New, weird VR problem: It doesn't like being the focused window now...

[Voyager]

So, dusted everything off after a long time away from flying and discovered I have a weird problem: Steam VR jutters *hard* if the VR program is the focused program, and runs just fine if it isn't.

 

This appears to be true of both this game, and DCS, so I think it is an issue with Steam VR, but I'm not even sure where to begin looking.

 

My system is as follows:

Windows 10 20H2

 

Ryzen 7 5800

32 GB of DDR4 3600 Cas 16

Geforce 1080 Ti at stock setting,

Driver version 466.63

HP Reverb G1

SteamVR version 1.17.12

 

And from the Steam System report:

SteamVR Version 1.17.12 (1622655868)
Steam: Public (Public)

Tracking: holographic

OS: Windows 10 (10.0.0.19042)

Direct Mode Graphics: NVIDIA (466.63)

System
Admin: No

Async Reprojection: Enabled

Performance drops: 7294/1 303/2 106/3 475/4 199716/228783

User IPD (m): 0.0669914

Displays - Direct Mode
Display 0: \\.\DISPLAY6 5120x1440 @ (0, 0) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Primary

Monitor 0: \\.\DISPLAY6\Monitor0 Generic PnP Monitor

 

I know I tweaked the IPD a while back, but don't think that is what's causing this. It's a little bit mind boggling, to be honest.

 

Any thoughts of what could be going on here, or how to fix it? 

 

One more weird aspect, I've just noticed, leaving the window run on its own leaves my GPU at around 81% utilization, but if I make the VR window the focus window, the GPU utilization immediately drops to ~60%

 

Looking at MSI Afterburner, the GPU clock speed does not seem to change, so this appears to be a genuine drop in GPU utilization. Really not sure what is going on here. I'm thinking there must be some overlay that's getting activated that blocking frames being passed and causing the jutter I'm seeing.

[firdimigdi]

In WMR for SteamVR settings (available only in the SteamVR dashboard) under graphics make sure Force DX11 Mode is enabled. At least on my end this is exactly what it causes when it's disabled both in IL2 and DCS.

 

Edited June 5, 2021 by 335th_GRFirdimigdi
typo

[Voyager]

@335th_GRFirdimigdi Thank you. That seems to have fixed it. 

 

So many fascinating ways this stuff goes sideways...

[SCG_Fenris_Wolf]

You may also want to know that MSI Afterburner is incompatible to VR/Nvidia at the moment. Most people will get short frametime spikes every few seconds when using it.

 

See here the blue line, from your own performance graph:

 

This happens with all kinds of GPU monitoring programs. If you want to use such a program, e.g. to overclock, you need to turn off all monitoring and let it handle the fans by itself, if you want to avoid the spikes. Ingame, they show as a frametime jump / flicker that happens every now and then.

[Ala13_UnopaUno_VR]

7 hours ago, Voyager said:

@ 335th_GRFirdimigdi Gracias. Parece que eso lo arregló. 

 

Tantas formas fascinantes en las que esto va de lado ...

How do I get to that panel?

[firdimigdi]

1 hour ago, Ala13_UnopaUno_VR said:

How do I get to that panel?

Wear your headset and open the SteamVR dashboard in VR, then press the WMR icon on the lower left.

 

Edited June 5, 2021 by 335th_GRFirdimigdi
typo

[Voyager]

1 hour ago, Ala13_UnopaUno_VR said:

How do I get to that panel?

 

It's under the Steam VR dropdown in the little desktop window that pops up when you run Steam VR.

 

@SCG_Fenris_Wolf Interesting. I've had it turned off because the hook system has destructive interference with the Nier Automata Windows patch mod. I'd turned it back on to try and figure out if the GPU usage dropping was GPU driven or application. I'll keep it off when playing then.