VR’s Biggest Players Back New ‘VirtualLink’ Connector for Next-gen Headsets

I'd welcome USB C display outputs coming as standard on graphics cards and monitors.

I can't see a magsafe type connector working though, I would expect there would be too many pins to do that effectively, unless it was just a "looser" USB C connection at some point along the cable that breaks away after x force is applied.
 
I don’t see the point of this. The Rift is only one wire, but with 2 connectors at the end, hdmi & usb3. The better development would be wireless tech surely, this doesn’t gain you much at all. Maybe they’re hoping VR will be used in presentations to prospective clients more, hence the push toward laptops...in general standardisation of tech should be a good thing for consumers, but there is a risk of price fixing with a consortium like this.
 
Wireless (at least what we have today) still needs to plug into something. Although I can't see a battery and receiver/transmitter being integrated into one unit - you'd still need to split cables for power.

It's really just a way to combine higher power, video and data into a single convenient connector.
 
I have a TPcast and I only have 1 cable(HDMI) coming out of the computer.
So why we need a new system is beyond me. Maybe they have followed Apple in bringing out a new connector every now and then?
 
deuse said:
I have a TPcast and I only have 1 cable(HDMI) coming out of the computer.
So why we need a new system is beyond me. Maybe they have followed Apple in bringing out a new connector every now and then?
Click to expand...

this isn't for wireless, not everyone is going to spend £300 on a wireless solution on top of a £500 headset, and if you look at the current cabling for a vive or rift it is pretty bulky, reducing that down to a single slim cable would alleviate the need for a wireless solution for a lot of people and it basically costs the end user nothing - HDMI 2.0 can only supply 18gbps which is just barely enough for a single 4K panel at 120hz - there are multiple headsets looking to be coming out over the next few years that are talking about dual 4K panels or more, so hdmi2.0 isn't an option, you need DP1.4, so why not combine that in one cable with USB as well
 
andybird123 said:
this isn't for wireless, not everyone is going to spend £300 on a wireless solution on top of a £500 headset, and if you look at the current cabling for a vive or rift it is pretty bulky, reducing that down to a single slim cable would alleviate the need for a wireless solution for a lot of people and it basically costs the end user nothing - HDMI 2.0 can only supply 18gbps which is just barely enough for a single 4K panel at 120hz - there are multiple headsets looking to be coming out over the next few years that are talking about dual 4K panels or more, so hdmi2.0 isn't an option, you need DP1.4, so why not combine that in one cable with USB as well
Click to expand...


I think they will go with HDMI 2.1 That has 48Gbps which I think is plenty?
I know my TV that I use as a monitor will have a firmware update to HDMI 2.1

I tried setting up my Vive with DP1.4 out put from my Nvidia card, and it hated it. So I got a converter from OCUK.
 
deuse said:
I think they will go with HDMI 2.1 That has 48Gbps which I think is plenty?
I know my TV that I use as a monitor will have a firmware update to HDMI 2.1

I tried setting up my Vive with DP1.4 out put from my Nvidia card, and it hated it. So I got a converter from OCUK.
Click to expand...

headset makers seem to be shying away from hdmi due to the licence fees, hence why the two major HMD makers are working with all the GPU makers on a displayport based solution
(also, it is probably a bit of a moot point but a firmware update won't necessarily allow the full 48Gb/s, but that TV probably doesn't allow connecting to it at a resolution/refresh that would require it anyway)
 
Born2BSlow said:
I don’t see the point of this. The Rift is only one wire, but with 2 connectors at the end, hdmi & usb3. The better development would be wireless tech surely, this doesn’t gain you much at all. Maybe they’re hoping VR will be used in presentations to prospective clients more, hence the push toward laptops...in general standardisation of tech should be a good thing for consumers, but there is a risk of price fixing with a consortium like this.
Click to expand...

This is effectively USB and DP 1.4 over a bespoke longer distance interface.

Next gen headsets are going to struggle with the data rates that need to flow over long cable runs, where DP, HDMI and USB have inherent cable limitations. Further wireless solutions are not ready for prime time, where they suffer from interference and integration issues.

It is a good move to stop 6 different bespoke interfaces for 6 headset manufacturers. It also greatly lowers the entry level for new players onto the market, where they can just integrate this interface instead of 1000s of hours of development.
 
You'd need more than DP 1.4 to drive two 4K displays at 90Hz without compression. This is designed to handle effectively four DP lanes. Think next next generation displays (something like the Pimax 8X which currently needs two display cables, or these new ultra dense panels being touted by Google).
 
ArmitageShanks said:
You'd need more than DP 1.4 to drive two 4K displays at 90Hz without compression. This is designed to handle effectively four DP lanes. Think next next generation displays (something like the Pimax 8X which currently needs two display cables, or these new ultra dense panels being touted by Google).
Click to expand...

with DSC it could
 
I think the best standardisation should be ample USB 3 ports for “VR Ready” PCs.

I’ve got an Alienware R4 laptop - VR ready, according to the marketing. It’s got 2 USB 3.0 ports, one type-C USB 3.0 port and a Thunderbolt 3 port. Now, I know these are all technically (for all intents) the same, but I needed to buy 2 adapters to convert back to normal USB plugs. This is *just* enough if you want to run an Oculus and a controller. There’s no spare ports for anything. It’s the only area where I feel like they’ve cheaped out!
 
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