Valve Updates Its Steam Frame Verification System For 2D Games

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Seeing new games getting the compatibility rating for upcoming hardware is a treat, and that’s exactly how I felt when I saw Portal 2 getting rated for the Steam Frame. The upcoming VR headset from Valve has me excited all over the place, and I can’t wait to get back into VR gaming. However, it seems that Valve has made some changes to their verification system for 2D games, which should make more of them get the Verified badge.

Discovered by Brad Lynch, Valve updated its Steam Frame verification system so that 2D games are not being tested for the native display resolution requirement on the Frame. Technically, this requirement would mean that the game has to run at 2160x2160, which may not be feasible for a lot of games, and it wasn’t for Portal 2. However, in an update, this has changed and is no longer keeping Portal 2 from getting the green checkmark.

It makes sense why these 2D games don’t have to follow that same pattern. These are “flat” games, which means they don’t utilize VR spaces for a full range of movement or its gameplay. So, they would be played on a flatter screen and don’t necessarily have to adhere to that resolution that would encompass the entirety of your line of sight. VR games have to do this to ensure immersive experience experiences, but 2D games aren’t one of those. Because of that, we will probably see a lot more Verified 2D games instead of Playable.

I can’t wait for the Steam Frame, and I’m hoping I’ll have better luck picking one up than I did for the Steam Machine, for which I still have yet to get an email.

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