Steam Client has major issues when multiple monitors are connected with different DPI scaling settings

[aiden.quinn]

The issues include windows appearing off screen, windows appearing too large and windows appearing too small (such as the properties window for a game). This is getting really annoying as I have a laptop with a 4K screen often connected to a 1080p monitor and the laptop screen is scaled at 225% and the monitor at 100% and I always have these issues when the monitor is connected.

[Boblin the Goblin]

That's an issue with the custom scaling. Not the Steam Client.

[aiden.quinn]

Same issue as reported here: https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/1/1735465524710644838/

[Boblin the Goblin]

Originally posted by aiden.quinn:

Same issue as reported here: https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/1/1735465524710644838/

Yes, it's because of the custom scaling.

[KalGimpa]

i have two hooked up and no troubles

what os?

[aiden.quinn]

Originally posted by KalCuey:

i have two hooked up and no troubles

what os?

Windows 11

[Mad Scientist]

This honestly sounds like user error.

Also, this section is to suggest things for Steam. You post in Hardware & Operating Systems if you need assistance with multi display.

[aiden.quinn]

It's an issue with the Steam Client. I think I know what's happening which is that the client marks itself as Per Monitor DPI v2 Aware, but sometimes does not take into account the scaling of the monitor a Steam window is on when determining the size and position of that particular window. It either needs to take into account that information, or mark itself as System DPI Aware or DPI Unaware. I'm a Windows developer and I've worked with these things before.

[RiO]

Originally posted by aiden.quinn:

It's an issue with the Steam Client. I think I know what's happening which is that the client marks itself as Per Monitor DPI v2 Aware, but sometimes does not take into account the scaling of the monitor a Steam window is on when determining the size and position of that particular window. It either needs to take into account that information, or mark itself as System DPI Aware or DPI Unaware. I'm a Windows developer and I've worked with these things before.

aiden here is right.

if you don't mark your application as DPI aware, then it renders to a virtualized output of 96 DPI, which corresponds to the nominal 100% scaling at 1080p resolution.

The Desktop Window Manager (DWM) in Windows itself will then use bitmap-based upscaling (or downscaling) on the already rendered contents before outputting to the actual screen. This will look blurry; but at least it'll always* work correctly.

If you mark your application as DPI aware in any way, then you get control over how content is rendered at different fidelity and you can ensure it remains sharp. However, it's an all-or-nothing. If you mark your application as such, you become responsible to manage all of it.

Therefore, any inconsistencies in the output due to DPI mismatches are always a direct indication that the application marked itself as DPI-aware; opted into telling the OS its developers are responsible enough to handle it themselves, and then evidently those developers not being able to live up to that.

TL;DR - it's an error in the Steam Client. Period.



*) Technically not always.
Dumb developers can do extra special dumb things like using APIs to manually query the global mouse position or set the mouse position under the assumption that their application's screen resolution is always a 1:1 with the input surface for the mouse cursor. Which, surprise; surprise, it isn't.
Steam has issues (or at least has had issues - not sure of the current state) of exactly this skulduggery in Steam Input. Specifically; the parts which drive their desktop input mode and allow you to control the mouse with the controller.

[Nx Machina]

Originally posted by aiden.quinn:

I'm a Windows developer and I've worked with these things before.

If you are a Windows developer you would be aware of Windows 11 having display scaling issues with multiple monitors.

[Mad Scientist]

Originally posted by RiO:

TL;DR - it's an error in the Steam Client. Period.

There's a huge difference between an error, and something happening to not work well with an experimental OS. It was stated of no issues in Win10 which the user is not using.

Even GPU manufacturers like to tell people to NOT use scaling as not everything is meant to work with it, let alone standard OS issues that come up because of it.

Originally posted by Nx Machina:

If you are a Windows developer you would be aware of Windows 11 having display scaling issues with multiple monitors.

Usually Developers identify with the thing or product they're working with, which happens to support a specified OS or OS's. They usually don't claim to be an actual OS Dev.

[aiden.quinn]

Originally posted by RiO:

Originally posted by aiden.quinn:

It's an issue with the Steam Client. I think I know what's happening which is that the client marks itself as Per Monitor DPI v2 Aware, but sometimes does not take into account the scaling of the monitor a Steam window is on when determining the size and position of that particular window. It either needs to take into account that information, or mark itself as System DPI Aware or DPI Unaware. I'm a Windows developer and I've worked with these things before.

aiden here is right.

if you don't mark your application as DPI aware, then it renders to a virtualized output of 96 DPI, which corresponds to the nominal 100% scaling at 1080p resolution.

The Desktop Window Manager (DWM) in Windows itself will then use bitmap-based upscaling (or downscaling) on the already rendered contents before outputting to the actual screen. This will look blurry; but at least it'll always* work correctly.

If you mark your application as DPI aware in any way, then you get control over how content is rendered at different fidelity and you can ensure it remains sharp. However, it's an all-or-nothing. If you mark your application as such, you become responsible to manage all of it.

Therefore, any inconsistencies in the output due to DPI mismatches are always a direct indication that the application marked itself as DPI-aware; opted into telling the OS its developers are responsible enough to handle it themselves, and then evidently those developers not being able to live up to that.

TL;DR - it's an error in the Steam Client. Period.



*) Technically not always.
Dumb developers can do extra special dumb things like using APIs to manually query the global mouse position or set the mouse position under the assumption that their application's screen resolution is always a 1:1 with the input surface for the mouse cursor. Which, surprise; surprise, it isn't.
Steam has issues (or at least has had issues - not sure of the current state) of exactly this skulduggery in Steam Input. Specifically; the parts which drive their desktop input mode and allow you to control the mouse with the controller.

Yep that pretty much sums it up.

[RiO]

Originally posted by Mad Scientist:

Originally posted by RiO:

TL;DR - it's an error in the Steam Client. Period.

There's a huge difference between an error, and something happening to not work well with an experimental OS. It was stated of no issues in Win10 which the user is not using.

First off; Windows 11 is RTM and no longer experimental.
Secondly; issues with high DPI happen on Windows 10 as well.
In part because Valve messed up and in part because the Steam Client uses an embedded Chromium browser, where Chromium has its own legacy of issues with hi-DPI screw-ups.

Again: if you don't explicitly mark your executable as hi-DPI compatible (and don't do certain edge-case dumb stuff) then it'll work problem-free.
But if you claim your application is hi-DPI capable, you better damn well make sure you apply the due diligence to absolutely get it right. Which Valve didn't and doesn't. Hence: error; bug; or whatever you want to call it.

It's that simple.

[LordPresidentRassilon]

How is this still an issue 2 years later?

[William Shakesman]

Because 2 years is fairly short in Valve Time standards.

[Mesh]

Originally posted by LordPresidentRassilon:

How is this still an issue 2 years later?

I genuinely don't know, but it's frustrating as heck