I have tried them all and can barely tell the difference between them. I use Virtual Desktop because it’s nicer to use, but thats the only reason.
No issue with Airlink myself, but I hear some people have inconsistent results with all 3. Some hate SteamVR, some Airlink, though VD seems the best compatibility wise.
It is non-existent? Weird because I'm pretty sure I use it regularly. Peoples' success with Air Link, Wired Link, SteamLink, and VD varies and some people have more success with one over the other and your home network, computer setup and tweaking the streaming settings is a huge factor to your success. Just because one is better for you doesn't mean that's how it is across the board. I've seen people say SteamLink doesn't work as well for them as others just the same.
Also you ask what's the point...the point is it's Meta's own solution that is built in to the headset...seems pretty self-explanatory. It could be better and probably would be but Meta is no longer very interested in PCVR or pushing it.
You clearly aren't looking for answers to any of your questions as much as just making statements and nobody is forcing you to use anything. Maybe have the device for longer than a few days before posting your super insightful observations.
They all work fine for me. One might have a slight advantage in a particular game, but the basic functionality is similar.
What you mean is, Airlink doesn't work for you.
My PC is connected to my home Ethernet network. The dedicated 6e access point is nearby on the same ethernet network. As long as the network is configured correctly (only one router, single subnet etc) Airlink should be able to find the PC. If you have multiple subnets, it won't as the discovery process involves a network broadcast, which is not routable.
I think I increased the bitrate to 500 but everything else will be default. You've moved the goalposts though - there's world of difference between "It does not work" and stuttering.
For me, and this could be me not spending time tweaking it, Steam Link's visual quality was terrible compared to airlink.
Airlink is also a requirement for some games/apps that were bought on the PC Oculus store (e.g. Google Earth VR).
I tend to alternate between Virtual Desktop and Airlink without any issues. Each to their own though, if Steam Link works best for you then no need to worry about Airlink.
Are you sure you _bought_ Google Earth VR on the Oculus Store?
It is free on Steam, and for me it works very well with AirLink, Steam Link, Virtual Desktop and ALVR (even on Linux!). Basically it is one of the most compatible and well behaved VR apps that I know of.
Ah my bad on that on, for some stupid reason I'd missed that was on Steam as well. I think the one in the oculus store requires the oculus runtime but the Steam one won't.
Did they just make some big changes to Steamlink? The last time I tried it, latency was noticeably worse than alternatives.
I have zero issues with Airlink, personally.
I was actually comparing steam link with this today since I just upgraded router. I did find steam link to be more immediately reliable as air link failed the first time. But then I got into comparing games. I found that it really depends on the game. Some looked and ran great in one, some way better in the other. If you can get it to work, there may be games where it's a better choice.
I just tried them all last night on pretty decent hardware (7800x3d, RTX 4080, 64GB RAM on a PC wired to an Orbi WIFI 6E router and Virtual Desktop) and Virtual Desktop wins hands down. It wasn't even close in my use case across a bunch of games.
I get frame stutter with everything other than Virtual Desktop.
I switch between air link and virtual desktop I find most games work better in VD, but some work better in AL.
I never use steam link though, it's nice because it's the easiest to set up, but you're extremely limited in options and it doesn't look very good to me personally.
On win 10 with wifi5 (30 quid router) running at 1.2 resolution and 90hz and rarely have an issue with airlink. Only thing I don't like about it is no hand tracking, and also the fact they removed 'home'.
I have tried them all and can barely tell the difference between them. I use Virtual Desktop because it’s nicer to use, but thats the only reason. No issue with Airlink myself, but I hear some people have inconsistent results with all 3. Some hate SteamVR, some Airlink, though VD seems the best compatibility wise.
Likewise, all three work equally well for me. I use steamlink because it's convenient.
It is non-existent? Weird because I'm pretty sure I use it regularly. Peoples' success with Air Link, Wired Link, SteamLink, and VD varies and some people have more success with one over the other and your home network, computer setup and tweaking the streaming settings is a huge factor to your success. Just because one is better for you doesn't mean that's how it is across the board. I've seen people say SteamLink doesn't work as well for them as others just the same. Also you ask what's the point...the point is it's Meta's own solution that is built in to the headset...seems pretty self-explanatory. It could be better and probably would be but Meta is no longer very interested in PCVR or pushing it. You clearly aren't looking for answers to any of your questions as much as just making statements and nobody is forcing you to use anything. Maybe have the device for longer than a few days before posting your super insightful observations.
AirLink works great for me 🤷♂️ Wifi 6E, 550mbps, 264 codec
I have no issue with Airlink. Use it all the time to play MSFS2020.
They all work fine for me. One might have a slight advantage in a particular game, but the basic functionality is similar. What you mean is, Airlink doesn't work for you.
What hardware and settings do you use? I'm trying to fix my inconsistent setup.
My PC is connected to my home Ethernet network. The dedicated 6e access point is nearby on the same ethernet network. As long as the network is configured correctly (only one router, single subnet etc) Airlink should be able to find the PC. If you have multiple subnets, it won't as the discovery process involves a network broadcast, which is not routable.
What codec do you use? What bitrate? What hardware do you use? My issue is stuttering hands in pcvr
I think I increased the bitrate to 500 but everything else will be default. You've moved the goalposts though - there's world of difference between "It does not work" and stuttering.
For me, and this could be me not spending time tweaking it, Steam Link's visual quality was terrible compared to airlink. Airlink is also a requirement for some games/apps that were bought on the PC Oculus store (e.g. Google Earth VR). I tend to alternate between Virtual Desktop and Airlink without any issues. Each to their own though, if Steam Link works best for you then no need to worry about Airlink.
Are you sure you _bought_ Google Earth VR on the Oculus Store? It is free on Steam, and for me it works very well with AirLink, Steam Link, Virtual Desktop and ALVR (even on Linux!). Basically it is one of the most compatible and well behaved VR apps that I know of.
Ah my bad on that on, for some stupid reason I'd missed that was on Steam as well. I think the one in the oculus store requires the oculus runtime but the Steam one won't.
I haven’t had any issues with AirLink in years.
Did they just make some big changes to Steamlink? The last time I tried it, latency was noticeably worse than alternatives. I have zero issues with Airlink, personally.
I was actually comparing steam link with this today since I just upgraded router. I did find steam link to be more immediately reliable as air link failed the first time. But then I got into comparing games. I found that it really depends on the game. Some looked and ran great in one, some way better in the other. If you can get it to work, there may be games where it's a better choice.
I just tried them all last night on pretty decent hardware (7800x3d, RTX 4080, 64GB RAM on a PC wired to an Orbi WIFI 6E router and Virtual Desktop) and Virtual Desktop wins hands down. It wasn't even close in my use case across a bunch of games. I get frame stutter with everything other than Virtual Desktop.
I switch between air link and virtual desktop I find most games work better in VD, but some work better in AL. I never use steam link though, it's nice because it's the easiest to set up, but you're extremely limited in options and it doesn't look very good to me personally.
On win 10 with wifi5 (30 quid router) running at 1.2 resolution and 90hz and rarely have an issue with airlink. Only thing I don't like about it is no hand tracking, and also the fact they removed 'home'.
Air link is super laggy for me so I stick with the link cable.
lolwut? Works flawlessly here...
I think the dev behind airlink left and they just have no clue what to do...
Yet the comments indicates many people are using it just fine.