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New SteamVR Beta has some essential Half-Life: Alyx fixes for Linux

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While Half-Life: Alyx isn't on Linux (yet—it's coming), Valve are still trying to get it working as good as possible with Steam Play Proton and a new update for SteamVR is up.

This is a SteamVR Beta, so you're going to want to opt into that if you're not already. How to do that? Simply search for SteamVR in your Steam Library (it's in the Tools section), right click on it and go to Properties and then to the Beta tab to select it from the dropdown:

Here's the essential HL:A fixes in SteamVR Beta 1.11.1:

Compositor:

  • Fixed a memory leak in HL:A loading screens
  • Fixed a GPU memory leak in HL:A loading screens on Linux based system
Linux:
  • Fixed a HL:A crash

There were a lot of reports of it crashing, so hopefully this will make it a smoother experience until the expected Linux version with Vulkan sometime later. Nice to see Valve react so quickly though for Linux gamers who own a VR kit! Considering the high price, seeing such support is nice.

More was added to this SteamVR beta too including microphone volume and mute controls in the dashboard, a new audio mirroring beta feature, a new "Far" dashboard position option and other bug fixes.

See the SteamVR changelog here.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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Ehvis Mar 25, 2020
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Quoting: HoriI got an Index 1 week+ ago and I am very disappointed in SteamVR on Linux overall.
I really hope they will fix it. I experience frequent system freezes, bugs in Steam VR Home (left eye has no shadows, skybox, etc) and games refusing to launch, especially Proton games.

It's been a while since I booted into my Windows partition but lately I was kinda forced to switch back to game on that one, which is very sad. And unfortunately all my VR games will likely count as Windows sales.

You wrote pretty much the same message before. Is there any point to that? Especially since everybody could have easily figured out what the state of SteamVR on Linux is.
Ehvis Mar 25, 2020
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Quoting: GuestImagine spending 1000$ on a device that doesn't work very well on Linux because nvidia don't give us support while we spent 500$ or more for a GTX10xx. That's the point, nvidia pls.

So he needs to inform us twice that he didn't pay attention before spending $1000?

Also, I'm running on Nvidia and while it has specific issues with reprojection, it can still be made to work reasonable well. It takes a bit of research and configuration, but nothing that hasn't been know for a year.
cusa123 Mar 25, 2020
Quoting: Ehvis
Quoting: GuestImagine spending 1000$ on a device that doesn't work very well on Linux because nvidia don't give us support while we spent 500$ or more for a GTX10xx. That's the point, nvidia pls.

So he needs to inform us twice that he didn't pay attention before spending $1000?

Also, I'm running on Nvidia and while it has specific issues with reprojection, it can still be made to work reasonable well. It takes a bit of research and configuration, but nothing that hasn't been know for a year.

I see that many users have to ask a company to develop a solution. It would be good to criticize nvidia and use twitter but en masse. The problem is that each one in linux goes to its own ball.


Last edited by cusa123 on 25 March 2020 at 5:56 pm UTC
jrt Mar 25, 2020
The SteamVR beta didn't fixed the crashes on loading screens for me. That said, I could finish the whole game with the workarounds mentioned in the Half-Life:Alyx issue on the SteamVR/proton issue tracker. And it's the best game I have ever played. Performance was not perfect but overall pretty good (and I'm under minimum spec and using Proton + ferals gamemode)
I really hope the vulkan version is not far away. It would also be very great to have a Linux build of Hammer 2.
Corben Mar 25, 2020
Steam VR is still crashing on each level transition in Half Life: Alyx for me with Beta 1.11.1 and latest Steam Beta Client. Other than that it's well playable for me, with some performance drops here and there, but not soo serious.
slaapliedje Mar 26, 2020
While I've been far too busy to give this a try, nvidia works fine on SteamVR. Then again, maybe it is because I have a 2080 RTX? Last time anyhow it's worked for me, I haven't loaded it up in a while. I do know that Elite ran at about 100fps less than it does on Windows, and in VR, that kills your stomach when you try to maneuver in a space station!
I'll have to see how it performs with newer drivers now that Debian unstable has updated.
ElectricPrism Mar 26, 2020
Any AMD Index owners here to weigh in? As a previous Nvidia user I am not surprised in the slightest.

Still waiting on my ship date.
sub Mar 26, 2020
Quoting: ElectricPrismAny AMD Index owners here to weigh in? As a previous Nvidia user I am not surprised in the slightest.

Still waiting on my ship date.

I got the second mail yesterday in the evening for payment and shipment. :)
Now waiting for the delivery.

Didn't hear a single bad word about Alyx.
So looking forward to this.
slembcke Mar 26, 2020
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I bought an Index for work, and have an RX 5700. Three hours in I'm quite satisfied! :D Had a bunch of trouble playing it yesterday, but with the beta fixes + using Proton 5.x I've played for hours without issue. There are stutters when entering new areas that I assume are shader recompilations, but other than that it been running at or above 90 hz for me.

Can't wait for the native Vulkan version. :D
CyberRat Mar 26, 2020
Quoting: slaapliedjeI do know that Elite ran at about 100fps less than it does on Windows, and in VR, that kills your stomach when you try to maneuver in a space station!.

Elite Dangerous? since when does that run on linux?
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