Last week we reported on the first video of a developer getting SteamVR Home up and running on Valve’s Steam Deck handheld console. Now Cloudhead Games has got VR rhythm hit Pistol Whip on the device.
Well, sort of.
CEO Denny Unger shared the video below on Friday. It shows him balancing the Steam Deck on his lap as he plays the game with a Valve Index in hand, navigating the menu and even jumping into a level. It looks like it runs pretty well but say Unger then shows, it’s not actually getting any output in the headset itself. It’s just a mirrored display.
Steam Deck Running Pistol Whip (Sort Of)
Steamdeck update: Shock to no-one; this is a devkit. Second shock to no-one; Valve was clear that this was NOT for VR. Third shock to no-one: It will take time to understand what the capabilities are and how to optimize. This is about a potential future, not the right now. pic.twitter.com/AYOzN93c3r
— Denny Unger @CloudheadGames (@DennyCloudhead) September 24, 2021
That’s a bit of a problem. But, as Unger points out, this is just a dev kit and, more importantly, Valve didn’t build Steam Deck specifically to run VR hardware. The company has said on numerous occasions that owners can hook up VR and run it if that’s what they want, but there are no guarantees on how well it will actually work.
“We are just experimenting to see how far we can push the hardware,” Unger says. “It’s not really about what’s going on now with Steam Deck, it’s about where it might go in the future.”
That future is key, as Valve has already hinted that Steam Deck is “relevant” to their future plans for VR, suggesting the company could one day make a standalone SteamVR headset. For now, though, you probably shouldn’t consider a Steam Deck if you’re looking for a new VR setup.
