SteamOS 0.5.8 is a Steam Frame beta update that keeps streamed PC content visible while camera passthrough is active. Valve says the update’s features are still being tested. The compatible OpenXR mixed-reality feature has an extra requirement: SteamVR’s beta branch must also be enabled on the PC. Valve’s SteamOS 0.5.8 announcement
For the mixed-reality feature, the setup involves two beta channels: one on Steam Frame and one on the PC.
The update follows NeoTeo’s earlier coverage of SteamOS 0.4 for Steam Frame.
What Room View changes during PC streaming
Room View uses the headset’s cameras to show the surrounding space. With passthrough active, SteamOS 0.5.8 lets a streamed desktop or game-theater screen stay visible too, rather than hiding that remote content.
The update also lets compatible PC VR games that support OpenXR mixed reality blend virtual content with the camera view. OpenXR is a standard interface for virtual- and mixed-reality software. The update notes name X-Plane 12 as an example. This mixed-reality feature requires the SteamVR beta branch on the PC as well as the Steam Frame beta channel.
How to enable the beta branches
On Steam Frame, open Settings > System > System Update Channel and select the Steam Frame Beta channel. On the PC, open Steam Library > SteamVR > Properties > Game Versions & Beta and choose beta to enable the SteamVR branch needed for the mixed-reality feature.
Other changes in SteamOS 0.5.8
The update sets Steam Frame’s overlay render quality to Low and hides that setting; the notes associate the change with problems when Ultra was selected. They also list improved eye-tracking self-calibration and a fix for low-end gamma response, including inconsistencies between the eyes on some headsets.
For browser and developer support, the notes list a fix for a permission issue that prevented WebXR from working in Chrome v157. They also say streamed OpenXR games can use XR_ENVIRONMENT_BLEND_MODE_ALPHA_BLEND.
Valve’s separate SteamVR Beta 2.19.2 announcement covers a PC-side SteamVR update, distinct from SteamOS 0.5.8.
Steam Community users describe boot hangs
In a Steam Community thread, user paw described a boot hang with SteamOS 0.5.7 and said choosing the previous installation or returning to stable restored their own headset. Commenter n1Ck reported a similar issue after trying SteamOS 0.5.8 on a 1 TB Steam Frame. Read the user reports in the Steam Community thread.
