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It'll be nice to have more high end non-Meta options. Meta's headsets are a pain to use for PCVR. Third party software like Virtual Desktop is basically mandato

It'll be nice to have more high end non-Meta options. Meta's headsets are a pain to use for PCVR. Third party software like Virtual Desktop is basically mandatory for Meta and PCVR. (For the curious, this website I maintain about setting up a particular flight sim with VR documents all the meta-specific tweaks and caveats I've found: https://www.8492sqdn.net/guides/dcs/performance/ https://www.8492sqdn.net/guides/dcs/performance/) There's also quite a lot of drama right now between Meta, Khronos and OpenXR: https://mbucchia.github.io/OpenXR-Toolkit/ https://mbucchia.github.io/OpenXR-Toolkit/

smw 2y ago
Why do you need Virtual Desktop? I played Alyx and just registered the quest with steam and hit play?
- dharmab 2y ago
  1. Meta's Link software uses highly suboptimal video streaming settings. Makes a big difference in flight sims where you need to see fine detail on instruments and distant aircraft. 2. With Virtual Desktop, I can remove my headset during a long flight to grab a snack or use the restroom, then put the headset back on and resume. With Meta's software, taking the headset off requires fully restarting both the sim and headset.
  - creaturemachine 2y ago
    Have you tried Steam Link? The few VR games I have on PC may not be that detailed, but it seems to provide good quality video most of the time.
    - dharmab 2y ago
      Yea, Steam Link is also a better option than Quest Link in terms of video quality.
    - explodes 2y ago
      Most people forget to turn up the resolution under the streaming settings
  - tavavex 2y ago
    You redirected me to this comment from my other one up the thread. But for #1, your blog post mentions that going with the USB cable option provides the best quality, which is what I use. Maybe a better wording is that VD is preferred for people who want to use it wirelessly. For #2... that sounds like some kind of a software issue that only applies to DCS? Or maybe some obscure issue with the headset software? When I take off the headset in its normal link mode, it will usually pause whatever's going on PC-side, but I can just press the power button and keep it running if that's required. Never had an issue with this, let alone something that requires restarting the whole headset.
    - dharmab 2y ago
      1. Is only the case _when using Quest Link_. Virtual Desktop > Quest Link USB > Quest Link wireless. 2. I never figured it out, since Virtual Desktop fixed a bunch of my other issues too.
      - tavavex 2y ago
        Is VD actually better than USB link? If that's the case, I might look into buying it. I thought that the post reaffirmed this, but I may be wrong. I was under the impression that the inconvenience of using a USB cable is compensated by the higher throughput/lower latency of using a direct cable connection vs. a theoretically more limited wireless connection. Does VD simply have a better compression algorithm than Link, or can it actually push through more data?
        dharmab 2y ago
        It offers better compression algorithms, and importantly exposes settings for you to fine tune for your network and GPU. If you have good enough network equipment you may be able to push more data over wireless than wired (most motherboards are bottlenecked by the USB controller bandwidth).
        nolist_policy 2y ago
        If you have a Wifi-6E access point, VD is better for sure.
cosmic_cheese 2y ago
I’ve not been using Virtual Desktop but regardless, yes, PCVR on Meta headsets is more of a pain than it needs to be. At best it’s a second class citizen to the onboard experience, which as a PCVR user I have zero interest in (there’s no good reason to invest in a library that’s locked to Facebook, and onboard capabilities are uninspiring compared to those of a PC). It seems like they break Link functionality every other software update, too. BSB2 is definitely on my radar as a replacement for a Quest 2. No inside-out tracking is a bit of a letdown (I don’t relish the thought of setting up lighthouses) but a dedicated no-nonsense PCVR experience combined with the weight and bulk savings would be worth it.
tavavex 2y ago
I'll admit that I'm not up-to-date with all the updates and developments, nor do I play DCS, but I've never felt like Virtual Desktop was required. I just hook it up with a cable, open the Oculus app and then I can use whatever runtime or software I want. That's the way it always worked for me.
- dharmab 2y ago
  See my sibling comment on the issues with the Meta software versus Virtual Desktop.
- hnuser123456 2y ago
  It's for wireless PCVR, more useful for standing games like Beat Saber, HL:A, Bonelab, VRChat, etc
  - dharmab 2y ago
    It even improves seated VR! You get better image quality using wireless over virtual desktop than wired using quest link.
    - ehaliewicz2 2y ago
      It depends on your network though. In my case the image quality was good, but going to the link cable was a substantial improvement in quality and latency.
asadm 2y ago
I hear valve is announcing one soon.
- dharmab 2y ago
  Yes, rumours and leaks indicate Deckard is already in developer's hands.
  - entropicdrifter 2y ago
    I am so ready to strap a Steam Deck to my face
    - ewzimm 2y ago
      It sounds great, but I'm still not sure what they'll have to do to make it worth an upgrade for people who already use a Steam Deck and a HMD. I already use the Steam Deck like this often, just using an HDMI cable and an adapter to connect it to a Quest 3 for a giant display, but I can also run all the Quest window management on the side without taking resources from the Deck, and if I feel like continuing on the Deck alone, I can unplug the cable and keep using it on the small screen. It's a pretty nice setup. I'm wondering if it would be worth just getting whatever adapter they come up with and the next gen Steam Deck to use the same way rather than investing in Deckard, but I'm interested in seeing their case!
bsimpson 2y ago
Valve's free Steam Link has done the job for me.

smw 2y ago

Why do you need Virtual Desktop? I played Alyx and just registered the quest with steam and hit play?

dharmab 2y ago
1. Meta's Link software uses highly suboptimal video streaming settings. Makes a big difference in flight sims where you need to see fine detail on instruments and distant aircraft. 2. With Virtual Desktop, I can remove my headset during a long flight to grab a snack or use the restroom, then put the headset back on and resume. With Meta's software, taking the headset off requires fully restarting both the sim and headset.
- creaturemachine 2y ago
  Have you tried Steam Link? The few VR games I have on PC may not be that detailed, but it seems to provide good quality video most of the time.
  - dharmab 2y ago
    Yea, Steam Link is also a better option than Quest Link in terms of video quality.
  - explodes 2y ago
    Most people forget to turn up the resolution under the streaming settings
- tavavex 2y ago
  You redirected me to this comment from my other one up the thread. But for #1, your blog post mentions that going with the USB cable option provides the best quality, which is what I use. Maybe a better wording is that VD is preferred for people who want to use it wirelessly. For #2... that sounds like some kind of a software issue that only applies to DCS? Or maybe some obscure issue with the headset software? When I take off the headset in its normal link mode, it will usually pause whatever's going on PC-side, but I can just press the power button and keep it running if that's required. Never had an issue with this, let alone something that requires restarting the whole headset.
  - dharmab 2y ago
    1. Is only the case _when using Quest Link_. Virtual Desktop > Quest Link USB > Quest Link wireless. 2. I never figured it out, since Virtual Desktop fixed a bunch of my other issues too.
    - tavavex 2y ago
      Is VD actually better than USB link? If that's the case, I might look into buying it. I thought that the post reaffirmed this, but I may be wrong. I was under the impression that the inconvenience of using a USB cable is compensated by the higher throughput/lower latency of using a direct cable connection vs. a theoretically more limited wireless connection. Does VD simply have a better compression algorithm than Link, or can it actually push through more data?
      - dharmab 2y ago
        It offers better compression algorithms, and importantly exposes settings for you to fine tune for your network and GPU. If you have good enough network equipment you may be able to push more data over wireless than wired (most motherboards are bottlenecked by the USB controller bandwidth).
      - nolist_policy 2y ago
        If you have a Wifi-6E access point, VD is better for sure.

cosmic_cheese 2y ago

I’ve not been using Virtual Desktop but regardless, yes, PCVR on Meta headsets is more of a pain than it needs to be. At best it’s a second class citizen to the onboard experience, which as a PCVR user I have zero interest in (there’s no good reason to invest in a library that’s locked to Facebook, and onboard capabilities are uninspiring compared to those of a PC). It seems like they break Link functionality every other software update, too. BSB2 is definitely on my radar as a replacement for a Quest 2. No inside-out tracking is a bit of a letdown (I don’t relish the thought of setting up lighthouses) but a dedicated no-nonsense PCVR experience combined with the weight and bulk savings would be worth it.

tavavex 2y ago

I'll admit that I'm not up-to-date with all the updates and developments, nor do I play DCS, but I've never felt like Virtual Desktop was required. I just hook it up with a cable, open the Oculus app and then I can use whatever runtime or software I want. That's the way it always worked for me.

dharmab 2y ago
See my sibling comment on the issues with the Meta software versus Virtual Desktop.
hnuser123456 2y ago
It's for wireless PCVR, more useful for standing games like Beat Saber, HL:A, Bonelab, VRChat, etc
- dharmab 2y ago
  It even improves seated VR! You get better image quality using wireless over virtual desktop than wired using quest link.
  - ehaliewicz2 2y ago
    It depends on your network though. In my case the image quality was good, but going to the link cable was a substantial improvement in quality and latency.

asadm 2y ago

I hear valve is announcing one soon.

dharmab 2y ago
Yes, rumours and leaks indicate Deckard is already in developer's hands.
- entropicdrifter 2y ago
  I am so ready to strap a Steam Deck to my face
  - ewzimm 2y ago
    It sounds great, but I'm still not sure what they'll have to do to make it worth an upgrade for people who already use a Steam Deck and a HMD. I already use the Steam Deck like this often, just using an HDMI cable and an adapter to connect it to a Quest 3 for a giant display, but I can also run all the Quest window management on the side without taking resources from the Deck, and if I feel like continuing on the Deck alone, I can unplug the cable and keep using it on the small screen. It's a pretty nice setup. I'm wondering if it would be worth just getting whatever adapter they come up with and the next gen Steam Deck to use the same way rather than investing in Deckard, but I'm interested in seeing their case!

bsimpson 2y ago

Valve's free Steam Link has done the job for me.