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To limit Steam Frame eye tracking to one eye, enable Show advanced settings, then open VR Settings > General and turn on Track Dominant Eye Only. Valve added this accessibility option in SteamOS 0.4, released to all users on October 8, 2026. The separate Dominant Eye preference is for spectator view and screenshots; Valve does not document it as the control that selects which eye the single-eye tracker follows.

What the single-eye setting does

Steam Frame has an accessibility option that limits eye tracking to a single eye instead of using tracking input from both eyes. The exact control is named Track Dominant Eye Only. Valve places it in VR Settings > General, but the option is hidden until advanced settings are enabled.

Valve describes the feature as intended for users who want to limit eye tracking to one eye. The release note does not describe a calibration sequence, a performance benefit, a tracking-accuracy guarantee, or a way to assign a specific left or right eye from that toggle. Use the documented control as written rather than assuming it changes other eye-related preferences.

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Steam Frame’s hardware page lists two interior cameras for eye tracking and foveated streaming. Those cameras are part of the headset; setting up single-eye tracking does not require an additional camera, replacement part, tool, or consumable.

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Check the software version before changing settings

The single-eye option is included in SteamOS 0.4 for Steam Frame. Valve announced SteamOS 0.4 as released for all users on October 8, 2026. If your headset does not show the option after advanced settings are enabled, first verify that the headset is running a release that includes SteamOS 0.4 or a later version.

Valve’s announcement and exact menu wording are available in the SteamOS 0.4 for Steam Frame release notes. The hardware specification for the headset’s interior cameras is on the Steam Frame product page.

Settings you need to distinguish

Setting Where it is documented Documented purpose What Valve does not establish
Track Dominant Eye Only VR Settings > General; appears after enabling show advanced settings Limits eye tracking to a single eye as an accessibility option The release note does not explain a manual left/right assignment or how this option interacts with the separate Dominant Eye preference.
Dominant Eye VR Settings Chooses which eye is used for spectator view, screenshots, and similar outputs Valve does not say that this preference determines which eye is tracked by Track Dominant Eye Only.

These controls may sound interchangeable, but they have different documented jobs. Turn on Track Dominant Eye Only for single-eye tracking. Change Dominant Eye only when you need to change the eye represented in spectator view, screenshots, or similar output.

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Step-by-step: enable single-eye tracking

  1. Open Steam Frame’s VR settings. Enter the headset’s VR settings interface. The release notes identify the relevant area as VR Settings.
  2. Enable show advanced settings. The single-eye option is not shown until this advanced-settings control is enabled. Valve’s release note requires it but does not publish the exact menu path for the advanced-settings switch, so use the control labelled for showing advanced settings wherever it appears in your VR settings interface.
  3. Open VR Settings > General. After advanced settings are visible, navigate to the General page under VR Settings.
  4. Turn on Track Dominant Eye Only. Select the toggle with that exact label. This is the setting Valve documents for limiting eye tracking to one eye.
  5. Leave the separate Dominant Eye preference unchanged unless you need it for output. If your goal is spectator view or screenshots, use the Dominant Eye preference separately. Do not assume changing it changes the eye used by the single-eye tracking option.
  6. Return to the VR experience and test the use case that led you to the change. The release notes establish the setting and its location, but do not specify an on-screen confirmation message or a particular calibration result. Check the behavior you actually need rather than looking for an undocumented status indicator.

How to choose the eye used for screenshots and spectator view

Steam Frame also exposes a Dominant Eye preference in VR Settings. Valve says this preference selects which eye is used for spectator view, screenshots, and similar outputs. That is an output-selection function, not a documented replacement for the single-eye tracking toggle.

If you need both behaviors, configure them independently:

  • Enable Track Dominant Eye Only under VR Settings > General after showing advanced settings.
  • Set Dominant Eye in VR Settings if the eye shown in spectator view or screenshots needs to change.
  • Do not infer from a screenshot or spectator image which eye the tracker is using. Valve does not document that the two preferences are linked.

What to do when the option is missing

Advanced settings are still hidden

The most immediate cause is that show advanced settings has not been enabled. Reopen VR settings and look for the control that reveals advanced options. Valve confirms that this prerequisite is required, but does not give the control’s exact menu path in the release note. Once advanced settings are visible, return to General and look again for Track Dominant Eye Only.

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The headset may not have the required release

SteamOS 0.4 is the release in which Valve lists the feature. Check the installed SteamOS version in the headset’s software-information or update interface. If it predates SteamOS 0.4, update through the normal Steam Frame software-update process, then revisit the advanced VR settings. Do not treat an older interface that lacks the option as evidence that the hardware cannot support it.

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You are looking in the wrong section

The documented location is VR Settings > General. The separate Dominant Eye preference is also in VR Settings, which can make the two controls easy to confuse. Search the General page for the exact phrase Track Dominant Eye Only instead of relying on a similar-sounding eye preference.

The interface uses different capitalization or presentation

Valve’s documented label is Track Dominant Eye Only. Menus can present toggles, checkboxes, or grouped advanced controls differently, but the release note does not provide an alternative label. Confirm that advanced settings are on and that you are viewing General before concluding that the control is absent.

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Understanding the “dominant” wording

The word “dominant” appears in both settings, but it does not prove that they select the same eye. In Valve’s documentation, Dominant Eye controls spectator view, screenshots, and similar outputs. Track Dominant Eye Only is described as an accessibility option that limits eye tracking to one eye.

Valve’s SteamOS 0.4 release note does not state whether the Dominant Eye preference determines which physical eye is tracked when the single-eye option is enabled. Therefore, this guide cannot promise that choosing Left or Right in one control will change the tracker used by the other. If your requirement is specifically “track only my left eye” or “track only my right eye,” the published instructions establish how to enable single-eye mode but do not establish a documented manual eye-selection procedure.

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Testing the configuration without conflating outputs

Use a short, repeatable check after enabling the option. First, confirm that the toggle remains enabled when you revisit VR Settings > General. Next, exercise the application or accessibility workflow for which you needed single-eye tracking. Finally, if your concern involves recorded or spectator images, check those separately and adjust the Dominant Eye preference only for that output.

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A spectator image showing one eye does not by itself demonstrate that the eye tracker is operating in single-eye mode, because Valve documents Dominant Eye as an output preference. Conversely, changing the screenshot view does not establish that tracking changed. Keep the two tests separate so that an output change is not mistaken for a tracking change.

Steam Frame camera hardware and what it means for setup

Valve lists 2x interior cameras on the Steam Frame hardware page and identifies them for eye tracking and foveated streaming. The single-eye setting is a software accessibility control layered over that headset hardware. You do not need to cover, disconnect, or modify either camera to use the setting, and the published setup does not call for an external eye-tracking accessory.

The camera count is a hardware specification, not a promise about tracking accuracy, latency, battery life, or visual quality in single-eye mode. Valve’s release note does not provide a benchmark or a before-and-after performance figure for the accessibility option.

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Common mistakes to avoid

  • Searching only the basic settings. The option requires show advanced settings to be enabled.
  • Looking under a display or screenshot page. The documented path is VR Settings > General.
  • Changing Dominant Eye and expecting tracking to follow. Valve documents that preference for spectator view, screenshots, and similar outputs, not explicitly for selecting the tracked eye.
  • Assuming a missing toggle means a hardware fault. Verify the SteamOS version and advanced-settings visibility first.
  • Expecting a documented left/right selector that is not listed. The published release note names the single-eye toggle but does not describe a manual eye assignment control.
  • Adding accessories unnecessarily. Valve’s documented setup uses the headset’s built-in eye-tracking cameras and does not specify an extra accessory.

How to disable single-eye tracking

  1. Open Steam Frame’s VR settings.
  2. Ensure advanced settings are shown if the option is not visible.
  3. Go to VR Settings > General.
  4. Turn off Track Dominant Eye Only.
  5. If you changed Dominant Eye for screenshots or spectator view, decide separately whether to leave that output preference changed; disabling single-eye tracking does not document any automatic reset of it.

What is and is not established by Valve’s documentation

Valve clearly establishes the feature’s name, its menu location, the requirement to show advanced settings, and its inclusion in SteamOS 0.4. Valve also separately documents the Dominant Eye preference for spectator view and screenshots, and lists two interior cameras for eye tracking and foveated streaming.

The published information does not establish which physical eye is selected by Track Dominant Eye Only, whether the Dominant Eye preference controls that selection, whether single-eye mode changes performance, or whether a special recalibration step is required. Treat those points as undocumented rather than relying on assumptions from the shared word “dominant.”

Quick reference

Need Action
Limit eye tracking to one eye Enable show advanced settings, then choose VR Settings > General > Track Dominant Eye Only.
Change the eye shown in spectator view or screenshots Use the separate Dominant Eye preference in VR Settings.
Option does not appear Confirm advanced settings are enabled and that SteamOS 0.4 or later is installed.
Need a specific left/right tracking assignment The published Valve instructions do not document a manual assignment for the single-eye option.
Need extra hardware No extra accessory is specified; Steam Frame has two interior eye-tracking cameras.

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