Category: usb type c

Posted on

Every Graphics Card And Laptop With The VirtualLink USB-C Port

nvidia RTX virutallink port

VirtualLink is the new USB-C single cable standard for future VR headsets, GPUs, and laptops.

It’s intended to simplify the setup process of VR and ensure compatibility with USB and power requirements of future headsets. It also allows gaming laptops to easily support VR.

If you’re not sure why it’s important, here’s Why The VirtualLink USB-C Port Matters.

Graphics Cards

RTX 2060

Most RTX 2060 cards do not feature a USB-C port.

The Founders Edition did but is no longer sold. The only partner card with a USB-C port is the AORUS GeForce RTX 2060 XTREME 6G.

The card’s specs don’t actually mention VirtualLink. But the USB controller is built into the GPU, so featuring the USB-C port means it should support the standard.

RTX 2070

Every RTX 2070 card supports VirtualLink, and all we’ve seen on the market feature a USB Type-C port.

RTX 2080

Every RTX 2080 card supports VirtualLink, and all we’ve seen on the market feature a USB Type-C port.

RTX 2080 Ti

Every RTX 2080 card supports VirtualLink, and all we’ve seen on the market feature a USB Type-C port.

Titan RTX

If you’ve got more money than they know what to do with, we’ve got good news for you. The Titan RTX, the most powerful GPU in the world, has a USB Type-C VirtualLink port.

Laptops

As of this article, there is only one announced laptop confirmed to support VirtualLink: the ASUS ROG Mothership GZ700

As you can see it’s not exactly thin or light. But it’s a start. If you plug a VR headset into it, it should work.

Non-VirtualLink Laptops

Most laptops don’t support VR. This is because of how the graphics architecture of laptops is typically designed — the HDMI port is typically connected to the integrated GPU, not the NVIDIA GPU. In the past, buying a laptop for VR has essentially been a gamble.

VirtualLink provides a guarantee of support. However, any NVIDIA RTX laptop with a USB Type-C port that supports DisplayPort 1.3 should theoretically support VirtualLink headsets. Hopefully in the future some of these laptops can receive VirtualLink certification in a firmware update.This article will be periodically updated when new VirtualLink GPUs and laptops are announced.

Tagged with: , , , , , ,

The post Every Graphics Card And Laptop With The VirtualLink USB-C Port appeared first on UploadVR.

Posted on

Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform Will Provide AR/VR Experiences Over USB Type-C

It has already been an interesting start for immersive technologies at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 this week, with Microsoft announcing the HoloLens 2 and HTC revealing plans for wireless VR streaming with a new 5G home hub. Continuing that 5G theme is Qualcomm Technologies, announcing its strategy to deliver the next generation of mobile VR experiences to USB Type-C connected 5G smartphones.

Qualcomm

This will be achieved via the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform, with the next generation of 5G connected smartphones able to provide even richer augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) experiences through XR headsets.

While companies like Oculus and HTC are going down the standalone headset route with the likes of Oculus Go and HTC Vive Focus, Qualcomm still envisions a world powered by smartphones offering high-resolution displays and inside-out Six Degrees of Freedom (6DoF) tracking.

Combining 5G’s high data rates and low latency with USB Type-C, devices like the Acer OJO head-mounted display (HMD) or the nreal light AR glasses will help to expand the ecosystem whilst providing further bundle deals for consumers.

And to help in this endeavour Qualcomm has also announced an expansion of the HMD Accelerator Program (HAP) to include and help pre-validate components and performance between smartphones and XR viewers.

Qualcomm“Our HMD Accelerator Program has been a critical catalyst for ecosystem partners ranging from component suppliers and ODMs, to bring quality standalone XR headsets to consumers,” said Hugo Swart, senior director, Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “Building upon the momentum of this program, we will extend it to XR viewers and compatible smartphones, starting with smartphones enabled by the Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform. In collaboration with ecosystem stakeholders, we are working towards the common goal of transforming how the world connects and communicates by offering premium, immersive experiences over 5G.”

“Acer is enabling a XR headset with high-resolution displays and 6 degrees-of-freedom positional tracking for Snapdragon 855-based smartphones. We’re ready to work with smartphone OEMs and operators worldwide to deliver the 5G + VR experiences,” said Andrew Chuang, General Manger, Presence Computing, IT Product Business, Acer Inc.

2019 may be the year 5G devices start to appear, but the wireless technology isn’t available just yet. Actual coverage isn’t expected until 2020 at the earliest. For further updates, keep reading VRFocus.

Posted on

First Impressions Of The New 2017 Samsung Gear 360 Camera

First Impressions Of The New 2017 Samsung Gear 360 Camera

Yesterday we attended the Samsung Unpacked 2017 event in New York City where company launched new products including the new Galaxy S8 and S8+ as well as the new Samsung Gear 360 camera. In fact, at the event Samsung gave everyone in attendance their own personal Gear 360 device to record the launch experience together at the same time.

This camera

First of all, the new Gear 360 is smaller than the previous version with the lenses being closer together making the stitching look better and the device more portable. The new Gear 360 is also shaped much more ergonomically than the previous generation without the need of a tripod to allow for it to stand up on its own, and with a much smaller footprint. The previous model could stand on its own but it sat almost flush with the surface. The new Gear 360 (2017) also sealed the battery inside the device rather than making it removable. However, they also moved the USB port for charging to the side and switched from microUSB to USB Type-C. The new model also moved the record button from the top of the camera to the base where a user would normally hold it. From our experience this already resulted in a few accidental presses, but they aren’t that common or as annoying as having the record button at the top. With the new design, you can use any tripod that you want to mount the Gear 360 and you can mount it almost any way you want.

One of the biggest gripes users had about the original Gear 360 was that it was only supported by Samsung’s latest devices. This new version is essentially standalone from other Samsung devices and allows you to hook up other Android devices or even iOS devices since it connects via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. The current model supports Bluetooth 4.1 and 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi and microSD card sizes of up to 256GB (double the original) which should be enough. Samsung provided us with a 32GB memory card and at the current settings that yields over 2 hours of 4K footage, 10,000 15 Megapixel photos, three hours of 1/2 second time lapses, three hours of 5 minute video loops and over 10,000 HDR landscapes.

The resolution for video has also been bumped from 3840×1920 at 30 FPS to 4096×2048 at 24 FPS indicating that we probably won’t see a huge improvement in image quality. Speaking of image quality, the new Gear 360 only captures 360 images at 15 megapixels instead of 30 which seems to be indicative of the smaller sensors which are 8.4 megapixels as opposed to 15 on the original model. Video is recorded as MP4 files using the H.265 codec much like the previous Gear 360. Below are the supported video formats for the new Gear 360.

Supported Video Formats: 4096×2048 – 24 FPS, 2880×1440 (30 fps), 2560×1280 (60 fps), 1920×960 (30 fps), 1440×720 (120 fps)

They have also reduced the battery size from 1,350 mAh to 1160 mAh, which is also likely why the new camera is so small and makes sense because it uses smaller sensors which should drain less power.

First Impressions

Overall, this new Gear 360 is more comfortable to use and solves the original’s biggest problem — compatibility. Samsung realizes that they need users to generate as much content as possible to enable demand for VR and 360 content in general. Without content, VR will never survive and the 2017 edition of the Gear 360 is a step in the right direction.

We are still waiting on official pricing, but I genuinely hope that it comes in under $299 because cameras like the Insta360 Air is already $129 and the Insta360 Nano is $199. Admittedly, those are not for 4K footage, but they are much cheaper. Price is a factor for mass market adoption and $349 for a device that was only compatible with Samsung devices was unpalatable for many. The app for the new Gear 360 (2017) is still in beta and the old app is not compatible with this new Gear 360 (we tried).

We will be following up with a more in-depth review once we’ve spent more time than a day with the camera. Including multi-device usage and more.

Anshel Sag is an analyst for Moor Insights & Strategy and, like all research and analyst firms, provides or had provided research, analysis, advising, and/or consulting to many high-tech companies in the industry, including Samsung and others. I do not hold any equity positions with any companies cited.

Tagged with: , , , ,