Using gamescope headless to run steam on a non-logged in system. Background to Remote Gaming Remote gaming is something everyone with a...

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/19558837

I figured out how to easily use Steam headlessly for Remote Play on Linux.

Took me a few hours to figure out, with some questions asked, but with this, I no longer have to deal with Sunshine or other janky ways of playing (steam) games remotely.

I’ll be making a repository with some packaging andother convenience functions soon.

  • LainTrain@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    4·
    3 months ago

    I was excited for a sec then saw it requires steam link. The only idea I had for a remote steam setup involved a ps vita, which can only do it through moonlight/sunshine. Unfortunately that requires having a display plugged in. I tried patching drivers and all sorts of other crap and none of it did anything at all. Dummy HDMI plug would be an option but if I had to spend money I’d rather just get a steam deck.

    While this solution may work for phones or tablets or some such, you either have to lug around a controller or deal with touch controls. Not to mention having to either fork out for a 300mbps upload and download internet connections at both ends or taking a pill that makes you not see JPEG compression.

    • LiveLM@lemmy.zipEnglish
      9·
      3 months ago

      Dummy HDMI plug would be an option but if I had to spend money I’d rather just get a steam deck.

      but a dummy plug is considerably cheaper than a Deck…

      • LainTrain@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        1·
        3 months ago

        But also, gaming through a deep fried JPEG is not anywhere near as good as natively on the Deck’s gorgeous OLED display, free of worries about input lag, latency and other streaming cancer.

    • Clocks [They/Them]OPEnglish
      21·
      3 months ago

      What do you mean requiring a monitor / display plugged in? I have some connected, but they are all powered off.

      Perhaps one of them does that thing where it does not disconnect from the system?

      In regards to bandwidth, If you are emulating a PS Vita, no need to stream 1080p content? You can setup the script to limit the UI resolution to 480p! Perhaps that may help?

      For me, this works, and is quite fun to use! I am sad that it does not seem to work for you?

      • LainTrain@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        2·
        3 months ago

        monitor / display plugged in? I have some connected, but they are all powered off.

        Sunshine requires X to be running, which requires some sort of hardware display connected. Either a dummy HDMI plug, or a real HDMI display. My Linux server is completely headless, tucked away in a wardrobe, I have no spare monitors to plug into it and it wouldn’t be all that useful to just have a functioning monitor hanging out on top of it just for it to never be used.

        If this is wrong, please feel free to correct me, I’m happy to try again but the last time I tried sunshine would not stream due to the fact there was no monitor and no virtual monitor solutions would work.

        Well actually, there is one virtual display solution that worked - Chrome Remote Desktop, but it’s janky to keep that connection open while using sunshine, and because of audio routing it meant the sound was in chrome remote desktop, not streamed through sunshine, and controls wouldn’t work.

        If you are emulating a PS Vita, no need to stream 1080p content?

        Wat.

        I’m not emulating a PS Vita, I am streaming PC games to my actual real OLED OG PS Vita.

        This is why the OP solution of using Steam Link which is miles better than Jank-shine would not work for me, because the Vita does not have Steam Link.

        • Clocks [They/Them]OPEnglish
          1·
          3 months ago

          If this is wrong, please feel free to correct me, I’m happy to try again but the last time I tried sunshine would not stream due to the fact there was no monitor and no virtual monitor solutions would work.

          Just confirmed on call with my sibling, my desktop had 0 monitors plugged in, and this method works for me. Maybe try it out and see?

          I’m not emulating a PS Vita, I am streaming PC games to my actual real OLED OG PS Vita.

          Oo, That sounds awesome! How long have you been doing that?

          • LainTrain@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
            2·
            2 months ago

            If by “this method” you mean Steam Link like OP then yes that does work. It does not work in Sunshine however, and I need Sunshine, because obviously there is no Steam Link on a PS Vita.

            Obviously I tried the sunshine method out or I wouldn’t have outlined all the things I tried to fix it with otherwise.