SteamVR’s automatic GPU and headset resolution optimizer makes VR smoother

Valve today announced the beta release of a major new feature for SteamVR users: automatic resolution optimization tailored to both the current GPU and VR headset. Without user involvement, the feature enables connected headsets to experience superior graphics from high-performance GPUs, and the best use of limited resources from low-performance GPUs.

In short, SteamVR will measure your GPU’s speed and tell apps to render headset imagery at an appropriate resolution. On the high-performance side, a powerful GPU that isn’t being fully tapped by a headset will automatically generate supersampled images — ones that are rendered at a higher, smoother-looking resolution than the headset, but sent at the headset’s native resolution for display. But on the low-performance side, if the GPU can’t keep up with the headset’s demands, the resolution will automatically drop to a “slightly lower” level to match the GPU.