortable. Adding 3DOF tracking only partially solves that, so you go 6DOF to maximize optical/vestibular comfort. Now you're rendering a virtual display within a virtual environment, but look at all that wasted space! So add more virtual monitors! Now you need some mechanism to manage them, so you add that and now you have a windowing system... so why are you rendering virtual monitors with fixed space desktops when you can just be rendering the application windows themselves?

The best portable private display for your laptop will inevitably be a 6DOF tracked headset with an XR native desktop.

Re: Steam Frame

#530

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.

The weight on your face is half that of Quest 3, they put the rest of the weight on the back which perfectly balances it on your head. It's going to be super comfortable.
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