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Is Your PC Ready for VR? Use Valve's Performance Test

 & Don Reisinger donreisinger@gmail.com

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Valve wants to help you determine whether your PC is ready for virtual reality.

Valve has launched the SteamVR Performance Test, a two-minute evaluation that uses Valve's Aperture Robot Repair VR demo. During the two-minute sequence, the test will collect system data to determine if your machine is capable of running virtual-reality content at 90 frames per second, "and whether VR content can tune the visual fidelity up to the recommended level."

The SteamVR Performance Test comes before pre-orders for the HTC Vive begin on Feb. 29. The virtual-reality headset, an udpated version of which was unveiled earlier this week, will be available to consumers in April. The $799 SteamVR-based headset must be connected to a PC to work, but it can't just be any old PC. The SteamVR Performance Test is designed to take the guesswork out of that.

In addition to telling users whether their PCs will work with VR or not, Steam's tool will tell them which components—graphics card, the CPU, or both—are holding them back.

The SteamVR Performance Test is available now.

While the HTC Vive is one of the more anticipated virtual-reality headsets, it's one of many. Facebook's Oculus Rift is also expected this year, and Sony is hosting an event next month to offer more details about the PlayStation VR.

This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.

About Our Expert

Don Reisinger

Don Reisinger

donreisinger@gmail.com

Don Reisinger is a longtime freelance technology journalist and product reviewer. He covers everything from Apple to gaming to start-ups. You can follow him on Twitter @donreisinger.

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