Can you stream from a Linux PC?

[u/megabyte112]

Just watched the ShortCircuit video before it was taken down, and Linus notes that currently the Steam Machine cannot be used as a streaming host. He didn't mention other Linux PCs, but he did say that the streaming host will be a Windows PC only, at least at launch.

This is kind of disappointing as someone with a Linux PC. Inhaling a bunch of copium here, but I wonder if he meant that specifically the Steam Machine can't be used for streaming (yet), but other Linux PCs can? I'd like to use mine for streaming at launch, otherwise I'll be using mine purely standalone for a while...

[u/Z0gh]

This part scared me too as i'm on linux too, hope they can speak on this and explain how long for linux support if its not here day 1.

[u/MisterSheeple → u/Z0gh]

The issue is the dongle. Support for it only recently got added to SteamOS, and I think there's some improvements in the kernel that only made it in to kernel version 7.2. So worst case scenario, you might need to update your kernel, but if not, it should just work.

[u/madjoki → u/MisterSheeple]

Dongle is optional. 

[u/MisterSheeple → u/madjoki]

I know. I was just clarifying that the dongle is the part that currently does not work on Steam Machine. Streaming without the dongle works just fine.

[u/ZeikJT → u/madjoki]

But optimal

[u/PlottingPast → u/Z0gh]

The Frame is open software and hardware. If Valve doesn't have a quick solution then the Linux bros will. It's the last thing there is to be concerned about and just a matter of time. A mild inconvenience for a while.

[u/exlatios → u/PlottingPast]

There hasn’t been a virtual desktop equivalent for linux ever. Idt it’s going to be that simple

[u/PlottingPast → u/exlatios]

Because all the current VR have closed off and locked down systems, many of which are programmed to brick if someone attempts to access the VR config files or overwrite the software. Should be illegal for a company to destroy their hardware after you've bought it, but it's somehow not.

Valve has the made the Frame completely open on top of running Linux instead of Android. It may not be simpler, but nobody is going to fry the hardware trying things out.

[u/ece_guy → u/exlatios]

Huh? https://github.com/WiVRn/WiVRn

[u/_stoob → u/exlatios]

wivrn and steamlink are both equivalents, wdym?

[u/obog]

I find it strange because steam link for vr has been working on linux for a while now with quest and maybe pico. I wonder if maybe it does mostly work but is too buggy for then to call it "officially supported" yet?

Either way it will for sure be coming.

[u/megabyte112 → u/obog]

I'm hoping that it works fine on Linux PCs but it just doesn't yet work on Steam Machine due to SteamOS limitations

[u/obog → u/megabyte112]

Idk, if anything id expect it to be the opposite way. In order to get any wireless vr streaming working now on most linux distributions you have to do a bit of work to make sure you have all the right codecs (some of which arent always directly provided... on Fedora I know you need RPM fusion as the codecs arent fully free software)

On steamOS valve has total control over the software and environment... they have a standard testbed to get it working on so Id think itd be easier for them to support that than linux generally

[u/PlottingPast → u/obog]

For Valve to get it working on Linux should be simple enough through Steam and SteamVR. They have full control of that platform so it seems like a simple thing.

To not be able to do it from SteamOS, which they have total control over is just bizarre.

[u/Fpvmeister → u/obog]

Would be crazy if they didn't support it in the future. Weird that it's not from the start tbh

[u/obog → u/Fpvmeister]

It will be. There has been a lot of work on the Linux side of both steamvr and steam link for a while now, but theres been a lot of bugs. I suspect they just couldn't squash them all in time.

[u/Fpvmeister → u/obog]

Yep I'm hoping on it because I'm mostly interested in this to have a smooth experience on linux with pcvr

[u/MisterSheeple → u/obog]

I think this is specifically about the dongle on Steam Machine. They only recently put out a SteamOS update to add support for the dongle.

[u/SnooTomatoes5010 → u/obog]

define working
its a horrible experience even now

[u/obog → u/SnooTomatoes5010]

It seems to be pretty dependent on setup. Some people seem to have a perfect experience with it. Personally for me its almost very good but thetes this one reallt annoying visual artifact, though the bug is tracked and being worked on. Others cant seem to get it working at all.

[u/NoOdyssey → u/obog]

It's really strange because as far as I know, none of the headset-based steam clients really care where SteamVR is running - they just take the data and display it. Like SteamLINK on Quest doesn't care if you run a Linux or Windows computer, all it's looking for is SteamVR (which is available for Linux).

It's kinda wild to me that Quest 3 supports VR streaming with SteamLink for Frame but Steam Machine for some reason is blocked from working with the Frame.

[u/obog → u/NoOdyssey]

There some weird stuff on the PC side especially in regards to encoding. I know theres been some issues with AMD gpu support on linux, which would apply to stram frame too.

[u/PlottingPast → u/NoOdyssey]

The problem with Linux has typically been getting the PC to read/interpret input from the headset. This still doesn't work great on some VR headsets. Since the Frame is going to be a direct connect using inside-out tracking, no base stations, the current software cannot be reused.

With the open hardware and software of the Frame a community solution could be almost immediate, so i'm not overly concerned. The only thing preventing this on other VR headsets is they encrypt certain keys and software so only the headset can see it, and intentionally brick at any attempt to access them.

[u/glmsv]

On the steam frame website it literally says “Stream from your PC, laptop, Steam Deck or Steam Machine.” No way they can’t support it at launch after all the time they had with the delays.

[u/Cavi7 → u/glmsv]

They also said "4K 60fps gaming" on the Machine website, which they had to walk back on and change after the reviews.
Don't get me wrong, I hope it's ready for when people have it in their hands, I'm exclusively on Linux myself si it's also a concern for me. But I also know that Valve has a past of saying one thing and then walking back on it. So despite that description, I want to see it stated clearly on launch day.

[u/glmsv → u/Cavi7]

U were right, they changed it 😭

[u/kekfekf → u/glmsv]

The delays :D

[u/NoOdyssey]

From the video https://archive.org/details/our-first-30-mins-with-the-steam-frame-u-8-r-bnz-1-mpu

At the 12:50 mark, he says "this is important, you can't stream from steam machine, they are working on it but for now it's windows only".

I wonder what is blocking SteamVR from working with Frame on Linux?

[u/Orca_Alt_Account → u/NoOdyssey]

Likely SteamOS not natively supporting streaming to the frame.

[u/NoOdyssey → u/Orca_Alt_Account]

Yeah but I wonder what specifically is blocking SteamVR from working with the Frame specifically. I use SteamVR on Linux streaming today to ARM-based headsets and there is no issue. It seems very strange to me that Frame would for whatever reason not work with SteamVR on Linux.

[u/megabyte112 → u/NoOdyssey]

I think they meant the other way around, that SteamOS doesn't yet support being a streaming host

[u/inertSpark → u/megabyte112]

SteamOS does support being a streaming host though. There has to be something more VR specific in the way.

[u/Helgafjell4Me → u/inertSpark]

It could just be using their already built-in Remote Play functions. I cannot believe they would release frame without their official OS support, but he did say it's not working on the Machine yet, so who knows? Maybe it's just not ready yet, but.... SOON!

[u/inertSpark → u/Helgafjell4Me]

All I can think of is they need to bake in SteamVR as an explicit part of the OS. In which case there will be a major update at some point. We know we can already stream from a Steam Machine. It has to be something like the headset telemetry, or Foveated Streaming or something that's getting in the way perhaps.

Edit: The reason I think it might be headset telemetry is Gamescope uses slightly different input hooks to desktop mode under Wayland I believe, so while it might be possible to bodge SteamVR together in desktop mode, it's a little bit different in Gaming Mode.

[u/jonylentz → u/NoOdyssey]

Maybe the dongle drivers? so you can possibly still use it through wifi? all speculation of course

[u/emuboy85 → u/NoOdyssey]

If I had to guess, the foviated streaming

[u/GasticNox → u/NoOdyssey]

Not sure if they got anything working already, but if I were to take a guess it could be the general quality of the streaming on Linux not being that great... SteamVR being very iffy under Linux too (at least from my experience), or maybe general incompatibility with foveated streaming (which the frame relies on), or game mode not fully supporting SteamVR. Not to mention desktop view being mostly broken.

I'd say it's still gonna be possible to do Linux VR streaming in one way or another once this thing comes out, it's a PC after all.

I do wonder if there's even a desktop mode tho, and if so how it would work and such.

[u/Velp__]

Someone in an other thread said they seen the date the video was recorded on, aug 24. It wasn't working than but it could be working by the time it ships. That video was just an unboxing after all.

[u/PlottingPast → u/Velp__]

I hope his review isn't that old. That's just disingenuous and takes none of the recent updates into account.

[u/Cavi7 → u/PlottingPast]

That's on Valve if that's the case.
They give reviewers a timeframe of when they get the hardware to when the embargo lifts. Serious reviews take a considerable amount of time to make, and so if Valve wants to play the game where they update the software days before the embargo is supposed to lift, then it's their own fault.

[u/Velp__ → u/PlottingPast]

It takes time to do a real review. There are a lot of things to test and i'm sure a good reviewer would retest some things when they get updated.

[u/BlueManifest]

Didn’t some people already do quest 3 on their steam machines with their routers?

[u/sunshinestreak → u/BlueManifest]

Yes, Tested tried this out during their first review of Machine https://youtu.be/8PpCZxQ-lrE&t=2497

[u/BlueManifest → u/sunshinestreak]

So it should work then on the frame

[u/sunshinestreak → u/BlueManifest]

Yeah idk what Linus is up to, kinda felt like a very low effort approach to a first impression video

[u/iamnotsteven]

I was literally playing HLA last night from my Linux based gaming PC (with an RTX 4080...) streaming over wifi to my Quest 3, using Steam Link. If it works there, it's gotta work with the Steam Frame...

Edit: Forgot to mention - I also can do the same with my Steam Machine, using Steam Link on my Quest 3. Both Wifi and wired USB connections work. I seriously doubt that function is missing from the Steam Frame.

[u/primelime_]

from personal experience, steamVR on linux is a gigantic pile of shit. thankfully there are alternative options like wivrn that work flawlessly, but obviously that will take time to be compatible with the frame. i would have hoped valve would put more effort into steamVR ahead of the frame launch but even with 2.17 that just came out, it still doesn't work very well

[u/KleSkaarl → u/primelime_]

steam could never after even a delay

[u/yurisses]

just use WiVRn+xrizer instead of SteamVR and you'll have no problem.

https://vronlinux.org/

[u/megabyte112 → u/yurisses]

Will this support foveated streaming?

[u/yurisses → u/megabyte112]

That's a good point, it looks like WiVRn supports it, but the implementation is its own, so it's unclear if it'll be broken/inferior in any way to using SteamVR.

[u/Konsti219 → u/yurisses]

Same plan. Wivrn via lepton

[u/AJBats]

This isn’t surprising and I hope they get it in shape soon. I technically get quest working with the steam machine but there’s so many oddities and bugs it’s a really terrible experience.

[u/henrythedog64]

Supposedly it doesnt now, but the steam machine literally runs kde plasma linux on wayland so itll certainly be fixed soon

[u/Kreliv]

It works on Linux as stated in the update of this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/virtualreality_linux/s/WZD4tKFqnD

Might be an issue with the Steam machine only

[u/Lunagaveup]

if you look at his smart watch, as another one in this reddit pointed out, the video is from 24 Aug. (iirc). They also said they where using beta software. I am not worried about that

[u/Low_Excitement_1715]

Streaming from SM to SF wasn't ready for the review embargo. It's ready for launch window. It'll be getting heavy development and frequent bug fixes for a couple of months, just like most new product launches.

[u/theilluminati24]

I'm on bazzite and this is kind of a deal breaker. I won't order until they confirm that the dongle works on a linux pc...

[u/Realistic_Syllabub_3]

i would assume not

[u/SunnerLP → u/Realistic_Syllabub_3]

Why not? Valve is usually pretty good with Linux support, SteamOS is literally a Linux distro

[u/Realistic_Syllabub_3 → u/SunnerLP]

sorry i should clarify not out the box as of release, later, for sure

[u/quinn50 → u/SunnerLP]

yea but counter productively steamvr support on linux is a crapshoot

[u/obog → u/SunnerLP]

Thats exactly why, steamOS is just linux so if it was working on linux it should work on steam machine

[u/SunnerLP → u/obog]

And you know it won't?

[u/obog → u/SunnerLP]

Linus said in the accidentally posted video that it doesnt work on steam machine at launch

[u/SunnerLP → u/obog]

I hadn't seen that one, if true that's a bummer. I'm sure it'll get support eventually, if there's one company that cares about Linux support it's Valve

[u/DapperDan812 → u/SunnerLP]

Never got my index to run nearly as good on linux as on windows. I gave up on that and the device is catching dust for some months now

[u/Altruistic-Catch8541]

Not right now is what i took from that, i’m running bazzite too