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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteOSC (Open Sound Control) is a way for applications to exchange control messages and parameter values. It is not Steam Frame’s eye-tracking API: Valve documents eye tracking through OpenXR and OpenVR, while Steam Link can share gaze data with other apps through OpenXR and, when enabled, OSC. Whether a VR game can use that data depends on the game and the software route connecting them.
What does OSC do in VR games?
OSC is a message protocol applications can use to send and receive values—for example, changing an avatar parameter or mapping an external controller to an in-game action. It provides a communication route; it does not itself track your eyes, define what every game does with gaze, or guarantee that a game supports a particular OSC input.
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VRChat is one documented example. Its May 25, 2022 release announcement describes an OSC API that lets applications change avatar parameters and read them back. It also describes OSC input for mapping controllers and peripherals, and identifies external eye tracking and face tracking as possible inputs. Those are VRChat capabilities described at that release, not evidence that all VR games accept OSC or tracking data. VRChat’s release announcement
How does Steam Frame eye tracking work with OSC?
There are separate layers: Steam Frame provides eye-tracking data, a runtime interface exposes it, and an application or sharing route determines where it goes. Valve documents the headset’s eye tracking through OpenXR’s XR_EXT_eye_gaze_interaction extension. For OpenVR, Valve names IVRInput::GetEyeTrackingDataRelativeToNow and IVRInput::GetEyeTrackingDataForNextFrame; using these functions requires creating an action of type eyetracking. Valve’s Steam Frame Input documentation
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Steam Link adds an app-sharing option. In a SteamVR release note dated August 9, 2024, Valve said eye gaze could pass through OpenXR when sharing was enabled in Steam Link settings. The note also said users who had enabled the older OSC-sharing option needed to enable the newer setting labeled “Share eye tracking data to other apps on this PC”; it enabled sharing through OpenXR and through OSC when OSC was enabled. This describes the behavior and label documented in that 2024 release, so the current settings wording may differ. SteamVR Beta Updated – 2.8.2
These interfaces are related, but they are not interchangeable: OpenXR and OpenVR are ways software can access tracking data, while OSC is a message route applications can use to exchange data. A game must support the relevant interface or receive the data through compatible software; enabling sharing does not make every game consume eye gaze automatically.
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Which route can carry Steam Frame eye data?
| Route | How data reaches the application | What must support it |
|---|---|---|
| OpenXR | The application reads eye gaze through the XR_EXT_eye_gaze_interaction extension. |
The runtime and application must support the relevant OpenXR interface; Steam Link sharing may also need to be enabled. |
| OpenVR | The application uses Valve’s named eye-tracking functions, with an action of type eyetracking. |
The application must implement the OpenVR route and its required action. |
| OSC sharing | Steam Link can share eye data through OSC when the relevant sharing option and OSC are enabled. | The receiving application or intermediary must support the OSC data it receives; Valve’s cited documentation does not establish a general Steam Frame OSC address/value schema. |
| Third-party UDP bridge | An intermediary reads headset eye data and sends packets to a PC-side module. | The bridge and target software must be compatible. This is an unofficial implementation, not a Valve API requirement. |
Valve’s cited documentation does not establish Steam Frame eye-tracking accuracy, sampling rate, or a general OSC message schema. It therefore does not support claims that one route is more accurate or faster than another.
How do I get Steam Frame eye tracking into VRChat?
There is no single guaranteed plug-and-play path established by these sources. VRChat’s 2022 announcement confirms OSC can support external tracking inputs, while Valve documents Steam Frame’s runtime interfaces and Steam Link sharing behavior. The practical route depends on which software is available and configured to connect those pieces.
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- Check the receiving feature. Confirm that the VRChat setup you intend to use supports the relevant external eye-tracking or OSC input. The release announcement documents VRChat OSC capabilities at its 2022 release; it does not provide a current, complete setup guide for Steam Frame.
- Choose a data route. Use an application that reads Steam Frame data through OpenXR or OpenVR, or use an intermediary that can receive shared OSC data. The receiving software must translate or map the tracking data into something the VRChat setup supports.
- Check Steam Link and SteamVR sharing settings if using shared gaze. Valve’s August 9, 2024 note describes enabling “Share eye tracking data to other apps on this PC” and enabling OSC for the OSC route. Treat the exact label as release-specific and verify it in the installed software.
- Test the complete chain. Verify that the data source, bridge or receiving application, and VRChat input configuration are all active. A sharing toggle alone does not show that VRChat is receiving or applying eye data.
One unofficial example is FrameEye Bridge. Its project documentation describes a headset-side app reading the device’s eye-tracking service and sending UDP packets to a PC-side VRCFaceTracking module. That is a third-party implementation, not Valve’s documented OSC schema or a requirement for every setup. Check the project’s current documentation and maintenance status before relying on it.
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