SteamVR errors when opened through ALVR

[LuNeder]

Description

Whenever SteamVR is started through ALVR, it shows a "Something is wrong. A key component of SteamVR isn't working correctly. Please reinstall SteamVR. More info" window as soon as SteamVR is launched. This does not show up when SteamVR is launched from Steam.

Reinstalling SteamVR obviously does not fix the problem.

When headset is connected at this state, it just shows a black screen (the SteamVR VR View window is also black).

If I launch SteamVR with the "~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/SteamVR/bin/vrmonitor.sh %command%" launch args, the error message will be different: "SteamVR Fail. A key component of SteamVR isn't working properly. Please quit SteamVR, then visit Task Manager and End any remaining SteamVR tasks before restarting the app. More info". Pressing More info shows a window "Failed to execute default Web Browser. Input/Output error." (tho this is probably an error launching firefox for some reason, not actually the error message for SteamVR - note that when using these launch args SteamVR settings also fail to launch). On this message, symptoms are similar to when the other error message is shown: When headset is connected at this state, it just shows a black screen (the SteamVR VR View window is also black).

Unsure if helpful, but steam-logs.tar.gz

General Troubleshooting

• I carefully followed the instructions in the README and successfully completed the setup wizard
• I read the ALVR GitHub Wiki

Environment

Hardware

Note: for Linux, an upload to the hw-probe database is preferred: hw-probe -all -upload
https://linux-hardware.org/?probe=bb8f80dc95

CPU: 7950X3D

GPU: RTX 4090

GPU Driver Version: 560.35.03

Installation

ALVR Version: 20.11.0 and 20.11.1

ALVR Settings File: just retested to default, problem persists.

SteamVR Version: 2.8.6, as well as previous 2.5.5 and beta 2.8.6

Install Type:

• alvr: build from source NixOS/nixpkgs#308097 (used to work until few weeks ago)
• exact same problem happens with alvr from the tar file (from here) (which also used to work)

OS Name and Version (winver on Windows or grep PRETTY_NAME /etc/os-release on most Linux distributions): NixOS 24.11 (Vicuna)

[LuNeder]

Returning to an older nixos generation (which had the same nvidia drivers, so that's not at blame) with the same SteamVR and ALVR versions fixes this. I'll try to figure out what exactly changed between working and not working, but it's possible some random library broke this - maybe on other rolling release distros too.

Edit: the aforementioned steamvr setting issue also breaks on the same system update. This may be caused by an entirely different library update or by the same one... who knows

[LuNeder]

I know this is not entirely helpful, but here's what changed between my newest working alvr system and my oldest not working alvr system: alvr-gen-diff.txt (update on oct20 after previous one on sep28). I'll do some more precise testing later today to try to discover exactly what was the problematic package update.

Aditionally, here's a diff between the above not working alvr system and my latest also not working alvr system (just so you know what changes/rollbacks did not fix the problem): alvr-gen-diff2.txt

I'll try to come up with something more specific and useful later today.

[thevinter]

Just FYI I'm getting the same issue on Arch Linux. Funny thing is that I launched SteamVR and it was working for 5 minutes, then crashed and now I'm getting the same issue. Let me know if providing some logs would be helpful.

[DrearyDreams]

Same I'm getting these same exact issues here on Ubuntu 24.10 and it happens more frequently when I have add-ons installed like Galister's OVR-Space Calibrator.

[emperorofmars]

I have the same issue on Windows10 with v20.11.1.
Previously I used v20.4.x, which worked fine, even with OVR Space Calibrator.

[LuNeder]

it happens more frequently

We’re not talking about the same problem then

My problem happens every time, not sometimes

It might be, and it probably is, a nix-specific problem, however somehow a nixpkgs PR fixed it for everyone else while keeping it broken for me so I have no idea