SteamVR News

SteamVR Beta Updated - 2.3.2

Fixed a performance regression with overlay apps that use WaitFrameSync.
https://steamcommunity.com/app/250820/discussions/3/6087244701377116202/
A reload of the chaperone file will now cause the VREvent_SeatedZeroPoseReset and VREvent_StandingZeroPoseReset to be sent.

OpenXR:

Implemented XR_EXT_local_floor.
XR_REFERENCE_SPACE_TYPE_STAGE will no longer be affected by recentering. Instead, this functionality is moved to XR_REFERENCE_SPACE_TYPE_LOCAL_FLOOR_EXT.
XR_TYPE_EVENT_DATA_REFERENCE_SPACE_CHANGE_PENDING will no longer be sent for STAGE when a recenter occurs, and instead will be sent for XR_REFERENCE_SPACE_TYPE_LOCAL_FLOOR_EXT, when enabled.
xrCreateReferenceSpace will now return XR_ERROR_VALIDATION_FAILURE when a reference space is not active for a session.

SteamVR Beta Updated - 2.3.1

If you encounter issues with this update, please post in the SteamVR Bug Report forum. If possible, please include a system report to aid in tracking down your issue. Replies to this post are not tracked for bug reporting purposes. Please use the forum linked above to report issues.

The Steam Link for Meta Quest FAQ page is available here.

SteamVR:

Some users may have a resolution limit in their settings left over from running a third-party driver. This version of SteamVR will help you remove that limit. If removing it will have no effect, it will be removed automatically. If your current supersampling settings are high enough that you might hit the limit, there will be a button in settings to remove the limit and optionally (recommended) reset your supersampling settings to avoid causing a performance issue.
Prompt the user to switch to the SteamVR OpenXR runtime if it is set to something else. Previously, this prompt was limited to users in the beta branch.
Added a prompt in the resolution settings to remove the old maximum per-eye resolution setting and reset the resolution slider.

OpenVR:

Prevent drivers from directly setting some user settings. This restriction will be expanded in the future as we work through cases where this is currently happening. Drivers that need special behavior should set the relevant properties rather than changing the user’s preference.

Steam Link:
An experimental QoS toggle setting has been added. Users who have experienced difficulty connecting or network hitching/glitches should try using this SteamVR Beta, along with the Steam Link App Beta. Instructions are available at the bottom of this post. Please report your findings on the Steam Link for Meta Quest forums.

Prevent rare crash on NVIDIA encode failure.
Improve NVIDIA performance on some 4-series GPUs, switching all NVIDIA encoding to threaded encode.
Add toggle to disable QoS in network transport.
Show all computers running Steam, even when streaming VR is not available.
Fixed connecting to a computer after a network change on either PC or HMD.

Steam Link Meta Beta Client:

Improve Quest 3 Decode Performance
Add ability to disable client Network QoS by host toggle.

Windows MR:

Fix an issue where games submitting a larger texture than the recommended resolution could exceed the absolute maximum submitted texture resolution of WinMR, which would put the HMD into a bad state until it was restarted.

To fully utilize the updates to Steam Link in this beta version of SteamVR, you must join the Steam Link Public Beta channel for the Meta app. To join, you must install Steam Link to your Meta headset, then you can opt into the Public Beta channel using this link https://www.meta.com/s/1hti7gedQ from your phone, or by using the Meta application on your phone to select the Public Beta channel in the settings for the Steam Link application.

To use the SteamVR Beta, right-click on "SteamVR" in your Steam library list on the left, and select "properties." Then select the "Betas" tab and select "beta - SteamVR Beta Update."

SteamVR Beta Updated - 2.2.4

If you encounter issues with this update, please post in the SteamVR Bug Report forum. If possible, please include a system report to aid in tracking down your issue. Replies to this post are not tracked for bug reporting purposes. Please use the forum linked above to report issues.

To use SteamVR Beta, please select properties on "SteamVR" and select the "Betas" tab and select "beta - SteamVR Beta Update"

OpenXR:

D3D12: Added special handling for apps like OpenXR Toolkit that incorrectly omit XR_SWAPCHAIN_USAGE_SAMPLED_BIT when creating swapchains. This flag is now assumed unless XR_SWAPCHAIN_USAGE_DEPTH_STENCIL_ATTACHMENT_BIT is specified, and a warning logged.

Introducing SteamVR 2.2

With this update, we are adding experimental support for some AMD GPUs to Steam Link. We’ve also addressed several rough edges in the experience and performance of Steam Link.

[h3]Steam Link:[/h3]

AMD GPUs:

EXPERIMENTAL SUPPORT - Recent AMD Cards with HEVC hardware encoders:

RX570 and newer

UNSUPPORTED - Older cards and cards without HEVC hardware encoders:

RX 6400 – No HEVC
RX 6500 XT – No HEVC
Most cards older than RX570
Visual Experience:

Enable 10-bit video encoding on AMD graphics cards with this capability
Enable “Advanced Supersample Filtering”. This improves video quality when using high supersampling rates.
HMD Interstitial performance improvement
Fix frame-sync bug causing extra jitter
Connection Issues:

Allow connection to proceed even in network configurations without QoS support
Error 200 - Allow connections for users with missing QoS bits contributing to error 200
Stream resets and recovery – Reduced friction related to stream resets and recovery for some networks
General:

Fix for multiple crashes particularly when under extreme load
Debug UI improvements
Reduced some log spam
Change headset behavior to reduce reliance on lack of motion for entering "standby" state
SteamVR Session End - Returns user to Steam Link start menu
Speed up how quickly users can click the “Connect” button when starting stream
Fix not updating wifi AP name on interstitial
Improve AMD feedback when running on unsupported cards.
Tweak mini graph levels in debug UI.
Added tongue tracking to OSC output.
Change way SteamVR detects/attempts to connect to Steam, to avoid issue where SteamVR thinks Steam is gone.
Resolved issue causing black screen in 2D UI while transitioning between activities.

[h3]SteamVR:[/h3]

Fix for extended mode "Headset Window" not showing up in Window's taskbar
Supersampling - Re-enable “Advanced Supersample Filtering" for Meta headsets. This allows higher supersampling rates without causing aliasing in the HMD. Can be toggled under Advanced Video Settings. Note: This does not apply to Virtual Desktop.
The ‘VR Dashboard on System Button’ advanced setting is now only visible in the desktop settings menu
SteamVR desktop widget Always On Top temporarily disabled while viewing desktop or 2D app in headset.
Fix for dashboard switching to facemouse mode when dismissing theater screen.

[h3]OpenXR:[/h3]

Fixed a memory leak where calling xrDestroySwapchain on a Vulkan swapchain would not free memory.
Proper D3D12 swapchain usage flag handling (including UAV support).
Mipmap and sample counts are now obeyed for D3D12 swapchain image creation.

[h3]Help & Information:[/h3]

The Steam Link for Meta Quest FAQ page is available here.

If you encounter issues with this update, please post in the SteamVR Bug Report forum. If possible, please include a SteamVR System Report to aid in tracking down your issue. Replies to this post are not tracked for bug reporting purposes. Please use the forum linked above to report issues.

SteamVR Beta Updated - 2.2.3

If you encounter issues with this update, please post in the SteamVR Bug Report forum. If possible, please include a system report to aid in tracking down your issue. Replies to this post are not tracked for bug reporting purposes. Please use the forum linked above to report issues.

To use SteamVR Beta, please select properties on "SteamVR" and select the "Betas" tab and select "beta - SteamVR Beta Update"

The Steam Link for Meta Quest FAQ page is available here.

SteamVR:

The ‘VR Dashboard on System Button’ advanced setting is now only visible in the desktop settings menu.
SteamVR desktop widget Always On Top temporarily disabled while viewing desktop or 2D app in headset.
Fix for dashboard switching to facemouse mode when dismissing theater screen.

OpenXR:

Proper D3D12 swapchain usage flag handling (including UAV support).
Mipmap and sample counts are now obeyed for D3D12 swapchain image creation.

Steam Link:

AMD:
Sharpen image when running at high bandwidths.
Fix an issue where Steam Link could soft-lock above certain bitrates, on particular combinations of AMD GPUs and drivers.
Improve AMD feedback when running on unsupported cards.
Tweak mini graph levels in debug UI.
Added tongue tracking to OSC output.
Reduce verbose logging.
Change way SteamVR detects/attempts to connect to Steam, to avoid issue where SteamVR thinks Steam is gone.

Steam Link Client: (Requires both SteamVR Beta and Steam Link for Meta v2.0.2.638 beta enrollment, see below)

Improved haptic response.
Resolved issue causing black screen in 2D UI while transitioning between activities.