/vive-pro-2-on-linux

HTC VIVE Pro 2 on Linux and SteamVR

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HTC VIVE Pro 2 on Linux and SteamVR

This guide is meant for tinkerers who know their way around.
I do not recommend attempting to use the VIVE Pro 2 on anything other than bleeding edge systems (such as Arch Linux)
The VR experience on Linux as of 2022-12-04 is mediocre at best especially on the newer hardware such as the VIVE Pro 2.
I can't recommend using SteamVR on Linux at the moment so consider this as experimentation rather than entertainment for now.

Thanks for CertainLach for creating the driver for the VIVE Pro 2 on Linux!

WORK IN PROGRESS

Updated: 2022-12-04

See configuration info and driver status/progress here: https://github.com/CertainLach/VivePro2-Linux-Driver#progress

NOTE: CertainLach now provides a PKGBUILD and build scripts for compiling a patched kernel for Arch Linux or Debian by utilizing Docker.
See: https://github.com/CertainLach/VivePro2-Linux-Driver/tree/master/kernel-patches

Setup

NOTE: The custom kernel is only designed to be installed on Arch Linux.
If you are on another distribution, will have to find out how to patch and compile a kernel on it (see CertainLach's repository).
I personally do not recommend using anything else than a bleeding edge distro for this at the moment.
See Kernel Patches section below for the patches used in this guide.

Clone this repository

  • git clone https://github.com/santeri3700/vive-pro-2-on-linux.git
  • cd ./vive-pro-2-on-linux

Build and install patched kernel

Kernel version: 6.0.11

Copy your current kernel config

NOTE: If you are currently running Linux version other than 6.0.x, you might have to update the config.

  • mkdir -p ~/.config/linux-vivepro2/
  • zcat /proc/config.gz > ~/.config/linux-vivepro2/myconfig

Optimize kernel timer frequency

This might improve performance if your default configuration is lower than 1000Hz. On Arch Linux, the default is usually 300Hz.

  • Change "CONFIG_HZ_1000 is not set" to "CONFIG_HZ_1000=y"
  • Change "CONFIG_HZ=..." to "CONFIG_HZ=1000"
  • Disable all other "CONFIG_HZ_*" values by changing them to "CONFIG_HZ_... is not set"
  • Example: 
    # CONFIG_HZ_100 is not set
# CONFIG_HZ_250 is not set
# CONFIG_HZ_300 is not set
CONFIG_HZ_1000=y
CONFIG_HZ=1000

Build the custom kernel

  • export MAKEFLAGS="-j $(nproc)"
  • env use_numa=n use_tracers=n makepkg -sc

Install the custom kernel and update the bootloader (e.g. GRUB)

  • makepkg -si
  • sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
  • sudo grub-install

Install SteamVR

Install SteamVR from Steam and close Steam after it has been installed.
VIVE Console is no longer required, but try installing it if you face issues without it.

Install VIVE Pro 2 Linux Driver by CertainLach

Install dependencies

  • sudo pacman -S git rsync rustup

  • sudo pacman -S mingw-w64-binutils mingw-w64-crt mingw-w64-gcc mingw-w64-headers mingw-w64-winpthreads

  • rustup toolchain install nightly-2022-09-16

  • sudo pacman -S wine or sudo pacman -S wine-staging

    System Wine is used for the lens-server.

Install/Update nightly version of Rust for Windows x86_64 target

  • rustup +nightly-2022-09-16 target add x86_64-pc-windows-gnu

Clone the driver repository

  • git clone https://github.com/CertainLach/VivePro2-Linux-Driver.git
  • cd VivePro2-Linux-Driver
  • export VIVEPRO2DRVDIR="$(pwd)"

Clone and build the sewer tool repository

  • git clone https://github.com/CertainLach/sewer.git
  • cd sewer
  • cargo +nightly-2022-09-16 build --release --all-features --verbose

Build driver-proxy

  • cd $VIVEPRO2DRVDIR/bin/driver-proxy
  • cargo +nightly-2022-09-16 build --release --all-features --verbose

Build lens-server

  • cd $VIVEPRO2DRVDIR/bin/lens-server
  • cargo +nightly-2022-09-16 build --release --target x86_64-pc-windows-gnu --all-features --verbose

Copy the compiled objects to the dist-proxy directory

  • cd $VIVEPRO2DRVDIR/dist-proxy/
  • mkdir bin
  • cp $VIVEPRO2DRVDIR/sewer/target/release/sewer ./bin
  • cp $VIVEPRO2DRVDIR/target/x86_64-pc-windows-gnu/release/lens-server.exe ./lens-server/
  • cp $VIVEPRO2DRVDIR/target/release/libdriver_proxy.so ./driver_lighthouse.so

Run the install script to install the components

  • ./install.sh

Check SteamVR files

$ cd $HOME/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/SteamVR

$ file drivers/lighthouse/bin/linux64/driver_lighthouse.so 
drivers/lighthouse/bin/linux64/driver_lighthouse.so: ELF 64-bit LSB shared object, x86-64, version 1 (SYSV), dynamically linked, BuildID[sha1]=..., with debug_info, not stripped

$ file drivers/lighthouse/bin/linux64/driver_lighthouse_real.so
drivers/lighthouse/bin/linux64/driver_lighthouse_real.so: ELF 64-bit LSB shared object, x86-64, version 1 (SYSV), dynamically linked, BuildID[sha1]=..., not stripped

$ file drivers/lighthouse/bin/linux64/lens-server/lens-server.exe 
drivers/lighthouse/bin/linux64/lens-server/lens-server.exe: PE32+ executable (console) x86-64, for MS Windows

$ file drivers/lighthouse/bin/linux64/lens-server/LibLensDistortion.dll
drivers/lighthouse/bin/linux64/lens-server/LibLensDistortion.dll: PE32+ executable (DLL) (GUI) x86-64, for MS Windows

$ file drivers/lighthouse/bin/linux64/lens-server/opencv_world346.dll
drivers/lighthouse/bin/linux64/lens-server/opencv_world346.dll: PE32+ executable (DLL) (console) x86-64, for MS Windows

Playing in VR

Connect the headset to your PC like shown in the official guide

You can check the output of lsusb and sudo dmesg to verify connectivity.

Make sure Wine is properly installed system wide

  • wine64 --version

  • wine64 winecfg

    Try clearing the default wine prefix if you face issues with the lens-server (mv ~/.wine ~/.wine_bak)

Add CAP_SYS_NICE capability for SteamVR compositor

This is done beforehand to avoid issues where Steam would require superuser access when launching SteamVR.
It should also improve performance and latency.
WARNING! This enables SteamVR's "Asynchronous Reprojection" which is partially broken as of SteamVR version 1.25.1 (2022-11-07). See Workaround below

  • cd ~/.steam/steam/steamapps/common/SteamVR/
  • sudo setcap CAP_SYS_NICE=eip ./bin/linux64/vrcompositor-launcher

Launch Steam and start SteamVR

  • Everything should work without additional setup.
  • Complete the Room Setup like you would normally do.
  • There are some issues in the current versions of SteamVR, check the Known issues and Troubleshooting sections for more information.

Known issues & Workarounds

  • SteamVR crashes with AMDGPU (and Wayland)

  • SteamVR crashes and system freezes (AMDGPU)
    This is a Mesa related issue: https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/mesa/mesa/-/issues/7041

    Crash workaround

    • 1 - Boot system without the VIVE Link Box powered on or connected via USB

    • 2 - Launch Steam and power on / connect the VIVE Link Box via USB (and display cable)

    • 3 - Wait for Steam to detect the VR headset (VR button appear to the top right corner on Steam)

    • 4 - Launch SteamVR and wait for it to crash. The headset displays a very laggy image for about 10 seconds before going dark.
      The "dc_stream_state" errors appear in system logs at this point. System will continue to function as normal.

    • 5 - Power off or disconnect the VIVE Link Box and close Steam (wait for the Steam background processes to terminate)

    • 6 - Launch Steam again and power on / connect the VIVE Link Box after Steam has opened.

    • 7 - Launch SteamVR which should now start without problems or "dc_stream_state" error messages in the system logs.

    • 8 - After enjoying some VR, close SteamVR and repeat steps 5-7 to play again or restart the system and start from step 1.
      Attempting to re-launch SteamVR without doing steps 5-7 at this point will result in a system crash every time.

  • Headset displays nothing and SteamVR fails to enable Direct Display Mode

    • This might be caused because of the missing kernel patches. The VIVE Pro 2 is not fully supported in the official releases of the Linux kernel as of 2022-12-04.
    • Wayland compatibility is a hit or miss (at least on SwayWM). Please open an issue if you have a workaround or tips regarding this.
    • Wayland related info and workaround(s): ValveSoftware/SteamVR-for-Linux#499
    • Issue: ValveSoftware/SteamVR-for-Linux#450

  • Visual artifacts (such as green pixel snow) caused by the "Asynchronous Reprojection".

    • Add "enableLinuxVulkanAsync" : false, under the steamvr section (above "installID") in the steamvr.vrsettings file: 
      "steamvr" : {
  "enableLinuxVulkanAsync" : false,
  "installID" : "xxxxxx",
  "lastVersionNotice" : "x.xx.x",
  ...
    • steamvr.vrsettings can be usually found at ~/.steam/steam/config/steamvr.vrsettings
    • This can reduce performance and smoothness depending on your hardware. With an RX 5700 XT (Mesa 22.0 w/ RADV) the framerate is much more stable, but slightly lower.
    • Issue: ValveSoftware/SteamVR-for-Linux#230

  • Head tracking feels sluggish/jittery/delayed/too smooth

    • This is related to the Linux kernel's hidraw driver and other factors.
    • The hidraw driver was improved in Linux 5.17 and newer. See: https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/8590222e4b021054a7167a4dd35b152a8ed7018e
    • Your kernel config's timer frequency might be set lower than 1000Hz which could affect the smoothness. See "Optimize kernel timer frequency" section.
    • The custom kernel provided with this repository includes the hidraw improvements and other necessary patches.

  • Virtual controllers and hands render behind menus and 3D models appear "inverted"

    • No known workaround as of 2022-12-04, but this issue is not present in the SteamVR linux_v1.14 Beta branch.
    • This only affects AMD users (amdgpu + mesa)
    • Issue: ValveSoftware/SteamVR-for-Linux#430

Kernel Patches