In a recent demonstration of Valve’s new Steam Frame VR headset, the experience of streaming the game Half-Life: Alyx from a PC was reportedly impressive. The headset features a dedicated wireless adapter and utilizes a method called “foveated streaming,” which allegedly minimized any detectable latency during gameplay, allowing users to explore environments and engage with in-game enemies effectively.
The Steam Frame includes an Arm chip that enables it to run games locally. Although there has not yet been a trial of Half-Life: Alyx running in a standalone mode, Valve has expressed optimism about the possibility of achieving satisfactory performance for the game outside of a PC stream. Their comments have suggested that there are ongoing efforts to explore this option.
According to Valve, Half-Life: Alyx is considered a strong experience when streamed from a PC, and they are actively investigating how to enhance its standalone capabilities. Reports from outlets like Digital Foundry and UploadVR indicate that although Valve’s representatives believe they can optimize the game for standalone play, they have not made formal promises, acknowledging that further work is necessary.
As Valve continues to develop the Steam Frame and its potential capabilities, questions remain about the timeline and the feasibility of providing a robust standalone experience for Half-Life: Alyx. The anticipation around this development suggests that both the gaming community and Valve are keen to see how it unfolds.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/news/820503/valve-half-life-alyx-steam-frame-standalone-vr