If there was any question whether or not the Rift S will work with Steam and SteamVR content, the answer is definitely yes. Even though the headset doesn’t ship for another three weeks, the Rift S already works just about flawlessly with SteamVR games, save for a bug which prevents the Rift S controllers from rumbling.
As Valve has committed to keep Steam an open platform for VR headsets, the company has ensured that the original Rift has worked with SteamVR content since day one. That openness will continue with the Rift S, which means that both the Rift and the Rift S will be able to play Valve’s mysterious “flagship VR game” when it launches later this year.
We tested the Rift S with SteamVR and found that it works just about flawlessly even though the headset doesn’t launch for a few weeks still. There’s presently a haptics bug which is preventing the Rift S controllers from vibrating at all, but we have no reason to expect this won’t be fix by (or near) the actual launch of the headset.
Everything else worked as expected, like using the SteamVR menu to browse the content library; games like Beat Saber and The Lab ‘just worked’, though in cases where the Rift S controllers should be shown, the models for the original Rift controllers are still shown instead, though this is very likely to be fixed in the near future.
Interestingly, even one of the Rift S’s major new features works just fine in SteamVR already. Passthrough—which allows you to look outside of the headset through the on-board cameras—works perfectly, whether it’s activated manually by double-tapping the Oculus button, and when walking outside of the Guardian boundary when inside SteamVR content. I was also able to call up Oculus Dash and even redraw my Guardian boundary with the passthrough mode without exiting SteamVR.
That’s all good news for Rift S owners hoping to be able to use their SteamVR games out of the box.
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The Rift S became available for pre-order yesterday for $400 and will begin shipping on May 21st. See our Rift S review here.