As of its latest beta release, Valve’s SteamVR software program can add floating desktop home windows inside VR video games, letting you control different apps with out leaving VR. It’s a useful addition, permitting gamers to control something from Discord, to a Twitch chat, or Netflix throughout a lower-intensity sport. Road to VR suggests you may even watch YouTube throughout longer flights in Elite Harmful.
The power to work together with the remainder of your desktop from inside SteamVR’s dashboard will not be a brand new function, however lately Valve has been making the system extra versatile. Earlier this 12 months it added the choice to view particular person software home windows within the dashboard, and to be nearly attached to VR controllers ingame. This made apps viewable at a look, however till now it lacked the power to drift home windows persistently ingame.
With the newest launch, you’ll be able to nonetheless decide to have a window connected to your controller, or pull it off to have it float in digital area. The home windows are view-only when you’re really taking part in a sport, however you’ll be able to open up the SteamVR menu to work together with them utilizing a VR controller as a mouse pointer.
The brand new floating home windows can be found as of model 1.19.6 of SteamVR. This model of the software program is at the moment out there in beta, but it surely’s comparatively simple to decide in by way of SteamVR’s properties window (accessible by proper clicking it in your Steam video games record). Regardless of all the brand new options being added to the VR platform, there’s nonetheless no signal of model 2.0 of SteamVR that Valve teased early last year.