Steam Frame news to start the day: Valve has released the SteamOS 0.5.7 beta for the Steam Frame, and it’s a busy little update. It brings WebXR support to the headset’s browser, steadier tracking on some units, better microphone controls, new controller bindings for a few VR games, and one change that has people talking: Advanced Supersampling support has been removed.
I spotted it thanks to u/woofoo1kunoofoo, who shared Valve’s notes on r/SteamFrame, where the post has passed 200 upvotes and a lively comment thread. Thanks to them and to the r/SteamFrame community for flagging it so quickly. Below I’ll go through what changes for Frame owners, how to opt in, and the supersampling trade-off.
How to get the SteamOS 0.5.7 beta on Steam Frame
This is a Beta channel release, so it won’t arrive on its own if you’re on the stable branch. On the headset, go to Settings > System > System Update Channel, switch to Beta, and check for updates. Valve describes the channel as containing new features that are still being tested, so if you rely on your Frame for anything important, it’s worth waiting for the stable release.
One of the audio changes also needs the current Steam Client Beta, which is a separate switch. You’ll find it on the headset under Settings > System > Steam Client Update Channel. I’ll come back to why you might want that further down.
SteamVR 2.19.1 and steadier tracking
The OS update brings SteamVR up to version 2.19.1. I already covered the big part of that release, which raised the default streaming resolution and sharpened text and detail, in my SteamVR Beta 2.19.1 article, so I won’t repeat it all here. The short version is that if you set your streaming options back to Auto, you get the new, sharper defaults.
What’s new on the OS side is the rest of Valve’s SteamVR list for the headset itself:
- Improved vibration filtering for pose prediction, which Valve says was affecting some units. If your view has felt slightly shaky or jittery, this is the fix to look out for.
- The display now dims for 30 seconds before the headset goes to sleep, so you get a warning rather than a sudden black screen.
- Foveated sharpening no longer depends on eye tracking. Before, turning eye tracking off also switched the sharpening off. Now it stays on and simply defaults to the centre of the view.
- The guided tour keeps Steam docked front and centre.
The foveated sharpening change is the one I like most. Plenty of people turn eye tracking off for comfort or privacy, and until now they lost the sharpening along with it. Keeping it on, centred, means those players still get a crisper image where they’re most likely to be looking.
Advanced Supersampling is gone on Steam Frame
The line that stands out in the notes is short: “Removed Advanced Supersampling support on Steam Frame”. Valve doesn’t give a reason in the patch notes, and the top comments in the r/SteamFrame thread are asking exactly that. I don’t want to guess at Valve’s thinking, so I’ll stick to what this means for you.
If you had Advanced Supersampling switched on, it won’t be there after you move to the SteamOS 0.5.7 beta, so expect the image to look a little different in some games. The trade-off is that you get the other fixes in this release, including the tracking filter and the foveated sharpening change, which both affect how sharp and stable things look. If the setting mattered a lot to you, staying on the stable channel for now is the simple answer, and it’s worth watching the official notes to see whether Valve says more when this reaches everyone.
Frame Controllers: 0% battery fix and new default bindings
There are two changes for the controllers. The battery reading now shows correctly when it reaches 0%, and Valve has added default bindings for Chromalab, Batman Arkham and Doom VFR. Default bindings mean those games should work with the Frame Controllers out of the box, without you having to hunt for a community layout first.
WebXR comes to the headset’s browser
Under the OS section, Valve has enabled WebXR support in Chromium 157 and up. WebXR is the web standard that lets sites run VR experiences straight in the browser, so with a recent enough Chromium on the headset, you should be able to open WebXR demos and experiences without installing anything. It’s a small line in the notes, but it opens up a whole category of free VR content on the Frame.
Audio fixes and new microphone controls
The audio changes are worth having too. Valve has fixed a bug where audio would stop working through USB or Bluetooth speakers if an app tried to use the microphone. If you’ve had sound cut out the moment a game or chat app grabbed the mic, this should sort it.
There are also new controls to turn off the microphone’s echo cancellation and noise suppression separately. That builds on the SteamOS 0.5.6 beta, which added echo cancellation and noise suppression for external microphones. Being able to switch each one off on its own is handy if you use a good external mic and prefer its own processing. Remember, these toggles need the current Steam Client Beta as well as the OS beta.
Steam Frame news verdict: is the SteamOS 0.5.7 beta worth it?
For most Frame owners who are happy on the Beta channel, I think it is. The tracking filter, the sharpening change, the speaker fix and WebXR are all useful, and the new bindings save a bit of setup in three games. The only real catch is Advanced Supersampling. If you depended on it, hold off and keep an eye on the stable release instead.
You can read Valve’s full notes in the SteamOS 0.5.7 Beta for Steam Frame announcement. If you’ve already updated, I’d love to know whether you’ve noticed the tracking change, and how you feel about losing Advanced Supersampling. I’ll keep following the Steam Frame news as this beta heads towards a stable release.
