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Oculus Link out of Beta - Significant improvement for DCS using Quest 2!


Whoa182

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Soon as I got the update tonight on the PC Oculus app, I loaded up DCS World to see how native Quest 2 resolution looks.

 

And wow!! Significant improvement!

 

The update now allows you to run games over link at Quest 2's native resolution, before it was at Quest 1 resolution. So now everything in the cockpit is perfectly readable to me... I don't even have to go close up or zoom in. Spotting ground targets is now easier than ever!

 

You need version 23 and you'll see this in the device settings: https://imgur.com/a/Y3LUVPm

 

To enable 90 Hz, you're going to have to wait for the Quest 2 to be updated to v23.

 

In Oculus Debug Tool, I've also set Encode Bitrate to 250 to remove any signs of compression. Although, I think Oculus have increased it to 200 - 250 as default.

 

Pixel density in DCS is set at 1.2.

 

The difference in visual clarity after this update is big! Here's the blog post: https://www.oculus.com/blog/the-firs...cker-and-more/

 

And here's the release notes: https://forums.oculusvr.com/communit...release-notes#

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Wow sounds very nice!!

I tip my hat to ya as I sit here struggling to get my Reverb G2 set up properly...

One thing I like about Oculus is the simplicity, really plug and play.

Don B

EVGA Z390 Dark MB | i9 9900k CPU @ 5.1 GHz | Gigabyte 4090 OC | 64 GB Corsair Vengeance 3200 MHz CL16 | Corsair H150i Pro Cooler |Virpil CM3 Stick w/ Alpha Prime Grip 200mm ext| Virpil CM3 Throttle | VPC Rotor TCS Base w/ Alpha-L Grip| Point Control V2|Varjo Aero|

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I came from using the Rift CV1 and I was already impressed by the visual clarity and virtually no screen door effect on Q2 when I first got it (with bitrate at 350 Mbps). And now after this update, it's super clear. I can read the DDI's without zooming... the green text doesn't look blurry anymore. I can look down at the panels and can read everything. I honestly was not expecting such a jump in visual clarity from this update.

 

Link cable can charge the headset, but the battery still drains, just very slowly. I think I was playing Onward for about 5 hours the other night and still had battery left (I don't have the elite battery strap). :)

 

I personally love the wireless functionality of Q2 and being able to just pick up and play in seconds. I have a few hundred hours in DCS World, but it's not the only thing I play, so for me, going for a headset that is pretty good all around was more important. Hand tracking is important to me... not sure I could deal with the controller issues on G2. Although, the comfort and the screen on G2 is obviously a bit better.

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Probably should've listed my PC setup earlier, so here's what I'm running Quest 2 on: AMD 3700X,16 GB ram @ 3600 Mhz, Gigabyte 2070 Super, and an SSD. Getting 2.9 Gbps over USB using the official Link cable.

 

Edit:

 

Yeah, I believe these are the same lenses. :)


Edited by Whoa182
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Do you know if the the Quest 2 has got the same lenses as the Quest 1? Im asking, because I have got VR optical lenses for my Quest 1. It would be a pain in the ass, to buy some for the Q2 again.

 

I do not have first hand experience, but read somewhere in last day or two someone asking the same, and the answer was no.

Hopefully someone with first hand experience will come along and confirm.

Don B

EVGA Z390 Dark MB | i9 9900k CPU @ 5.1 GHz | Gigabyte 4090 OC | 64 GB Corsair Vengeance 3200 MHz CL16 | Corsair H150i Pro Cooler |Virpil CM3 Stick w/ Alpha Prime Grip 200mm ext| Virpil CM3 Throttle | VPC Rotor TCS Base w/ Alpha-L Grip| Point Control V2|Varjo Aero|

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Have you used a Rift S and if so, would you say the Quest 2 is a significant improvement? I've been considering upgrading from my Rift S to a G2 but I'm feeling a bit put off by all the reports of what a hassle WMR is to get working compared to the Oculus software, which I'm already used to. And also the need, I think, to have Steam for WMR installed also to get it to work, which I assume will need a Steam account? Yet more accounts to set up and sign into that I'd really don't want to have to do.

Since I'm already using using Oculus and used to it, I'm feeling more inclined to upgrade to a Quest 2, if it's a significant improvement?

i5-11600K CPU, 64GB DDR4 RAM, XFX Speedster MERC319 AMD Radeon 6900 XT, Oculus Quest 2, HP Reverb G2

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Have you used a Rift S and if so, would you say the Quest 2 is a significant improvement? I've been considering upgrading from my Rift S to a G2 but I'm feeling a bit put off by all the reports of what a hassle WMR is to get working compared to the Oculus software, which I'm already used to. And also the need, I think, to have Steam for WMR installed also to get it to work, which I assume will need a Steam account? Yet more accounts to set up and sign into that I'd really don't want to have to do.

Since I'm already using using Oculus and used to it, I'm feeling more inclined to upgrade to a Quest 2, if it's a significant improvement?

 

I've used the Rift S but I don't own one, so I couldn't say specifically how it was with DCS World as I never got to try it. However, as we know the Quest 2 is significantly higher in resolution (it's a significant improvement), and there's very little to no screen door effect. When you set the bitrate to at least 350, the noise or compression artifacts go away in my experience. It looks better than the Rift S, even pre-update (with some tweaking in ODT).

 

But just altering the bitrate (pre-update) did not make it easy enough to read text in the cockpit though - even when I set SS to 1.2 in DCS. I was actually considering (weeks after buying the Q2) also getting the G2 because Q2 wasn't as good for DCS as I hoped it would be. Yeah, it was a big jump up from CV1, but not like the visuals I'd see when running native Quest 2 apps.

 

But now this link update happened, I'm not longer looking at getting the G2. I'm really happy with the Quest 2, because as I said, I can read all the text and side panels just fine. I couldn't say how much of an improvement acquiring targets in the air is though. I need to spend more time with it... as I was mainly focusing on ground targets.

 

Right now, Q2 is probably one of the best PCVR headsets you can get, maybe only 2nd to G2 in terms of visual clarity.

 

One other issue that is a bit off topic is recording and streaming with G2... I notice people having major issues with stuttering? That would be really annoying as I like to record a lot. So that also made me a bit hesitant.

 

In terms of comfort, Quest 2 was a little uncomfortable for me with the standard strap and even the Elite Strap doesn't make it perfect. But, with some adjusting and getting used to it, I can easily do 4-5 hours in the headset now before I feel it enough to wanting to take it off. G2 obviously wins out here...

 

I do not have first hand experience, but read somewhere in last day or two someone asking the same, and the answer was no.

Hopefully someone with first hand experience will come along and confirm.

 

Norm from Tested mentions that the Quest 1 and Quest 2 lenses are almost identical and prescription lenses for Q1 fit fine with Q2:

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In terms of comfort, Quest 2 was a little uncomfortable for me with the standard strap and even the Elite Strap doesn't make it perfect. But, with some adjusting and getting used to it, I can easily do 4-5 hours in the headset now before I feel it enough to wanting to take it off. G2 obviously wins out here...

 

 

I read, that the Quest 2 isnt "charging" while playing on the PC. Its power simply just went down slower, but it's not charging. This is a total pain in the ass in my opinion. I wonder, if this is software or hardware realting.

 

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I read, that the Quest 2 isnt "charging" while playing on the PC. Its power simply just went down slower, but it's not charging. This is a total pain in the ass in my opinion. I wonder, if this is software or hardware realting.

 

It depends on your PC's USB port. I installed a StarTech PCIe USB c card which has an optional SATA power input. The Quest 2 slowly drains to about 80% charge, then sits there indefinitely :)

Still waiting patiently for the V23 update :sleep:

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It depends on your PC's USB port. I installed a StarTech PCIe USB c card which has an optional SATA power input. The Quest 2 slowly drains to about 80% charge, then sits there indefinitely :)

Still waiting patiently for the V23 update :sleep:

 

Its pretty easy to sideload the latest update, youtube search it. Takes about 5 min of your time.

GTX 1080Ti, i7 8700@4.4Ghz, 16Gb DDR4.

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Starting to get tempted to grab a Quest 2 here... ugh. I already have the Link cable. Since I have Reverb G2 would probably only use it for Oculus games.

Just not sure how much a step up in picture quality I would get and would it be worth it...

Don B

EVGA Z390 Dark MB | i9 9900k CPU @ 5.1 GHz | Gigabyte 4090 OC | 64 GB Corsair Vengeance 3200 MHz CL16 | Corsair H150i Pro Cooler |Virpil CM3 Stick w/ Alpha Prime Grip 200mm ext| Virpil CM3 Throttle | VPC Rotor TCS Base w/ Alpha-L Grip| Point Control V2|Varjo Aero|

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Something I just found:

 

In v23 of Oculus Link, the new app-resolution slider maxes out @ 5408x2736 (combined-eyes). This isn't a random number we picked for Quest 2. It is *the* number that achieves 1:1 app-to-display pixel ratio at the center of the displays assuming the encode & display is 3664x1920.

 

So while the slider achieves similar results as the "pixel density" override in ODT, it doesn't go into the "super-sampling" range as many folks think it does. The higher you can push the slider, the crisper the app visuals will get, assuming your GPU can keep up w/ the perf hit.

 

Source:

<- he works at Oculus.

 

Further explanation here:

 

Looks like I didn't even set mine to max...

 

 

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Does anyone know what the delivery lead time is if you order a Quest 2 from the Oculus store in the US? Is there a long wait time?

 

Edit: Never mind. If you just go on the Oculus store and place one in the shopping basket it will give you a delivery date. I decided to pull the trigger and order one. It should arrive this Friday (20th Nov). I also ordered a Link cable but that will take three weeks to arrive, so I ordered a cheaper non-Oculus one online, next day delivery. I couldn't have a new headset this Friday and then wait three weeks to try it with DCS!

i5-11600K CPU, 64GB DDR4 RAM, XFX Speedster MERC319 AMD Radeon 6900 XT, Oculus Quest 2, HP Reverb G2

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So, I've had my Quest 2 for a couple of days now and compared to my Rift S I'm very happy with it. The Rift S is still a very good headset but the Q2 is a noticeable leap in clarity. First the negatives: The head strap, as I'm sure everyone's aware by now, is not very comfortable. It's fine if you're casually playing wireless VR games but for DCS, where you have to keep a snug fit to your face so that it doesn't move around, to keep a steady sweet spot, I find I have to tighten the strap so much that it's uncomfortably tight on my face and after a few minutes it gives me a pressure headache to the back of my head. It takes a lot of fiddling to get it so it doesn't give me a headache but doesn't move around too much either. But if the cheap strap is how they've kept the price lower and made it more portable and you're able to replace it with a better one, then I suppose that's fair enough. I'll be buying the better Elite strap when they're available again from the store. The Link cable I have is not the official one, I have that on order, in the meantime I'm using a third party USB cable, which works, but it's quite thick, stiff and inflexible, so I can feel the weight of it tugging at my head, which can be a bit annoying. The Rift S cable feels much lighter and more flexible, I don't really notice it. Hopefully the official Oculus Link cable will cure this annoyance.

At first I was disappointed. With my Rift S I was getting a solid 40fps but with the Q2 I was getting variable low 30s fps and I didn't notice much of an improvement in visual clarity. There's noticeably much less screen door effect, but apart from that I was underwhelmed. I had it set to 90hz with the link cable and tried a pixel density of 1.2 in the Oculus settings but I still wasn't noticing much improvement is resolution. Finally I thought, I'd just turn the pixel density up to the max it would go, which was 1.5 and just see how it ran, expecting it to be a stuttering 10fps mess. Amazingly, as soon as I restarted DCS I could see immediately a big difference. I loaded up a quick free flight mission and as soon as I saw the cockpit it was a bit of a wow moment, the difference and improvement over the Rift S was very obvious, everything is very clear and easy to read, all the dials and gauges, without having to lean in or use the VR zoom. And surprisingly I was still getting 30-36fps and even though it's still not the solid 40fps of the Rift S, I can happily live with that.

So basically, to see a real improvement over the Rift S, make sure in the Oculus settings, you have your Link setting set to 90hz and the pixel density as high as it will go. Obviously you will need a graphics card that can handle it. For reference I'm running an AMD 5700XT, which is not the latest and greatest but seems decent enough for now.

So overall, I would say for anyone considering switching from a Rift S to a Quest 2 and can deal with the Facebook requirement, it's a worthwhile buy. I can read all the dials, gauges and MFD screens clearly. I did have an issue on some aircraft even though the dials and gauges were clear, the text on the side panels still looked smudged and blurry, even if I zoomed in. I realised later this was because in the DCS settings I had the cockpit resolution set to 514dpi, I changed it to 1028dpi and the text on the panels was nice and clear and readable, just like the gauges. So something to check, if you have your pixel density cranked up and your cockpit text is still blurry.

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i5-11600K CPU, 64GB DDR4 RAM, XFX Speedster MERC319 AMD Radeon 6900 XT, Oculus Quest 2, HP Reverb G2

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The head strap, as I'm sure everyone's aware by now, is not very comfortable. It's fine if you're casually playing wireless VR games but for DCS, where you have to keep a snug fit to your face so that it doesn't move around, to keep a steady sweet spot, I find I have to tighten the strap so much that it's uncomfortably tight on my face and after a few minutes it gives me a pressure headache to the back of my head. It takes a lot of fiddling to get it so it doesn't give me a headache but doesn't move around too much either.

 

But if the cheap strap is how they've kept the price lower and made it more portable and you're able to replace it with a better one, then I suppose that's fair enough. I'll be buying the better Elite strap when they're available again from the store. The Link cable I have is not the official one, I have that on order, in the meantime I'm using a third party USB cable, which works, but it's quite thick, stiff and inflexible, so I can feel the weight of it tugging at my head, which can be a bit annoying. The Rift S cable feels much lighter and more flexible, I don't really notice it. Hopefully the official Oculus Link cable will cure this annoyance.

 

The elite strap does make a significant different for me. I notice some further improvement when using headphones, as it seems to pull the headset back and counterbalances the headset. I couldn't get on with the standard strap. It was okay for 30 minutes, but then it hurt my face and felt heavy. And I'd lose the sweet spot as it'd drop on my face. And playing any game where I'm moving about a lot I'd find the headset hitting my nose unless tightened to the point that it's cause discomfort.

 

As for the cable, you can use some velcro and relieve the weight. Also put the lead through the back part of the headset and around to the front. That way the cables weight is more at the back of the head than the side.

 

What kind of FPS do you guys have when using Quest2?

Do you have smooth head movement in cockpit?

Thanks!

 

It's fairly smooth with the odd hiccup here and there, but it's not often enough to be a problem. And yes, smooth head turning in the cockpit (no black bars on the side or pausing). Are you running the standalone version? That'll be using the Oculus VR mode. I think if you got the steam version, you'll get less performance when booting up in steam VR. But there should be an option that pops up to choose Oculus (I think) when you start the game.

 

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And surprisingly I was still getting 30-36fps and even though it's still not the solid 40fps of the Rift S, I can happily live with that.

 

Yes, surprisingly this was something i verified with a few other quest 2 owners quite quiclky. According to Carmack, the 1.5 res of 5048x2736 is not a random number plucked out the air but the actual native pixel density of the Q2. So as much as its referred to as SS its actually not to this point. To go into SS you need to run 90hz and then up to 1.7 will be available and takes you into SS teritory. In either case running at native res with a given hz seems to provide a really nice smooth experience where the lower res doesnt (oddly) for me on a 1080ti and i can easily read everything in the cockpit now, i can hit the sold rear projection figure all the time and maybe a third of the time out of it, so happy days.

All we need now is for ED to do do their bit to help us VR users out with some optimisations... but ya know...years have passed.

 

Also if you're after comfot improvement, i printed this from thingiverse and it made a huge difference moving the weight to your forehead instead of your face. Basically converting the headstrap into a 'halo' type instead. Find a friend with a printer if you dont have one! ;)

 

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GTX 1080Ti, i7 8700@4.4Ghz, 16Gb DDR4.

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That looks like a nice mod, I will probably just wait to get an Elite strap.

 

How are you managing to get up to 1.7? I have mine set to 90Hz but mine will only slide up to 1.5. In any case, I'm getting 5408x2736 with 1.5 and nice clear gauges, any higher and I don't think my GPU could handle it anyway.

 

One minor issue I am having, the first time I load up DCS, activate the Link cable and put the headset on, I just get a flashing white screen inside the headset, even though I can see DCS loaded up and running on the PC desktop window. I have to close DCS and the Oculus software, start it up again and it's fine second time around. Strange.

 

Btw, I'm running DCS stand alone with the open in VR ticked in settings. I run it by just clicking the DCS desktop icon and it automatically starts the Oculus software.

i5-11600K CPU, 64GB DDR4 RAM, XFX Speedster MERC319 AMD Radeon 6900 XT, Oculus Quest 2, HP Reverb G2

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you're doing everything right, the flashing seems a little concerning. Have you tried another USB cable or another USB port on your computer? Also have you done the Bitrate test on the cable?

 

RE the 1.7 i went to have another glance, and yes the max output res is to native quest res at all hz settings, it just says 1.7 at the top of the slider on 90hz instead of 1.5 at 72hz and 1.6 at 80hz though im not sure of what this slider is referring to exactly.. i need to do a little more digging as its doing something different to what the debug tool does of which i was previously used to.

GTX 1080Ti, i7 8700@4.4Ghz, 16Gb DDR4.

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