Oculus Quest 2 90Hz PC Streaming Possible Ahead of Schedule
Thanks to a VR app, Oculus Quest 2 can support high-quality Wi-Fi streaming from PC right at launch on October 13, and this is possible without Facebook intervention. This is possible via a SideQuest patch created by lone developer Guy Godin that enables wireless PC VR streaming at 90Hz on the Oculus Quest 2 headset.
The recently unveiled Oculus Quest 2 headset has an improved display and supports a higher refresh rate. While the original Quest has a refresh rate of 72Hz, the new Quest has a refresh rate based on the PC-VR industry standard of 90Hz.
With such a high refresh rate, VR experiences appear smoother and more immersive with a greater degree of realism which also reduces motion sickness.
Facebook announced that the higher refresh rate of 90Hz in Oculus Quest 2 would be rolled out in phases and that at the market launch, the higher frame rate would only be available as an experimental function which users would have to activate in the settings of the VR headset.
The 90Hz frame rate would also only apply to the Quest 2 operating software, that is, the menus and the browser. During the Facebook Connect, the company stated that the 90Hz refresh rate would only be available as a standard feature of the Oculus Quest 2 headset later in the year.
Could Oculus Link Be as Good as Native PC VR?
Facebook announced that the current 72Hz refresh rate would remain standard for the time being. However, soon after the Oculus Quest 2 market launch, developers would get the opportunity to optimize their virtual reality apps for the new higher refresh rates and update them to the 90Hz version. A large number of virtual reality apps should benefit from the new higher resolution and a smoother display.
Support for the higher refresh rate is also planned via Oculus Link. The wired PC connection should get out of the beta phase this fall and begin displaying PC VR content in full resolution and the refresh rate of the Oculus Quest 2.
This means that the standalone Quest virtual reality headsets could technically catch up with the refresh rate of the native PC VR devices as long as Facebook can sufficiently improve the latency and image quality. For Oculus Link, the images are compressed rather than being sent directly to the VR headsets and this can affect the image quality.
Virtual Desktop to Bring 90Hz Refresh Rate Ahead of Schedule
A new Guy Godin Virtual Desktop patch is now bringing the 90Hz refresh rate ahead of schedule.
If you use the Virtual Reality app Virtual Desktop, you can still exploit the full potential of the Oculus Quest 2 headset right from the market launch on October 13. That means you won’t have to wait for Facebook’s phased roll out of the higher refresh rate.
The Virtual Desktop app enables Quest users to bring a PC user interface into virtual reality to access the PC content.
A developer on the sideloading platform SideQuest is providing a patch that allows for wireless WLAN streaming of PC VR games to VR headsets.
Virtual Desktop developer Guy Godin is working on a new version of the patch that already enables the full resolution and refresh rate of the Oculus Quest 2 for Wi-Fi streaming provided the VR headset is wirelessly connected to a PC.
Some testers have already tried the new patch and the unofficial Wi-Fi streaming is giving impressive results. In terms of performance and image quality, the Oculus Quest 2 headset surpasses the original Quest with Link as well as the native PC VR headsets such as the Oculus Rift S and all of this is possible as a result of the Virtual Desktop, and it is completely wireless.
With the Virtual Desktop, you get unbelievable results even with a PC VR hit like the Half-Life: Alyx. The latency is also relatively low. On Reddit, Godin mentions a latency of between 22 and 28 milliseconds so, in terms of latency, users won’t see a significant difference between the Quest 2 (with a higher refresh rate) and the native PC-VR variant.
To realize such values, you will need a VR-compatible PC, a fast router with the Wi-Fi standard 802.11ac or 802.11ax which transmits in the 5 GHz band.
The new virtual desktop patch will be available on SideQuest before the launch of the Oculus Quest 2 headset on October 13. You also have to purchase the Virtual Desktop from the Oculus Store before you install the patch.
Facebook is also working on a wireless version of Oculus Link but is yet to announce any official WLAN support. In 2019, Godin released a Quest version of the Virtual Desktop which Facebook removed citing quality concerns.
https://virtualrealitytimes.com/2020/10/01/oculus-quest-2-90hz-pc-streaming-possible-ahead-of-schedule/https://virtualrealitytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/SideQuest-Interface-Update-600x338.jpghttps://virtualrealitytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/SideQuest-Interface-Update-150x90.jpgTechnologyThanks to a VR app, Oculus Quest 2 can support high-quality Wi-Fi streaming from PC right at launch on October 13, and this is possible without Facebook intervention. This is possible via a SideQuest patch created by lone developer Guy Godin that enables wireless PC VR streaming at 90Hz...Sam OchanjiSam Ochanji[email protected]EditorVirtual Reality Times - Metaverse & VR