SteamVR 1.11.13 changes Windows Power Plan to "High Performance" (illegal)

[BurntJello]

When starting, SteamVR 1.11.13 changes the Power Plan (Control Panel / Power Management) to "High Performance".
(current beta does as well)

Valve, not only is this rude, it is probably illegal: Unauthorized modification to a computer system.
A EULA is not a silver bullet when you do something illegal.

I see some older threads suggesting this is not the first time Valve has done this. Perhaps it was changing it and changing it back so I never noticed?...

This is unacceptable and only further erodes trust in Valve.
This kind of thing, if at all necessary, MUST be OPTIONAL and OPT-IN.

To prevent SteamVR from illegally modifying the Power Plan:
https://www.thewindowsclub.com/specify-custom-active-power-plan-windows/
run "gpedit" -> Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System -> Power Management
Enable "Specify a custom active power plan"
The guid for the power plan can be found by running "powercfg /list" from a Command Prompt.

[Rectus]

It has alsways done this AFAIK, but it is supposed to change it back to the previous setting on exit. This doesn't work if it crashes however, so with any crash it will stay at high performance until manually switched back.

[Domenco]

Programs altering settings on a computer is not Illegal. Will never be Illegal and is not rude at all.

Many and MANY programs alter windows settings, specially those that require admin access. be it your power plan, boot up settings or change things in your registry.

Now it is a bit odd but I think they are doing it because many people use laptops and are unaware that the power saving option disables certain high performance options that are needed for VR.

[Inspiractus]

Can u please help me ? i downloaded a local group policy editor in my pc , like i didnt had in pc bcs i think thats only for PRO windows versions. Also i enabled it and all , but it is not working , i can still click on other plans help pls

[Potatochobit Lv3 pwrd Next Form]

what kind of incompetent clown runs his VR in power saving mode?
kid, you need a reality check a good slap to the face would work.
if you are so worried about your users rights why don't you just send that 1400$ stimulus check back in protest, people are violating your rights without asking you to opt-in.

[Logahontas]

If your that concerned about how much power your pc uses I recommend keeping it turned off.

[FalconFour]

Yeah, this is definitely a valid concern. Programs don't typically change system-level settings without asking or saying they're going to do something - and that's something great in the mobile world: apps literally don't have the ability to do this without confirming in all cases, and can't change certain things at all even if they wanted to.

The "high performance" power profile is a mirage - it doesn't do anything and is only there for legacy reasons. The mechanism they're using to activate it is actually a buried one, that isn't even exposed in the user-accessible menus anymore. You have to dig into a legacy control panel to find the option that SteamVR changed, to change it back, so that you can control your own power options again (changing the power profile disables the modern "slider" mechanism for selecting performance).

The system already provides maximum performance to applications that need it - if Windows sees a game running, it'll give it full horsepower. If the game closes, it goes back to power saving. When SteamVR forces the system into High Performance mode, it takes that ability away from Windows - so when the system is idle, it still runs at full power all the time, wasting tons of energy that it could be saving if this simple option were left the heck alone.

So, major downside (completely disables power savings when the computer is idle) and absolutely no benefit to VR (it always runs at full power when needed, and "high performance" doesn't give you any more performance).

Wish they would stop doing this.

[skippysonics]

So I just found out SteamVR was doing this which totally screws up my Bitsum power plan and Process Lasso has to keep changing it back to the proper plan causing hiccups in my gaming. Since Steam has no documentation on their programs HOW DO I STOP STEAM FROM SCREWING UP MY POWER PLAN?!?!

[GuRu Asaki]

Originally posted by BurntJello:

When starting, SteamVR 1.11.13 changes the Power Plan (Control Panel / Power Management) to "High Performance".
(current beta does as well)

Valve, not only is this rude, it is probably illegal: Unauthorized modification to a computer system.
A EULA is not a silver bullet when you do something illegal.

I see some older threads suggesting this is not the first time Valve has done this. Perhaps it was changing it and changing it back so I never noticed?...

This is unacceptable and only further erodes trust in Valve.
This kind of thing, if at all necessary, MUST be OPTIONAL and OPT-IN.

To prevent SteamVR from illegally modifying the Power Plan:
https://www.thewindowsclub.com/specify-custom-active-power-plan-windows/
run "gpedit" -> Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System -> Power Management
Enable "Specify a custom active power plan"
The guid for the power plan can be found by running "powercfg /list" from a Command Prompt.

I'm pretty sure Valve is trying to build some kind of AI Structured BOT
around this idea, right into the Power Plan Management Tool on WIndows 10.

Who knows? I keep telling people, you keep complaining about bugs & problems
over games after games, you find new problems all the time, yet you keep throwing
more money at Valve. Oh, but some will say it's not a Game Dev's responsibility to
fix such bugs found in their Games. Actually yes it is their responsibility, it's their Game.

Why? Do you actually expect the Next great disaster
to be different from the Previous one before it?

What will be found next? Some kind of problem with Proton over Linux,
that allows a Gate Way Door from Windows 10 to Linux now that causes
a whole New set of Problems for people, like Viruses, & such? ~_~

Or some kind of problem where STEAM Remote Play ends up loosing Security,
& people are able to infect other peoples computers, & such.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Anyways, regardless.

This is unacceptable and only further erodes trust in Valve.

After the so called Privacy Policy thing in the end of 2019,
I quit trusting Valve a long time ago, & quit using a Credit Card
on STEAM, & quit spending entirely.

It sucks if you only got 1 or 2 Games? But if you really are that
interested in Saving your Computer, I probably would find some
kind of way to force STEAM to stop Updating, & Deactivate it's
Internet Use, & save whatever Games we have. I'm likely going
to have STEAM Deleted from Linux at some point soon. I've likely
more then had my Testing with it already Completed by now.

[Sebastien Brunier]

Originally posted by Rectus:

It has alsways done this AFAIK, but it is supposed to change it back to the previous setting on exit. This doesn't work if it crashes however, so with any crash it will stay at high performance until manually switched back.

Well the main issue here is that we can't alter that SteamVR default behavior, some PC's get worse long term performance on "High Performance" power plan, and "Balanced" is simply better. Moreover I'm trying to find a solution because it's not the first time when I Alt+Tab it switches the power plan and crashes Assetto Corsa Competizione... When you prepare a 4h race and you are crashed because of crappy features like that on which you have no control whatsoever that's excruciating...
This should be a toggle option, they can propose any settings I don't care, but they should allow users to disable that very badly thought out stuff.

[Rectus]

Originally posted by Sebastien Brunier:

Well the main issue here is that we can't alter that SteamVR default behavior, some PC's get worse long term performance on "High Performance" power plan, and "Balanced" is simply better. Moreover I'm trying to find a solution because it's not the first time when I Alt+Tab it switches the power plan and crashes Assetto Corsa Competizione... When you prepare a 4h race and you are crashed because of crappy features like that on which you have no control whatsoever that's excruciating...
This should be a toggle option, they can propose any settings I don't care, but they should allow users to disable that very badly thought out stuff.

SteamVR seems to only switch the power plan when it is started and stopped, so it's possible that there are more things switching the power plans than just it.

But yeah, an option to disable the switching would be useful.

[just.fun]

Originally posted by Potatochobit Lv3 pwrd Next Form:

what kind of incompetent clown runs his VR in power saving mode?

What a foolish assumption. Not using the high performance profile is not the same as using low power!
I am using an power profile optimized for the built in hardware (mainly cpu) to adapt to some specific needs.
SteamVR can not know this, by dumbly switching to the windows standard profile without even making any note or message it just jeaopardize how MY computer works.
This is just ♥♥♥♥♥♥ development, because now I have to fix their ♥♥♥♥.

Originally posted by Rectus:

But yeah, an option to disable the switching would be useful.

Here you go. If you dont have gpedit, get PolicyPlus from Fleex255.

enable System -> Power Management -> Specify a custom active powerplan
insert the ID of your power plan, find it with 'powercfg /l' in the cmd line.
Dont forget to save the change.


Easiest way to find other software messing with this setting. Check events from System - UserModePowerService EventID 12 in your eventviewer.

[ju5tA1ex]

If you does not care about power plans then you can modify the high performance to be similar to medium performance. Like min CPU speed from 100% to 5%.

[fatal]

It still doing this, completely ruining the scheduling of the 7950X3D (and I guess the 7900X3D) and core parking. Valve please stop this madness.

[just.fun]

Complains about it are old. I would wonder if they do.

Just use the manual fix and don't rely on them. They don't care.