Oculus Quest 2 Link Cable for playing VaM VR: $20 vs $80 version

[haroldwithlove]

For Oculus Quest 2, I wonder the difference between the cheaper version of Link cable (~$20), for example:

Amazon.com: Oculus Quest 2 Link Cable 16ft,Svacoco High Speed Data Transfer & Fast Charging Cable,USB C 3.2 Gen 1 Extension Cable for VR Headset and Gaming PC : Cell Phones & Accessories

(there are even cheaper versions of it)

vs. the expensive "official" version ($79):

Amazon.com: Oculus Link Virtual Reality Headset Cable for Quest 2 and Quest - 16FT (5M) - PC VR : Video Games

I guess there must be the reason for the higher price. Does anyone have experiences of using the cheaper version of quest 2 link cable for playing VaM? Is it good enough (just for VaM)?

(and for those who have tried both versions... did you notice any significant differences?)

 

[TToby]

No real answer, but a bit theory:
Using an USB cable, the signal quality will degrade with length. Ever tried to use a simple printer on a 10m USB cable? I can tell you from long years experience, this is no fun and already on the edge of useability. It highly depends on the cable quality.

The data quantity being sended through that poor Oculus USB cable is several degrees higher than a simple printer signal. This is no high-speed HDMI, thick as your pinky finger. It is already on the edge and only doable with a high compression rate and at the cost of some visible artifacts and latency. Cable quality therefore is extremely important.

But even as someone who doesn't care about Oculus, I have heared about those alternative cables and I know there are a ton of tests, videos and reddit discussions about that. There are many cables that does not work, but some seems to be OK. And I bet even with those there are some differences between different charges.
At the end it is up to you to decided wether you want to risk this and if you will like the outcome.

 

[danou]

The real advantage to use Oculus Quest 2 is to be wireless. Any reason you're not using it?
I use airlink with a dedicated Wifi 6 router (60-80$) and i'm VERY happy with the results

 

[Matt_]

For Oculus Quest 2, I wonder the difference between the cheaper version of Link cable (~$20), for example:

Amazon.com: Oculus Quest 2 Link Cable 16ft,Svacoco High Speed Data Transfer & Fast Charging Cable,USB C 3.2 Gen 1 Extension Cable for VR Headset and Gaming PC : Cell Phones & Accessories

(there are even cheaper versions of it)

vs. the expensive "official" version ($79):

Amazon.com: Oculus Link Virtual Reality Headset Cable for Quest 2 and Quest - 16FT (5M) - PC VR : Video Games

I guess there must be the reason for the higher price. Does anyone have experiences of using the cheaper version of quest 2 link cable for playing VaM? Is it good enough (just for VaM)?

(and for those who have tried both versions... did you notice any significant differences?)

I have a quest with a cheaper cable and it works fine. I have a usb-c to usb-c. The one in the link is different. It needs to plug into your graphics card so make sure you have a open usb-c spot

 

[Lione]

Hi yes this new one Link Cable released from VRCOVER if you would like to get a 5m FIBER Opticle which is simlar to the Official one from Oculus.

VR Cover Hygiene & Comfort Accessories for Meta Quest 3, Oculus Quest 2, Valve Index and More

Upgrade your VR comfort & hygiene! Buy VR Cover, Facial Interface and Foam Replacement, Silicone Cover and other accessories.

vrcover.com

All other cables are not using Fiber Opticals.
Thats also a reason for the higher pricing.

The VR Cover Link cable is half the price compared to the Oculus ( 100 EURO plus shipping in my country ) and has great reviews
Currently it is availabe for 49 EURO plus shipping at VR Cover Europe.
Or sure Worldwide in their Stores.

I ordered many things from VR Cover in the past .
They are very trustworthy.

A review from MRTV's Sebastian

and from VoodooDE VR which has more Infos about the Components.

My personal opinion cheap vs Higher quality or extension cable Options:

I have mixed feelings with other cheaper USB Link cables and even such often recommended did not work for me in causing constant disconnections after seconds or just minutes like the KIWI Design Oculus Link Cable.
And i have a current 2021 tech PC with a really good Motherboard and even tried a USB 3 Hardware Card which has been recommended also with same
Issues.

I have same issues with the Cable Creation USB Active Expanders for RIFT S ( 5 to 8 Meter ) which also do not work and for me and this has all been just a waste of money.
Guess the cables might work here and there yes but its a Hit or Miss.
I skipped my Cable expansion wish for Rift S now and stay with the cable as it is.

So regarding the Fiber Quality and Quest 2 the VRCover 5m Link Cable works great and also supports Battery Loading during Gameplay.
Zero Issues. So i prefer quality and a stable experience. And its still expensive yes with 50 EURO but works like a charm and still 50% off that nuts price of the Official Oculus one.

Since VR Cover now offers a even better Fiber Link cable specs wise compared to the Oculus original shows that Oculus charges around 40 to 50 EURO more as it could cost. The VR Cover is a bit heavier due to the Premium Cotton coat but thats a Pro Feature which will result in a long lasting cable.
If you do not care to buy a official Oculus Link cable for 100 EUR every year then having a itsy lighter cable if you play daily wired in a Standing Position, then sure the Original is the lighter weight Fiber option if you are sensitive for every gram.

I have both and i do not notice anything of that while gaming.
The VRCover is much better behaving cable wise if you move around in my opinion.
And the VR Cover Fiber is still more light weight than most 3rd Party USB cable Solutions like the KIWI.

Overall:

- VR Cover Link Cable is Fiber Optics, has better 2021 tech specs and will last longer when heavy used and is 50 % Cheaper ( Europe ) = 50 EUR
- Original is is Fiber Optics, is a bit slimmer / itsy more light weight since it has no cotton coat, but may cause Issues with messing up the cable playing in standing position = 100 EURO

 

[Jiraiya]

I gave up trying to use Link. It was trash. I use VirtualDesktop now. There ARE free alternatives such as the built in Airlink and ALVR.

I really don't miss the cable at all, I swear I get better performance over wifi. (You DO need a good router though).

 

[Lione]

I also use the Quest wireless with Virtual Desktop too but the limited time especially in VAM and 90 to 120 HZ causes Battery loss and its over in just a hour depending. And VD is not so stable alltime for me and needs again Nerdy configuration Steps with tons of Bitrate here and there quality Settings depending on your connection and Grafic / PC Powers and so on.
Especially with VAM or other creative Tools i often run into battery over shutdowns which is for me annoying.

If you like to Game longer than one h or 1,5 h you may need a additional Battery pack which is again a Headset weight increase.
So for me using the Quest for short gaming, yes wirelss is great, but not for a Gamer who likes to be sucked into a Game or App for hours in a row.

And in my opinion VAM behaves much smoother creative way being wired.
If you just enjoy the Scenes or Looks sure Wireless is perfect.

So i like both depending of what Game i play or what App i use in this and that way.

And Link is no longer a bad solution if you mean Trash with the pixelation / low Res quality Issues it had so long.
This Issue has been in the elder Firmware Days but this has been solved since months now.
If that would stll exist sure i would never ever use Link with Quest2 but currently its great looking

 

[TToby]

I also use the Quest wireless with Virtual Desktop too but the limited time especially in VAM and 90 to 120 HZ causes Battery loss and its over in just a hour depending. And VD is not so stable alltime for me and needs again Nerdy configuration Steps with tons of Bitrate here and there quality Settings depending on your connection and Grafic / PC Powers and so on.
Especially with VAM or other creative Tools i often run into battery over shutdowns which is for me annoying.

If you like to Game longer than one h or 1,5 h you may need a additional Battery pack which is again a Headset weight increase.
So for me using the Quest for short gaming, yes wirelss is great, but not for a Gamer who likes to be sucked into a Game or App for hours in a row.

And in my opinion VAM behaves much smoother creative way being wired.
If you just enjoy the Scenes or Looks sure Wireless is perfect.

So i like both depending of what Game i play or what App i use in this and that way.

And Link is no longer a bad solution if you mean Trash with the pixelation / low Res quality Issues it had so long.
This Issue has been in the elder Firmware Days but this has been solved since months now.
If that would stll exist sure i would never ever use Link with Quest2 but currently its great looking

Good point! I use VaM several hours, too. No way to get away with only 1,5h. Ask my wife, lol. My longest session was about 9h, using only one Index controller and charging the other one. ;-)
There is no wireless option for my Valve Index, and sometimes I think it would be nice to have wireless for some fast paced casual games... but then I realize that I usually do not play any fast paced casual games. ;-) I am very used to the cable, so if I had to choose between wireless and image quality (+ battery life!), I would always choose the image quality.

 

[haroldwithlove]

The real advantage to use Oculus Quest 2 is to be wireless. Any reason you're not using it?
I use airlink with a dedicated Wifi 6 router (60-80$) and i'm VERY happy with the results

I thought the VR cable would be faster than Wireless option. Is this only a Local Area Network? or it actually depend on our WiFi speed?

 

[TToby]

I thought the VR cable would be faster than Wireless option. Is this only a Local Area Network? or it actually depend on our WiFi speed?

You need to know, that the Quest (2) hmd is not being natively connected to the GPU, but the PC is streaming a highly compressed Video stream to the headset where the Snapdragon processor is uncompressing the signal.
It is not like connecting a monitor or other HMDs directly with a Displayport (+USB) cable, establishing a real-time communication with the PC.

That video stream has "only" to be transported somehow to the Quest.
- Wifi 5 has a theoretically bandwidth of up to 3,5 GBit/s
- USB 3.0 has a theoretically bandwidth of up to 5 GBit/s (Link cable)
- Wifi 6 has a theoretically bandwidth of up to 9.8 GBit/s

Danou is speaking of Wifi 6

 

[danou]

TToby is right, you are streaming in your headset either way
If you still want to go with a cable you have to know that many of them won't work properly.

Here is a spreadsheet for cable that i used when i bought my last cable

OCULUS LINK CABLE COMPATIBILITY LIST

docs.google.com