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    SteamLink for Raspberry Pi Released

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved General Discussion and Gaming
    steamstreamingmoonlightsteamlink
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    • mituM
      mitu Global Moderator @thezoof
      last edited by

      @thezoof You just install it as any other package - update your RetroPie-Setup script, then go into the experimental packages section, find steamlink and then install it - as @hhromic said in a previous post.

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      • P
        psyke83 Global Moderator @mitu
        last edited by

        @mitu said in SteamLink for Raspberry Pi Released:

        @thezoof You just install it as any other package - update your RetroPie-Setup script, then go into the experimental packages section, find steamlink and then install it - as @hhromic said in a previous post.

        As I mentioned earlier, it won't yet work until the second PR is merged. A temporary fix would be to manually create the override yourself:

        mkdir -p "~/.local/share/SteamLink/"
touch "~/.local/share/SteamLink/.ignore_overscan"

        @hhromic said in SteamLink for Raspberry Pi Released:

        @psyke83 , the RPI 2 revision 1.2 have the same CPU as the RPI3, as described in https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/hardware/raspberrypi/revision-codes/README.md

        a22042	2B (with BCM2837)	1.2	1 GB	Embest

        the binary should work on these boards too, but definitively not on RPI 0/1.

        Edit: funny enough, their script seems to actually check on the processor information itself, not the board nor revisions, which should pass on an RPI2 with a BCM2837 processor, so their error message is not fully true either.

        That's interesting - I wasn't aware there was a Pi 2 with ARMv8 cores.

        On my Pi3B (revision a02082), I'm having difficulty getting a smooth streaming experience with any of the preset bitrate/quality settings for 60fps at 1360x768. I keep getting a spike in the decoder (light blue and red lines in the streaming OSD statistics). It might be possible to get a better result via the advanced parameters that can be added to streaming_args.txt such as --burst or --hardwarebitratelimit, but I haven't had time to test properly.

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        • M
          Mick2K @hhromic
          last edited by

          Played for a few hours and it seems pretty stable for me but I think original steam link hardware has little bit less lag.
          Performance monitor says ~20ms but I measured around 100ms (not scientifically accurate) for the video stream.
          Can't say something about additional controler lag cause gamepad was connected directly to PC.

          DarksaviorD 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • DarksaviorD
            Darksavior @Mick2K
            last edited by Darksavior

            @Mick2K I think it's the app. I tried both pi3b+ and firestick 4k with the steamlink app on each one right next to the router. They performed rather poorly wirelessly with wifi AC. With my real steamlink I can stream with no noticeable lag across walls. Moonlight is a crude alternative and the bitrate quality was much less (I don't remember what it uses), but the input lag was decent enough. It also detected my pad. Steamlink app doesn't on my 3b+.

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            • H
              hhromic @psyke83
              last edited by

              @psyke83 said in SteamLink for Raspberry Pi Released:

              That's interesting - I wasn't aware there was a Pi 2 with ARMv8 cores.

              I only learned of it some months ago, the foundation doesn't seem to have announced it very loudly.

              On my Pi3B (revision a02082), I'm having difficulty getting a smooth streaming experience with any of the preset bitrate/quality settings for 60fps at 1360x768. I keep getting a spike in the decoder (light blue and red lines in the streaming OSD statistics). It might be possible to get a better result via the advanced parameters that can be added to streaming_args.txt such as --burst or --hardwarebitratelimit, but I haven't had time to test properly.

              On my Pi3B+ (plus), Steam Link seems to be running quite smoothly. I also have a 1360x768 TV but I output at 720p to take advantage of game mode (only works on CEA resolutions). Are you using ethernet or wifi to your gaming computer? The non-plus Pi3B has a very weak Wifi module and at 2.4ghz I don't think its suitable for game streaming. A realistic minimum is 5Ghz AC wireless IMHO. Moonlight also performs poorly with 2.4ghz Wifi.

              Speaking of which, I do notice more random stutters using Steam Link compared to Moonlight, so I guess Steam Link still has some way to go to catch up. Also I don't like the packaging they chose for Steam Link. I understand is meant for novice users but their scripts are a bit cringy xD

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              • P
                psyke83 Global Moderator
                last edited by psyke83

                The required changes have been merged, so it should be safe to test the module as long as your RP script is updated. Just keep in mind that you may need to disable overscan_scale in /boot/config.txt if you experience a black screen on startup.

                I've also exposed the streaming_args.txt configuration to configs/ports/steamlink so that advanced tweaks are a bit easier to test. I need to set --framerate 60 in this file or else I get heavy tearing in 2D games (not related to vsync, which the client seems to have enabled).

                @hhromic said in SteamLink for Raspberry Pi Released:

                On my Pi3B+ (plus), Steam Link seems to be running quite smoothly. I also have a 1360x768 TV but I output at 720p to take advantage of game mode (only works on CEA resolutions). Are you using ethernet or wifi to your gaming computer? The non-plus Pi3B has a very weak Wifi module and at 2.4ghz I don't think its suitable for game streaming. A realistic minimum is 5Ghz AC wireless IMHO. Moonlight also performs poorly with 2.4ghz Wifi.

                Speaking of which, I do notice more random stutters using Steam Link compared to Moonlight, so I guess Steam Link still has some way to go to catch up. Also I don't like the packaging they chose for Steam Link. I understand is meant for novice users but their scripts are a bit cringy xD

                My host PC and Pi are both connected via Ethernet; the streaming statistics showed 0 packet loss and low ping, so I think it was an issue with the decoder not keeping up due to excessive bitrate.

                However, from some quick tests today I didn't notice those spikes (which were accompanied by audio underruns). Perhaps they improved something in the 1.03 -> 1.05 bump, but it's still not perfect, as I can notice stutter especially in a 2D game like Sonic Mania.

                I also tested over wireless and yes, latency was terrible. I've only got a Pi3B, so it's limited to my 2.4Ghz wireless network (in a fairly congested area).

                L P 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 2
                • LineOf7sL
                  LineOf7s
                  last edited by

                  So far it seems to work great, but using a standard wired Xbox 360 controller (userspace driver, apparently) the default mapping is... odd. Like, the left and right triggers are Select (aka Back) and Start respectively (among other things).

                  Remapping the controller in Steam Link seems to complete successfully, but Testing Controller immediately after shows that it doesn't "take".

                  Doing some research now to see if I can find a config file somewhere I need to tweak, but I thought I'd provide the data point in the meantime.

                  LineOf7sL 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                  • L
                    LeSabotageur @psyke83
                    last edited by LeSabotageur

                    @psyke83 said in SteamLink for Raspberry Pi Released:

                    The required changes have been merged, so it should be safe to test the module as long as your RP script is updated. Just keep in mind that you may need to disable overscan_scale in /boot/config.txt if you experience a black screen on startup.

                    Thanks, I should've paid more attention earlier, that was my problem. Now the interface loads nicely !

                    EDIT : Bit of feedback : I'm using VirtualHere for my input, and while on moonlight everything goes quite smoothly, with the Steam Link the input lag is a bit more noticeable. However, Helldivers, which didn't work in Big Picture in moonlight, does work here, and I'm guessing that's the case for other games like those.
                    So all in all, I'll be sticking to moonlight for now but I'll keep an eye on the progress for this port.

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                    • S
                      StarshipKnight
                      last edited by

                      I am also trying it but I am struggling because my ipega 9055 controller doesn't get detected. Any suggestions??

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                      • thezoofT
                        thezoof
                        last edited by

                        Hey all. I was able to add steamlink as instructed via experimental package. I updated the overscan as instructed but I am still getting a black screen.

                        I notice that in the runcommand.log I am seeing this:

                        Executing: /usr/bin/steamlink
                        Steam needs to install these additional packages:
                        libgudev-1.0-0:armhf, libinput10:armhf, libmtdev1:armhf, libwacom2:armhf, libxcb-xkb1:armhf, libxkbcommon-x11-0:armhf
                        ..Package libgudev-1.0-0:armhf needs to be installed
                        Package libinput10:armhf needs to be installed
                        Package libmtdev1:armhf needs to be installed
                        Package libwacom2:armhf needs to be installed
                        Package libxcb-xkb1:armhf needs to be installed
                        Package libxkbcommon-x11-0:armhf needs to be installed
                        This application failed to start because it could not find or load the Qt platform plugin "eglfs"
                        in "".

                        Available platform plugins are: eglfs, linuxfb, minimal, minimalegl, offscreen, vnc, xcb.

                        Reinstalling the application may fix this problem.

                        Any ideas how to proceed?

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • thezoofT
                          thezoof
                          last edited by

                          I was able to get it to work. It seems that it was actually prompting me to install them on first load but my screen wasn't showing them. Once I monitored the log at the same time I could click y - enter and then enter again to complete the process.

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                          • C
                            CoreyPL
                            last edited by

                            Hey.
                            Version on steam forums was updated to 1.07. New build is supposed to help with blackscreen problems. There was also a suggestion from a package creator that earlier version users should change the GPU choice on Steam application. When having both Intel iGPU and NVIDIA GPU on your PC, steam app does weird things on encoding side when all GPUs are active in options. Suggestion was to set only NVIDIA GPU in the streaming advanced host options.

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                            • P
                              psyke83 Global Moderator
                              last edited by psyke83

                              Thanks for the report, folks. I've updated the script for 1.0.7

                              @thezoof said in SteamLink for Raspberry Pi Released:

                              Hey all. I was able to add steamlink as instructed via experimental package. I updated the overscan as instructed but I am still getting a black screen.

                              I notice that in the runcommand.log I am seeing this:

                              Executing: /usr/bin/steamlink
                              Steam needs to install these additional packages:
                              libgudev-1.0-0:armhf, libinput10:armhf, libmtdev1:armhf, libwacom2:armhf, libxcb-xkb1:armhf, libxkbcommon-x11-0:armhf
                              ..Package libgudev-1.0-0:armhf needs to be installed
                              Package libinput10:armhf needs to be installed
                              Package libmtdev1:armhf needs to be installed
                              Package libwacom2:armhf needs to be installed
                              Package libxcb-xkb1:armhf needs to be installed
                              Package libxkbcommon-x11-0:armhf needs to be installed
                              This application failed to start because it could not find or load the Qt platform plugin "eglfs"
                              in "".

                              Available platform plugins are: eglfs, linuxfb, minimal, minimalegl, offscreen, vnc, xcb.

                              Reinstalling the application may fix this problem.

                              Any ideas how to proceed?

                              I've added those missing dependencies to our script to avoid this issue. I can't guarantee that new dependencies won't be added in future versions, however.

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                              • thezoofT
                                thezoof
                                last edited by

                                That is great work.

                                Another question - I like having background music on my emulation station. When I use steamlink - the music remains on. Is there a setting or something I can do to turn it off only when I load steamlink?

                                Thanks.

                                P mituM 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • P
                                  psyke83 Global Moderator @thezoof
                                  last edited by

                                  @thezoof said in SteamLink for Raspberry Pi Released:

                                  That is great work.

                                  Another question - I like having background music on my emulation station. When I use steamlink - the music remains on. Is there a setting or something I can do to turn it off only when I load steamlink?

                                  Thanks.

                                  I'll take a look when I have some free time. Does this happen when launching other ports?

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                  • mituM
                                    mitu Global Moderator @thezoof
                                    last edited by

                                    @thezoof That's up to the BGM script you're using, most likely you'll have to add the steamlink executable to the list of 'emulators' it understands, so it will fade/stop the music after starting steamlink.

                                    thezoofT 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                    • H
                                      hhromic
                                      last edited by

                                      Looks like the Foundation added SteamLink to Raspbian officially now:
                                      https://archive.raspberrypi.org/debian/pool/main/s/steamlink/

                                      You don't need to manually download and install the deb anymore, just do apt-get install steamlink after updating the APT cache.

                                      @psyke83 maybe the scriptmodule can be simplified with this now :)

                                      P 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                      • LineOf7sL
                                        LineOf7s @LineOf7s
                                        last edited by

                                        @LineOf7s said in SteamLink for Raspberry Pi Released:

                                        So far it seems to work great, but using a standard wired Xbox 360 controller (userspace driver, apparently) the default mapping is... odd. Like, the left and right triggers are Select (aka Back) and Start respectively (among other things).

                                        Remapping the controller in Steam Link seems to complete successfully, but Testing Controller immediately after shows that it doesn't "take".

                                        Doing some research now to see if I can find a config file somewhere I need to tweak, but I thought I'd provide the data point in the meantime.

                                        For those playing along at home, I uninstalled the xboxdrv and xpad drivers (which I don't seem to need when using wired Xbox 360 controllers) and my Steamlink mapping issues went away. I tried updating to 1.07 first but that didn't make a difference.

                                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • P
                                          psyke83 Global Moderator @hhromic
                                          last edited by

                                          @hhromic said in SteamLink for Raspberry Pi Released:

                                          Looks like the Foundation added SteamLink to Raspbian officially now:
                                          https://archive.raspberrypi.org/debian/pool/main/s/steamlink/

                                          You don't need to manually download and install the deb anymore, just do apt-get install steamlink after updating the APT cache.

                                          @psyke83 maybe the scriptmodule can be simplified with this now :)

                                          Thanks. I'll hold off on updating the module at least until the next version bump (in case there's other reports or missing dependencies with future builds that also need to be addressed).

                                          The .ignore_overscan override is gone, but there's now an .ignore_kms in its place. Not much significance for end-users, but it's interesting to see if Valve intends to have KMS compatibility at some point in the future.

                                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                          • thezoofT
                                            thezoof @mitu
                                            last edited by thezoof

                                            @mitu said in SteamLink for Raspberry Pi Released:

                                            BGM script

                                            @psyke83

                                            It seems I was wrong. Modifying the music.py didn't do anything - it was a false positive.

                                            I added "steamlink" and "SteamLink", loaded the script again via turning off and turning on background music - no change after reboot.

                                            P 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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