Valve has released SteamVR 2.0 after a month in beta. The virtual reality software finally heads to the headset with major changes to the store, keyboard, library, and more.

I don't know if you've used SteamVR recently, but prior to this release the software didn't feel "next generation" or "a new way to play games." While there have been various bug fixes over the years, it has long felt outdated and in need of a serious revamp.

Thankfully, SteamVR 2.0 includes a fairly major overhaul of the interface. It's closer to the Steam app and Steam Deck interface than ever before, and much easier to navigate; as I wrote in my first impressions of SteamVR 2.0, "I no longer have to remove the headset every five minutes" to use the keyboard and mouse to launch games and apps. I no longer have to remove the headset every 5 minutes" to use the keyboard or mouse to launch games or apps.

Since little has changed in the full version released today, that article describes all the tweaks and changes in more detail, but here is a brief overview of the new features by Valve:

With these changes, SteamVR is not a forgotten relic It feels like it is finally part of the Steam ecosystem, not a forgotten relic. That said, there is still work to be done; the VR home screen could use some tweaking to make it a bit prettier and a bit easier to use.

All of these changes seemed to lead to the release of some new hardware, but we have yet to hear any details about it; Valve is said to be working on a new VR headset, codenamed Deckard, but when that will appear No one knows when it will appear.

In the meantime, any headset that is compatible with SteamVR will benefit from these new changes. Most of them are.