Steam Frame update adds verification for Valve’s showcase VR games
More games are getting certified
🙌 Valve has certified its standalone VR showcase titles for use on the Steam Frame
👏 The Lab is fully “Verified”, while Aperture Hand Lab is listed as “Playable” standalone on the system
👍 This takes the total number of certified games to three, with Portal 2 being the first
📅 This all forms part of Valve’s extensive backend prep ahead of the headset’s launch
A brand new Steam Frame backend update has seen Valve add compatibility for its own showcase VR games in a large boost for the headset.
As per Steam Hardware Updates on X, Valve has tested The Lab and Aperture Hand Lab with Steam Frame’s standalone compatibility system.
Previously, the headset got its first compatible game – Portal 2 – which was certified with a caveat of its compatibility rating being that it “doesn’t support Steam Frame’s native display resolution and may experience degraded performance as a result”.
However, a further update to the Steam Frame’s compatibility system revealed that 2D games are no longer tested for the native display resolution requirement meant for VR games, which changed Portal 2’s rating from “Playable” to Verified”.
In the case of both The Lab and Aperture Hand Lab, the former is “Verified” while Aperture Hand Lab is “Playable”.
To be specific, The Lab’s compatibility report mentions that “all functionality is accessible when using the default configuration”, that it shows Steam Frame controller icons, has legible text on Steam Frame, and that the default graphics configuration “performs well” on the headset.
For Aperture Hand Lab, the last three points are the same, but it states that the “game displays compatibility warnings when running on Steam Frame” but that it “runs fine”.
Interestingly, Valve is testing the original x86 builds of these games, rather than specially made Arm-based ones, as per Steam Hardware Updates.
This forms one of the latest parts of Valve’s extensive back-end work ahead of the Steam Frame’s release, alongside us getting a first look at the headset’s first virtual environment and localization of the headset’s Welcome Tour tutorial.
There has also been a steady stream of shipments of the device in recent weeks alongside a range of new details emerging thanks to other backend updates. New photos of the device were spotted, and other updates added icons for connectivity.
With the Steam Sale ending at 10am PT today, we may see the Steam Frame launch this week, although that may be wishful thinking.
Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.