The HTC Vive virtual reality headset with hand controls and sensors.
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Valve enables gamers to play non-VR games on the HTC Vive

  • Posted byby Dean Takahashi
  • Updated
  • 1 min

Valve just announced that it has launched an early beta test for the SteamVR Desktop Theater Mode, which enables gamers to play non-virtual-reality games with VR systems.

The new mode will work with the upcoming HTC Vive virtual reality headset, and it will be shown off at next week’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. VR is expected to become a $30 billion market by 2020, according to tech advisor Digi-Capital. And GDC will be full of VR companies trying to win over hearts and minds.

We haven’t seen this mode yet, but it looks like a way to provide more content on VR systems in their early days, when there isn’t that many dedicated VR games available yet. It’s not likely to cause anyone to buy a new VR system, I would guess. But it could give people something to do in VR while they’re waiting for more content.

 

Written by

Dean Takahashi

Dean Takahashi is editorial director for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He has been a tech journalist since 1988, and he has covered games as a beat since 1996. He was lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat from 2008 to April 2025. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, the Red Herring, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Dallas Times-Herald. He is the author of two books, "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked." He organizes the annual GamesBeat Next, GamesBeat Summit and GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conferences and is a frequent speaker at gaming and tech events. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.