The Steam Deck is one of the best handheld gaming consoles, and arguably the best way to play your Steam library on the go, thanks to Valve’s well-designed Steam OS. The Linux-based operating system gets every bit of power that the custom AMD APU can provide, enabling a smooth gaming experience with any games that are certified to run on Steam Deck. Since Valve promises a “PC experience”, theoretically including whatever programs the user may wish to install, that got me wondering if the Steam Deck can actually run virtual reality (VR) experiences.
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Can the Steam Deck run VR?
Technically, yes, but it won’t be optimized or a smooth experience
The Steam Deck is a full-fledged portable PC, and there is nothing about its hardware or software that would technically block a virtual reality headset from being connected. To connect most PCVR headsets you’d need to use a docking station, as the Steam Deck doesn’t have a HDMI port. Or you could easily use one of the various headsets that use USB-C. SteamVR even installs on the Steam Deck, but you get a warning message about it not being fully supported, and the menus don’t display properly. Valve even gave us an official answer, with a FAQ page on the Steamworks developers website saying:
Technically it’s possible. We’ve seen people jury-rig it, but we didn’t design and optimize Steam Deck for VR.
One of those ways to “jury-rig” a virtual reality experience on the Steam Deck is to use a virtual desktop program to send the Steam Deck’s display to the VR headset. This is even a necessary step for a headset like the Meta Quest 3, which has a native Steam Link app for wirelessly playing PC VR games from a desktop computer with powerful enough hardware. This is because the app will see the Steam Deck, but it still won’t work with it automatically without taking the extra step. I have found that the third-party apps for playing games in this way are essentially limited to playing 2D games on a virtual screen in VR, rather than genuine VR experiences.
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The other way to use VR on the Steam Deck is by first installing Windows onto the gaming handheld. Users have had varying levels of success running a virtual desktop app, with videos like this one from YouTuber Past and Present showing how to do it. Even some comparisons are available which show the same VR games running on a gaming laptop. Although this is technically VR on the Steam Deck, it requires multiple programs to be set up, and the operating system of the Steam Deck needs to be changed to achieve it.
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Using AR glasses with the Steam Deck is a much better experience
They’re lighter and require little-to-no setup
Using a VR headset is heavy, cumbersome, and requires additional setup. There is a better way to increase the size of the Steam Deck’s display. I enthusiastically suggest using AR smart glasses as a private virtual screen to play your games on. Instead of struggling to see things on a seven-inch display, how does using a gigantic 130-inch FHD virtual screen sound? I love the fact that the virtual screen rests comfortably in front of my face, so I don’t even get neck ache from looking down at the Steam Deck for too long.
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Sure, it’s not VR, but it fixes my main gripe with the Steam Deck, which is the small, lower-resolution screen. It also helps with audio, as the speakers embedded in each arm of the AR glasses are a capable replacement for having to carry around headphones. They’re good enough to replace the Steam Deck’s own speakers, and because they’re not jammed in my ears, I can also stay aware of my surroundings. Maybe a future mobile processor will enable full-fat PC VR experiences on a mobile gaming handheld. Until then, I’ll gladly carry on using my Steam Deck with an immersive, virtual screen.
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Steam Deck
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