The beta version of SteamVR is more welcomed by users since there are many new features and improvements added to it; for instance, the new interface, the new icon, and the new feature allowing users to arrange desktop windows more conveniently. MiniTool Solution will introduce these features to you one by one in the following content.

What Is SteamVR & SteamVR Beta

What is SteamVR? It is actually a PC virtual reality platform provided by Valve Corporation, also known as Valve Software, which is an American video game developer, publisher, and digital distribution company. The SteamVR can be used in different systems: Windows, macOS, and Linux, and it can give support to all PC VR headsets. As you may know it or not, the runtime is downloaded and updated via Steam.

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As you can see from the name, the SteamVR beta refers to the beta version of SteamVR. A lot of people prefer to choose the SteamVR beta over SteamVR because the former contains many new features and designs that the latter don’t have. In the content below, I’ll introduce the main features of the beta version of the SteamVR software and how to opt-in to it.

SteamVR beta

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New Features & Improvements in SteamVR Beta

Three main changes are found in the beta version of SteamVR. Now, let’s take a look at them in brief.

One: New Interface

The user interface of SteamVR mostly remains the same since it was released. However, Valve added the all-new dashboard to SteamVR beta. The desktop settings user interface has been simplified. Valve works out a cleaner and more modern design to match the new interface of Steam client in a better way. It’s also adopted by the in-VR interface (also called dashboard).

The cleaner interface only contains 6 buttons at the bottom: the Menu button represented by three horizontal lines, the Desktops button, the Library button, the Store button, the Volume button, and the Settings button.

Two: New Icon

Previously in SteamVR, the icon of Facebook’s Oculus Quest, which is used as a PC VR headset through Oculus Link, is the same as that of Rift S. Now, Valve added a new icon for the headset. Though the new icon has nothing to do with the functional improvements, it’s a good change for many Quest owners.

Three: Floating Desktop Windows

On August 9, 2021, Valve – the American video game developer – announced that it adds floating desktop windows inside Virtual Reality games, right after the latest release of the SteamVR software’s beta version. This new feature allows users to keep an eye on other applications without even leaving VR.

This adding is indeed very convenient and helpful: users can keep an eye on windows like Discord voice talk, Twitch chat, and Netflix video watch while they’re playing Virtual Reality games; they can even enjoy YouTube content during longer flights in games like Elite Dangerous. That is to say, users get a more flexible system; they can interact with the rest of desktop from the SteamVR beta’s dashboard.

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The option to view individual app windows in the VR dashboard was added to the SteamVR software earlier. It is virtually attached to VR controllers in-game, making the applications clear at a glance. With the release of the floating windows feature, users can choose to attach a window to the controller or make it float in virtual space.

How to Opt-in to SteamVR Beta

This part shows you how to opt-in to SteamVR Beta on a computer step by step.

  1. Open your PC.
  2. Locate the Steam app and run it.
  3. Bring up the drop-down menu from the left pane.
  4. Select Tools from the menu.
  5. Look for the SteamVR and then right click on it.
  6. Choose Properties from the context menu.
  7. Shift to the Betas tab in the Properties window.
  8. Locate the Select the beta you would like to opt into option.
  9. Click to show the drop-down menu.
  10. Look for beta – SteamVR Beta Update and select it.
  11. Close the current window.
  12. Wait until the SteamVR updating process is complete.

Please select NONE – Opt out of all beta programs in step 10 if you’d like to opt out in the future.

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