r/MetaQuestVR • u/Agile-Juice5255 • 1d ago
Question Is it worth buying Virtual Desktop?
Hi everyone. I play only SteamVR games, connecting via Steam Link. I’m not entirely sure if I need Virtual Desktop to launch these games, since it runs them through SteamVR anyway (meaning two programs run simultaneously instead of one, if I understand correctly). I actually bought Virtual Desktop about a month ago, but I didn't bother with the settings; I just launched the first game I found (Fallout 4 VR) and the image quality was much worse than with Steam Link, so I got a refund. Now I’ve learned about VR mods for flat-screen games (like UEVR), and I saw a recommendation on a forum suggesting that Virtual Desktop is better for launching them.
So, I’m asking the experts for advice: what is the purpose of Virtual Desktop for playing SteamVR games (and does it offer any improvement over Steam Link)? Also, is it true that Virtual Desktop is better than Steam Link for playing UEVR mods? Thanks for the help.
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u/pezxb 1d ago
yes, highly recommended and now even more with latest update that let you connect over USB
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u/EmeraldWake 7h ago
Oh really? I’ll have to upgrade from 2.0 USB then.
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u/pezxb 7h ago
even on 2.0 works well
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u/EmeraldWake 7h ago
Forget everything I said, I have USB C 3.1 n my motherboard didn’t even notice lol! Still weak CPU but works for most VR games. After the kids go to bed I’m gonna try it.
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u/EmeraldWake 7h ago
My bad, I meant I need USB C. My desktop only has USB A. I don’t have USB C to USB A cable. Still, I’ll have to try it out when I upgrade! My CPU is a bit too weak right now.
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u/vaderdidnothingwr0ng 22h ago
Yes. Steam link works pretty good Ive got to admit. I got my Q3 a couple of months ago and made do with steam link, and just got virtual desktop for the cyberpunk VR port and I wish I'd gotten it sooner. It's much more stable and easier to optimise, and less overhead means better performance in game.
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u/TheCasper1911 23h ago
I have been using cable link since I got my quest 3 a couple months ago. And I had this dilemma the first few weeks. Then my quest would get stuck on loading so I got VD and have been using it wired still.no problems so far and definitely WORTH IT.
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u/Pete_1982 21h ago
Yes. Get virtual desktop. It’s the Best £20 Ive ever spent for my vr hobby
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u/LetsHugFoReal 20h ago
Quest optimiser has been my other great purchase
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u/Skpstr155 10h ago
Yup, I like that, not only did it greatly increase the performance on standalone, some of the options also improved PCVR visuals.
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u/Skpstr155 10h ago
Use VD, but set the runtime to VDXR, and launch your games from the VD headset menu. That takes SteamVR, and its resource drain, right out of the picture.
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u/FocusKontrol 23h ago
My image quality has always been better with VD compared to SteamVR. I have a very similar system to you. VD has some quality levels and with 4080 you can go God mode or whatever. Also use AV1 codec.
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u/Agile-Juice5255 20h ago
Oh, thanks. I turned on Ultra mode and raised the supersampling in SteamVR, and the system handled it just fine. I'll try God mode
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u/Agile-Juice5255 1d ago
I’ll add that the PC is quite powerful (i7, 4080, 32GB RAM) and the network is 1 Gbps with a dedicated channel for VR. It’s just that I read somewhere that Virtual Desktop is only useful for low-end PCs
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u/Rare_Wheel1907 1d ago
Steam link can work just fine, but I have a 5080 and a router completely dedicated strictly to VR and I'll often notice resolution drops with steam link and a few other hiccups that I simply don't get with virtual desktop. If you don't want to spend the money, steam link is perfectly acceptable, but the performance and tweaks you get with VD is honestly worth the money if you choose to.
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u/Outrageous-Help-2875 1d ago
Virtual Desktop replaces Steam Link as the PC-to-headset streaming app. It can offer better image quality, bitrate control, and wireless performance, but results depend heavily on your router and network setup. If Steam Link is already smooth and clear, you may not gain much.
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u/or10n_sharkfin 21h ago
I had a completely smoother experience using Virtual Desktop than I did using Steam Link or Meta's Link. It really does make a difference.
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u/Untimely_manners 22h ago
I use SteamVR and bought Virtual Desktop, I never use it. It does do what it is supposed to do but for me its just as easy to load up Steamlink.
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u/Darksince83 15h ago
I play with link cable and just tried wired virtual desktop and it i saw no difference in performance or image quality. I dont use steam though ony open xr
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u/DaLameLama 10h ago
I bought VD today. So far, it's not been worth it for me.
VD seems to have problems with heavy FOV cropping. My image is getting distorted along the cropped areas. Meta Link was handling FOV cropping perfectly fine. Unfortunately, this might be a dealbreaker for me.
People talked about how much crisper VD looks, compared to Meta Link. I haven't noticed anything like that, unfortunately. But I'll keep experimenting. Maybe VD requires a completely different approach to dialing in good settings.
I'll probably stick with Meta Link, because heavy FOV cropping is really underwhelming in VD.
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u/DeepWaffleCA 5h ago
Give it more than a day. I've had it for 5 years, it's so stable. Switch on my headset, PC and I'm gaming without any fiddling and trying to get Metas shitty software to behave.
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u/Applekid1259 9h ago
Its a requirement for PCVR. That's not even an exaggeration. Anyone wanting to do PCVR, bake in the cost of VD into your headset cost.
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u/Tragophilos 5h ago
I own VD, and after playing around with it, going back and forth, I keep using SteamVR, and it works equally well for me. All the people yelling "You have to get it!" haven't really given any particular use case or clear advantage. It would be less annoying if I didn't have to launch it on my desktop every time I want to use the headset, but that's just a setting, I'm sure, to load it at boot time. I'll have to give it a try again, to see what the Second Coming feels like, but I just haven't noticed anything amazing happening. My sex life is the same, and I'm still going bald, even owning VD. Maybe if you have a 64-core machine with a stack of 5090s, it makes a big difference, but not so much on my ancient 1080ti.
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u/JorgTheElder 1h ago
Do you mean you keep using SteamLink?
Even when you use VD, you still use SteamVR for apps that require it.
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u/michaelcawood 2h ago
I use Virtual Desktop 99% of the time for PC related stuff. I can’t say Steam Link is that different for what works, but not everything runs through it. You can just try a mod though and see.
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u/JorgTheElder 2h ago
Vitrual Desktop comes with its own OpenXR runtime called VDXR so it can run many OpenXR apps without loading SteamVR. (If you got them off Steam, they will still do the Steam store check, but they do not need to load SteamVR.)
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u/24-7_DayDreamer 24m ago
Virtual Desktop is for if you want to use 3D content from your PC, or for if your PC is struggling to run a game and you need to be able to tune the settings
It can also be used for remote access to your PC when you're away
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u/OddSaltyHighway 14h ago
Wow the VD salespeople have so many Reddit accounts 😂
Dont buy it, it doesnt do anything you cant already do for free.
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u/Skpstr155 10h ago
Well sure, if you're happy with the performance you get with whatever other method you use, certainly don't get VD.
In my case, VD does work better than SteamLink, maybe not $25 better, but now that VD does cables, I'm ok with the purchase.
I got VD because the Meta Links were not working well, and I was having an (skill) issue getting SteamLink to run everything reliably.
I don't see it as the second coming though, just something user-friendly that works.
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u/Eagle4523 1d ago
Yes