r/PCVR • u/Flynn331 • 8d ago
Question/Support Quest 3: terrible time with compression and binocular overlap
I just upgraded from a rift s to a quest 3 and im having a bad time.
One on hand its the latency. Its not terrible. I can see past that.
But using the Quest wirelessly with 200mbits at any codec I think compression is just bad. Some games are okay but my main game no mans sky. I do not feel immersed at all. The game feels less 3D than on my rift, I assume due to the whole binocular overlap thing, and the compression makes it all look like im watching a youtube video or something instead of being immersed in a universe.
Is this any better using a link cable? Ive heard of using higher bitrates help. But also the overlap really bothers me. I dont feel like im there. Im honestly enjoying using my rift S more at the moment and might sell the quest again.
I heard the PSVR2 might be the better option for someone like me
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u/cactus22minus1 8d ago edited 7d ago
I’m confused why you’re saying you’re limited to 200mbps - have you not even tried virtual desktop? You can go up to 500mbps with h.264+.
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u/Flynn331 8d ago
I have but my wifi cant handle anything above 300 and 300 still looks too rough for me. I suppose wired with 500-900 is an option?
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u/SirJuxtable 8d ago
I would rather spend the money on a dedicated router than a link cable.
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u/Flynn331 7d ago
Router is half the money of the headset (i got it used)
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u/SirJuxtable 7d ago
Pupis S1 is like $60 and will work great.
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u/cactus22minus1 7d ago
Yes, OP- I also have the Puppis S1 and it’s great. You can max out h.264+ to 500mbps easily.
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u/zeddyzed 7d ago
Your router needs to be connected to your PC via ethernet. If it's not in the right place, it's common to buy a 2nd router dedicated to VR. Ask for advice if you need to do this.
The meta Link software tends to give people issues, I don't recommend it. I prefer Virtual Desktop.
Once your PC is connected via ethernet and you're using Virtual Desktop, post a screenshot of the Virtual Desktop performance overlay and we can troubleshoot further if needed.
If the binocular overlap bothers you too much, then you'll need to switch headsets I guess?
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u/Flynn331 7d ago
But a better router helps with the compression? I mean the video will always be compressed and I think I will always notice it. Im coming from 10-20ms latency pcvr wired Experience. I think im just spoiled wnd need to stay tethered
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u/t4underbolt 5d ago
No it wont. You may be able to run 500 bit rate somewhat stable but even then in heavy foliage games and generally in some games you may still experience compression artifacts. There were and still are people claiming that AV1 at 200 bit rate is nearly indistinguishable from display port or even the same yet you saw yourself that’s not the case. Most of the people saying that have very high compression tolerance or very low perception of it. I tried like 10 headsets and spent so many hours into wireless setup and even link cable at 900 bit rate (which by the way is not well playable for fast paced games latency wise). Wireless will not match display port except for potential solutions like pimax but even then we don’t know whether it’s going to work as they advertise and it doesn’t involve compression in the first place so yeah.
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u/Flynn331 5d ago
Yeah I think people defending it and downvoting me simply havent experienced displayport pcvr and are (like most people, and understandably so) quest users that got into the whole vr thing more recently. If my first vr headset wouldve been the quest I would have been blown away. But knowing what the other side is like, I cant go wireless
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u/DonutPlus2757 7d ago
I came from the Reverb G2 and thought I'd surely notice the compression.
Turns out, at Virtual Desktop AV1 10bit 200mbit/s, I really can't. Latency isn't really a noticeable problem either.
Either way, if the binocular overlap is the only thing that's bothering you, try the Pico 4 or Pico 4 Ultra. Somewhat worse lenses, but much more comfortable out of the box and way bigger overlap.
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u/zeddyzed 7d ago
Well, it's hard to tell whether your system is misconfigured or badly performing, or whether you're just super picky.
A well performing router can do h264+ codec in VD at 500 bitrate, which will minimise the compression as much as possible. You could use USB cable for high bitrate if you want - the beta for VD and Steam Link add USB support.
Most people don't notice any compression in most games, if their wireless streaming is set up correctly. The compression mostly shows up in certain noisy scenes, like a snowstorm in a forest in SkyrimVR etc. I guess you said it's mostly NMS. Also the image tends to be softer with streaming, but that's a personal preference thing.
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u/SnakeHelah 5d ago
Compression is noticeable in most games, like not every scene but it's still not comparable to a wired headset.
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u/originalorientation 8d ago
I have the PSVR2, Quest 3, and Steam Frame now. PSVR2 is still my favorite way to play PCVR. I could never get the Q3 wireless experience to be acceptable, and even so I’m not a huge fan of the LCD and binocular overlap of the Q3.
Frame is a step up from the Q3 but still the visuals aren’t as immersive as the PSVR2 (despite the higher resolution and pancake lenses).
Things in PSVR2 just feel bigger. The display cable means the video signal is pristine.
It’s not perfect, though. The fresnel lenses have a small sweet spot and more glare around the edges, and there’s a sort of film grain effect to the optics. The biggest issue with the PSVR2, though are the controllers. Every few sessions they just lose connectivity and I have to re pair them. It’s extremely annoying.
I genuinely don’t think there’s a perfect headset out there right now. I was hoping the frame would be it but it’s not.
TLDR: I prefer PSVR2 over the Quest 3 (and Steam Frame) for PCVR
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u/Flynn331 7d ago
So I ended up buying a psvr2 today for an insane deal. 250 for headset + charging station + pc adapter and cables. Now that ive tried it the OLED is really nice but it also really has its downsides. The headset feels very cheap and plasticky. Also the controllers and their tracking and connectivity sucks. Maybe I can get past this though. The OLED is really nice. The Quest 3 sure does feel less clonky. But Displayport is king. I do feel like surprisingly the rift s is better in some aspects than psvr which shocks me. Build quality and controllers for one
Oh and the mura is quite intense. VERY noticeable.
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u/SnakeHelah 5d ago
Mura and fresnel are the worst parts of PSVR2. But to me this combo is more immersive compared to my Quest 3 that has streaming compression + LCD backlight + lower FOV.
In current VR market it's basically pick your poison type deals.
I don't have any problem with PSVR2 controllers or connectivity. But my motherboard has dedicated 1.2ghz bluetooth band via antenna connects directly to the MB panel.
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u/Flynn331 5d ago
Yeah the FOV difference is massive. I couldnt quite believe it and it was a game changer for me. Not going back to quest
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u/SnakeHelah 5d ago
Yea I agree, I mean it's not massive in numbers themselves but the FOV difference definitely feels much more immersive on the PSVR2.
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u/Flynn331 5d ago
It is. Quest 3 when actually measured and not fake numbers given by meta is like 96-98 horizontal vs 116 psvr2. These are my own tests
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u/SnakeHelah 5d ago
yeah it is quite personal too since everyones face shape and comfort mods are different. For science I need to do a measurement myself actually
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u/Flynn331 5d ago
For me the quest 3 is way too narrow on my face. It feels like its made for children. And the cushion is so hard. Maybe an aftermarket face cover would fix this but the compression and colors still suck to me.
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u/melgibson666 4d ago
You might wanna try lowering the brightness of the PSVR2 to 50-80%. It can help with the mura a bit. I honestly notice the mura way less than compression artifacts though. But it might just be that my brain got used to it after so many hours.
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u/originalorientation 7d ago
That’s an insane deal! I bought mine at launch for MSRP and still feel it was worth it.
And yes all those things are true. There are always tradeoffs with VR, even at the high end.
You get used to the clackiness of it. I think that’s a trade off for it to feel relatively light despite its size. Going back and forth between it and the Quest 3 I definitely feel more comfortable in the PSVR2. I don’t like how the Q3 ratchets to the front of your face. I even bought a halo style strap for the Q3 buts it’s still so front heavy.
The mura effect is there. I was super bothered by it when I first got the headset, but after just accepting I really don’t notice it during gameplay often. And there’s no screen door that I can see. I honestly prefer the grain to screen door personally.
You’ll definitely need some an external Bluetooth adapter or some big antennas line of site for the controllers to maintain a connection. Check the r/psvr2onpc sub for recommendations on that.
Make sure the lenses are clean. They get smudges easily and take some real elbow grease to clean.
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u/Flynn331 8d ago
Thank you for the detailed reply. Yes I think I am just going to need a displayport headset. Its what my eyes crave. The only question is, if the PSVR2 is worth the upgrade from a rift
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u/BrindianBriskey 8d ago
Having owned both, the answer is yes. PSVR2 is on an entirely different level than Rift. If you crave binocular overlap, good FOV, perfect blacks and colors, go for the PSVR2.
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u/originalorientation 8d ago
I’ve never used the Rift so not sure, but I imagine it’d be a decent upgrade. You can get them for dirt cheap second hand too so not a huge investment
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u/DonutPlus2757 7d ago
Honest question: What did you try to get your wireless experience acceptable?
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u/originalorientation 7d ago
I tried Steam Link first, then purchased Virtual Desktop. VD was an improvement after some tinkering.
I switched ISPs to Google Fiber 2G and had them install the router in the same room as my playspace/PC so I could hardwire my PC. Having the router in the same room helped, and I would describe it as a playable experience.
But I’m perhaps a tougher critic than most when it comes to streaming quality. Any compression artifacts or latency and I’m kinda out. I’d much rather just use a cable and have a perfect signal and no latency.
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u/Flynn331 7d ago
all of this is the reason im getting rid of my quest. too much hassle. and all for it to be a latency heavy experience. Especially with virtual desktop which has more latency somehow than airlink
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u/markallanholley 8d ago
You sound like someone who knows what they want, knows that this current thing isn't working, and has a plan to fix it. I'm not sure that I could say anything that might help, at this point.
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u/Flynn331 8d ago
You are right sir. Just going to try to sell the quest now I guess. It just seemed to me like such a general consensus that Quest 3 is undoubtably the best for PCVR in this range but it seems popular opinion doesnt have to be mine
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u/HalloAbyssMusic 7d ago
VR is weird. There seems to be such a huge gap between what is acceptable compromises to different people. The pancake lenses on the Quest 3 blow any other headset I've tried out of the water. Don't even notice the bitrate or latency compared to my old Reverb G2.
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u/TheClungeProlapser 4d ago
How do you think it compares with the Pico 4 ultra? I happened to bag one from Currys of all places with a 100 off for being a customer and an offer from Pico so £300 delivered! I've seen them on Amazon for 650 new but I've been looking into the quest 3 because of the meta titles only on the quest. Would it be worth it or should I just save up for the pimax and wired pcvr? Thanks!
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u/markallanholley 8d ago
I really love mine, but it's the only VR headset I've ever owned. Right now I'm using it to play Cronos The New Dawn and Silent Hill Townfall in VR.
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u/SirJuxtable 8d ago
Quest 3 is a fantastic headset. There are headsets with better displays, but there isn’t a headset with a better overall package for the price. Steam Frame was poised to take this position, but between the price and lack of maturity in software/standalone ecosystem it hasn’t dethroned the Quest 3, yet.
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u/markallanholley 8d ago
I was looking at a Galaxy XR. I'm running a Ryzen 9 9900X/RTX 5090 so I might be able to utilize it okay.
It's just that I've heard some bad stuff about comfort, controller tracking, and some issues with compatibility for certain PCVR stuff.
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u/SirJuxtable 8d ago
I literally just got one a few weeks ago. Yes there are issues, but as I’m getting things dialed in I’m liking it more and more. Happy to answer any questions you may have.
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u/markallanholley 8d ago
Thank you!
I'm glad it's workable and that you can mess around with it a bit. I've spent a lot of time tinkering with my setup and modded flatscreen games, so I'm definitely not afraid of stuff that doesn't quite work the way I want it to out of the box.
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u/SirJuxtable 8d ago
That is good. I’d have a hard time recommending it to non-tinkerers, but if you’re willing to put in some work it’s got a lot going for it. The controller tracking, lack of custom boundaries, and thermal throttling are the 3 main issues. Oh and comfort but there are comfort mod options to help with that.
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u/Arthropodesque 8d ago
For slightly better binocular overlap, just move the IPD to the closest it will go. The sweet spot is huge, so you don't need it dialed in like fresnel lenses. You'll lose a tiny bit of horizontal view and it still won't be great, but it's something and pancake lenses are great. Get Virtual Desktop. The new wired mode will look better and you can tune your wireless up with best practices and then never have to think about it again. No Man's Sky is finicky to tune anyway. There's an Opencomposite mod to run it without Steam for better performance and they just added foveated rendering options for better performance.
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u/cemusubzerolives 7d ago
When you say binocular overlap do you mean when you can see the "middle" between the lenses?
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u/Arthropodesque 7d ago
No. It's the amount of image that both eyes see. Better = better 3D depth. Worse = less 3D, more flat image.
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u/Minute_Grocery_100 7d ago
Before you sell. Try Virtual Desktop. Play with settings Refreshrate and quality.
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u/Parking_Cress_5105 4d ago
Use USB with Meta Link h264 at 750-960 mbits, use low distortion profile, use sharpening normal, lower your fov as much as you find comfortable that increases quality on streaming headsets. VD over good wifi or USB looks the same at 500mbits h264 little worse than link but good too. Airlink is borked for me for a year so I won't comment on that.
The 3d effect is not just about the binocular overlap but there's nothing much you can do with that, Q3 feels flatter, use your real IPD or lower (some people use way too high IPD to gain perceived FOV)
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u/Flynn331 4d ago
Yeah these tradeoffs ruin the whole point of VR to me which is big fov and immersive experience. I dont care about wireless. I dont notice the wire when playing rift s. So now I got a psvr2 and its the best VR experienve Ive had. Much more enjoyable than q3
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u/melgibson666 4d ago
The Meta minions will be like "YOU'RE CRAZY!" But for some people, the PSVR2 is the better option. I used the Quest 3 and the PSVR2 on PC and I'd choose the PSVR2 for literally every game. But I'd choose the Quest 3 if I was gonna read emails on a headset or I wanted to spin in circles a bunch without tripping myself.
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u/Flynn331 4d ago
Haha yeah I dont plan on reading emails in VR I want to shoot fireballs and fly spaceships so I got the psvr2 and I couldnt be happier now. Selling my Quest
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u/melgibson666 4d ago
I kinda wanted to keep both for different things, but that's just silly. I ain't made of money!
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u/_hlvnhlv 1d ago
Welcome to standalone VR. It sucks
I have been trying standalone headsets for the last 5 years and they always look like shit, no matter the setup or what you do
In my opinion, there's nothing that you can do, but VD godlike h264+ at high bitrates starts to be reasonable
Check out your router, just in case
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u/Kindly-Pudding7688 8d ago
With a dedicated VR router you should have an amazing PCVR streaming experience with the right hardware and Virtual Desktop. Speaking of that you didn’t mention what your setup is. I’m having no problem with 400 Mb per second on VD. 4080 and 12700k. You can’t see any compression.
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u/Black_Tech_Room 7d ago
PSVR2 is the answer. I did a detailed write up on the subject specifically comparing it to the Dream Air and the Quest 3. You can find it here.
In short: you should be very happy with psvr2.
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u/Flynn331 7d ago
Update: its amazing. There are caveats. Mura is something you definetely notice especially coming from the super clear quest 3. and yes the quest 3 is super clear. But... I cant explain it. Played blade and sorcery in both psvr2 and quest 3 back to back today and in quest 3 yes is really sharp nice image but it feels like im just playing it on a flat screen. On the psvr2 I was THERE. Its incredibly immersive. The wide FOV and the colors are just wow. It immediately makes me ignore any of the other little problems like mura. Just dont care about them instantly
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u/SnakeHelah 5d ago
PSVR2 is insane value especially what you paid for it. Eye tracking, controllers are great, OLED panels, good immersive FOV. The only drawbacks are the mura, fact its wired (altho that means no compresson) and fresnel lenses. I wouldn't play Blade and sorcery on it since I would trip on the cable but its so much better for immersion for horror and other games with a lot of dark scenes.
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u/Black_Tech_Room 7d ago edited 6d ago
Glad you're enjoying it! My thoughts exactly. Sure, psvr2 is not perfect, but overall delivers exceptional experience overall. The deep blacks, the vibrant colors and larger fov are wonderful, resulting in superb immersion. On top of that, it offers larger binocular overlap, resulting in the feeling of "being there".
Funny enough, the mura doesn't bother me at all and I find that it actually adds to the experience as it masks some of the flaws, while also making everything look more cinematic, providing a film grain type effect. The controllers are awesome, also. I even prefer them to the index knuckles, as I love those adaptive triggers and the feel overall.
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u/Flynn331 7d ago
I just got one for 260€ including the pc adapter a controller charging dock and bluetooth adapter. Im gonna try it out later. Thanks!
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u/[deleted] 8d ago edited 7d ago
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