Valve has introduced a new VR headset called the Steam Frame, designed primarily for streaming games. A notable feature of this headset is its use of foveated streaming. This technology requests a higher-quality image for the user’s direct line of sight while reducing the resolution of peripheral vision, which aims to decrease bandwidth and processing demands.
The operation of foveated streaming involves a wireless streaming adapter that transmits games from a PC to the headset, alongside eye-tracking cameras that monitor where the user is looking. This concept is akin to foveated rendering, utilized by other headsets like Apple’s Vision Pro, which manages image processing directly on the device.
Valve has stated that foveated streaming is not limited to the Steam Frame alone. While currently optimized for this headset, the feature can potentially be used with any headset that supports eye tracking and is compatible with the Steam Link streaming app, according to hardware engineer Jeremy Selan.
While there have been positive impressions regarding the performance of foveated streaming, with reports indicating users find it difficult to notice any latency when playing high-demand games like Half-Life: Alyx, Valve has not disclosed specific timelines for when this feature might be available for other headsets or which models may support it. However, it has been indicated that other VR headset owners could benefit from this technology for gaming experiences.
On a related note, Valve does not appear to be planning to extend the wireless adapter’s compatibility to other VR headsets. Selan mentioned that broader support for the wireless adapter poses challenges without lower-level operating system support, which is currently provided by SteamOS.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/news/817993/valve-vr-steam-frame-foveated-streaming-rendering-link