Aug 1, 2019
SteamVR - Programmer Joe
Update Highlights
- Improved Valve Index support with headset white-point adjustment, better USB stability, and other reliability improvements. (Some of these fixes require firmware updates.)
- Added thumbstick binding options, including auto-click, sticky-click, and double-click. See the full notes for details.
- Improved controller binding options for legacy applications.
- Added user control over thumbstick deadzone and forward direction.
- Improved startup reliability for users of all headsets including Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Windows MR.
Full Update Notes
SteamVR
- Enabled automatic firmware recovery for Valve Index and Vive Pro devices that have had certain firmware updates interrupted or failed.
- Changed how games launched from SteamVR Home are started to try to avoid a hang that some users (particularly Windows MR?) have seen.
- Fixed a rare spontaneous shutdown of vrserver caused by very briefly connected pipes.
- Added specific error text and recovery option for error 436.
- Fixed a rare case where SteamVR would stop working after a prolonged period of high CPU load.
- Fixed an assertion in vrmonitor when exiting without ever discovering an HMD.
- Fixed a Steam crash when using a driver that uses an old version of the driver interface and provides “wake on button press” functionality.
- Fix cases of error 422 that could happen when launching a game and letting it launch SteamVR (as opposed to launching VR first and then launching the game).
- Introduced fixes for error 308, plus changes to distinguish different causes of errors 308, 309, 310.
- Fixed one known cause of error 310 (believed to be some non-SteamVR process named “vrserver.exe” being mis-detected as an existing SteamVR session). Fixed thanks to a report in the bug report forum!
SteamVR Input
- Renamed the devices menu option and the dashboard settings option for editing bindings to “Controller Settings”. Added some new options on the left side of the app select screen and simplified the old contents of that screen.
- Added options to controller settings to set global rotation values for thumbsticks.
- Added an option to controller settings to set a global deadzone value for thumbsticks.
- Added screen to test any controller supported by SteamVR. This will show the raw input values from the driver, including touch, click, force, capsense, thumbstick position, and trackpad position. This is available on the controller setting screen.
- Added debug screen to show exactly the contents of the VRControllerState_t struct that are being provided to legacy applications. This can be helpful when debugging bindings for legacy applications. When input developer options are enabled in settings, this new UI is available as on the left side of the controller settings screen.
- Added some additional consistency rules for legacy bindings. The following things will happen for all legacy input applications regardless of the actual bindings specified in the UI:
- If an input is clicked the “touched” bit will be set for that input. This is true for buttons, trackpads, triggers, and thumbsticks.
- If a trigger with a physical button is clicked, that trigger’s value will be set to 1.0.
- If a trigger has a value of 0.2 or higher, the “touched” bit will be set for that trigger.
- If a trackpad is touched, that trackpad’s position will not be 0.0, 0.0.
- If a trackpad or thumbstick has a value of something other than 0.0, 0.0 the “touched” bit will be set for that input.
- If an input is clicked the “touched” bit will be set for that input. This is true for buttons, trackpads, triggers, and thumbsticks.
- Silenced annoying log spam in vrclient_<appname>.txt and vrserver.txt about continuously reloading bindings.
- Fixed binding files not being editable in applications with ampersands in their names. (And possibly other applications with legal-but-special characters in their names.)
- Enabled Button modes in the binding UI taking their “click” input from the positions of thumbsticks and trackpads. Setting this option also enables you to set the threshold for when a stick deflection is considered clicked.
- Added a setting in joystick modes that allows thumbsticks to consider themselves clicked if they are deflected more than a threshold amount. This lets a user click in the center, move a thumbstick to the edge and release the physical click, but still keep the thumbstick clicked as far as the game is concerned.
- Added the ability to use complex button modes (double click, long press, etc.) from thumbstick or trackpad positions. This also enables those modes from pure analog triggers like those on Touch and Windows Mixed Reality controllers.
- Fixed an issue with some bindings not loading because they were confused about what application they belong to. This would have mostly affected developers.
- Fixed an issue with mirrored legacy bindings to simulated actions applying to non-mirrored configurations and vice versa.
SteamVR Home
- Fixed Rift S controllers from showing up as an avatar option for users with other actual controllers.
Lighthouse
- Improved device discovery to reduce the impact of misbehaving USB drivers and devices.
Linux
- Fixed Index HMD always notifying a firmware update is available.
- Fixed being unable to re-start SteamVR after vrserver is killed/crashes (aka LfMutexUnlockRobust crashes.)
- Fixed vrwebhelper crashing the Steam client.
- Fixed 'psychedelic' colours in the Steam client caused by exiting SteamVR.
- Fixed 'Restart SteamVR' prompts exiting SteamVR but not restarting it.
- Fixed various vrcompositor crashes.
- Fixed 'ioctl(GFEATURE): Broken Pipe' spam in stdout.
- Adjusted basic dialogs during startup to use the host's zenity program when available .
Valve Index
- Introduced a fix for some Valve Index users experiencing Base Station Power Management intermittency.
- Adjusted Valve Index headset to a more neutral (less-blue) white point. Users relying on 3rd-party white-balance controls (ex: Advanced Settings) may now prefer to disable the external control.
- Updated the default Valve Index Controller input bindings for legacy applications that have not set specific bindings. When the thumbstick is fully deflected it is automatically. considered clicked, for better compatibility with applications built for trackpads. Existing bindings can be modified to have the same behavior.
- Fixed a skeletal system issue where the thumb would not respond when the thumbstick is moved but no touch is detected.
Valve Index Headset Firmware
- Improved USB reliability.
- Fixed an issue that could result in displays turning off during active usage.
Valve Index Controller Firmware
- Fixed an issue where initiating pairing just after powering on the controller could result in a power off.
- Fixed an issue that could prevent pairing to a new wireless receiver until a power cycle.
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