protonscr

[BUG] SteamVR 2.1.10: vrstartup.sh launches in LDLP scout, headset display won't turn on (should use sniper SLR)

steamvrclosed bug
ValveSoftware/SteamVR-for-Linux#661 · opened 2023-12-18 by Owen-Benner · updated 2023-12-20 · 5 comments · github
OOwen-Benner 2023-12-18 github

Describe the bug
Launching SteamVR from Steam gives the following warning:
vrstartup.sh[11680]: WARNING: launching in legacy LDLP scout, please use sniper SLR
In Properties -> Compatibility, the box is unchecked for Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool. If I check the box, Steam Linux Runtime 2.0 (soldier) and Steam Linux Runtime 3.0 (sniper) are not available in the drop-down menu, only Steam Linux Runtime 1.0 (scout) and versions of Proton.

The headset display will not turn on, and a pop-up error appears:

Failed to connect to window manager
SteamVR failed to connect to the window manager. You may need to restart your session or SteamVR.
Restart SteamVR
(497)

Restarting SteamVR does not resolve the issues. I am running Gnome on Xorg, so my window manager should not be the problem.

Launching vrstartup.sh manually with sniper SLR resolves the pop-up error and the headset display works:
exec ~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/SteamLinuxRuntime_sniper/run ~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/SteamVR/bin/vrstartup.sh
I was then able to play Minecraft Java with the Vivecraft mod in VR. However, SteamVR Room Setup will not launch, as it expects some files to be in different directories. I will file a separate report on that later.

To Reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behavior:

  1. On Pop!_OS 22.04, install Steam for Linux using the .deb from Valve's website.
  2. Run Steam through terminal with steam.
  3. Disable Steam Cloud for SteamVR (this ensures default settings).
  4. In Properties -> Compatibility, uncheck Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool.
  5. Install SteamVR.
  6. Connect headset.
  7. Launch SteamVR.

Expected behavior
SteamVR launches under SLR 3.0 (sniper) by default and SLR 3.0 (sniper) is available in drop-down. Headset display works.

System Information:

  • Distribution: Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS x86_64
  • SteamVR version: 2.1.10
  • Steam client version: Steam Client Update - December 11th
  • Opted into Steam client beta?: No
  • Graphics driver version: Mesa 23.2.1-1pop0~1699535617~22.04~6cd9a72 (LLVM 15.0.7)
  • Gist for SteamVR System Information: https://gist.github.com/Owen-Benner/e3aa807025802c91fad84fe795fedef5

Screenshots
image

Note: Commenters who are also experiencing this issue are encouraged to include the "System Information" section in their replies.

OOwen-Benner 2023-12-19 github

Edited to specify my window manager uses Xorg.

OOwen-Benner 2023-12-19 github

Update: Today it seems like SteamVR wants to run under Proton by default instead. I'm not sure why, but I'm selecting to force LDLP scout for now (so my Linux executables stop getting deleted by Steam) and run SteamVR under SLR 3.0 (sniper) through the terminal.

OOwen-Benner 2023-12-20 github

Edited paths in exec command, previously they reflected symlinks on my system.

OOwen-Benner 2023-12-20 github

After moving ~/.steam to allow Steam to regenerate it (as suggested here), and upgrading to the Steam Client Beta to resolve steam-for-linux#9875, I tried running SteamVR through Steam again. I still got the warning about launching in LDLP scout, but not Failed to connect to window manager, and the headset display worked. I downgraded from Steam Client Beta, and again I got the warning but no pop-up and the headset still worked. I'm not sure what, if any, relation there is between the version of Steam Linux Runtime used and Failed to connect to window manager. I will go ahead and close this now.

Upstream links