perf: skip xalia and gamescope realtime queues by default, add a realtime toggle, default the mic off

app/src/main/java/com/droiddeck/launcher/MainActivity.kt

@@ -126,7 +126,8 @@ class MainActivity : ComponentActivity() {
     private var gameCores by mutableStateOf<Set<Int>>(emptySet())
     private var tuSysmem by mutableStateOf(false)
     private var zinkLazy by mutableStateOf(false)
-    private var noXalia by mutableStateOf(false)
+    private var noXalia by mutableStateOf(true)
+    private var gamescopeRealtime by mutableStateOf(false)
     private var prootNoSeccomp by mutableStateOf(false)
     private var guestHostname by mutableStateOf(SessionPrefs.DEFAULT_GUEST_HOSTNAME)
     private var phantomWarning by mutableStateOf<String?>(null)
@@ -503,8 +504,9 @@ class MainActivity : ComponentActivity() {
         if (checkSelfPermission(Manifest.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE) != PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED) {
             wanted.add(Manifest.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE)
         }
-        // The microphone is on by default; ask once, with the storage prompt, so voice chat works
-        // without a trip to the settings. A refusal is not asked again - the toggle asks when used.
+        // The microphone is off by default. Someone who turned it on before the permission was
+        // granted is asked once here, with the storage prompt; a refusal is not asked again - the
+        // toggle asks when used.
         if (SessionPrefs.micEnabled(this) && !SessionPrefs.micAsked(this)
             && checkSelfPermission(Manifest.permission.RECORD_AUDIO) != PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED) {
             wanted.add(Manifest.permission.RECORD_AUDIO)
@@ -893,6 +895,7 @@ class MainActivity : ComponentActivity() {
             cores = CpuCores.all.map { c -> CoreRow(c, "cpu$c" + (CpuCores.maxGhz(c)?.let { String.format(java.util.Locale.US, " · %.1f GHz", it) } ?: "")) },
             clientOverride = clientOverride, clientCores = clientCores, gameCores = gameCores,
             tuSysmem = tuSysmem, zinkLazy = zinkLazy, glThread = glThread, noGlError = noGlError, noXalia = noXalia,
+            gamescopeRealtime = gamescopeRealtime,
             prootNoSeccomp = prootNoSeccomp, guestHostname = guestHostname, phantomWarning = phantomWarning,
             onClientOverride = { on -> SessionPrefs.setClientCpusOverride(this, on); clientOverride = on },
             onTuSysmem = { on -> SessionPrefs.setTuSysmem(this, on); tuSysmem = on },
@@ -900,6 +903,7 @@ class MainActivity : ComponentActivity() {
             onGlThread = { on -> SessionPrefs.setGlThread(this, on); glThread = on },
             onNoGlError = { on -> SessionPrefs.setNoGlError(this, on); noGlError = on },
             onNoXalia = { on -> SessionPrefs.setNoXalia(this, on); noXalia = on },
+            onGamescopeRealtime = { on -> SessionPrefs.setGamescopeRealtime(this, on); gamescopeRealtime = on },
             onProotNoSeccomp = { on -> SessionPrefs.setProotNoSeccomp(this, on); prootNoSeccomp = on },
             onGuestHostname = { name -> SessionPrefs.setGuestHostname(this, name) },
             onClientCore = { core, on ->
@@ -993,6 +997,7 @@ class MainActivity : ComponentActivity() {
         tuSysmem = SessionPrefs.tuSysmem(this)
         zinkLazy = SessionPrefs.zinkLazy(this)
         noXalia = SessionPrefs.noXalia(this)
+        gamescopeRealtime = SessionPrefs.gamescopeRealtime(this)
         prootNoSeccomp = SessionPrefs.prootNoSeccomp(this)
         guestHostname = SessionPrefs.guestHostname(this)
         refreshPhantomStatus()

app/src/main/java/com/droiddeck/launcher/core/DeviceReport.kt

@@ -146,6 +146,7 @@ object DeviceReport {
         k("Steam Deck mode", SessionPrefs.steamDeckMode(context))
         k("FEX preset", SessionPrefs.fexPreset(context).ifEmpty { "FEX defaults" })
         k("Skip xalia", SessionPrefs.noXalia(context))
+        k("gamescope realtime", SessionPrefs.gamescopeRealtime(context))
         k("proot without seccomp", SessionPrefs.prootNoSeccomp(context))
         k("Guest host name", SessionPrefs.guestHostname(context))
         k("DirectAudio for games", SessionPrefs.directAudio(context))

app/src/main/java/com/droiddeck/launcher/session/SessionPrefs.kt

@@ -143,8 +143,8 @@ object SessionPrefs {
         prefs(context).edit().putBoolean("directAudio", on).apply()
     }
 
-    /** The microphone for voice chat, on unless turned off; used only once RECORD_AUDIO is granted. */
-    fun micEnabled(context: Context): Boolean = prefs(context).getBoolean("mic", true)
+    /** The microphone for voice chat, off until the user turns it on (which asks for RECORD_AUDIO). */
+    fun micEnabled(context: Context): Boolean = prefs(context).getBoolean("mic", false)
 
     /** Whether the app has already asked for the microphone once at start-up. */
     fun micAsked(context: Context): Boolean = prefs(context).getBoolean("micAsked", false)
@@ -188,14 +188,28 @@ object SessionPrefs {
      * xalia is an x86 Windows program Proton launches to give Windows programs gamepad navigation.
      * Under FEX it cannot load the session's aarch64 preload shim, so its socket() and memfd calls
      * reach the vendor's seccomp filter raw; where that answers ENOSYS - a Galaxy Fold, measured -
-     * it storms, and the session dies seconds after Big Picture appears.
+     * it storms, and the session dies seconds after Big Picture appears. On by default: where it
+     * does run, it sits beside every game under FEX for nothing a controller-first session needs
+     * (about 10% of a core beside Once Upon a KATAMARI on an SD 8 Gen 2).
      */
-    fun noXalia(context: Context): Boolean = prefs(context).getBoolean("noXalia", false)
+    fun noXalia(context: Context): Boolean = prefs(context).getBoolean("noXalia", true)
 
     fun setNoXalia(context: Context, on: Boolean) {
         prefs(context).edit().putBoolean("noXalia", on).apply()
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Whether gamescope asks for realtime-priority Vulkan queues (GAMESCOPE_FORCE_VULKAN_REALTIME=1,
+     * which the app's gamescope build honours without CAP_SYS_NICE). Off by default, as in
+     * Bannerlator's session: the compositor's queue preempting the game's buys nothing on a device
+     * whose GPU is waiting on the CPU.
+     */
+    fun gamescopeRealtime(context: Context): Boolean = prefs(context).getBoolean("gamescopeRealtime", false)
+
+    fun setGamescopeRealtime(context: Context, on: Boolean) {
+        prefs(context).edit().putBoolean("gamescopeRealtime", on).apply()
+    }
+
     /**
      * Whether proot runs without its seccomp acceleration (PROOT_NO_SECCOMP=1).
      *

app/src/main/java/com/droiddeck/launcher/session/SessionService.kt

@@ -530,9 +530,12 @@ class SessionService : Service() {
             SessionPrefs.writeForceFullscreenFlag(this)
         }
         // Proton's own gate for its xalia helper (its `proton` script reads this, and sets
-        // XALIA_SUPPORTED_ONLY itself otherwise). Off by default: xalia is Valve's, and on a device
-        // whose seccomp answers its syscalls normally there is no reason to take it away.
+        // XALIA_SUPPORTED_ONLY itself otherwise). Skipped by default: under FEX it costs every game
+        // a slice of a core for gamepad navigation the session already has.
         if (SessionPrefs.noXalia(this)) guest.add("PROTON_USE_XALIA=0")
+        // gamescope's realtime Vulkan queues (the session script turns this into
+        // GAMESCOPE_FORCE_VULKAN_REALTIME); off unless the user turns it on.
+        guest.add("BL_GAMESCOPE_REALTIME=" + (if (SessionPrefs.gamescopeRealtime(this)) "1" else "0"))
         // Anything else, for a device that cannot be reached with a debugger: Downloads/droiddeck-env
         // holds KEY=VALUE lines that go into the session's environment as written, after ours, so a
         // line here wins. Zink and Turnip tunables (ZINK_DESCRIPTORS=lazy, MESA_*), gamescope's,

app/src/main/java/com/droiddeck/launcher/ui/PerformanceDialog.kt

@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ fun PerformancePage(
     glThread: Boolean,
     noGlError: Boolean,
     noXalia: Boolean,
+    gamescopeRealtime: Boolean,
     prootNoSeccomp: Boolean,
     guestHostname: String,
     phantomWarning: String?,
@@ -46,6 +47,7 @@ fun PerformancePage(
     onGlThread: (Boolean) -> Unit,
     onNoGlError: (Boolean) -> Unit,
     onNoXalia: (Boolean) -> Unit,
+    onGamescopeRealtime: (Boolean) -> Unit,
     onProotNoSeccomp: (Boolean) -> Unit,
     onGuestHostname: (String) -> Unit,
     onClientCore: (Int, Boolean) -> Unit,
@@ -94,6 +96,11 @@ fun PerformancePage(
                 "Disables per-call GL validation.",
                 noGlError, onChange = onNoGlError,
             )
+            ToggleRow(
+                host, "gsrealtime", "gamescope: realtime GPU queue",
+                "Gives the compositor's GPU work priority over the game's. Can smooth frame pacing, but can cost games GPU time.",
+                gamescopeRealtime, onChange = onGamescopeRealtime,
+            )
         }
         SettingsGroup("Session fixes") {
             ToggleRow(
@@ -103,7 +110,7 @@ fun PerformancePage(
             )
             ToggleRow(
                 host, "xalia", "Skip Steam's xalia helper",
-                "Disables Proton's gamepad navigation helper. Try if sessions crash at startup.",
+                "Disables Proton's gamepad navigation helper, which costs every game CPU time. Turn off only if a game needs it.",
                 noXalia, onChange = onNoXalia,
             )
             ToggleRow(

tools/linuxfs/overlay/usr/local/bin/bannerlator-session

@@ -77,8 +77,9 @@ fi
 # switch instead of on CAP_SYS_NICE, which proot never has; it falls back to normal priority
 # where the driver refuses, and the runtime's own build ignores it. On KGSL Turnip (Mesa 26.2) it
 # changes nothing yet: the driver reports one submit-queue priority and creates every KGSL context
-# with the same flags, so no priority reaches the GPU. Kept for a driver that maps it.
-export GAMESCOPE_FORCE_VULKAN_REALTIME=${BL_GAMESCOPE_REALTIME:-1}
+# with the same flags, so no priority reaches the GPU. Kept for a driver that maps it, and off
+# unless the app's Performance page turns it on (BL_GAMESCOPE_REALTIME=1).
+export GAMESCOPE_FORCE_VULKAN_REALTIME=${BL_GAMESCOPE_REALTIME:-0}
 
 # A sleep that starts no process. Under proot every exec is a traced execve plus the loader's
 # opens and maps, and the watchers below poll for the whole session: `sleep 1` in a loop was 60