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Link cable vs Air Link?

Thortok2000
Honored Guest

So I've recently discovered that the cable my Quest came with is actually a USB 2 cable, and when using Link, I keep getting notifications that it would work better with a USB 3 cable.

 

I also have a Wi-Fi 6 router that is like 15 feet away with nothing in between so would give great reception. I had assumed a wired connection would be superior to a wired one (especially since it saves me from having to run an ethernet cord across the room to plug into the PC). However, before I upgraded the motherboard, the PC had in fact tested for higher speeds on Wi-Fi than it did on ethernet, so I took the cord out. (I haven't tried again since getting a new motherboard.)

 

I'm just wondering what my best setup would be. How much of a performance boost does getting a USB-3 Link cable make over the 2.0 cable it came with? Or should I just go with Air Link? And how much is Air Link degraded by the PC not being plugged in with an ethernet cable? Cause I can if I have to.

 

Also, wondering if the upgrade to a Quest 2 is worth it, maybe as a self Christmas present or something. When it first came out I heard a lot of negatives about it, like IPS and comfort-wise. I'm not sure if the extra Hz and resolution are worth it. Has anyone played Half-Life: Alyx on both and compared if the upgrade to the 2 is worth it?

3 REPLIES 3

TomCgcmfc
MVP
MVP

@Thortok2000  First of all, I upgraded my Q1 to a Q2 earlier this year and I think it was worth it.  Much better clarity and 90Hz standard refresh rate is a little nicer than 72Hz, but not that big a deal for me.  I've tried 120Hz and I did not notice any improvements over 90Hz with Quest store apps.  I think my Q2 is also better with PCVR and all my Rift, Steam, and VivePort games.  These all look much nicer and I don't miss my Q1 oled screens.  Blacks are not quite as black with my Q2, but still very good for lcd's.  

 

I have a measured ipd=69.0mm and the outer position #3 together with the included eyeglass spacer works well for me.  I don't find the stock strap is too bad if you velcro strap a 10000-20000mahr battery pack to the rear headstrap.  There are lots of other headstrap options and it's up to you to decide which ones may work better for you.

 

As far as PCVR goes you are best to check out the requirements of Link and Air Link on the Oculus Support website;

https://support.oculus.com/airlink/

 

I get the best results with my Q2 with PCVR using a Link cable.  I use the new VR Cover 5m premium link cable and I think it's very good.  It is Optical like the official one from Oculus and I think the connectors on the VR cover cable are better quality and it's a lot more durable imho.

 

My results with my Q2 using Air Link are also very good.  Even though my visuals are slightly better with Link I still prefer the freedom of wireless.  I have my PC ethernet wired to my PC and have a dedicated 5Ghz wifi close by (2-3m away).  Being ethernet wired is much better than wifi-only.  Much less latency and more stable.  Up to you to see this for yourself I guess, lol!  While I mainly use Air Link I like having the wired option available esp. while Air Link is still Experimental.  I also have Virtual Desktop and I bought this almost 2 years ago for my Q2.  While I think Air Link is better with my Q2, I also think that VD is still better with my Q1.  So, you may want to buy VD (~$20) with your Q1 before upgrading to a Q2.  Your $'s so your decision.  Good luck whichever way you go mate and cheers.

i9 13900K water cooled, RTX4090, Z790 MB w/wifi6e, 32Gb 6400 ram, 2x2TB SSD, 1000W PSU, Win 11, QPro, Q3, w/Link and Air Link, Vive Pro1 with Etsy lens mod and Index Controllers

Thanks for all that! What about USB 2 vs USB 3 for the link cable? Any major difference there?

Ya, usb3 is way better.  Lower latency and less stuttering.  Also fewer artifacts:

i9 13900K water cooled, RTX4090, Z790 MB w/wifi6e, 32Gb 6400 ram, 2x2TB SSD, 1000W PSU, Win 11, QPro, Q3, w/Link and Air Link, Vive Pro1 with Etsy lens mod and Index Controllers