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People called it VR's God of War and it is fairly accurate. Like, not just the story setting, but the actual level design is similar too. Large linear areas with some offshoots to explore. Even has some similar upgrading elements. Has probably more puzzle elements though.
Combat's not nearly as satisfying but mostly respectable, especially once it clicks, which for the first act can take a bit.
Question: do you enable sliced encoding in VD? Because while I think it's fine for roomscale stuff, for stuff that's more fixed in view, I think sliced encoding creates a tearing/stuttering effect with VD. I don't think a lot of people notice it, but to my eyes, it's not smooth at all. Link does sliced encoding and does it extremely well, but at least with my GPU, I don't like VD's sliced encoding at all. I'll take the slightly higher latency to avoid the chunky quality that sliced encoding brings.
That's definitely not right. It could be a router thing then.
Here are my stats when running Alyx:
Framerate 90
Latency 40ms
Bitrate 90
Game 10 (fluctuates as high as 15 when playing)
Encoding 5
Networking 12
Decoding 8
Graphics Quality Medium
Sliced Encoding No
Extra Latency No
Codec : HEVC
I get constant stuttering every 2-4 seconds when walking around. This doesn't happen when connected through Link.
I'm gonna have to play around with the updated VD today. I'm assuming those middle numbers are from the new performance graph it has. I'll have to see what my numbers are.
If you're getting a stutter that's consistent, though, I'm inclined to believe it's probably something the router is doing. I had a similar issue when I tried running things through the Windows hotspot. It was a stutter that was like clockwork. And really nothing I could solve on my end. So I just bought a cheap router that I turned into an AP.
Interesting... Is there a way I can monitor what my router is doing? And if so, what should I be looking out for?
Will installing the VD update directly in the headset mess with the sideloaded version at all?
Also I had stuttering all over the place last night which I dont normally get (haven't installed the update yet tho)
Also I had stuttering all over the place last night which I dont normally get (haven't installed the update yet tho)
Halve your bit-rate and enable high latency mode.
Make sure that the automatic bit-rate adjustment is disabled in the PC server app.
Disconnect and reconnect after making these changes.
You can try increasing the bit-rate once you have things smooth, but do so gradually.
It may be that you need to purchase a dedicated wireless access point just for VR though.
Ok that helped a ton, thanks! Still getting stutters though... but far less frequently.
Is there something I can do to my router to make things a bit better? Like, would shutting off internet access to it while playing help at all?
I do have a few other devices using its wifi, like my phone and the Switch. Is there a way I can set up a "profile" on my router to only listen to my Quest 2 when using VD ?
On my router I have the 5G channel with only the quest connected and the 2.4 one with other stuff, that might help, presuming your router supports it.
And really, verify it's even using the 5ghz channel in the first place, mine wasnt
You could use separate names for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, and only allow the Quest access to 5 GHz.
You may also find that reducing the channel width to 80 MHz or even 40 MHz might help - though the latter will flag a warning in Virtual Desktop (ignore it).
I've also seen recommendations to use the high-numbered DFS channels on 5 GHz as they are typically less congested.
Internet access should not make a difference.
Far as I know, it just gets added to your account from yesterday onwards when you connect your new quest via link
Yeah, I definitely have separate names for my 5g access point.
Is there a way I can see what is connected to the 5g access point ?
Your router should have a list somewhere, but you could always rename it and set up anything that lost its connection on the 2.4 GHz network instead.
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Great idea, just did that. Also, my channel width is only Auto, 40 and 20hz. Is it worth going to 40hz, or is that too low?
Another thing- is there a way to check the version of VD? I'm not really clear on how to install the patch... I bought VD on the Oculus store then used Sidequest to patch it. I ran Sidequest again yesterday and it seemed to install the latest VD patch, but I don't see where I can tell if it worked or not.
Definitely use 40 MHz if the router is close, as that is the higher bandwidth option.
So extremely new to using Virtual Desktop with Steam. Got it all set up (what a headache).
So I'm supposed to balance settings on individual games, my GPU, and Steam? Is there any guide that helps you identify which settings to prioritize in each area? Any tips on how to identify roadblocks to a smooth experience? I don't know whatmost of these graphical settings are or what are just icing and which ones give an obvious boost.
If anyone can direct me to some sort of guide or tips for extreme beginners on this topic that would be worth so much to me.
So I'm supposed to balance settings on individual games, my GPU, and Steam? Is there any guide that helps you identify which settings to prioritize in each area? Any tips on how to identify roadblocks to a smooth experience? I don't know whatmost of these graphical settings are or what are just icing and which ones give an obvious boost.
If anyone can direct me to some sort of guide or tips for extreme beginners on this topic that would be worth so much to me.
Ok sounds good.
Thank you for all the advice, this thing is running so much better now.
I either missed this, or you edited it in.
It should tell you in the lower-left of the Virtual Desktop menus inside the headset.
I'm glad that I could help.
You may not be able to get a perfect experience without buying new hardware, like a dedicated access point for the room, but it sounds like it should at least be a playable one now.
Just to expand on this, I actually use 80hz (although this isn't available for you). The higher is better with caveats. There are way less 80hz channels available. So if you're in an area of heavy congestion, 40hz might actually have an available channel that's being ignored more than others (and will get you the cleanest connection). But if you have a router that supports 80hz, and it's clean with network traffic, 80hz is the best way to go.
Speaking of which, definitely turn off auto-channel on your router. You don't want your router constantly picking new channels based on slight differences in congestion. I'd recommend downloading something like Wifi Analyzer to your phone and trying to find that channel with the least congestion on it. And then set your router to manually use that channel.
Some routers actually have this built in, but I think it's a fairly high end feature and your router sounds pretty old to begin with.
So my wife and I decided since our 15th anniversary trip had to be cancelled thanks to covid we needed to treat ourselves to something and landed on buying a Quest 2 for each of us.
I'm trying to figure out exactly what the deal is with accounts and sharing games but there's a lot of cross talk and it's hard to sort out what is currently the case and hoping people can confirm or deny some of what I've gleaned.
1. no family sharing games and apps between accounts, at least not yet.
2. you CAN log in to the same account on two headsets and play the same games at the same time, but only a few multiplayer games will allow two headsets logged into the same account to play together.
3. if you switch accounts on a headset, it effectively performs a factory reset. Which sucks if you are only switching in order to play one of the multiplayer games that requires separate games on separate accounts.
if all of this is true, we'll just use two separate accounts and switch off headsets for sharing single player games I guess. Not ideal but is what it is.
I'm trying to figure out exactly what the deal is with accounts and sharing games but there's a lot of cross talk and it's hard to sort out what is currently the case and hoping people can confirm or deny some of what I've gleaned.
1. no family sharing games and apps between accounts, at least not yet.
2. you CAN log in to the same account on two headsets and play the same games at the same time, but only a few multiplayer games will allow two headsets logged into the same account to play together.
3. if you switch accounts on a headset, it effectively performs a factory reset. Which sucks if you are only switching in order to play one of the multiplayer games that requires separate games on separate accounts.
if all of this is true, we'll just use two separate accounts and switch off headsets for sharing single player games I guess. Not ideal but is what it is.
First time I've ever been disappointed in a VD update. Booted up Talos Principle and got nothing but a black screen. Tracking (on monitor) and sound worked, but just a black screen. Then I booted up BallisticNG and I can't get past the title screen. This game has always been problematic getting the start button to register with VD, but all I had to do was hit enter on the keyboard to get past it. Now the keyboard, Xbox One controlller, and Touch controllers all refuse to be recognized. These are games I've played with VD in the past and now are basically unusable for me. Tomorrow's a new day.
Should I have preferred codec to "Automatic"? Any reason to set it to one or the other if not?
2.4 GHz should always be set to a 20 MHz channel width, while 5 GHz depends on the environment and your devices; but you probably want to use at least 40 MHz.
I've no idea what automatic would select on your router.
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Sorry, I'm talking about the codec selection on the desktop streamer app.
Oh my bad. I thought you were still talking about the channel width selection for some reason.
I found no difference in smoothness between H264 and HEVC, but HEVC looks a lot better at lower bit-rates - which can enable smoother streaming.
I've seen people say that latency is higher with HEVC though. Perhaps the new performance overlay would show this.
I've found that smoothness is more important to me in VR than low latency though, as dropped frames can make me feel motion sick.
So... I have a Best Buy gift card.
Is the Oculus Quest worth it?
I really want to get into VR without the cables, and I think Beat Saber might be a fun way to stay active. Just not sure if it's worth getting a Facebook account again.
Is the Oculus Quest worth it?
I really want to get into VR without the cables, and I think Beat Saber might be a fun way to stay active. Just not sure if it's worth getting a Facebook account again.
Oh hey I got one yesterday, set it up, then got a third party link cable today and Asgards Wrath is in my inventory now. Huzzah. Wants 140GB of space though so will have to wait.
So far it seems really well made and can probably replace my CV1 full time.
So far it seems really well made and can probably replace my CV1 full time.
I think its very much worth it but then again I own six VR headsets so I'm not the most unbiased lol.
But seriously the value in the Quest 2 is very good for the price, great lenses (assuming you don't get the defective batch ones), good tracking, 90hz refresh, and if you have a gaming PC its a whole other level of content you can access using things like Link or Virtual Desktop. I mentioned this to another poster asking and the elite battery strap is well worth the extra money for the added comfort and battery life.
You could possibly run into issues creating a new Facebook account so you might want to make one now before purchasing it just in case they're still having issues with bots auto banning new accounts. Hopefully you won't run into that issue.
I just bought mine, and I'm having a blast with it. I absolutely think it's worth it. That said, I do find the oculus link damn near essential, as I use a mixture of Rift, Steam VR and Quest titles.
I should probably recheck this with the Quest. I found that HEVC was about 5ms higher on the original Quest with my Nvidia GPU. And didn't notice any differences in smoothness between them. Wonder if this has changed with Quest 2.
Since I posted that long ago, I've learned that Nvidia puts a lot of effort into their 264 encoder. Which is why it's probably better than it should be versus HEVC. For AMD owners, however, I've been told that HEVC is absolutely the no-brainer codec to use. Better quality and better performance (although this has some to do with their 264 codec just being really bad).
It's not that HEVC is smoother by itself; it's that you can use a lower bitrate for equal or better quality to H264 - and in cases where the network is the issue, the lower bitrate can make things run smoother, at the cost of a little extra latency.
Yeah. I understood that. For me, it's not causing network issues at higher bitrates. But obviously HEVC should be higher quality. Even at the higher bitrates. So I probably should compare again. Especially since Godin has made a ton of latency improvements since I last made A/B comparisons.
Man. Woke up this morning and turned on my Quest 2 and it was making this buzzing noise nonstop. Everything was working fine still but the buzzing did not go away even after restarting multiple times/adjusting the face pad. Ordered through Amazon so at least returning it is pretty easily but still annoyed.
Does it not matter that I have about 4 devices using the 2.4ghz band on my router? That will not have any effect on the 5g band on the same router? (Only the Quest 2 is using the 5g band)
2.4 GHz devices shouldn't have any effect on 5 GHz performance.
Ok, after troubleshooting with Alyx some more using Link and VD, it seems that after resolving some issues with VD, some of the stuttering was coming from my PC being overloaded. I have to reduce my resolution to about 75% lower than the Quest 2 native res to remove stuttering.
Does that sound correct for a i7 7770 with a 3070? I would think a 3070 would have no issue running at the Quest 2's native resolution.
Also, when using the Link, which resolution does Alyx use? The one you set in the Oculus app under Quest 2 options, or the resolution set in SteamVR?
With VD, what resolution is it outputting? VD has its own resolution settings, does it ignore both the Oculus setting and the Steam VR setting?
Does that sound correct for a i7 7770 with a 3070? I would think a 3070 would have no issue running at the Quest 2's native resolution.
Also, when using the Link, which resolution does Alyx use? The one you set in the Oculus app under Quest 2 options, or the resolution set in SteamVR?
With VD, what resolution is it outputting? VD has its own resolution settings, does it ignore both the Oculus setting and the Steam VR setting?
Make sure the game is using D3D11 mode and not Vulkan.
Vulkan stutters badly on my system after anywhere between 10–30 minutes of gameplay.
I also have to close any browsers or other high memory/vram applications before loading the game. If HL:A gives you a memory error at launch, don't ignore it.
Virtual Desktop resolution seems to be controlled by the quality setting, and you have to restart Steam VR and Virtual Desktop any time you make a change to it. I found that "medium" works best on my system, but I only have a GTX 1070. No idea about Link.
I just bought my Oculus Quest 2!
Man was that an awful wait at Best Buy.
I got the base model, since my gift card was only about 300 bucks, but I was also reading you can stream videos through a PC and most games don't take up too much space. I don't have a PC... But I was planning on buying one for some accounting work and playtesting a couple of games on Windows, so no problem there.
I probably should have made a Facebook account first, like wafflebrain said 😬
I've had my Quest on backorder for a couple of weeks, and should arrive finally on Friday. Are there any good collected resources on setting up all the basics like Virtual Desktop, video viewing, and setting up and optimising wireless networking? OP doesn't seem to have much. I imagine it is scattered through the thread, but maybe there is a convenient website or Youtube channel to reference?
Yikes I left my headset plugged into my PC with a link cable and turns out my 3080 was running max frequency the whole time. Good to know not to do that anymore.
