[Feature Request] Integrated Virtual Display with Restricted EDID/Resolution Culling for Headless Systems

[Raviraj476]

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I am running a headless Windows 11 system with an RTX 5070 Ti. Because I use a mini-monitor (7-inch) only for initial OS setup and remote desktop configuration, the goal is to remove all bulky monitors and stream exclusively via Moonlight to a tablet.

I encountered two primary issues:
1.The Headless Black Screen: Without a physical display attached, Sunshine has no active screen to capture, resulting in a black stream.
2.NVIDIA 4K Over-Optimization: When using third-party Virtual Display Drivers (VDD), the driver typically "exposes" all possible resolutions up to 4K. Because the RTX 5070 Ti is high-end, the NVIDIA App automatically "optimizes" game settings to 4K.

Since I am on Wi-Fi (due to living in a rented room), 4K streaming is unstable. Manually downscaling every game from 4K back to 1080p in a headless environment is tedious and often results in resolution mismatches or scaling artifacts.
I would like to see Sunshine integrate a native Virtual Display Driver (similar to the IddSampleDriver/SudoVDA implementations) with an integrated Resolution Filter/EDID Culler.
Ideally, the Sunshine Web UI would allow users to Hard-Limit Resolution Exposure by Providing a checkbox or configuration to "Only expose 1080p" (or a specific user-defined resolution) to the OS.

I achieved a stable "Balanced" setup by using the Virtual-Display-Driver and manually culling the driver's capabilities:

• XML Manual Strip: I used the VDD XML Editor to delete every entry except for 1920x1080.
• Identity Lock: By forcing the driver to only report a single 1080p mode, Windows 11 treats the virtual monitor as a "Fixed 1080p Only" device.
• NVIDIA Enforcement: Because the system no longer sees 4K as an available display mode, the NVIDIA App is forced to recognize 1080p as the "Optimal" and only target.

Integrating this logic directly into Sunshine would eliminate the need for users to manually edit XML files or rely on 3rd-party drivers that are "too flexible" for their own good. It would turn Sunshine into a true "zero-config" solution for headless gaming, preventing powerful GPUs from defaulting to high-bandwidth 4K streams on limited Wi-Fi networks.

[ReenigneArcher]

LizardByte/roadmap#54