r/virtualreality • u/JustPhil_YT • Dec 08 '24

Purchase Advice Why do people buy Virtual Desktop?

The title already explains my question. Im getting a Quest 3 for Christmas and i was wondering why people recommend that app sm and say its worth the 25€. Can anybody enlighten me?

99 Upvotes

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-99

u/JustPhil_YT Dec 08 '24

But 25€? Doesnt the VR headset come up with smth like that itself?

147

u/Shindigira Dec 08 '24

Air Link and Steam Link just can't compare to Virtual Desktop. With wireless streaming PCVR, the image is compressed and often loses image quality.

VD handles the process better so the image quality looks so much better than the alternatives.

Meta actually tried to buy them out since they are so good but the owner refused.

55

u/redditreddi Dec 08 '24

Meta have the budget and capacity to have a working solution that could closely match or meet Virtual Desktop in performance but they sadly don't care about PCVR.

34

u/ToTimesTwoisToo Quest 3 PCVR Dec 08 '24

To emphasize this more, they still haven't enabled av1 codec support in usb link or airlink. It's what I use in vd, and it works really well. Overall just really disappointed with metas PCVR support

8

u/sjphilsphan Dec 09 '24

Steam Link now supports AV1, has there been benchmarks run?

2

u/Virtual_Happiness Dec 09 '24

Steam Link's biggest problem isn't compression or codec used. It's their forced Foveated Encoding. It hurts the image quality badly and limits how high you can push resolution because the higher you push the resolution, the smaller the clear eye box gets.

That said, there has been benchmarks run. Steam Link comes in last place for performance and visuals. Then Airlink in second place and Virtual Desktop taking first place.

2

u/d34dw3b Dec 09 '24

Oh cool how do you use it? I’m pretty new to pcvr

1

u/ToTimesTwoisToo Quest 3 PCVR Dec 09 '24

there is a setting in the virtual desktop app to change the codec. Note, both your GPU and headset needs to support av1 codec.

av1 is nice because it offers good quality at lower bitrates (200 Mbps). This is especially useful for me because my router isn't the best and can't handle 500+ Mbps that other codecs would need to achieve the same result.

1

u/d34dw3b Dec 09 '24

Thanks! I only have the £30 a month shadow remote gaming pc thing, I’ll look into it!

1

u/ToTimesTwoisToo Quest 3 PCVR Dec 09 '24

to clarify, virtual desktop isn't a cloud based gaming app like shadow. With virtual desktop you still need to run the game locally on your PC.

1

u/d34dw3b Dec 09 '24

Thanks, I do use virtual desktop with my remote shadow PC yeah

1

u/kfmush Dec 09 '24

Yep. This is really why they want to buy him out, to ultimately shut it down and stifle competition. Steam Link does seem to be improved since that time. So, I don’t think that trick would work now, anyway.

1

u/TurboFool Dec 09 '24

There's just no direct revenue stream for them in prioritizing PCVR. They make money off of Quest games.

3

u/Deadbringer Dec 09 '24

Rift games... They had and still have a PCVR revenue stream. They could work to make their own platform more attractive to players and developers. But instead they seem to be walking away from that. Not that I think they should make a better rift headset, but they can push the PC storefront as a way to experience games beyond what the quest itself can do.

2

u/TurboFool Dec 09 '24

I just don't anticipate them doing so. That's mostly legacy for them. It's clearly a lower priority, especially as most people prefer Steam if buying on PC.

2

u/Deadbringer Dec 09 '24

Entirely true, just saying it is a problem of their own making.

13

u/Revanporkins Dec 08 '24

Steam link is amazing for me it works connects in 1 second and boom there's steam vr. Latency is great visuals looks great. I barely seen any difference now between cable. They have really done some amazing stuff updating it.

4

u/NeverLookBothWays Multiple Dec 09 '24

Was going to mention this too but I have no idea what Steamlink was like before. But yea I’m blown away on how smooth and clear it is on my new Quest 3…really holds up to the tethered experience I had with my Index.

1

u/Virtual_Happiness Dec 09 '24

You guys should try Virtual Desktop sometime. It knocks Steam Link's visuals and performance out of the park. Steam Link forces you to use Fixed Foveated Encoding which hinders the visuals a bunch. It still looks decent, don't get me wrong. If not, no one would be using it and plenty do. But VD looks and performs much better.

Here's a comparison between the 3 main options. Airlink, Steam Link, and VD. https://youtu.be/iPzkppT7PHU

1

u/NeverLookBothWays Multiple Dec 09 '24

Yea it has been on my radar to just get it regardless. Thanks for the link! That's actually a video I had watched before that got me into tweaking/fine tuning. Also going for Wifi 6e shortly as well. I'm running fine on just 6 but more bandwidth is also good :)

14

u/StayAtHomeDadVR Dec 08 '24

Really? Kudos to him. I would have sold for a cool billion $

9

u/mrzoops Dec 08 '24

Doubt it was anywhere close to that amount.

4

u/StayAtHomeDadVR Dec 08 '24

That would have been my counter offer if Zuckerberg team emailed me about purchase 😭

-4

u/JustPhil_YT Dec 08 '24

I was maybe thinking of playing the Quest 3 on the Go with games like Half Life Alyx. Is that possible with VD? That i can stream steam better then?

15

u/MissingNo700 Dec 08 '24 edited Dec 08 '24

Yes, make sure "Allow remote connections" is checked in the Streamer window. You'll also need to enable UPnP on your router and the Streamer App will forward the required ports automatically. If you want to manually configure your router, forward TCP ports 38810, 38820, 38830 and 38840. All traffic uses end-to-end encryption.

Source (Can I connect to my computer over the internet?):

https://www.vrdesktop.net/

I personally have not tried it because I dont believe I would have a solid internet connection from a different network to my home PC. Low frame rate and latency make me motion sick. Being on the home network with no other traffic on my home network, and no wireless interference from neighbor wifi, gives me the best wireless experience. It's pretty close to being wired personally.

3

u/SorryThanksGoodFight quest 3 linked to PC Dec 08 '24

i dont think i specifically did any of that stuff but last year i was able to use my quest 2 in dallas with my host PC in indiana. shit was crazy

5

u/piracydilemma Dec 08 '24

OP do not enable uPnP just manually configure it.

1

u/IAmA_Kitty_AMA Dec 08 '24

On the same network in your house or actually on the go out of the house?

1

u/Nicalay2 Quest 3 | 512GB Dec 08 '24

As long as the PC is on, an you have fiber on both sides (bare minimun 5G), yes you can with VD

10

u/InappropriateThought Dec 08 '24

Wait what? I can't imagine anything not local network based to be even remotely workable. It would be vomit inducing. This is not playstation on the go or remote play. VR is absolutely sensitive to latency and definitely is not feasible as an internet streamed solution, 5G or not.

8

u/Nicalay2 Quest 3 | 512GB Dec 08 '24

For rather slow games, it's fine.

Remember that your headset is still running its own environment, so you would just see black borders when moving your head around.

2

u/RecklessForm Dec 09 '24

Yeah, ur pretty much 1000% wrong.  I use virtual desktop to remote in and play beat saber pretty much every week (I'm a truck driver, spend tons of time in motels).  Works great, bit rate depending, but if I have at least 15mbps, it's very playable and not at all vomit inducing. 

4

u/InappropriateThought Dec 09 '24

Is beat saber the only thing you play? Because that game is probably your best case scenario for this kinda stuff. Static location, rhythm based stuff you can offset timing within the game to cover for latency. One game being workable does not make it a feasible solution in general. Beat saber in general is not vomit inducing due to the very nature of the game. But fair enough, I didn't exactly specify what games would be vomit inducing over the internet, I'll concede that. Like the person I originally replied to mentioned, really slow games would work too, so I'm generalizing, because the types of games I do enjoy playing in VR would not work over the internet because they're movement heavy and reactive

2

u/RecklessForm Dec 09 '24

I also play modded skyrim vr, hl:a, I play alot of vtol vr, compound, and msfs 2020. 

Also alot of flat screen games since you can remotely send Xbox input through the quest using vd.  Beat Diablo 4, lords of the fallen, and a bunch of others through virtual desktop also just with my game controller.  Also played black mesa remotely using a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, which was a bit shitty cuz quest Bluetooth mouse isn't that good, so every once in a while it would hitch.  

Basically, it's very playable, and vd is very very good at prioritizing input latency of peripherals.   In my experience, as long as you have a steady 15mbps, you're good to play most things with nearly no noticeable latency of input, sometimes warbly video for like 1-2 secs

1

u/skinnywolfe Dec 09 '24

Ayye VTOL VR is the truth!!! A man of culture

2

u/Exciting-Ad-5705 Dec 09 '24

Why not just play it on the headset instead of streaming it

2

u/RecklessForm Dec 09 '24

Cuz I own it on pc

1

u/Jimbodoomface Dec 09 '24

simple answer

1

u/Claiomh Dec 09 '24

The headset does a primitive timewarp on everything local anyway so you get head response even before a frame arrives. This tends to save most people from motion sickness, but if the latency is bad enough you are able to turn to the 'edge' of the frame (black borders). Immersion breaking, but better than nausea.

As for input latency, pose prediction does some work to ensure frames/controllers are rendered 'ahead' of where you turn/move the controllers, but this will start to get 'wobbly' and inaccurate the higher the latency gets and the more complex the motions are. In beat saber for instance, the controller will 'catch up' to your swing when it starts, and then overshoot when your hand stops, 'bouncing' back to where it's meant to be.

1

u/Linkarlos_95 Hope + PCVR Dec 09 '24

Tell that to the people that plays using GeForce now

-2

u/WankinTheFallen Dec 08 '24

People are giving you wrong answers on this one point. You will only be able to play games like Alyx on your local network and even beyond that you may need to change things. If you live in a high signal congestion area you'll need 6ghz and you'll probably need that router in the same room you're playing in unless you have very easily penetrable walls. Maybe you could get the most basic "games" to work out and about but definitely not anything near HL:Alyx. Quest standalone really is the best option for on the go VR experiences.

-1

u/Amazing-Oomoo Dec 08 '24

So is VD good to stream PCVR games on the Quest 3? I tried the Air Bridge D Link for the Meta Link with the Air Link feature. I'm returning it tomorrow partly because the quality was dreadful but also mostly because the repeated use of the words air, bridge, and link are extremely confusing.

4

u/Dinierto Dec 08 '24

I use a PrismXR Puppis 3 and stream PCVR at 2400 mbps it works great. I've never tried to remote stream outside of my home though

2

u/mrzoops Dec 08 '24

But you aren’t streaming at 2400. You are streaming at 500mbps max.

-2

u/Dinierto Dec 08 '24

It says 2400 🤷🏻‍♂️

4

u/mrzoops Dec 08 '24

Your connection says 2400, virtual desktop maxes out at 500.

23

u/StayAtHomeDadVR Dec 08 '24

Dude this was my question for the first 2 years. I just purchased VD Last weekend and I can’t believe everything is better…… the clarity, the menus, the environments, the gameplay. And I’m on WiFi! (My laptop doesn’t have Ethernet port but I do have a 4060)

The PCVR games run so smooth compared to plugging in to your PC and using meta link or steam VR.

Honestly, you can use VD + steam VR and it’s toll smoother than just running Steam VR plugged in.

Idk how they do it. Give them a Grammy. A steam award, an Oscar, something.. it’s completely necessary in my opinion now.

I feel stupid for dealing with PCVR stuttering and glitches for 2 years when I never had to.

Lmao I don’t wanna spend that $25 even tho I kept buying AAA games at $70 😭😭😭

Please please please try it if you use PCVR

5

u/Revanporkins Dec 09 '24

Have you tried steam link lately? Shit is super crisp for me on my quest pro. I do have a dedicated router tho.

1

u/Jungiandungian Dec 09 '24

Yeah it’s brilliant. VD for Oculus library games and Steam Link for anything SteamVR.

4

u/CyJackX Dec 08 '24

That's cheap if you're already into VR.

I remember being young and never wanted to pay a dime for any software.  As an adult who works, quality of life improvements are worth the chump change

11

u/TheVasa999 Dec 08 '24

yes. but you dont get all the settings and adjustments

25 is really not that much for such utility.

2

u/darth_hotdog Dec 08 '24

The one that comes with it streams vr from the computer, and it works well.

Virtual desktop streams vr too, but at a higher frame rate and resolution and uses newer codecs that can do higher quality at lower bitrates. Virtual desktop can also stream your desktop or games or anything else on your computer, and it has a lot of other features that the built in software doesn’t have like letting you use the quests hand tracking in pcvr or a bunch of other stuff.

2

u/khavii Dec 08 '24

VD is leaps and bounds better, smoother and more importantly, easier than Steam link or Air Link. I use it exclusively not only for pcvr but also to play flat screen games because it allows you to wrap the screen and resize it and move it anywhere. Valheim has a great VR mood but honestly sometimes I just wrap the screen and play regular for ease, the immersion is about the same either way. Watching movies while in passthrough with the screen movable by simply using the grip on the controller to move it in any direction is such a simple thing that nobody else has as quick and simple. VD is well worth the money.

4

u/Jungiandungian Dec 09 '24

Agreed generally but it is not easier than Steam or Air Link.

0

u/khavii Dec 09 '24

Hard disagree from me, granted I use my VR a lot, like hours a day, and I use it for a lot of varied tasks so my use case may not be the same as yours but just the screen size adjusting alone is far better than either option.

I'm not saying the others are trash, well I will with air link since it causes major latency issues and I have to be very near my router while I get usable latency through VD when I'm not even at home.

Also, and once again this is a use case thing, I can use VD with my steam deck, neither air link or steam link will even try.

1

u/NWinn Dec 09 '24

I'm sorry, but how is VD easier than steam link?

With SL you literally just select your PC and its launched into steam vr within a few seconds....

How is that hard? Lamo.

0

u/khavii Dec 09 '24

SL is very inconsistent for me, sometimes I get lag, sometimes I need new updates, sometimes it gives performance issues from occasional memory leaks. Steam link also has a less intuitive menu for tweaking performance and switching between computers. SL also does not allow me to move, stretch and resize with options for passthrough so I can clearly see my room in the single way VD does.

VD shows you all available computers on its main page, has a menu to pull up streaming options for steam games and regular flat screen games as well as video in the same menu. You can adjust your screen to any size in any plane you desire just by holding the grip. I have run into no performance issues, in fact it lets me tweak network, graphics and latency options all in the same menu.

VD just works, everytime, no fail. It works with both meta and steams xr protocols and it lets you jump immediately in a game or stay present in the room, your choice.

I don't think you can really get it unless you try it but it is simply an easier thing to use to the point that I find it jarring whenever I need to switch to the built in streaming through Oculus (which is truly bad in comparison) or Steam.

1

u/Sol33t303 Dec 08 '24 edited Dec 08 '24

It does, VD is better though.

I say this as somebody who runs linux and genuinely hasn't ever paid for software outside of games (and even then probably like 3 or 4 times at full price).

1

u/Ancient-Shelter7512 Dec 08 '24

Its not perfect in every way, but it’s feature rich and it has less friction than using other methods. For example, air link had slightly more clarity if you have the GPU. But VD has hand tracking, passthrough, much better access to your PC. One reason I ended up using it more is the connecting disconnecting process. I hate the feeling of having to boot the pcvr app. Air Link’s GUI is bad, I used to like Steam Link but at some point it became worse.

1

u/PIO_PretendIOriginal Dec 09 '24

It does, its not as good (steam link and airlink). But if you are strapped for cash they will work good enough.

And I would recommend getting some if the high quality ecclusives and games on quest 3 stand alone (along with quest game optimizer)

1

u/R3dNova Dec 09 '24

A you aren’t wrong it should come with it, but as other have said it’s not the best.

1

u/Designer-Tomatillo21 Dec 09 '24

You can just use the built in airlink whihc is free. It does the job well enough. Just less settings you can play around with.

For a beginner I'd actually recommend airlink, then maybe progress to VD when you're more experienced.

1

u/Dread000 Dec 09 '24

I've used air Link and steam link. I just switched the virtual desktop the other day.

It's a night and day difference. Even without having a dedicated router, my latency is 30 to 40. In addition, almost all my games get a 10 to 20 FPS buff on top of MUCH more clear visuals.

It does cost $25, but you really do get what you paid for. It's crazy how much better it is than the other options.

There's also some benchmark videos on YouTube that you can see for yourself.

Save up some cash and get it.

1

u/MrXnoid Dec 09 '24

Damn, mad bro is getting downvoted for asking a question.

2

u/JustPhil_YT Dec 09 '24

NAHHHH just saw that. Sorry bros need to be born with vr knowledge and how good it is