Valve's first VR app for Meta Quest, Steam Link, simplifies access to SteamVR. Meta CTO Bosworth is very excited about this collaboration.
Steam Link was released a week ago and has been well received by PC VR users.
Steam Link makes it easier to stream PC VR games to the Quest headset, and unlike similar solutions like Meta Air Link and Virtual Desktop, Steam Link doesn't require PC software other than Steam and SteamVR itself.
The announcement came as a surprise, as Valve has paid little attention to the PC VR platform in recent years. Almost every headset used on a PC these days is a Meta Quest. Therefore, it makes sense for Valve to simplify access to SteamVR with a dedicated app.
Steam Link is Valve's first VR app released on the Meta Quest store, and in the latest AMA, Bosworth tells the story behind the collaboration:
The Valve team reached out to us and said, "Hey, we've noticed that a lot of people on our platform are using your headsets. Can we build something to connect both users?By the way, it's free. Obviously, this sounds amazing and a big deal for Valve, Meta, and every user.
It is worth mentioning that the rivalry between Meta and Valve dates back to 2014, when Facebook acquired Oculus, which made key Valve employees such as Atman Binstock and Michael Abrash switch sides. The battle for PC VR headsets and platforms has been raging for years.
In 2019, Facebook ditched PC VR and went all-in on VR with Meta Quest. The Oculus Rift product line has been discontinued, while the Lone Echo II is the last large-scale PC VR game that Facebook has invested in, released in 2021.
Since then, the Meta Rift platform has been dormant, and it's completely unclear how the platform will evolve in the long run. For now, Meta wants to hand over the PC VR baton entirely to Valve, so Steam Link is really a win-win for both parties, and it's also a win-win for consumers.
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