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Oculus Link (Beta) out now, $13 recommended cable

wwm0nkey

wwm0nkey

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,599
Just launched today


Will be very interesting to see impressions, though it looks like in this beta GTX 1070 - 20 series are the currently supported cards, so if you don't have those you'll have to wait a bit longer. Kinda sucks for AMD users tbh

On the plus side, the 10ft cable they are recommending for this is only $13 and you can get it on amazon HERE

I will be posting impressions here as they come in

EDIT: So looks like 1060 and other cards do indeed work.

EDIT 2: This extender works really well!
 
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wwm0nkey

wwm0nkey

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,599
So impressions are from what I am seeing right now is that it feels and looks like native, black levels are good too. Some audio issues atm though where it will come through PC speakers.

Will have to try it out tomorrow when my cable gets in.
 
1-D_FE

1-D_FE

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,282
wwm0nkey said:
So impressions are from what I am seeing right now is that it feels and looks like native, black levels are good too. Some audio issues atm though where it will come through PC speakers.

Will have to try it out tomorrow when my cable gets in.
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What kind of cables did you buy (previously)? I hope it wasn't the USB 3 Amazon basics cable that was being posted on Reddit. Cause I bought that one last week. It was between that and the Anker, but figured USB cables tend to suck and the Amazon Basics would give me 12 months warranty coverage.

EDIT: Thought I read you bought 2 cables and neither worked for this. Maybe it was someone else.
 
Reinhard

Reinhard

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,612
I got the cheap Ankher cable too from Amazon so I'll try tomorrow, but the very short length means VR games where you move won't work well. My pc is on the floor and my front USB ports don't seem to be full speed so I don't think 10 ft will give me any room to move lol...

I do own Virtual desktop that recently updated so that lag is only 30 ms issues of 60-70 previously, so at least I have a wireless alternative.
 
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wwm0nkey

wwm0nkey

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,599
1-D_FE said:
What kind of cables did you buy (previously)? I hope it wasn't the USB 3 Amazon basics cable that was being posted on Reddit. Cause I bought that one last week. It was between that and the Anker, but figured USB cables tend to suck and the Amazon Basics would give me 12 months warranty coverage.
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I have not bought any yet, I don't see why the Amazon basics one wouldn't work though, but imma just go with the recommended just incase and if the 5m Amazon one works I'll just get that too.
 
medyej

medyej

Member
Oct 26, 2017
6,459
Where did they say that cable was recommended? Picked one up at that price anyway just curious.
 
1-D_FE

1-D_FE

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,282
wwm0nkey said:
I have not bought any yet, I don't see why the Amazon basics one wouldn't work though, but imma just go with the recommended just incase and if the 5m Amazon one works I'll just get that too.
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Yeah. I stealth edited. For some reason I thought you'd posted that.

Reddit seems to be implying the Amazon basics cable is good to go:) So I should be able to post impressions today.

Kind of sucks about the chipsets supported. I was surprised to learn last week that 1060 and 1070 were different. Didn't realize 1070 had 2 streaming chips vs only 1 for 1060. It's also why people can't really use HEVC streaming with Virtual Desktop on a 1060.
 
Kanhir

Kanhir

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,891
Nice! Picked up the 3m Anker cable from Amazon, so I'm looking forward to giving this a shot when it arrives.
 
defaltoption

defaltoption

The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
11,495
Austin
Man I gotta pick a quest up, just cant bring myself to buy one at $400 after not enjoying psvr for more than the first time wow factor
 
plagiarize

plagiarize

It's not a loop. It's a spiral.
Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
27,609
Cape Cod, MA
Sweet. Hopefully I can try this out tonight. I have a decent quality USB C to C 3.0 (an Anker like they recommend, but not the exact one). All depends on how quickly I can get my writing done tonight I guess.
 
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wwm0nkey

wwm0nkey

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,599
1-D_FE said:
Yeah. I stealth edited. For some reason I thought you'd posted that.

Reddit seems to be implying the Amazon basics cable is good to go:) So I should be able to post impressions today.

Kind of sucks about the chipsets supported. I was surprised to learn last week that 1060 and 1070 were different. Didn't realize 1070 had 2 streaming chips vs only 1 for 1060. It's also why people can't really use HEVC streaming with Virtual Desktop on a 1060.
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Got a link to the 5m Amazon Basics cable? Would prefer the range as well
 
shodgson8

shodgson8

Shinra Employee
Member
Aug 22, 2018
4,251
Pretty sure than anything longer than 10ft would be out of spec for a USB3 cable so your mileage with performance may vary (and it one of the big reasons why oculus is making their own).
 

s0l0kill

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
856
Works well over here, have the anker cable and can confirm it's good.
Seems USB ports are finicky, my 3.1 port didn't work, but my 3.0 did.
 
iFirez

iFirez

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,589
England
I have a few random USB 3 and USB C cables not sure if any of them will work tonight - but ordered the one they recommended to arrive tomorrow so I can test this out.
 
gabdeg

gabdeg

Member
Oct 26, 2017
5,977
🐝
Nice. Anyone got a recommendation for a USB-C to USB-C cable that would work? Don't really wanna get another USB-A cable.
 
Beer Monkey

Beer Monkey

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
9,308
tkato said:
Works well over here, have the anker cable and can confirm it's good.
Seems USB ports are finicky, my 3.1 port didn't work, but my 3.0 did.
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How does it compare to virtual desktop?

shodgson8 said:
Pretty sure than anything longer than 10ft would be out of spec for a USB3 cable so your mileage with performance may vary (and it one of the big reasons why oculus is making their own).
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There are powered cables. Don't have a link handy. You can extend them about ten feet by adding an unpowered extension.
 
plagiarize

plagiarize

It's not a loop. It's a spiral.
Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
27,609
Cape Cod, MA
One thing to keep in mind when pushing USB cables past their limits, you're going to get variability within a single manufacturer too. So I'd try whatever you have around first before ordering something. You might get lucky. If not, go for something a lot of people are reporting success with.
 

Deleted member 7148

Oct 25, 2017
6,827
If the difference between a Rift and a Quest is minimal with this, I think I'd rather buy a Quest than a Rift even though I would use the PC functionality more than anything.
 
ZeroCoin

ZeroCoin

Member
Oct 26, 2017
431
I'd love to see some impressions of how well this works. Is there any reason to get a Rift S over a Quest anymore assuming this works well?
 
iFirez

iFirez

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,589
England
Jumped to work and grabbed a really short USB cable that does charge and data (it's less than 1m long) just so I can try it. I've ordered the 10ft cable they recommend from Amazon though so I can try it properly tomorrow.

My friends both have Quests and were excited for the Link, but one has a 980ti (and it's not listed... what gives?) and the other has a 1080 so he should be okay. I have a 2080ti so should be all good.
 
Starviper

Starviper

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
1,431
Minneapolis
Ordered a cable today, looking forward to testing it out - are the games supported only via the Oculus store? Will I still need Virtual Desktop for Steam games? My 2080 handles No Mans Sky and i've been able to stream that to my Quest but it can be glitchy. Would be really nice to have it handled a little more directly.
 
Kinggroin

Kinggroin

Self-requested ban
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
6,392
Uranus, get it?!? YOUR. ANUS.
Starviper said:
Ordered a cable today, looking forward to testing it out - are the games supported only via the Oculus store? Will I still need Virtual Desktop for Steam games? My 2080 handles No Mans Sky and i've been able to stream that to my Quest but it can be glitchy. Would be really nice to have it handled a little more directly.
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Steam works fine with it
 
1-D_FE

1-D_FE

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,282
wwm0nkey said:
Got a link to the 5m Amazon Basics cable? Would prefer the range as well
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Oh, no. It's just the 3m. As others have pointed out, things get wonky above 3m. I didn't even try testing my luck above that.

tkato said:
Works well over here, have the anker cable and can confirm it's good.
Seems USB ports are finicky, my 3.1 port didn't work, but my 3.0 did.
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Weird. I have a boatload of 3.1 (Gen 1) ports and none of them work. I also have two 3.1 (Gen 2) ports - ( a C and an A) and that's the only port I could plug into and get my cable to work.

Beer Monkey said:
How does it compare to virtual desktop?
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Was able to steal a couple minutes away and this shit is legit. Only game I tested was Pinball FX2 VR on Steam. Even with the amazing advancements with VD 1.8 and having a best case local network, I still don't feel it's playable with VD. With the Link cable, it's silky freaking smooth and if there's lag, it's now low enough not to bother me.

What a fantastic achievement for these guys.
 
ratcliffja

ratcliffja

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,932
Kinggroin said:
It just turns the Quest into a Rift S / Vive. So whatever VR platform you use with it, that's the functionality afforded to you

In short, yes. Both Steam and Oculus do mirrored output.
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plagiarize said:
Most PC VR games provide a mirrored feed on the PC monitor. This will work the same way for PC games. For native Quest stuff, you can mirror to any chromecast target or to the Oculus app on a smartphone.
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Great thanks. I have a regular Oculus Rift but it had some awful connection issues on my PC to the point that it was effectively unplayable and I unfortunately wasn't able to return it during the warranty period, so I've been considering options for home VR. I've been doing VR game development for a while, but in my brief time developing for the Quest before changing studios, there didn't seem to be any second screen support. I'm strongly considering a Quest now.
 
shodgson8

shodgson8

Shinra Employee
Member
Aug 22, 2018
4,251
Can anyone confirm if the Nintendo switch controller cable works?? (I know it's far too short to be suitable but I wanted to see if the USB ports are compatible before I buy a longer cable).

Its not working when I test but I don't know if that's because it's not a data cable or it's an issue with the ports.
 
plagiarize

plagiarize

It's not a loop. It's a spiral.
Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
27,609
Cape Cod, MA
ratcliffja said:
Great thanks. I have a regular Oculus Rift but it had some awful connection issues on my PC to the point that it was effectively unplayable and I unfortunately wasn't able to return it during the warranty period, so I've been considering options for home VR. I've been doing VR game development for a while, but in my brief time developing for the Quest before changing studios, there didn't seem to be any second screen support. I'm strongly considering a Quest now.
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They specifically talked up Oculus link speeding up development, as you no longer need a PC VR headset and a Quest. Now, you can use it as a PC VR headset to test stuff quickly right from Unreal Engine Editor (or whatever), avoiding the need to have it compile out the quest code every time. Obviously you'll still have need to test it running natively on the Quest if you're making a Quest game, but I suspect it'll be a nice feature for devs.
 
ratcliffja

ratcliffja

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,932
plagiarize said:
They specifically talked up Oculus link speeding up development, as you no longer need a PC VR headset and a Quest. Now, you can use it as a PC VR headset to test stuff quickly right from Unreal Engine Editor (or whatever), avoiding the need to have it compile out the quest code every time. Obviously you'll still have need to test it running natively on the Quest if you're making a Quest game, but I suspect it'll be a nice feature for devs.
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Wow that's awesome. I've been exclusively working with Unity, but I bet if it's supported for Unreal, it's supported for Unity as well.
 
gabdeg

gabdeg

Member
Oct 26, 2017
5,977
🐝
shodgson8 said:
Can anyone confirm if the Nintendo switch controller cable works?? (I know it's far too short to be suitable but I wanted to see if the USB ports are compatible before I buy a longer cable).

Its not working when I test but I don't know if that's because it's not a data cable or it's an issue with the ports.
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Didn't work for me as well.
 
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