I lied, the "monitor mode" is still tracking the headset position, so you should restart the game, but it's okay for small things like menuing or whatever

The way SteamVR handles it, yeah—you're already in desktop mode all the time while also streaming VR to the headset.

I spent weeks laser and core mining in a cheap Quest 2 headset. Shame those activities don't pay well, but it was 1000x more enjoyable for me.

Everything else is slightly better too, with the unfortunate exception of on-foot content which throws you out of VR and into a virtualized monitor mode.

Though I haven't shot the FAMAS, 3-round burst fired from an M4 is clearly distinguishable from firing a single round (and alerts range safeties within a 300m radius)