Why Are My Dark Areas in PCVR Games So Pitch Black When Using Steam Link?

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I’m having trouble with my PCVR games streamed to the Quest 3 via Steam Link. In dark areas of games like Half-Life: Alyx, Metro Awakening, Arizona Sunshine 2, and Contractors Showdown: Exfil Zone, everything appears completely black with no detail. This issue doesn’t occur with standalone Quest games, and my brother has the same problem, so I know it’s not just me. I’ve tried adjusting both in-game and Quest brightness settings, but that didn’t help. Does anyone know if this is a SteamVR issue, a Quest 3 HDR problem, or something with the gamma or color profile? I’m planning to test it with AirLink and a wired connection, but from what I remember, it seems to be the same. I’m really looking for any tips or settings that could remedy this as it ruins the immersion of the games.

Why Are My Dark Areas in PCVR Games So Pitch Black When Using Steam Link
Half-Life: Alyx

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3 Answers

DarkPixelGamer99 -

I had this same issue! You might want to check your Windows display settings. Try going to advanced display settings and turning off the “automatically manage color for apps” option. That helped me a bit!

TechWizard101 -

I looked for that option on Windows 10, but I couldn’t find anything similar.

VRNoobMaster -

I understand your frustration! I haven’t found a solid fix yet, but playing in the dark with an infrared light helped a little. It’s not perfect, but at least there’s some improvement when it’s dark.

GameplayGuru21 -

It seems like it’s a Steam Link problem. If you connect through Meta Link or Air Link, the colors are much better in SteamVR. I encountered this on my Quest Pro, and when I contacted SteamVR support, they mentioned it’s related to headset calibration and that they are looking into it, but no updates have been made since October 2024.

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