SteamVR Adds Support For Valve Index, Motion Smoothing For Recent AMD GPUs

The latest update to SteamVR this week brings a range of new features, improvements, and fixes.

Valve Index Support

The main content of this update is the drivers for the upcoming Valve Index VR headset and its controllers. It also includes setup and tutorial UI and assets for Index.

It also adds support for headsets with switchable refresh rate, such as the Index. Index is set to 120Hz by default, but can be set by the user to 80, 90, 120, or 144. 144 Hz is considered “Experimental”. A higher refresh rate can make head and object motion in VR feel more smooth than before.

Motion Smoothing For AMD

Motion Smoothing is Valve’s equivalent to Asynchronous Spacewarp. When your GPU isn’t maintaining framerate in VR, Motion Smoothing kicks in automatically. It forces the running app to render at half the refresh rate of the headset and generates a synthetic frame after each real frame. So when Motion Smoothing is engaged, half the frames are real and half are synthetic. Whenever performance returns to normal, Motion Smoothing deactivates and the app returns to normal rendering.

Motion Smoothing launched back in November. However, before now it only worked on NVIDIA GPUs. Valve stated at the time that AMD support was coming, and now it’s here. It won’t work on older R9 cards — you’ll need an RX or Vega GPU. If you bought a GPU before 2017 you’re probably out of luck. This should noticeably improve the VR experience for owners of cards like the RX 570, especially in demanding games.

Tagged with: amd, motion smoothing, SteamVR, valve index

March 11, 2019

Every Graphics Card And Laptop With The VirtualLink USB-C 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: amd, HTC Vive Cosmos, laptop, nvidia, oculus rift s, USB Type-C, VirtualLink

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February 8, 2019February 8, 2019

Editorial: Why The VirtualLink USB-C Port Matters

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- and perhaps even smartphones and tablets one day.

But why does it matter?

Full Industry Support

The standard was founded back in July by Oculus, Microsoft, Valve, NVIDIA, and AMD. In October, HTC joined the standard too.

So VirtualLink isn’t some proprietary NVIDIA offering. The famous xkcd comic about new standards doesn’t apply here. All the major PC VR players are onboard- and it’s an open standard.

Power & USB Guaranteed

But isn’t it just about convenience?

VirtualLink will provide video, audio, data (USB), and power all through the single cable and port. So yes, convenience is one advantage. One dedicated port for VR replaces the many of the past. But it’s the sheer amount of power & data that really matters- a minimum of 15 Watts of power and 10 Gbit/sec of USB data.

That’s more power than three USB 3.0 ports would provide, and as much data as two would. Furthermore, VirtualLink GPUs must include a standards compliant USB controller for this data.

With the Oculus Rift, many users encounter USB bandwidth issues with the tracking sensors. That’s because many USB controllers on motherboards simply don’t comply with the USB spec properly. Oculus Support tells these users to buy a USB PCI-E card from Amazon with a compliant controller.

So for up upcoming headsets with many onboard cameras like the Rift S and Vive Cosmos having a VirtualLink port will ensure your shiny new VR headset will “just work” with your PC- no USB headaches.

But for buyers without a VirtualLink GPU, these kinds of USB issues could very well happen again. The spec defines an adapter for using a VirtualLink headset with a PC lacking the port. We expect all PC VR companies will include such an adapter- it wouldn’t make business sense to only support RTX GPUs. But this adapter requires not only DisplayPort and USB 3.0, but also an AC power brick. And for that USB port you’ll still be at the mercy of your motherboard.

Laptops & Other Devices

If you wanted to buy a VR-compatible laptop before VirtualLink- good luck. For the Oculus Rift you’d need to make sure it even had enough free USB ports, and for the HTC Vive you’d need a socket for the headset as well as your laptop.

And that’s not even the hard part. Many laptops had HDMI ports which weren’t directly connected to their dedicated GPU, making them incompatible for VR. Even discovering this was a difficult task, as the spec was not made public for many laptops.

With VirtualLink, that all changes. Gaming laptops of any size can add VR support with a single USB-C port. And best of all, to comply with the spec that port must have a VR symbol beside it. So where in the past finding a VR laptop was an enigma, it’s now just a case of looking for the (VR) symbol beside a USB-C port.

But the spec doesn’t stop at laptops- it also mentions support for “mobile devices”. HTC hinted at this in the Vive Cosmos announcement trailer– showing an image of a smartphone and suggesting the headset could one day connect to “other devices”.

VirtualLink Matters

VirtualLink aims to guarantee that when you plug a new VR headset into your PC, it will work. No USB problems, no troubleshooting, no rain dance. It will also make it easier for laptops to support VR, for customers to find those laptops, and for other devices to support tethered VR too. VirtualLink matters, and that’s why I personally won’t be buying a GPU without the port in future.

Tagged with: amd, HTC Vive Cosmos, nvidia rtx, oculus rift s, valve, VirtualLink, Windows MR

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January 10, 2019

AMD’s Radeon VII Doesn’t Have A VirtualLink USB-C Port

At CES 2019 today, AMD unveiled their NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 competitor- the Radeon VII. Unlike the RTX card, the Radeon VII will not feature a VirtualLink port.

VirtualLink is the new USB-C single cable standard for future PC VR headsets and GPUs. It’s intended to simplify the setup process of PC VR, guarantee compatibility, and allow laptops to easily support VR.

AMD is listed as a founding member of the standard, so we were hoping the Radeon VII would feature the port. Unfortunately, an AMD representative just confirmed via email it does not.

NVIDIA RTX cards feature a VirtualLink port

The major advantage of VirtualLink is that it provides power, data and video through one port. Even more importantly, it’s able to provide 27 Watts of power and handle 10Gbps of data. The VirtualLink spec gives the example of headset cameras and sensors. Without the port, the video card only handles video, meaning power and data is reliant on the motherboard’s USB controllers. 27 watts is equivalent to over 5x USB 3.0 ports.

Given that AMD is a founding member of the standard, it seems likely that the company’s next GPU, codenamed ‘Navi’, will feature the port. While there’s no firm release window for Navi, AMD stated at CES that we’ll “hear more about Navi in 2019”. For now, if you’re interested in VR, it may be wise to hold off.

Tagged with: amd, gpus, radeon vii

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January 9, 2019

CES 2019: AMD Radeon VII Is The First Consumer 7nm GPU, Ships Feb 7 For $699

At CES 2019 AMD just announced the first consumer 7nm graphics card- Radeon VII. It’s slated to ship February 7th for $699.

The card’s MSRP is identical to NVIDIA’s RTX 2080, which AMD is hoping to compete with. The company showed benchmarks for games like Battlefield V and Far Cry 5 where the Radeon VII comes out ahead of its NVIDIA competitor.

The GPU is manufactured with TSMC’s new 7nm process- a first in the consumer space. In terms of specs, it features 3840 stream processors running at up to 1.8 GHz and 16GB of HBM2 VRAM with a staggering 1 TB/s memory bandwidth- more than double the RTX 2080‘s.

AMD claims this equates to around 25% improved gaming performance compared to their RX Vega 64 yet the same power consumption. For DirectX 12 and Vulkan titles, this estimate rises to 40%.

Strangely, AMD didn’t state whether or not the card includes a VirtualLink port. VirtualLink is the new USB-C single cable standard for future PC VR headsets and GPUs. It’s intended to simplify the setup process of PC VR and allow laptops to easily support VR.

AMD is listed as a founding member of the standard, so we’re hoping the Radeon VII features the port. We’ve reached out to a representative of the company and will report their response.

Tagged with: amd

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December 14, 2018

AMD GPUs Can Stream SteamVR Games To Vive Focus, Mirage Solo and Oculus Go

AMD’s new software Radeon ReLive for VR will allow owners of their GPUs to stream SteamVR games to a standalone or mobile VR headset.

The software currently supports the HTC Vive Focus, but it specifically calls out Daydream devices so it should work for Daydream phones and the Lenovo Mirage Solo as well. Support for the Oculus Go and Samsung Gear VR will be rolling out “soon”.

Open source software ALVR provides similar functionality, but it only works with NVIDIA GPUs. AMD’s solution brings this functionality to the RX 470, RX 480, RX 570, RX 580, RX 590, and Vega GPUs. Earlier/weaker GPUs will not work. You’ll also need Windows 10, as earlier versions aren’t supported either.

To set up the software, download the Radeon ReLive For VR app from Google Play or Viveport M. Then enable VR streaming in Radeon Settings on your PC and launch a SteamVR app. AMD’s direct control over the GPU driver allows them to make this a much easier process than alternatives like Trinus.

AMD claims they made driver-level optimizations to provide lower latency than any alternatives. The company recommends using a router which supports the 802.11ac (‘WiFi 5’) standard, which should include almost any released in the past 4 years. It’s also recommended that you use the 5 GHz channel rather than 2.4 GHz.

However, it’s important to note that Radeon ReLive isn’t a full PC VR alternative, and nor are any of the other streaming solutions. Current mobile and standalone VR headsets have rotation-only 3DoF controllers. The Daydream controller even lacks a trigger. Most of SteamVR’s content really needs positionally tracked input to be playable. Thus, this software really only works well as a solution for playing gamepad games or non-interactive experiences. But for those kind of apps, this will offer standalone headset owners a glimpse into what’s possible in VR with the power of a PC.

Tagged with: amd, Lenovo Mirage Solo, Oculus Go, streaming, Vive Focus

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December 25, 2017January 1, 2018

2018 Is The Year Virtual Reality Goes Wireless

There was lots of promise earlier this year that we would have a bevy of wireless VR attachments and accessories, but by the looks of it, all we’ve got is TPCast for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. Keep in mind that the TPCast solution doesn’t even utilize WiGig which means it’s a wholly proprietary solution and wouldn’t allow for any interoperability between any devices. In the short term, that makes sense because there are so few headsets, receivers, and emitters but in the long term, we need as much cross-platform compatibility as possible. VR is starting to pick up some steam, but the reality is that nobody disagrees that VR would be a lot more successful if it were wireless, too.

Wireless companies like AMD, Intel, Peraso, and Qualcomm have been developing WiGig chips specifically for the use of wireless VR solutions, but none of them have yet to come to market. Initially, the expectation was that many of them would come to market in Q4 of this year, but it seems that many of them got delayed into 2018. That means we could see solutions based on the four companies’ chipsets in wireless VR headsets and wireless adapters relatively soon. By the second half of 2018, we could see most of the VR industry transition to wireless solutions, which is a big deal for the industry because it overcomes one of the big hurdles for VR. I own a Rift, Vive, and PSVR and I absolutely would love to have all of them be wireless, even if it means needing a battery pack.

While no company has given concrete dates on when they will ship their chips in consumer products, yet, I expect that we’ll be getting a lot more details at CES 2018 in January. Offering wireless helps to solve one of the big pain points for VR, and it also utilizes current technology that can be up to the challenge. Raising the resolution of the displays is another pain point that needs resolving for VR, but one of the problems with that is that it makes wireless more difficult with current 60 GHz and WiGig solutions. There simply isn’t enough bandwidth or low enough latency in the 802.11AD standard to make 4K per eye wireless VR possible, even with foveated rendering. That’s why we will have to wait for the successor to WiGig or 802.11AD, which is 802.11AY.

802.11AY will have peak data rates of 20-40 Gbit/s or at least four times the bandwidth of 802.11AD and WiGig using the same 60 GHz spectrum. However, based on current timeframes we probably won’t see 802.11AY until 2019 at the very earliest based on current IEEE standards timeframes. However, draft 1.0 of the standard was set to complete in November of this year, and final approvals are due in 2019. I genuinely believe that 802.11AY will be the future of wireless VR because of its bandwidth capabilities and 802.11AD solutions will probably last us about two years.

My firm, Moor Insights & Strategy, like all research and analyst firms, provides or has provided research, analysis, advising, and/or consulting to many high-tech companies in the industry including AMD, Intel, Peraso and Qualcomm, cited or related to this article. I do not hold any equity positions with any companies cited in this column.

Tagged with: 802.11AD, 802.11AY, amd, Intel, Peraso, qualcomm, WiGig, wireless vr

August 13, 2017

Why I Love The Radeon RX 580 For VR

High-end virtual reality on the PC requires a ton of flexibility and dedication. But you can make it a more enjoyable experience by building your rig with AMD’s Radeon RX 580 video card. It can handle almost any game at 1080p and 60 frames per second, it packs a ton of power for its price, and it has two HDMI ports. It starts at $250 — although it’s still hard to find at that price for the moment because of the rush to mine the Bitcoin-like Ethereum cryptocurrency. But if you can find one, it’s the card I’d choose for building a VR machine.

AMD rolled out the Radeon RX 580 in April, and I’ve been testing the MSI RX 580 X 8G. As the heart of a gaming rig, this card can easily drive a 1080p display at 60 frames per second most of the time. It’s quiet and power efficient, and — at least with MSI’s added fans — it stay relatively cool under load. The 580 could potentially even run certain online multiplayer games at 144 frames per second if you’re looking to get a monitor that supports that refresh rate.

In my 12-game test, I compared it to a GeForce GTX 1060. It stands right with that Nvidia GPU and often outperforms it in certain games. The test rig is running an Intel Core i7-7700K at 4.2Ghz, an Asus Strix Z270E motherboard, 16GB EVGA DD4-3200 memory, and an SanDisk Ultra II 960GB SSD.

Above: The MSI Radeon RX 580 X 8G vs. the GTX 1060 Founder’s Edition.

Image Credit: GamesBeat

But while the RX 580’s traditional benchmarks are impressive, its VR capabilities are what set it apart from me. The RX 580 easily surpasses Valve’s SteamVR test, and it ran games like Audioshield, Rec Room, and more for me at a flawless and steady 90 frames per second.

You could get those same results from an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060, but that card would limit your system in one crucial way: it wouldn’t be as versatile. The issue here is that the GTX 1060 only has 1 HDMI port where the RX 580 has two. Most modern monitors connect with a DisplayPort adapter, so that should leave you with one HDMI output for your HTC Vive or Oculus Rift. That’s fine when you’re at your desk, but what happens when you want to set up a machine in your big living room. If you want to connect it to a TV, you’re probably going to run into an issue if that and the Vive both need to use HDMI.

With the RX 580, however, you get all the power to run your VR games, and then you get that crucial second HDMI port so you can set up your system in more places to actually enjoy those games. It may not sound like a big deal, but every little hurdle is a detriment to the VR experience. And AMD has dealt with that with its RX 500-series cards.

This post by Jeff Grubb originally appeared on VentureBeat.

Tagged with: amd, Radeon

August 7, 2017

Inaugural VR Awards This October Announces New Partners And Shortlist of Nominees

Since the VR industry is still so new it doesn’t really have its own dedicated awards show just yet. In fact, until very recently, the decades-old game industry hasn’t even really had its own awards show either, but The Game Awards has a done a good job over the last several years representing the most notable releases and accomplishments. In the VR scene we have The Proto Awards, the Unity Vision Summit is known to recognize plenty of VR, as well as the D.I.C.E. Awards, but now, announced earlier this year, The VR Awards aim to take the crown as the premiere award event for immersive technology and experiences.

With well over 20 judges from a wide variety of companies such as AMD, VR Scout, the Venture Reality Fund, and several other investors, speakers, and entrepreneurs, the industry is well-represented. The VR Awards are being held this October 9th by event organizers VR Bound, in collaboration with newly announced primary partners, HP, AMD, and Foundry.

They’ve also released a shortlist of nominees in 12 different categories including headset of the year, mobile headset of the year, game of the year, innovative VR company of the year, and most creative use of marketing. You can see the full list of categories and nominees right here.

What do you think of the VR Awards? Let us know down in the comments below!

Tagged with: amd, hp, VR awards

July 29, 2017

AMD Launches Its Low-end Ryzen 3 Gaming And VR Processors

Advanced Micro Devices is launching its low-end Ryzen 3 processors today as it completes its broadside against Intel in consumer and gaming PCs.

Both of the chips use AMD’s Zen cores, which can process 52 percent more instructions per clock than the previous generation. Zen-based processors are AMD’s most competitive chips in a decade, and the sales of the initial Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 5 processors helped boost AMD’s second-quarter earnings, which were reported yesterday.

Sunnyvale, Calif.-based AMD said the new Ryzen 3 1300X will sell for $129. It offers four cores, four threads, and performance of 3.5 gigahertz (GHz) at base speed 3.7 GHz at boost speed.

It is also debuting the Ryzen 3 1200 processor for $109. It offers four cores, four threads and performance of 3.1 GHz at base speed and 3.4 GHz at boost speed.

In a press briefing, AMD said that the Ryzen 3 processors can outperform the competing Intel processors in gaming settings. The Ryzen 3 1300X can run Tom Clancy’s The Division 10 percent faster than Intel’s Core i3 7300 processor.

This post by Dean Takahashi originally appeared on VentureBeat.

Tagged with: amd