Squiggs Posted July 4, 2024 Posted July 4, 2024 I am looking to get a Quest 3 in the near future and am looking on some suggestions for hardware to set it all up. I have a VKB Gunfighter and VKB Stecs which is mounted to a Next Level Racing seat which is on wheels. As soon as "global shipping bottlenecks" (allegedly) sort themselves out I will be receiving a set of Thrustmaster pedals. These won't be mounted to the seat but rather sit on the ground when in use. The idea is that when I'm done using the computer for DCS, I wheel the chair away and store the pedals on the seat. When I get the Quest 3 I plan on using it with the link cable. The first problem is the link cable draws a lot of power which my motherboard USB ports can't supply (I have 1xUSB3.2 and 1xUSB-C and a bunch of USB2 slots). So my thought was to get a powered USB hub. And then I thought why not mount the hub to the seat plug everything into the powered hub. That way I wheel the chair over and just have to plug in the power and the USB into the PC and I'm good to go. Is this feasible? Are there any foreseeable issues with running a powered hub (either with the Quest or other peripherals)? Any recommendations for powered hubs? The cable that sticks into the back of the PC will have to be quite long (most I've seen the cable is only about 20cm/8inches long). Is it feasible to run the hub with a USB extension cable? Any other advice is for things I may not have thought of is greatly appreciated.
Aapje Posted July 4, 2024 Posted July 4, 2024 I don't think that this topic belongs here, really, as it has very little to do with the Q3, but is really just about USB extension cables. That said, get an active extension cable. But then you might still need to get lucky. These things are finicky and cables are not always of the best quality.
kablamoman Posted July 4, 2024 Posted July 4, 2024 Another option may simply be to go wireless. Virtual Desktop’s OpenXR runtime (VDXR) coupled with a WiFi 6 (or better) router means you don’t even have to bother with the Oculus software, and you’ll also enjoy not being tethered. For this you’d probably want a head strap with an additional battery, though.
Maddaawg Posted July 5, 2024 Posted July 5, 2024 How many feet do you need? The max USB length is 2-3 meters (6-9ft). I used an extension from Monoprice for years in an RV with it going from inside to the roof and it never failed. However, it was USB 2.0. Here is a 5 meter version: Amazon 5 Meter USB 3 Extension As soon as you get the extension or other cable, test it in the Meta Quest Link software for speed to make sure it hits the 2.5Gbps mark, or close to it. I use VD as mentioned by kablamoman and a dedicated WiFi 6e router and it works great. Another question to you, is what your PC Specs are? VR needs a more powerful PC than 2D. Meta Quest 3, Intel i9-10900K, EVGA 3080Ti FTW3, Corsair 64GB DDR4 3200, ASUS ROG Strix z-490-E Gaming, Samsung 990 Pro 2TB M2 NVME Windows 11 Drive, Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB M2 NVME Game Drive
Squiggs Posted July 9, 2024 Author Posted July 9, 2024 On 7/4/2024 at 9:16 PM, Aapje said: I don't think that this topic belongs here, really, as it has very little to do with the Q3, but is really just about USB extension cables. That said, get an active extension cable. But then you might still need to get lucky. These things are finicky and cables are not always of the best quality. I put it in here because from what I understand the Q3 will be the one that determines how I set the rest of it up. If it wasn't for the Q3 I would just buy a hub and be done with it and not expect any problems, but I have read that the Q3 power draw is an issue. On 7/5/2024 at 1:13 AM, kablamoman said: Another option may simply be to go wireless. Virtual Desktop’s OpenXR runtime (VDXR) coupled with a WiFi 6 (or better) router means you don’t even have to bother with the Oculus software, and you’ll also enjoy not being tethered. For this you’d probably want a head strap with an additional battery, though. How long does the battery work for DCS? I was leaning toward cable because I'm already going to be in a chair with cables going everywhere so what's one more. Also I'm old and therefore remember the days of early wifi when it was completely <profanity> and this has stuck with me as a bias against wifi (I know it has gotten a lot better but old dog, new tricks, you know how it is). On 7/5/2024 at 8:23 PM, Maddaawg said: How many feet do you need? The max USB length is 2-3 meters (6-9ft). I used an extension from Monoprice for years in an RV with it going from inside to the roof and it never failed. However, it was USB 2.0. Here is a 5 meter version: Amazon 5 Meter USB 3 Extension As soon as you get the extension or other cable, test it in the Meta Quest Link software for speed to make sure it hits the 2.5Gbps mark, or close to it. I use VD as mentioned by kablamoman and a dedicated WiFi 6e router and it works great. Another question to you, is what your PC Specs are? VR needs a more powerful PC than 2D. 3 meters will be enough I think. I think the official link cable is 5 meters. I was more curious, if I plug it into a powered hub and then the hub has an extension if that will have any detrimental effects. I have a 3070, a 3 series Ryzen (I can't remember 3700 or 3900 and I can't check at the moment) and 128GB of ram.
Maddaawg Posted July 9, 2024 Posted July 9, 2024 You can use max length USB to a powered hub and then max length again. The reason the length matters is power drop of already low voltage. The official USB is a hybrid optical/copper and I am unsure how it would behave extended. Meta Quest 3, Intel i9-10900K, EVGA 3080Ti FTW3, Corsair 64GB DDR4 3200, ASUS ROG Strix z-490-E Gaming, Samsung 990 Pro 2TB M2 NVME Windows 11 Drive, Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB M2 NVME Game Drive
kablamoman Posted July 9, 2024 Posted July 9, 2024 5 hours ago, Squiggs said: How long does the battery work for DCS? I was leaning toward cable because I'm already going to be in a chair with cables going everywhere so what's one more. Also I'm old and therefore remember the days of early wifi when it was completely <profanity> and this has stuck with me as a bias against wifi (I know it has gotten a lot better but old dog, new tricks, you know how it is). Without an additional battery pack, only about 2 hours. I use the official “elite” head strap and it provides for an additional 2 for a total of 4 — there are a bunch of third party options that may give you more or less time. I have the link cable as a backup if I ever need power, but so far haven’t used it. The WiFi connection works great (the virtual desktop folks maintain a list of recommended routers on their discord), and many say it features less frequent problems than the link cable with the meta software. Probably a “your mileage may vary” kind of situation, but may be worth giving a shot. The app probably works best with a 4000 series nvidia card, as this allows you to use the AV1 codec (something meta over link doesn’t allow as of yet), for better efficiency/picture quality at lower bitrates. 1
diego999 Posted July 9, 2024 Posted July 9, 2024 On 7/4/2024 at 6:58 AM, Squiggs said: The first problem is the link cable draws a lot of power which my motherboard USB ports can't supply (I have 1xUSB3.2 and 1xUSB-C and a bunch of USB2 slots). So my thought was to get a powered USB hub. And then I thought why not mount the hub to the seat plug everything into the powered hub. That way I wheel the chair over and just have to plug in the power and the USB into the PC and I'm good to go. Is this feasible? Are there any foreseeable issues with running a powered hub (either with the Quest or other peripherals)? Is the power draw really that high? I have mine plugged into a totally generic front USB connector and the Quest 3 battery loses 10-15% (at most) after a couple of hours of use. I tried wireless but could never get the same visual quality as the link cable, and I'm sitting right next to the router. It's good enough for most situations, but I notice it on the details (the tiny numbers on the Mirage F1's HUD are unreadable for me in wireless for example) even with Virtual Desktop.
Squiggs Posted July 10, 2024 Author Posted July 10, 2024 17 hours ago, diego999 said: Is the power draw really that high? I have mine plugged into a totally generic front USB connector and the Quest 3 battery loses 10-15% (at most) after a couple of hours of use. I tried wireless but could never get the same visual quality as the link cable, and I'm sitting right next to the router. It's good enough for most situations, but I notice it on the details (the tiny numbers on the Mirage F1's HUD are unreadable for me in wireless for example) even with Virtual Desktop. Good to know that it's not that bad. I was just going off what I read on other sites that the power draw was such that normal USB ports could not keep up. But if it only loses 15% after a couple of hours then that's no issue. The clarity you mentioned was another reason why I wanted to get the link cable.
TFS Posted July 10, 2024 Posted July 10, 2024 So I've tested this on my motherboard with a 20gps USB c port. 120hz 1.8 max upscale - 4 hours and 15% battery left 72hz 1.3 max upscale - 8+ hours 20% battery left. Regular USB 3.0 was about half that. So your headset settings effect power draw, ingame settings didn't effect anything for me.
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