What you can do beyond games
Yes. Steam Frame can show streamed Windows desktops and local Linux desktops side by side, including three screens from each environment in one six-screen setup.
For video, Netflix and standard YouTube work through Chromium, though YouTube VR does not. VLC can play local video files, while Asobi can stream an entire Sony PS5.
Skybox can play 3D Blu-ray rips in 3D with convincing surround sound. The LCD panels have less-rich color than OLED, while the headset's built-in quad drivers deliver strong sound.
The local Linux desktop can also run productivity software such as GIMP for image editing.
Navigation primarily uses the controllers' virtual laser pointers because controller-free hand tracking is not currently available.
In a mixed six-screen workspace, the streamed Windows screens require the desktop computer's mouse and keyboard, while local Linux screens use Steam Frame's controls. Laser pointers can cross between them, but clicks may sometimes fail.
Streaming individual windows preserves passthrough, but streaming the entire PC does not. In whole-PC streaming, the controllers do not work as a gamepad, and a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse paired with the headset do not work either.
Keep the virtual-screen count conservative: adding a seventh screen in one test made every screen and the interface disappear. Controller buttons did not restore it, so recovery required a reboot.
Movies and desktop use questions
- How can I watch Netflix, YouTube, or local videos?
- Open Netflix or standard YouTube in Chromium, or install VLC for local video files. Dedicated Netflix and YouTube apps are not available, and browser playback does not include YouTube VR.
- What recovery worked after a seventh virtual screen made the interface disappear?
- The documented recovery was a reboot after adding a seventh virtual screen caused all seven screens and the device interface to disappear.