Dev update #9

This week brings rewritten SteamVR driver (no more flickers and upside down textures) and mobile optimizations. We wanted to refactor some code and fix some bugs before moving on to bigger features. 

You might notice slightly lower latency (especially in SteamVR mode). If you are S7/S7 Edge user, please check it out too because this updated resolved artifacting for at least one person. :)

Desktop client version is 0.5.4.1, mobile app version is 0.8.4.

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Please reinstall SteamVR driver after upading (close Steam first)

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SteamVR driver update

Updated - known issues:

• SteamVR games flicker in some cases. Reported on both Nvidia and AMD. 
• The Lab may crash during the game on loading screens.
• VR Render resolution is now 1920x1080 previously it was 2364x1461. Small quality drop might be noticeable for people with high-res phones. It will be tied to streaming quality next update.

We've rewritten our driver to use automatic driver registration process so it won't get overwritten by SteamVR updates. It has lower latency than previous driver and enables use of many SteamVR features: seamless VR context switching between apps, multi-layer compositor and more. It also fixes some problems with textures being upside-down or aligned incorrectly in some games. It will also allow us more flexible development in the feature.

You will need one last reinstall (click the Install SteamVR button). Remember to close Steam first. Our old driver will be removed in the process.

If Riftcat does not locate vrpathreg.exe file correctly, please point it to the file manually. It should be located in SteamVR\bin\win32 directory.

Android memory optimizations

We've updated large part of stream handling and networking modules on the Android side. It should now deliver frames more reliably with lower latency. 

It also manages memory a lot more efficiently. This result in less micro-hangs caused by memory cleanups (GC) which could cause frame drops @ decoder. 

Android (optional) stream changes for certain phones

We're also adding two experimental options. They can reduce or improve performance so we're not enabling them by default. The first one (Intel) can improve performance for Asus Zenfone 2 (and other Intel-based phones). The second might help with most various phones (but is targeted at certain Snapdragon models). 

You can access this screen by tapping More in top-right corner of the connection screen.

If your stream is lagging behind and/or showing blocky-floaty artifacts, try one or both. Please let us know if it changes anything.