Considering a Quest 3, some questions please
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@oleuzop
Thanks! I probably should state that I have a 5900X and a RTX 3080.
I do want the best visuals hence considering the Pimax Crystal or Varjo Aero.- FOV - Does the picture fill your vision or do you still have dark areas in your FOV?
- What’s up with Virtual Desktop? It’s not an issue for me as I do have VD and use it a lot when setting up stuff in VR, but when I start the game, VD shuts down and the game takes over. Are you saying this is different when using VD and Q3?
- Thanks for that video, that is great news for the Q3!
- What is this about wired USB-C and RJ45??
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Well, as said I believe FOV is very personal and depends on your IPD, and some other subjective factors.
I usually check this => https://risa2000.github.io/hmdgdb/ that is the “scientific” data for headsets.
Varjo Aero has => 110º horizontal degrees FOV, 70º overlap
Quest 3 has => 108º horizontal degrees FOV, 80º overlap
Pico 4 has => 104º horizontal degrees FOV, 104º overlapOverlap is the angle that can be seen by both eyes. If it’s too small then you’ll see the black band in the middle (for example, when looking left, with your right eye and viceversa).
As you can see Aero and Quest3 have very similar horizontal degrees FOV, so they should be quite similar.
I’m quite sensible to overlap (black band in the middle) so that’s why I like Pico4. But I use Quest 3 too from time to time.
Virtual Destop is like ALVR, which is the open source based solution (and the app you’ve sent from steam seems to be based in it).
In a few 3-4 weeks, whenever U4 is released, you’ll be able to use OpenXR then, no more SteamVR and/or Oculus Runtime.
Just open Virtual Desktop Streamer, choose VDXR OpenXR Runtime and launch BMS. It will work nicely (I hope!) Plus, the quality with Virtual Desktop is IMHO much higher than with Oculus Runtime for the same resolution.
For the USB-C to RJ45 is, in a nutsell, connecting Quest3 to the router using a wired connection, instead wifi. It depends on what router you have and how far it is, but IMHO, it’s much better because latency, reliability (and I don’t have the router close to me!)
I posted the needed hardware here some time ago => https://forum.falcon-bms.com/topic/26165/quest-3-virtual-desktop-rj-45-adapter-working-without-wifi/3
Here is how it works with VD and Pico4 (same exactly for Quest3) =>
And here =>Hope it helps!!
Kind regards
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BTW: I forgot to mention that, even if not an issue, my only complain is that quest 3, out of the box, is not the most comfortable headset ever. (Pico4 is by far more comfortable out of the box)
So I recommend you to check BOBOVR headstrap or similar.
I know there are super cheap copies in Temu/Aliexpress
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@oleuzop
It does help a lot, thank you!Just need some confirmation regarding VRNeckSaver and AAR TE from someone…
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Tried one at a friend, what did not sold me was the binocular effect , it’s like seeing the world through a scuba mask (like you see the round black borders). I wonder if other manufacturers have similar issues ?
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@oleuzop @Atlas,
I am a big fan of the Quest 3. I am anxiously awaiting 4.37U4 to try OpenVR.I have not yet tried AR in BMS, but plan to look into that in the future. One thing I like about Quest 3 is that there is juuuust enough “open space” below the headset when worn normally, to see the real world so I can use physical ICP, MFD OSBs and ViperTQS Mission Box switches/knobs, landing gear without busting immersion.
Highly recommend BoboVR Headstrap with the (rechargeable) battery. The headstrap itself fits comfortably like a snug baseball cap, and the weight of the battery on the back of the strap nicely balances the weight of the Quest 3, so you don’t feel it on your neck, cheekbones or your nose.
For me, flying simple wireless BMS VR TEs, the BoBoVR battery lasts for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours, then the headset battery will go another couple of hours.
I also have a premium cable from VRCover (~ $45) which will charge the headset when running USB to the PC, but it will not keep the headset fully charged - I don’t know of any unpowered cable that does because of the power draw of the Quest 3. That said, the rate of battery drawdown using Quest 3 wired with this cable is so small, it will go hours and hours. However, I still prefer to fly wireless using the BoBoVR and Virtual Desktop.
If you wear prescription lenses, I can also highly recommend getting snap-in magnetic hold lenses for Quest 3 by HONSVR. The snap-in frames fit perfectly into the Quest 3 lens frame, and are very thin. They have small but powerful magnets in the snap-ins and the prescription lens frames, and thus the prescription lenses can be easily removed to allow someone else to use your headset without your eyeglass prescription, then easily put them right back in when you want to use your headset again. Runs $58 or so for the magnetic version ($10 less for snap-in without magnets). Shipping to the US took about 10 days or so.
The one thing I did NOT like on the Quest 3 is that it’s microphone is trash. I could not get the output loud enough to use VoiceAttack+AVCS. So I purchased Soundcore VR P10 earbuds (~$80 on Amazon). Very flexible, made for VR, and work perfectly with the Quest 3, and VoiceAttack.
I’ll see if I can find the time in the next few days to fly the AAR scenario and report range of spotting the tanker.
My system and specs are in my signature below.
Regards, -
@Vyper37 said in Considering a Quest 3, some questions please:
Tried one at a friend, what did not sold me was the binocular effect , it’s like seeing the world through a scuba mask (like you see the round black borders). I wonder if other manufacturers have similar issues ?
Yes, I have that black border on my G2 and while I think there still is a border with the Crystal, it was much less noticeable. Pity everything else on the Crystal is wanting.
@Tomcattwo said in Considering a Quest 3, some questions please:
Highly recommend BoboVR Headstrap with the (rechargeable) battery.
Do you think the S3 Pro is worth it?
@Tomcattwo said in Considering a Quest 3, some questions please:
I’ll see if I can find the time in the next few days to fly the AAR scenario and report range of spotting the tanker.
Please do! Dial in the tanker TACAN for a good measurement of range by the time you can see it as a speck in the sky… Thanks!
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@Atlas
Just ran it quickly. Stern aspect, I could still see a small speck out to about 15-16 miles (didn’t have TACAN up). Using L key (look closer) was clearly visible at 16 miles. Will try a few more tests later as time permits.
My specs are in my sig.Virtual Desktop:
AV1 10-bit (Quest 3 Codec)
OpenXR Runtime automatic
Bitrate auto adjustedSteamVR
Refresh Rate 90 hz
Render Res AutoI haven’t really messed about with optimizing settings for SteamVR
Re: S3 Pro - don’t know. The battery is definitely worth it. I don’t feel the need to have my head air conditioned.
R/
TC2 -
@Tomcattwo
Does the tanker start out at 20nm? Or further out?
If you could confirm that you can scan the sky and spot the tanker (no radar lock) at 15-16nm, then that is definitely much better than my G2. Please confirm range with TACAN. I think my G2 is about 6-8nm.What is your Smart Scaling set at?
Re: S3 Pro – what BoboVR headstrap do you have?
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@Atlas said in Considering a Quest 3, some questions please:
@Tomcattwo
Does the tanker start out at 20nm? Or further out?10ish miles. The entire refueling box is only about 58 miles long. I tried opening range to the tanker putt-putting behind it at about 220 kts CAS and it took forever just to get it out to > 15 miles, and then she went into her turn again. (I will check in game)
If you could confirm that you can scan the sky and spot the tanker (no radar lock) at 15-16nm, then that is definitely much better than my G2. Please confirm range with TACAN. I think my G2 is about 6-8nm.
What is your Smart Scaling set at?
Will check in BMS and let you know.
Re: S3 Pro – what BoboVR headstrap do you have?
However, looks like the new S3 Pro battery is almost twice the capacity (10000 mah vs. 5200 mah for the M3 Pro). The extra battery capacity seems worth the added cost, to me. I will have to see if they will sell the higher capacity battery packs separately and if they will work with the M3.
Very pleased with BoboVR M3. Battery recharges quickly using the Quest 3’s own 18w charger.
BTW, I have no issues reading the MFD screens in game, including Bullseyes. I am using the prescription lenses that match my eyeglasses prescription, and have dialed in my exact Interpupillary distance (IPD) from my optometrist also. Easy to do since the Quest 3 has a nice little thumb wheel on the bottom of the headset, and shows the IPD digitally in the headset when adjusting that thumbwheel.
R/,
TC2 -
@Atlas
Did some more testing, using TACAN Ranges.- Tanker starts out at 8 NM from my aircraft
- Initial spotting ~8-9.5 NM (no Radar lock) with a tail aspect (0 Aspect Angle). Initial range is also dependent on the cloud cover behind the target aircraft (much harder to see if he is between you and a cloud ahead).
- Using Look closer (L), you can pick a target up much farther out (12+ NM) even with a tail aspect.
- The larger the aspect angle, the easier it is to pick up the visual. With a beam aspect, you can see the tanker clearly at 11+ NM
My SmartScale setting is set to 1.0 NM, and is turned on in the UI, so this should not cause any issues with long-range viewing.
Hope this helps.
R/
TC2 -
@Tomcattwo
That helps out a lot, I cannot thank you enough!- I don’t use the “zoom” (look closer) function very often, if at all
- rear aspect – although not exactly 0 angle, I think – just whatever the TE starts you at behind the tanker, is an easy and reproducible method for testing so I just use that, plus I think it’s the worse aspect for spotting so it’s great at testing.
- you said initially that you could see a small speck at 15-16nm – was that with the zoom view?
- if tanker starts at 8nm from aircraft, I presume it is visible straight away as you enter TE?
I do think I’ll get the S3 Pro – the fan seems like a good bonus and if not, I can just turn it off. The bigger battery is great though!
A couple of new questions:
- wired vs. wireless, specifically on the issue of visual and/or audio lag. Any issues with this? You mentioned cable before but that sounded more like a charging issue rather than a data issue.
- GPU power – if you’re playing with the Q3 wireless, will someone with a 4090 get better performance than someone with a 2080 for example?
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@Atlas said in Considering a Quest 3, some questions please:
@Tomcattwo
That helps out a lot, I cannot thank you enough!No problemo. Happy to help out as I can.
- I don’t use the “zoom” (look closer) function very often, if at all
I generally don’t either, but after doing this test, I think I will add it to a HOTAS shifted button
- rear aspect – although not exactly 0 angle, I think – just whatever the TE starts you at behind the tanker, is an easy and reproducible method for testing so I just use that, plus I think it’s the worse aspect for spotting so it’s great at testing.
Agree.
- you said initially that you could see a small speck at 15-16nm – was that with the zoom view?
Yes. It also helps spotting if you know approximately where in the sky the aircraft you are looking for resides and if there is good contrast (against blue sky) or bad contrast (gray cloud behind the aircraft).
- if tanker starts at 8nm from aircraft, I presume it is visible straight away as you enter TE?
Yes. Though I fumble around adding the TACAN freq, AA and Band Y straight away into the ICP, switching to UHF Preset 13, setting up the pit, etc. which delays visual search for a little bit.
I do think I’ll get the S3 Pro – the fan seems like a good bonus and if not, I can just turn it off. The bigger battery is great though!
Agree. If I didn’t have an M3, I would buy an S3, just for the extended battery capacity alone.
A couple of new questions:
- wired vs. wireless, specifically on the issue of visual and/or audio lag. Any issues with this?
Wired: originally I had issues getting connected because the Oculus PC connection software is old (made for the Quest 2) and wonky. Once I got that straightened out, connection was smooth and non-laggy but I still find it a PITA.
Wireless: Something I found early on: my router (and also my cable modem) were woefully out of date. On 5G, with my old router, I did have issues. After upgrading to a 6G router and a GB Modem, everything ran smooth as silk. So, check your router for throughput and if you need to upgrade it, so be it. That said, you’ve already run 2 different VR headsets without issue…
My preference, therefore, is wireless, if you have a battery backup such as the BoboVR M3 or S3. I have absolutely no lag, visual artifacts, stutters or othe crap when flying BMS using Virtual Desktop plus SteamVR. It helps having a serious GPU and CPU, of course.
The hardest thing about flying VR for me is finding the darn mouse in the cockpit! Plus, wireless is less restricting obviously, though perhaps not as realistic as having something attached to your mask (as real pilots do with comms and O2).
You mentioned cable before but that sounded more like a charging issue rather than a data issue.
It is a power passthrough issue, not a data transfer issue. This is common (from what I have read) because the Quest 3 pulls more power than its predecessors. If you want to do wired, get the best cable you can afford (the VRCover cable is less than half the price of the “official” Meta cable).
- GPU power – if you’re playing with the Q3 wireless, will someone with a 4090 get better performance than someone with a 2080 for example?
I would sure as heck hope so, or I have just wasted a whole bunch of $$$ also consider the CPU as you don’t want to be bottlenecked there. It was just time for me to upgrade my computer last year (it was 10 years old with a GPU upgrade once to a 2070 Super), and when I upgrade, I try to “future proof” as much as I can. This time, it was in preparation for deciding to give VR a go, and in anticipation of BMS 4.38.
There are a number of threads on the forum discussing how much GPU and CPU you need. Your 3080 should hold you for BMS for a while, I should hope.
One more thing to add, two actually. One of the big selling points for the Meta Quest 3 is Mixed Reality. The Quest 3 seems to have fixed many of the MR/AR issues in the Quest 2. MR/AR seems to me to be the way of VR in the future. Passthru works pretty well on the Quest 3, but isn’t perfect. But generally usable. Virtual desktop works well and the desktop is quite readable. Plus I like having that little space at the bottom of the headset to see my desktop ICP/MFDs, switches, without totally destroying the immersion.
The 2nd thing is the flexibility of the Quest 3 to function entirely independently of a connection to a PC. There is a whole 'nother world of fun-and-games out there when you need a break from flying BMS. It’s portable, and many games support multi-player support with your friends who also have a Quest 3. You can cast the Quest 3 to a phone (Android or iphone), smart TV or other capable large screen. It’s a very versatile VR headset that can do numerous things well, and independently from a PC. If you don’t plan to use many non-BMS games etc., you probably don’t need to get the 512 GB version, so you can save $150 for your necessary peripherals. If money is no object or you plan to dive into other non-BMS software, it never hurts to have more storage space.
There is also a “Developer Mode” you can put the Quest 3 in and unlock some additional settings if you like fiddling about with such things, though the mode allows .apks to be “sideloaded” and thus could pose a danger of getting some malicious software into your headset. But, developer mode is there if you want it. There are a fair number of non-Meta games and software developed outside of the Meta clutches, many of which are free and can be loaded to the Quest 3 as .apks. That opens up yet another area to explore.
Bottom line: I am a big fan of the Quest 3. I have not been disappointed with its ability to run BMS (except the worthless microphone), I love the flexibility, independence, ability to run smoothly wired or wireless (with the right equipment, of course), lots of very useful accessories, MR/AR capabilities, passthrough, pancake lenses, and powerful headset processing. It just has so much to offer as a VR solution at such an affordable entry price, I couldn’t pass it up, and plunged headfirst into VR after contemplating stepping off the edge for several years. Glad I took the plunge, as PC simulation flying is (as you know already) a complete game-changer (literally).
Regards,
TC2 -
Ummmm…
Initial impressions – the feel and build quality made the Pimax Crystal look and feel like a toy, and an unnecessarily heavy and cumbersome toy at that. I just had the Q3 on for a few minutes as I set it up and paired it, but the fact that I can read my phone through the headset… wow! I’m sure I can go back to using my kneeboards once in the cockpit! So excited for this!
However, this thing has a MASSIVE nose gap! Not sure how I feel about that yet as my G2 and the Crystal were very good at blocking out external lights in part due to a well-designed nose-gap-blocker. With the passthrough as good as the Q3’s, I’m sure I don’t need such a large nose gap!
After watching a few review videos on the M3 vs S3, it seems that the M3 only slows down the battery drain whereas the S3 can totally keep the headset charged. An S3 setup plus a spare battery = no longer needing to worry about headset charge. I have an Arctis wireless headset with a swappable battery and I like it. I’m pre-ordering the S3. I would presume that with this setup, I can easily hot-swap the batteries if needed with minimal (if any!) interruption to my gaming.
Wired vs. wireless - I am using my ISP’s default router but it is right by my simpit and about 6-8 feet away from my PC. Do I need to worry? Do I need to do some testing?
@Tomcattwo said in Considering a Quest 3, some questions please:
That said, you’ve already run 2 different VR headsets without issue…
Both of which were connected to the PC via a USB cable and a DP cable, so I may encounter issues regarding wireless speed/connectivity later on. Can you tell me what to watch out for?
I would sure as heck hope so, or I have just wasted a whole bunch of $$$ also consider the CPU as you don’t want to be bottlenecked there. It was just time for me to upgrade my computer last year (it was 10 years old with a GPU upgrade once to a 2070 Super), and when I upgrade, I try to “future proof” as much as I can. This time, it was in preparation for deciding to give VR a go, and in anticipation of BMS 4.38.
This is what I don’t quite understand. If it’s transmitting data wirelessly, then what does your PC’s system specs have to do with the quality of the Q3’s display? I mean, sure, running the game on a work laptop with an integrated GPU vs. running it on a proper gaming PC, you’d see a difference, but will we see a difference between, say, a 14th-gen i9 vs a 12th-gen i9 and a 4090 vs a 2080? Will we see a difference between running a setup with a 5900X vs a 5800X3D?
There are a number of threads on the forum discussing how much GPU and CPU you need. Your 3080 should hold you for BMS for a while, I should hope.
I am planning for an upgrade when the 50XX series of GPUs come out, hopefully grabbing a 5090. However, if the actual system hardware makes little change between bleeding-edge and 1-2 generations older, then I may delay my upgrade for another generation and use that money on my simpit instead.
Passthru works pretty well on the Quest 3, but isn’t perfect. But generally usable.
What???!?!?!!?!! The passthrough is bloody brilliant!! Is there any other headset that does it better?
If you don’t plan to use many non-BMS games etc., you probably don’t need to get the 512 GB version, so you can save $150 for your necessary peripherals. If money is no object or you plan to dive into other non-BMS software, it never hurts to have more storage space.
Agree with this. I like to have more storage space especially if it’s not upgradeable down the line. As you can see, I got the 512GB. Still cheaper than the Crystal and like I said, looks and feels better… lighter… and bloody brilliant passthrough!
I have not been disappointed with its ability to run BMS (except the worthless microphone),
I will have to test this out. I love Semler’s profile for Voice Attack and had issues with getting it to work just right with the G2 but the mic in the Crystal seemed to be better and so VA worked so much better and smoother in the Crystal.
PC simulation flying is (as you know already) a complete game-changer (literally).
I never felt the need to have a replica cockpit and for years have played with a triple-screen plus touchscreen/Helios setup. I sold this setup shortly after BMS went int VR. Started building my replica simpit shortly after. Game-changer is an understatement
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@Atlas said in Considering a Quest 3, some questions please:
Initial impressions – the feel and build quality made the Pimax Crystal look and feel like a toy, and an unnecessarily heavy and cumbersome toy at that. I just had the Q3 on for a few minutes as I set it up and paired it, but the fact that I can read my phone through the headset… wow! I’m sure I can go back to using my kneeboards once in the cockpit! So excited for this!
However, this thing has a MASSIVE nose gap! Not sure how I feel about that yet as my G2 and the Crystal were very good at blocking out external lights in part due to a well-designed nose-gap-blocker. With the passthrough as good as the Q3’s, I’m sure I don’t need such a large noknee pads.
It helps if you need to quickly spot something on your desktop or instruments or some data not on your kneepads.
After watching a few review videos on the M3 vs S3, it seems that the M3 only slows down the battery drain whereas the S3 can totally keep the headset charged. An S3 setup plus a spare battery = no longer needing to worry about headset charge. I have an Arctis wireless headset with a swappable battery and I like it. I’m pre-ordering the S3. I would presume that with this setup, I can easily hot-swap the batteries if needed with minimal (if any!) interruption to my gaming.
Yep.
Wired vs. wireless - I am using my ISP’s default router but it is right by my simpit and about 6-8 feet away from my PC. Do I need to worry?
No
Do I need to do some testing?
Yes
@Tomcattwo said in Considering a Quest 3, some questions please:
That said, you’ve already run 2 different VR headsets without issue…
Both of which were connected to the PC via a USB cable and a DP cable, so I may encounter issues regarding wireless speed/connectivity later on. Can you tell me what to watch out for?
Stutters, lag or difficulty connecting. Sometimes, connection can have an issue. I find that I sometimes have to restart the Virtual Desktop PC Streamer program if I could not get connected. And after I exit BMS, I get stuck in the SteamVR environment. To get out of SteamVR (unless there’s an easier way), I need to turn on Passthrough (press Meta key on right controller and minimize the Virtual Desktop Resume/Quit popup to get to the Quest 3 Menu bar, select the passthrough button), then shut down Steam VR on your desktop, then hit Meta button again and resume Virtual Desktop.
I would sure as heck hope so, or I have just wasted a whole bunch of $$$ also consider the CPU as you don’t want to be bottlenecked there. It was just time for me to upgrade my computer last year (it was 10 years old with a GPU upgrade once to a 2070 Super), and when I upgrade, I try to “future proof” as much as I can. This time, it was in preparation for deciding to give VR a go, and in anticipation of BMS 4.38.
This is what I don’t quite understand. If it’s transmitting data wirelessly, then what does your PC’s system specs have to do with the quality of the Q3’s display? I mean, sure, running the game on a work laptop with an integrated GPU vs. running it on a proper gaming PC, you’d see a difference, but will we see a difference between, say, a 14th-gen i9 vs a 12th-gen i9 and a 4090 vs a 2080? Will we see a difference between running a setup with a 5900X vs a 5800X3D?
I’m not an expert on this, but the faster your GPU and CPU, the fewer issues you should have with higher quality graphics displaying on any VR headset. Data transfer rate is more related to your wireless network’s ability to pass packets.
There are a number of threads on the forum discussing how much GPU and CPU you need. Your 3080 should hold you for BMS for a while, I should hope.
I am planning for an upgrade when the 50XX series of GPUs come out, hopefully grabbing a 5090. However, if the actual system hardware makes little change between bleeding-edge and 1-2 generations older, then I may delay my upgrade for another generation and use that money on my simpit instead.
Test and see what works best for you.
Passthru works pretty well on the Quest 3, but isn’t perfect. But generally usable.
What???!?!?!!?!! The passthrough is bloody brilliant!! Is there any other headset that does it better?
Not that I am aware of, but still needs some improvement (sharpening the passthrough cameras).
If you don’t plan to use many non-BMS games etc., you probably don’t need to get the 512 GB version, so you can save $150 for your necessary peripherals. If money is no object or you plan to dive into other non-BMS software, it never hurts to have more storage space.
Agree with this. I like to have more storage space especially if it’s not upgradeable down the line. As you can see, I got the 512GB. Still cheaper than the Crystal and like I said, looks and feels better… lighter… and bloody brilliant passthrough!
I have not been disappointed with its ability to run BMS (except the worthless microphone),
I will have to test this out. I love Semler’s profile for Voice Attack and had issues with getting it to work just right with the G2 but the mic in the Crystal seemed to be better and so VA worked so much better and smoother in the Crystal.
PC simulation flying is (as you know already) a complete game-changer (literally).
I never felt the need to have a replica cockpit and for years have played with a triple-screen plus touchscreen/Helios setup. I sold this setup shortly after BMS went int VR. Started building my replica simpit shortly after. Game-changer is an understatement
I hope the Q3 gives you a great flight experience, and a lot of fun on the side.
R/
TC2 -
There’s one more aspect of never vs older GPUs using standalone HMDs aside of ability to push more pixels. Remember video output has to be send to the headset over network (via WiFi, eth cable or USB). For resolution used in VR, raw video stream would be well above 20 Gigabits/s, it has to be compressed to fit into your network devices bandwidth. Newer GPUs with better video encoders usually provide ability to use hardware accelerated encoding for newer codecs like AV1 and higher bitrates.
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@Xeno
Hmmm… so better hardware can send more eye candy over wireless but a good wireless connection is still necessary so that moving that from the PC to the headset is smooth and seamless. I guess my question is – can today’s wireless technology keep up or exceed the requirements of today’s CPU/GPU output?@Tomcattwo
I just tried one of the free AR?/MR? experiences in the Q3, the one where fluffy alien orbs infiltrate my room and I have to shoot them to capture them. That was just silly fun and will probably do it a few more times, can’t wait for the rest of the family to enjoy that experience! I have the headset tight against my face and comfort-wise, it feels OK. Just a bit more cumbersome to put on due to the soft elastic vs. the hard plastic setup on the G2 or Crystal.Nosegap – it will be something to get used to. I tried to make sure before to do everything without needing the nosegap as I felt it broke immersion even if it was just the light bleed. With AR/MR, I wonder if it’ll be an issue or it’ll just be something that’s “there” but I will learn to ignore. Worse case scenario, I’m sure there will be 3rd party solutions later on.
Passthrough – yes, it could be better but if it’s the best we have for now, it’s damn good. I think the Somnium VR may have better passthrough cameras… at 2x or 3x the price of the Q3, so again, not bad for the Q3.
Just having fun with the headset at the moment, will hopefully be able to do a flight today.
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@Atlas It goes all together. Fast network gives ability to push higher quality stream and/or reduce transport component of latency. To max Quest 3 network capability it’s good to have WiFi 6e router/access point. ~200Mbps HEVC stream is already pretty good, AV1 at the same bitrate would be even better. I run my Pico4 at 3072x3072 res, with foveated encoded HEVC at 140-160 mbps. While image is not perfect, it gives me readable MFDs, including bullseye info.
I don’t think GPUs will be able to saturate network bandwidth anytime soon. It’s more likely encoding/decoding latency will be limiting factor. -
If you’re using a standalone game/app installed on the Q3, then your PC isn’t involved. Makes no difference what spec you have.
But for PCVR games, e.g. BMS, DCS, MSFS, other things, then with a Quest or a Pico - non-PCVR headsets - what has to happen for your headset to display the image is this:
- Game produces graphics output to either SteamVR API/Oculus API/OpenXR API
- A piece of software (virtual desktop/quest link/pico connect) grabs that output and encodes it as a compressed video and audio stream (hence the different codecs)
- It then sends that stream to your headset over either WiFi or USB or Ethernet (or combination of WiFi/Ethernet)
- Your headset decodes it.
So your CPU and GPU do a large chunk of the work here for the transcoding to compressed video stream.
The bitrate of that stream is not insignificant, so the network (if you’re doing it over network) needs to have decent bandwidth and low latency, which is why distance is not the deciding factor in performance, it’s the connectivity technology itself. A WiFi 5 router is unlikely to be able to give you the bandwidth and latency to make this work well/reliably over wireless, even if your PC is connected to it via gigabit, if the headset is wireless, it will likely be sub-optimal.
For the Quest, your best performance is going to be with Oculus Link over USB 3.1, then probably virtual desktop with the PC on gigabit, and the headset on WiFi 6, or gigabit ethernet. (I have my Pico connected to my switch via a USB-C gigabit adapter for example)
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@Xeno Good point. Q3 can use the AV1 encoder (which can be set in Virtual Desktop settings).
R/TC2