SteamVR Update Improves Image Quality for All Steam Link Compatible Headsets

Valve has released a SteamVR beta update that brings improvements to streamed image quality to all supported standalone headsets.

Steam Link is SteamVR’s dedicated streaming app, letting you play your Steam library games on your Meta Quest, HTC Vive Focus, or PICO consumer headset by wirelessly streaming over Wi-Fi.

Now, in a SteamVR blog post, Valve announced the new 2.19.1 beta update brings sharper text, clearer colors, and better detail to VR streaming to those headsets—undoubtedly thanks to the company’s effort to improve Steam Frame’s wireless PC streaming function.

Notably, improvements are said to benefit all streaming VR applications, the SteamVR interface, desktop streaming, third-party overlays, and the theater screen.

Additionally, Valve says Steam Link now defaults to a higher recommended render resolution for streamed PC VR, targeting 1.4 × the headset’s panel resolution.

Color clarity was also improved, using higher-quality filter to downsample color before encoding, preserving fine colored details, Valve says. You can find the full changelog here.

To get the update, users need to opt into the SteamVR beta. To do that, simply follow the instructions below:

1. With Steam running, navigate to your library.
2. Right click on “SteamVR” in your library list, then click “Properties” in the context menu.
3. Select the “Game Versions & Betas” tab on the left.
4. Select “Beta – SteamVR Beta Update”

If you’re familiar with Steam Link, you likely already have a VR-ready PC. To find out if your PC can handle SteamVR streaming, click here to follow our handy guide.