Link cable or virtual desktop quest 3

[Cradle77]

My 2p

I have been struggling with the link cable for 2 years and I was like: “there’s no way Wi-Fi can be better than a cable!”

Then I gave Virtual Desktop a try: I bought it, and bought a dedicated router and just WOW!

I’m getting a smoothness which was simply unachievable with Linkcable, and most importantly I’m not dealing with lots of issues I had with the meta runtime, like everything hanging when you switch back and forth between VR and 2D.

The only thing I do recommend is to buy one of the routers they list on their discord, because they are tested and there’s plenty of guidance on how to configure them, also for internet sharing.

EDIT: be just mindful that it drains the battery, I personally turn the headset off while in cruise and charge it until the TOD

Q3 + 4080S + Ryzen 5090

[DROGrevival]

I bought the certified Link cable as I had thought a direct hardwire connection would be the best option. Well…I was wrong

Virtual Desktop, with a 6e router works so much better. Added bonus no cable. The key is the router.

I currently use codec AV1 10 as it seems to perform and look better than H.264 plus or HEVC

[DROGrevival]

Do you not have a battery addon for your Q3?

It made all the difference and the head fitment is so much nicer

I went with the Bigly Bros but BOBO is also a good option

[Cradle77]

The VD runtime is so much better, isn’t it? I couldn’t believe my eyes.

I do use a battery pack from time to time, but I just don’t like another weight on my head.

[TonyMM888]

same for me, bought the original expensive Meta link cable.

But WiFi 6E dedicated router and Virtual Desktop brings by far the best results.

[Sellie6131]

I’m a 100% in agreement that VD is far far better than using the link cable. The pass through alone make it worth while (you need to see where your tin of pepsi is). However I’ve started using the link again as I seemed to be getting too much latency which is causing much stuttering. I have a wifi 7 router and it works mostly ok Monday through Friday however weekends I think everyone in the neighbourhood jumps on the internet and I get wifi interference even though I’ve monitored it and switched channels accordingly.

I therefore decided to try the afore mentioned solution by pr4ystoo and try a direct ethernet connection to the usbc port on the Quest. I’ve orderd this Amazon.co.uk which I believe should do the job and it arrives tomorrow.

Setup seems straight forward enough but some instructions suggest you need to enable developer mode on meta whilst others seem to suggest it’s virtualy plug and play. I dare say I’ll find out tomorrow.

[SgtDinkyDuck]

I have a 65 watt charger that I started using when the quest gets low while flying. It provides enough power to keep the quest running without draining the battery, and in some circumstances it will change the quest very slowly while using it. I prefer to use the battery first, and plug it in when the quest gets just below 50%

[CharlesKS3574]

Same here. I7 12000 KF, RTX 4070ti and a WiFi6 router. VD. I’m getting smoother, clearer performance than I did with a high end cable. It all depends on what works best for the individual.

[coogan1236421]

This might upset you, but you’re one of the few for whom Link works well with Meta… I’ve been doing VR since the beginning, I’m not some “20-year-old kid,” but VD easily surpasses Link, and the stats are unanimous: VD is widely used for Quest headsets.
It’s a proven fact that Meta blocks its USB port; they prefer, and understandably so, to sell their Meta ecosystem with their games. Meta Link is literally limited to two codecs, H264 and H265 (when it feels like it…). VD supports five, finely tuned, including one specifically for Quest 3 headsets… so there’s simply no question about it. If Link works for you, great, stick with that, but don’t assume your situation is the norm when it’s definitely not.

[Grumpyrocker]

I’ve never had much luck with the link cable. Sometimes it doesn’t connect. Or things go wrong. Or it crashes the sim.

I’ve found Virtual Desktop much more reliable and stable.

[ElevenTB]

Welcome me, in the VD enthusiasts’ club.
For a year now, I’ve been struggling with my new Q3 and a new, rather good computer. I’ve always believed that a cable was essential. After the great experience with the Rift-S (via Display Port), I was sure that the Q3 with Link was the only sensible solution.
Unfortunately, the Meta app only offered me disgusting artifacts and ghosting effects.
A year of fighting windmills… and no success.
I didn’t understand the concept of VD and Wi-Fi.
I wrongly assumed it was related to internet speed. Nonsense. My nonsense.
Recently, I gave VD another try (with my ■■■■■■ router/modem from my ISP) and… WOW.
The decision was immediate – buying a new router.
I bought a TP-Link AXE75.
The first one stopped working after a day. But the second one, this time working, was everything you could only dream of: WOW and WOW.
However, minor micro_stutters unfortunately appeared.
After browsing through hundreds of materials/reviews/forums, I decided to add a little more $$$ and buy the better T-Link BE9300 model.
And now I have: WOW, WOW, WOW ;-).
Why didn’t I listen to so many people who urged me to try VD earlier???
Let my post serve as a plea to others to try VD – because it’s a huge step forward in the world of VR and our flight simulators.
PS1. I use XP and MSFS
PS2. I am in no way affiliated with TP-Link products (in fact, I was very afraid of them).

[JollyRogers500]

Hi,

After reading the previous posts, here’s my small contribution:

i9-14900, 5.7 GHz
64 GB RAM, 6.4 GHz
RTX 4090
Meta Quest 3

For two years I used a Virtual Desktop with a TP-Link Wi-Fi 6 router. No problems. Constant 45 FPS. Everything on HIGH/ULTRA in MSFS 2020. Only GA planes and fighters (Azurpoly Jaguar and Just Fight Hawk).

Sometimes, when panning around, there was a very slight stutter.

I connected the Meta Quest to the router using a $20 USB cable, disabling Wi-Fi.

Now I get the same constant 45 FPS, but the stutter is gone.

Regards.

[SunlitAlpaca141]

@coogan1236421

If Link works for you, great, stick with that, but don’t assume your situation is the norm when it’s definitely not.

I agree, whatever works best for you is great mate, and I never said otherwise.

@SunlitAlpaca141

Like everything VR, personal preferences are often the main thing. As are your settings, PC specs, and how, when, and where you like to fly. As long as you’ve found what works best for you, that’s great mate

[pdixon0]

Well I must be one of the ones that’s not the norm too as I spent a while trying to get VD looking good last night - and I still can’t get it looking as sharp as link.

I’m running 14900K, 64GB, X790 board, 4090, Q3, fast (non-Meta) USB-C to USB-C link cable, GT-BE98 router with Quest connected on 6GHz, router is about 6ft away.

VD is set as Godlike, using the AV1 codec. I left the bitrate untouched, but it was also set as adaptive (I think that’s what it’s called anyway).

From what I can see, it looks like foveated rendering is active, it also looks a bit ‘murky’ in places when fly, just some spots in the field of view where the resolution seems softer? That’s all I can really explain it with.

I tried upping the bitrate to 200 and it was a bit jittery, so dropped to 100 and it seemed OK, but still a bit murky here and there.

Granted I’ve been tinkering with Link since I started using MSFS way back in 2022 with my Q2, but I’m at a point now where the sharpness and performance are definitely better for me that my, admittedly very short, try with VD.

I use OXRTK to set an in headset resolution to something like ???x4000 and then use DLSS Performance, using the top-whack link bitrate in Oculus Tray Tools (960 I think?), set as adaptive too. I have a few other tweaks that I think I picked up from SunlitAlpaca’s posts. I also don’t use FR, but I do use Turbo mode in OXRTK.

The world of PC hardware and software is an absolute minefield, and one persons experience may be completely different to another persons, even with the exact same hardware - we also all have different perceptions and preferences, so there is no right and wrong since everything is subjective.

The main thing is that we all enjoy the ride

[Majorlag9496]

@pdixon0

, GT-BE98 router

Wow that’s an expensive bit of kit

[Majorlag9496]

I found a conflict when I used OXRTK with VD - I have some great experiences only using the one application

i know that the ‘campers out’ who live in here will jump onto this with comments but I deleted it and only use the settings on VD. I also use something available to download to also improve the graphics

I am quest 3 and FS 2020

[ElevenTB]

VD is my savior, not because of the smoothness and sharpness of the simulation, because in those respects, the wired connection was also fine.
In my case, it was about getting rid of ugly artifacts on pure sky/water (with ASW enabled) or the disgusting “ghosting” effect (with ASW disabled).
Many people have this problem, and there are numerous threads about it, without any solution, and the reason is a Meta problem with RTX 4000 graphics cards… (I have a 4070Ti Super). Of course, as usual, many people don’t have these problems, but unfortunately, I wasn’t one of them.
If I use VD in “Godlike” mode + 150-200 bitrate + 72 fps + SSW enabled, the sharpness of the scenery and cockpits is better than with a wired connection, but the simulation is unstable and causes micro-stutters. If I lower the settings to “Ultra,” the simulation becomes almost perfectly smooth, and the image quality is still very close to what I had with a wired connection.I think the current my bottleneck (in the VR simulation) is my graphics card, and if I ever get a 4090, I’ll be able to easily enjoy the sharpness of “Godlike” mode.

I’m not counting on the Meta software being fixed via Link, and I have no hopes whatsoever.

[SgtDinkyDuck]

I gave up on any other VR programs about a year ago now. I am running purely just Virtual Desktop.

I have VD set to VDXR, HEVC 10-bit, Godlike, my bitrate is pushed to 200, I had to lower sharpening because it was over-sharpening and causing glittering trees lol. But I run at a steady 45fps, smooth as butter using TAA, most settings at high or ultra with a couple of exceptions. Some of the heavy hitters I have down at medium. Virtual Desktop completely changed the sim for me. I started out on a Quest 2 fighting every night to get the dang thing to work with the official link cable.

I think a lot of the issues that some have with virtual desktop stem from network stability. I have a very robust mesh network setup specifically to host all of my smart home devices (up to about 90 of them at this point lol.) So adding a bit more support though the system to support Virtual Desktop streaming was not all to hard.

[coogan1236421]

Warning: Do not use Visual Studio with OpenXR Toolkit; they do essentially the same thing! This can lead to conflicts and the image being processed twice.

OpenXR Toolkit works with Meta Link to improve the image, but Visual Studio already has all the improvements built in. You need to enable ASW (Automatic Signal Processing), and with a Quest 2, forget about Godlike mode and use the one below it.

For oversampling, trust Visual Studio; it has excellent oversampling!