this post was submitted on 12 Nov 2025
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Just cause apps exist that they to use it doesn't mean anyone uses it. Google Cardboard apps are still on the android app store, do you use that?
Because they don't need to? Steam VR has way more VR apps than the other platforms
I genuinely don't get your point. Popularity is not a criteria that is relevant for my needs. Your preferences are not relevant to my needs. We are different people and that's OK.
Steam doesn't win users and marketshare because of your needs. Or even hardware. It wins users because the steam library is already on the device.
Agreed but I'm not really talking about Steam here.
Are you not discussing factors to a successful foray by steam into VR?
I'm not. To me Steam is already successful with VR and on Linux. I have an Index since day 1. One of my favorite game, VR or not, is Half-life: Alyx. I also anecdotally already have a Steam Deck since day 1.
No rather to me, as I said before it's
namely more precisely how will Valve work impact VR on Linux upstream of Steam itself.
Everyone can say the same thing... your needs are not relevant either then.
Popularity is ultimately what moves the needle, this post was asking in which direction will the needle move... so in this context your personal needs are only relevant in relation to how popular they are.
Shocking to read in a Linux thread. The entire point of free software and open source is that the need of 1, not even a market but a need, without any budget, might still be relevant and important.
Linux itself is the result of that.
The only reason Linux became a thing is because Torvalds managed to get engagement and popularity amongst a niche community of hackers that happened to share the same needs/goals.
Because what gives it importance is the needs we share. "The need of 1" is measured in relation to "the need of many". Community is a huge piece in the "open source" puzzle. A community of 1 is not a community.. it's a personal space. If you don't share your software with a community then declaring it "open" is pointless.
Also.. when I said "relevant" I specifically meant for the questions raised by OP. I'm not talking about "relevancy" in some weird transcendental way.. I don't believe such a thing exists.. everything has a viewpoint from which something can be said to be "relevant".. however, as you yourself said: "your preferences are not relevant to my needs".
I'm not sure if we're having the same conversation, they addressed 5 items but now my actually questions on the more structural aspect.
Yes, I think you're talking about something else, related to your particular needs. But the post OP opened (which you were replying to) was about discussing what "implications for Linux" would the new Steam hardware have.
I feel the only part in your comment that was somewhat relevant to the question raised by OP was:
Yes precisely that part.
Those are open questions that I don't think we can answer yet.
If you are asking if Valve did make changes there, I'm expecting the answer is likely no. They haven't shown anything regarding KDE/desktop mode on the Steam Frame. And we have yet to see how exactly this is integrated with gamescope. But if the device does become popular and interest grows for Linux VR development, then I expect we'll see people trying to make new VR environments for Linux (or adapt existing ones for VR).
However, given that Valve plans to offer ways to play non-VR games with the Frame, I expect one could add a nested wayland session as if it were a non-Steam non-VR game, so in the VR environment from SteamOS one could have a floating screen showing a traditional KDE session relatively easy, I would expect. And in that sense one could have a desktop VR environment standalone, in the Frame.
Sadly my professional bet (FWIW I did discuss with people at Valve about the immersive browser back in 2016... back when WebXR was still WebVR) is that they at "best" will rely on a Steam desktop, not go more upstream.