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zaius55's avatar
zaius55
Honored Guest
3 years ago
Solved

Virtual Desktop via Link Cable on

This seems like a simple question but I can't find any answers.

 

I would like to use virtual desktop on the Quest 2 via the link cable (NOT WIFI) just to troubleshoot connections and utilize the neat environment features of the app.  Is this possible?  


I play FPS's that are 2D on my quest and using the oculus desktop "button" doesn't provide the nice features of screen sizing and everything else that virtual desktop does (and the games spontaneously crash).  Is there another alternative other than VD or the oculus desktop?  How do I get it not to crash?

 

Thanks,

Bob

  • MetaQuestSupport's avatar
    MetaQuestSupport
    2 years ago

    Hey guys! Thanks to everyone for chiming in! When using the Quest 2 or Quest Pro (or Quest 1) with Link or Air Link, it connects to the Rift software, so it'll be able to play Rift games only. The PC software is always going to be able to play Rift games but never Quest games, but if you have a cross-platform game, you can play it on the Quest 2 and the Rift (when they connect to the PC). We hope you find this information helpful!

33 Replies

  • Hey there Bob! Thanks for reaching out and enquiring on a totally awesome question. We'll be happy to guide you with that.

     

    Good news is no, you don't need WiFi to use Virtual Desktop as long as you are wired with Ethernet cable to a 5GHz AC or AX router.

     

    We've listed a couple of links for Virtual Desktop for you in case you need more information.

    https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/2017050365004772/

    https://store.steampowered.com/app/382110/Virtual_Desktop/ 

     

    Let us know if you have any other questions!

    • Luka_ZD's avatar
      Luka_ZD
      Honored Guest

      I don't think that that is the question as I have exactly the same.

      Can Virtual desktop be run over LINK CABLE instead of WiFi?

      • MetaQuestSupport's avatar
        MetaQuestSupport
        Community Manager

        Hey Luka_ZD, this is a great question. You should be able to use the branded link cable we provided with your headset to use Virtual Desktop!

    • NomadsAnIsland's avatar
      NomadsAnIsland
      Rising Star

      According to the Virtual Desktop website the wired version only works with Rift, not Quest 2. Check the requirements on the VD website or Discord server.

      • rafael.lorenzi.96's avatar
        rafael.lorenzi.96
        Explorer

        Well, I'm using it... with my quest 2 and a cable...

        and even the quest link shows "Rift" when you are connecting.

    • Steezeburger's avatar
      Steezeburger
      Honored Guest

      Are you using both apps? As in the Oculus plus the Steam version?

       

  • Here's what the Virtual Desktop people have to say on Discord:


    Does it work on a Quest 2? Sort of. But the Steam Version for Wired headsets is a very different app and does little more than let your see your Desktop from Steam VR. It won't launch games, etc. The Oculus/Pico version runs on your headset natively and you connect to your PC with a streamer app running on it. It allows you to launch VR games, etc

     

  • Unfortunately, while Virtual Desktop is a popular application for wirelessly streaming your PC VR experience to your Oculus Quest headset, it currently doesn't support a wired connection through a Link Cable.

    Here's a breakdown:-

    1. Virtual Desktop:- This app focuses on providing a high-quality, low-latency VR experience through Wi-Fi streaming. It utilizes software optimization to achieve this.
    2. Link Cable:- This is an official cable by Oculus that allows a wired connection between your PC and the Quest headset. It offers a more stable and consistent connection compared to Wi-Fi, but it doesn't work with Virtual Desktop.
    Here are some alternatives to consider:-

    1. Oculus Air Link:- This is a built-in feature in the Oculus Quest software that allows you to achieve a similar experience to Virtual Desktop but utilizes a wired connection through your Wi-Fi network (tethering your PC to your headset or using a dedicated router).
    2. Official Link Cable:- If a wired connection is your priority for stability, you can utilize the Oculus Link Cable with the Oculus software to play your PC VR games directly on the Quest headset.



     

    • Vlastimira's avatar
      Vlastimira
      Explorer

      The problem with the last suggestion is that my Link Cable hasn't been able to connect since more than 3 months ago. It gets stuck on the loading and I hear my computer chime as if the cable automatically disconnects after a few seconds from the computer and returns me back to the home. I heard that this can be fixed by allowing the headset to go beneath 75% of battery but this is not fully reliable as it worked like twice and then 4 times it didn't. I was practically forced to get Virtual Desktop to be able to enter my computer and play my games from there, but apparently META made it so that it will no longer work so that I play only the games from the Oculus store and nothing else (which has 0 access to streaming tools).

      They even say that the Steam version no longer supports Link Cable and gets also buggy and not connecting through the Link Cable anymore so I'm not going to spend the bucks on buying that one too. So far every solution has been a waste of time and money. The Rift isn't working anymore and Air Link lowers the performance to a crawl as it's not using the GPU of the computer to solve most of the performance issues. Even my WIFI is a 5G and Air Link and Virtual Desktop from the META runs on half the bandwidth no matter how much I crank up the sliders on the Virtual Desktop app or on my Quest2. I'm running out of ideas and of patience as my experience has been ruined after that Quest2 update from 3 months ago. Wish I could undo that update but it's too late now.

      • MetaQuestSupport's avatar
        MetaQuestSupport
        Community Manager

        Hey there Vlastimira! We hear you and can definitely empathize with you, especially since it's been 3 months since you've been able to connect your device. We know your efforts have worn on your patience and we would love to team up with you and see if we can figure this thing out. To give us a better understanding of where to go next, can you share with us what troubleshooting steps you have already tried? We look forward to your reply.

  • Something I've noticed from having a wattage monitor on my charge cable (going into an after market USB C to USB C / power injector lead) is that you need to plug things in order for them to register with windows so, bare link cable into the PC first, then plug into the headset, then plug in the usb lead from the charger.

    • Bulva's avatar
      Bulva
      Protege
      I have a problem using Quest 3 and applying ASW.
       
      I use Quest 3 only for flight simulations X-Plane 11/12 and MSFS2020.
      I use a cable connection.
      My USB connection bandwidth is around 2.4-2.9.
      I tried different configurations and settings in Meta Quest Link: 72/80/90 Hz and different settings in OTT, ODT applications, but it didn't help.
      My computer specifications are more than satisfactory: AMD 9800x3D; RTX 4070Ti Super 16GB; RAM 64GB (6400)...
       
      The problem occurs when ASW is blocked (e.g. "Force 45fps, ASW enabled" or "Auto" mode) - then artifacts appear on a clear sky.
      When AWS is "Disabled" or "Force 45fps, ASW disabled" - the flashing artifacts in the sky do not appear.
       
      Unfortunately, I cannot use any of the simulators (XP11/12; MSFS) with ASW disabled, because it causes the external scenery in the external view to be "floating" -> ghosting effect.
      Only after enabling ASW does the simulation become very smooth and clear.
       
      I also tried a wireless connection via my Wifi5 +VD, but the simulations are definitely smoother with a cable. 
      I would love to use my Q3 without ASW enabled (or with 45fps locked), but the ghosting effect is disgusting. 
      I know that many people do not have this problem, so I wonder if my new Q3 is not broken.
       
      Is there a way to get rid of ghosting with ASW disabled or how to get rid of artifacts in a clear sky/water with ASW enabled?
       
      I am very disappointed that there is no cure for this (or I do not know it), because users have been writing about this problem for years...
      (sorry for my english) 

       

  • Mark Zuckerberg must not use quest. Because it's trash. If he did, it would work right

  • Em28's avatar
    Em28
    Honored Guest

    The Oculus link app has a lot of issues lately. Overall, I can say that the meta has problems with the PCVR and when you look at the responses from the officials like the community managers, you can easily see that the problems are not going away any time soon. They do not even bother to try to understand what the said problem is. The"solutions" they offer usually are not even remotely related to the subject in hand and they seem to just copy paste from some script. I am a PCVR gamer and I think with these problems lately, I am done with Meta. I hope everybody sees the problems and makes the right decision.

    • KickAssDave's avatar
      KickAssDave
      Honored Guest

      I feel the same way.  We all know why too... It's the same reason the headset, despite technically being capable of doing so, does not support direct connection to PC over DP cable (even DP to USB-C), because they intentionally cut off that side of the hardware..

      The headset would be a no-brainer recommendation to all PCVR enthusiasts if it supported direct connection to display port... but that would mean fewer sales in their native Store app, so we all know why they cut off that from ever happening.

      Let's just patiently wait for Valve's new headset 🙂

  • Em28's avatar
    Em28
    Honored Guest

    Exactly! I am looking to get an upgrade on my VR headset Q2. Nothing too fancy, as going bigger resolution means also upgrading my GPU which i cannot afford at the same time as my headset. Bigscreen beyond 2 is too expensive and Pimax is too unreliable. Quest 3 would have been THE PERFECT order for me. But the instability with the cable plus the reduced visuals because of the compression it has to go through cuz of the USB over Display port cable is just a solid no-go for me. I mean you already offer a cable connection for PCVR, why not fix it and offer a solid PCVR experience? They could widen their sales field in such a big range while we would finally have an affordable headset with good customer service. It looks like a win-win from where I look at it, but well...

     

    I am waiting for Pimax Dream Air SE. I hope pimax will offer something solid this time.