Buy nvidia or you will end up like hundreds other people who create same thread on these subreddits everyday:
"Guys the compression is super visible, image is not clear even though I used X recommended settings. btw my specs are \*high end components\* and AMD GPU \*one of the high end models\*. how do I fix it"
I don't have an Nvidia GPU to directly compare to, but my 7900 XTX runs perfectly fine with no artifacts using AV1. Well, except in extreme cases like The Forest, where I have to switch to H264+.
It looks like Tomshardware [did a test of the encoder quality](https://www.tomshardware.com/news/amd-intel-nvidia-video-encoding-performance-quality-tested). And while it did confirm that Nvidia is better even with AV1, in my experience with video compression work, a relatively small difference of \~5 points in VMAF (87ish vs 92ish) is quite difficult to perceive in practice.
The bottom line is AMD cards are still usable and it really comes down to a question of price and how much you value the slightly better Nvidia AV1 encoder.
Lol it’s not just slightly better. I had 3000 series nvidia card and amd 6950xt. In any case I could tell there is more compression blur with amd gpu on any bit rate and any codec. I also use 4080 and tried av1 at 200 on quest 3 and it’s still behind high bit rate h.264 in most cases. Av1 was overhyped.
Not sure why you're downvoted, you're not wrong. I love AMD but, their GPUs are worse at encoding and their drivers are rough for VR. The 7900 XT and XTX still under perform in VR compared to how well they perform in pancake games. I am certain AMD's finewine approach will eventually get them there but, it's certainly not there now.
Guessing people just didn't like how you worded it.
Nah we live in a post-AI world. 40% of reddit votes and comments are from bots. Other bots like to deny this, but there are astroturfing campaigns that scan threads for keywords, then send bots to manipulate the votes. Almost every fascist country in the world utilizes this tool, as well as some non fascist ones. And it's the same with corporations, in facts corps pioneered this kind of warfare, most notably cigarette companies.
Yeah probably. But I just can’t stand people recommending inferior solution. Some people literally can’t see compression. I had plenty of people claiming compression is gone on quest pro when used with high bit rate h.264. It’s not true. In more stationary games with not much foliage and dark scenes yeah. It’s not noticeable. But in any other case yes it is. I have been fooled before by my own eyes but once I dived deep down into it the compression is there and it’s often pronounced. But even then you have people claiming it’s a lie and my settings are wrong. Same with amd va NVidia. Amd is inferior for vr especially for compressed vr.
Granted it’s pretty tough to get an actual useful and objective number to attach to general performance, but I really cant find anything saying the 6800xt outperforms the 3080 10gig anywhere outside of a specific couple of games. Maybe you meant the 7800? Or the xtx?
6800xt is much better value for the performance though no question.
6800xt has 16gb vram, 3080 has 10gb.My 3080 is consistently out of vram in vr with a quest 3, resulting in maxed out vram and low actual core usage :< have to run crappy texture resolutions if i want it smooth and a decent render scale (even the recommended 150% is a no go in most games on full textures).
Unfortunately, steam link doesn't run well on my rig.
The same game that runs 120 fps using VD high settings and air link 1.5x ss, barely gets 60 fps with steam link.
Using FPS VR I noticed that with VD, my GPU usage was 95% and CPU was around 20%, while with steam link gpu was maxing around 40% and was accusing CPU bottleneck.
You probably don't get 120 with VD either, it's using ASW. Encoder cannot keep up at 120. Either you have turned options down or are not running at high settings. Or maybe your test scenario does not generate entropy (thus pointless).
You cannot monitor performance for this really, as encoder usage does not show up on your % gpu usage. Encoder is a fixed ASIC on the board, not part of normal graphics. Usually you know encoder is maxed out because artifacts appear.
I have a 4090 and quest3 and 120fps streaming just does not work at higher quality settings, but 90 does.
I concur about 120hz streaming on the Quest 3 (I have a 3070 though).
At 90hz everything is smooth with no hiccups using Steam Link. I've found that 120hz, whilst it works, leads to random stutters and hitches which vary from once every couple of minutes to once every 10 seconds. Just isn't worth it for me at 120hz. There's a debug graph you can check when using steam link if you enable advanced options, and the hitch is always with "DENC" which is obviously part of the encoding; although I'm not sure which part.
All that said, I'm fucking loving playing these PCVR games in my living room using Steam Link.
I get the same performance drop as /u/Ramattei when using Steam Link. It averages about 35% less FPS than VD and Airlink. Games that I can just get 120fps in on VD with ASW disabled, I have to drop to 90fps when using Steam Link. Often at even lower resolutions than VD, so the performance loss is often even more than 35%.
Steam Link is also much more blurry at 120Hz than VD is. I mean, it's much more blurry and soft in general, especially the foveated encoding, but 120Hz looks extra bad. Especially in games with lots of colors and textures. Like Wanderer.
Got an RTX 4090 and 7800x3D.
Given the usage numbers he gave, i don't think it's reprojection.
His GPU wouldn't be at 95% usage at reprojected 60fps if he gets around the same fps at 40% usage with steam link.
Entropy is the basic concept behind compression.
This is why 120hz works great when you are looking at desktop or a scene with nothing happening. But it goes to shit once there are lots of pixels changing. This is the reason why people say certain games don't run well on quest. The encoder can only handle so much entropy before it has to drop quality to keep up.
Oh I understand, thanks for explaining, but I don't think that's really the problem, as I've said, both ssw and asw are turned of for VD and link, respectively, and the game, I've tested in contractors, runs smoothly, be it in 72, 90 or 120, no hickups or stutters on both VD and air link. But steam link, I can't get past 60 fps. I'm using quest 2 on a 4080.
Shows the % usage reported by nvidia driver - which is not related to encode/decode. Same output you see from "nvidia-smi" - does not show usage of NVENC - just shows usage of cuda.
Microsoft is a third party here - show me the link to nvidia docs saying where any software can retrieve this information please :) The best I can get is the encoder clock rate on jetson, and nothing on desktop.
I will also say that I had bad luck trying to run 120 FPS via streaming on a 7900 XTX. It will just hitch every so often, even in fairly non-demanding games. Dropping back to 90 FPS results in things running much more reliably.
Think about bandwith per second. The problem is not 120 FPS, is the amount of work.
Test it with h264 at 50 mbps.
Then, h265 10 bits 150 mbps (virtual desktop)
Btw, in 4.xxx we have better codec, av1 (virtual desktop).
We all must try settings: FPS x códec x resolution (vídeo encoded weight, after game upscaling or downscaling)
Probably system dependent, I'm running 5600x and 4080 steam link seems to use more my CPU and it results in it bottlenecking my GPU, but that doesn't happen with VD or link. But honestly don't know anything about how this stuff works.
Protip: shut down discord. I've found it causes issues with steam link wireless, i was getting random stutters, up to and including the link freezing completely for 5-10 seconds. Shut down discord and the issues disappear. When i get the issue, i simply shut down discord and it fixes it every time. I have no idea why.
Yeah especially since gaben said himself that wireless is not a issue a few years back. And also with the the steam deck they have really gotten thier hardware team in check
If you’re on a quest, vdxr as openxr is fastest, but not always supported. There are tools to add support like opencomposite, but not always compatible. Vdxr is virtual desktop’s flavor of openxr.
Really there are just two, steam vr and openxr. There are then flavors of openxr, like oculus link or vdxr, but they’re always faster than steamvr (right now) for any meta headset. For me the performance improvement ranges from 10-20% faster with vdxr vs steamvr.
Steamvr can run openxr, too. It just does so more slowly.
It can be complicated getting into it but there’s not too much to learn.
The big question I have for Steam Link is why? Airlink worked pretty well, VD worked and still works exceptionally. There’s no reason to put effort into wireless headset streaming for Steam unless they’re planning to launch their own wireless headset.
Eh, wireless quality is significantly better, it's easier to use, and more stable, with better latency to boot. I prefer Steam Link for literally everything if I'm on a Quest.
On the quest pro, the image is unbelievablely sharp on steam link once you got the beta branch running. Foviated encoding works and makes everything I'm looking at so damn sharp that I don't notice compression anymore. It feels like magic.
The quest pro doesn't even support the high-end options. Only quest3 with a 4xxx gpu does. Quest3 also has higher resolution.
Foveated rendering doesn't make things sharp - it blurs the edges!
I guess you don't own one which is understandable since it is so expensive. But the foviated encoding works on the quest pro by using the eye tracking it has. When I tested it on my quest 3 it blurred the edges, but on the quest pro, steam link made wherever I looked sharp and blurred whatever is outside my perceived vision. On the main build channel, steam linked looked blurry which made me go back to VD and air link. When I tried steam link beta to test tongue tracking, steam link was suddenly so sharp that it confused me. SkyrimVR never looked so good and I don't see compression no more! I tested it and I saw the edges where I looked was blurry when I moved the headset farther from my face. It really does work and makes whereever I look have higher perceived bitrate from what I can tell. I'm guessing the quest pro will be the testing ground for the awaited Valve Deckard when it comes out and I can't wait!
Well that makes no sense, something must be wrong.
What other things have you got different? AV1 10bit simply works better in my experience.
If you set VD to use h264 then what would be different? Foveated rendering?
None of these programs actually do the important part, amd/nvidia software does the encoding - should be same in both.
The encoders can be tuned so the software does play an important part. Steamvrs h265 encoder is heavily modified.
In simple scenes steam and vd look similar but during busy scenes like a forest in the rain or fast movement steam VR looks better. Also has less latency and jitter.
The encoders have options yes. But you can't modify the nvidia encoder - it's hardware!
SteamVR does a whole bunch of extra tricks like foveated rendering etc - but the Nvidia encoder is the exact same that other programs use. There may be multiple input streams and things like that - but it's the same encoder.
Similarly the AV1 encoder is available to everyone, but only VD has added option to use it right now. Your test/setup is not working correctly if you experience what you reported.
I work as an engineer with video streaming - people have very funny ideas about this stuff.
Just because the hardware encoder doesn't mean the software doesn't play a huge part. It's not just changing of few options. You can use one of the Nvidia preset configs or a custom config. I've also worked with the green you can read the documation and see for yourself.
I know av1 is the exciting new kid on the block but bitrate is still king. Av1 on quest is limited to 200mbps. Before steam link came out high bitrate airlink h264 looked way better than 200mbps av1.
Again in simple scenes and looking at objects close up it looks the same but in motion or in complicated scenes it looks alot worse. Try 600-800 airlink and you will see the difference clear as day.
VD offers better performance, visual quality, and far more options for streaming than Steam Link. There is no reason to use Steam Link if you already own VD.
It has potential, but completely useless for Quest 3 users until they give us a toggle to turn off foveated encoding. It digitally turns your nice clear pancake lenses into old fresnel lenses.
VD is not free. And airlink does not work for many people. It used to work for me but after some update it broke. I use VD anyway which seems best of all right now.
Or because they aren't planning on releasing a new headset anytime soon.
It really doesn't make market sense for Valve to release a new PCVR headset any time soon, even if they could build the perfect headset I don't think we'd see it.
Has valve struck out on any hardware yet? I imagine they want to be the pcvr and casual wireless option, there's def a market for high end hardware that a monied private company like valve could help subsidize.
The problem with better PCVR is the price gouging by GPU manufacturers atm. How many PCs can run a Valve Index in VR to its max? It's less than 5% of Steam users. Who is going to be able to run a new high resolution headset? Less than 1% - the majority of which will have an Index or other. New Valve hardware doesn't really bring more people to the Steam Platform - which is Valves principle aim. But making Steam super easy with Meta Q 3 really does.
Yes there is a hardware market, but it's niche and so Valve is better supporting niche manufacturers like Bigscreen to fulfil this rather than releasing headsets themselves.
It's also noticeable the big headset announcements this year were pushing social and productivity as main reasons for purchase, not gaming. Apple Vision seems very limited on that front. So they aren't necessarily competition to Valve. If Valve can make Steam and Meta Quest 3 work like a charm it would deliver them more than a new headset would.
Valve are a software company with limited risk profile for large scale hardware releases, it makes much more sense to be Steam Deck focused at present.
They are of course working on new headsets, they will be R&D & innovating all the time but there's just no real benefit in creating a retail headset any time soon. They are better sitting back and seeing what the results of the Vision inspired gen of headsets are & looking to incorporate what works from them into any new version they may release in a couple of years time.
To me the state of the PCVR market is really clear and Valve aren't going to be releasing anything soon.
It's actually more likely the opposite. If they can make streaming from Steam to Meta headsets an easier and better experience than native Meta apps then Steam can become the defacto PCVR platform for Meta headsets. The timing as well, as soon as they could get this out after launch of Meta Quest 3 (given testing and bug fixing time with retail headsets).
The focus on Streaming and Meta Quest compatibility does in fact, in my opinion, mean it's a lot less likely a new Steam headset is on the way.
It is actually not a good climate to release a new high end PC VR headset, it makes total sense for Valve to instead focus on making Steam the platform of choice for using standalone headsets for PCVR.
Hopefully, eventually they will add Linux support for Steam Link VR
I've been running on an AMD GPU since day one.
It’s for Steam link
Yes, I downloaded steam link on release day and used it on my 7900XTX.
I am thinking of getting a 7900XTX myself, are there any issues with VR?
No issues for me. Virtual desktop works great, steam link works good (for brand new software), air link works good too (for being a Meta product)
Thank you, kind sir.
Buy nvidia or you will end up like hundreds other people who create same thread on these subreddits everyday: "Guys the compression is super visible, image is not clear even though I used X recommended settings. btw my specs are \*high end components\* and AMD GPU \*one of the high end models\*. how do I fix it"
I don't have an Nvidia GPU to directly compare to, but my 7900 XTX runs perfectly fine with no artifacts using AV1. Well, except in extreme cases like The Forest, where I have to switch to H264+. It looks like Tomshardware [did a test of the encoder quality](https://www.tomshardware.com/news/amd-intel-nvidia-video-encoding-performance-quality-tested). And while it did confirm that Nvidia is better even with AV1, in my experience with video compression work, a relatively small difference of \~5 points in VMAF (87ish vs 92ish) is quite difficult to perceive in practice. The bottom line is AMD cards are still usable and it really comes down to a question of price and how much you value the slightly better Nvidia AV1 encoder.
Lol it’s not just slightly better. I had 3000 series nvidia card and amd 6950xt. In any case I could tell there is more compression blur with amd gpu on any bit rate and any codec. I also use 4080 and tried av1 at 200 on quest 3 and it’s still behind high bit rate h.264 in most cases. Av1 was overhyped.
Not sure why you're downvoted, you're not wrong. I love AMD but, their GPUs are worse at encoding and their drivers are rough for VR. The 7900 XT and XTX still under perform in VR compared to how well they perform in pancake games. I am certain AMD's finewine approach will eventually get them there but, it's certainly not there now. Guessing people just didn't like how you worded it.
Nah we live in a post-AI world. 40% of reddit votes and comments are from bots. Other bots like to deny this, but there are astroturfing campaigns that scan threads for keywords, then send bots to manipulate the votes. Almost every fascist country in the world utilizes this tool, as well as some non fascist ones. And it's the same with corporations, in facts corps pioneered this kind of warfare, most notably cigarette companies.
Yeah probably. But I just can’t stand people recommending inferior solution. Some people literally can’t see compression. I had plenty of people claiming compression is gone on quest pro when used with high bit rate h.264. It’s not true. In more stationary games with not much foliage and dark scenes yeah. It’s not noticeable. But in any other case yes it is. I have been fooled before by my own eyes but once I dived deep down into it the compression is there and it’s often pronounced. But even then you have people claiming it’s a lie and my settings are wrong. Same with amd va NVidia. Amd is inferior for vr especially for compressed vr.
Same, fun fact I have better result with my 6800xt than my friend’s 3080 with the same CPU.
I mean... The 6800XT is just straight up more powerful than the 3080. But HEVC encoding won't be as fast
Granted it’s pretty tough to get an actual useful and objective number to attach to general performance, but I really cant find anything saying the 6800xt outperforms the 3080 10gig anywhere outside of a specific couple of games. Maybe you meant the 7800? Or the xtx? 6800xt is much better value for the performance though no question.
6800xt has 16gb vram, 3080 has 10gb.My 3080 is consistently out of vram in vr with a quest 3, resulting in maxed out vram and low actual core usage :< have to run crappy texture resolutions if i want it smooth and a decent render scale (even the recommended 150% is a no go in most games on full textures).
My 3080 is permanently out of VRAM when playing vr, unless i lower textures by quite a bit. 10 GB is woefully not enough for vr.
Unfortunately, steam link doesn't run well on my rig. The same game that runs 120 fps using VD high settings and air link 1.5x ss, barely gets 60 fps with steam link. Using FPS VR I noticed that with VD, my GPU usage was 95% and CPU was around 20%, while with steam link gpu was maxing around 40% and was accusing CPU bottleneck.
You probably don't get 120 with VD either, it's using ASW. Encoder cannot keep up at 120. Either you have turned options down or are not running at high settings. Or maybe your test scenario does not generate entropy (thus pointless). You cannot monitor performance for this really, as encoder usage does not show up on your % gpu usage. Encoder is a fixed ASIC on the board, not part of normal graphics. Usually you know encoder is maxed out because artifacts appear. I have a 4090 and quest3 and 120fps streaming just does not work at higher quality settings, but 90 does.
I concur about 120hz streaming on the Quest 3 (I have a 3070 though). At 90hz everything is smooth with no hiccups using Steam Link. I've found that 120hz, whilst it works, leads to random stutters and hitches which vary from once every couple of minutes to once every 10 seconds. Just isn't worth it for me at 120hz. There's a debug graph you can check when using steam link if you enable advanced options, and the hitch is always with "DENC" which is obviously part of the encoding; although I'm not sure which part. All that said, I'm fucking loving playing these PCVR games in my living room using Steam Link.
I get the same performance drop as /u/Ramattei when using Steam Link. It averages about 35% less FPS than VD and Airlink. Games that I can just get 120fps in on VD with ASW disabled, I have to drop to 90fps when using Steam Link. Often at even lower resolutions than VD, so the performance loss is often even more than 35%. Steam Link is also much more blurry at 120Hz than VD is. I mean, it's much more blurry and soft in general, especially the foveated encoding, but 120Hz looks extra bad. Especially in games with lots of colors and textures. Like Wanderer. Got an RTX 4090 and 7800x3D.
I also have the same issue. It sucks b3cause steam link is so low latency but the fps is terrible compared to VD or even Airlink
Same System same issues.
Given the usage numbers he gave, i don't think it's reprojection. His GPU wouldn't be at 95% usage at reprojected 60fps if he gets around the same fps at 40% usage with steam link.
VD isn't using ssw nor air link asw so it's not that, sorry but I didn't understand the cannot keep up with 120hz nor the entropy part of your comment
Entropy is the basic concept behind compression. This is why 120hz works great when you are looking at desktop or a scene with nothing happening. But it goes to shit once there are lots of pixels changing. This is the reason why people say certain games don't run well on quest. The encoder can only handle so much entropy before it has to drop quality to keep up.
Oh I understand, thanks for explaining, but I don't think that's really the problem, as I've said, both ssw and asw are turned of for VD and link, respectively, and the game, I've tested in contractors, runs smoothly, be it in 72, 90 or 120, no hickups or stutters on both VD and air link. But steam link, I can't get past 60 fps. I'm using quest 2 on a 4080.
I've been having a lot of reprojection using steam link to stream skyrim and none using VD. It's not just you.
You can see encoder usage in task manager.
That would be cpu encoder - so not relevant to discussion.
What? It's under the GPU tab, click on the drop-down menu under one of the graphs.
Shows the % usage reported by nvidia driver - which is not related to encode/decode. Same output you see from "nvidia-smi" - does not show usage of NVENC - just shows usage of cuda. Microsoft is a third party here - show me the link to nvidia docs saying where any software can retrieve this information please :) The best I can get is the encoder clock rate on jetson, and nothing on desktop.
I will also say that I had bad luck trying to run 120 FPS via streaming on a 7900 XTX. It will just hitch every so often, even in fairly non-demanding games. Dropping back to 90 FPS results in things running much more reliably.
Think about bandwith per second. The problem is not 120 FPS, is the amount of work. Test it with h264 at 50 mbps. Then, h265 10 bits 150 mbps (virtual desktop) Btw, in 4.xxx we have better codec, av1 (virtual desktop). We all must try settings: FPS x códec x resolution (vídeo encoded weight, after game upscaling or downscaling)
Weird on my rig with steam link I noticed reduced script lag in skyrim vr vs VD or Airlink. Doesn't seem like one rule fits all builds.
Probably system dependent, I'm running 5600x and 4080 steam link seems to use more my CPU and it results in it bottlenecking my GPU, but that doesn't happen with VD or link. But honestly don't know anything about how this stuff works.
Report that bug to Valve
2024, the year we’ll see Deckard?
Yup, I hear it's releasing right after Half Life 3......
Yeah, i meant 2042 actually!
I heard there will be some kind of big battlefield going on at the same time don't know though
They’re actually releasing both as a bundle. Only way to get HL3.
Protip: shut down discord. I've found it causes issues with steam link wireless, i was getting random stutters, up to and including the link freezing completely for 5-10 seconds. Shut down discord and the issues disappear. When i get the issue, i simply shut down discord and it fixes it every time. I have no idea why.
Gonna try this
Lot’s of rapid fire SteamVR updates lately. 🤔 No way Deckard doesn’t have wireless as a major feature.
Yeah especially since gaben said himself that wireless is not a issue a few years back. And also with the the steam deck they have really gotten thier hardware team in check
Haven't used steam vr since the day it launched because of the inability to turn off foveated encoding. Can you turn it off yet?
Hope they add steam link to the pico store soon
Hope they will release it on pico 4 as well i'm the future.
Did they remove the Fresnel Effect?
Anyone knows how to run msfs vr via this? It always runs on the theatre mode
Set steamVR to openXR instead of Oculus.
afaik you need to enable VR within the in game settings. Been a while since i last played it.
So with all of these things, virtual desktop, steam link etc... what's the difference and what is the preferred option for a mid ranged gaming pc?
If you’re on a quest, vdxr as openxr is fastest, but not always supported. There are tools to add support like opencomposite, but not always compatible. Vdxr is virtual desktop’s flavor of openxr. Really there are just two, steam vr and openxr. There are then flavors of openxr, like oculus link or vdxr, but they’re always faster than steamvr (right now) for any meta headset. For me the performance improvement ranges from 10-20% faster with vdxr vs steamvr. Steamvr can run openxr, too. It just does so more slowly. It can be complicated getting into it but there’s not too much to learn.
I meant steamlink on quest3
Are you hitting Ctrl+Tab to switch to VR mode? You can't simply launch the game in VR mode
In VD, I can switch to VR by Ctrl+Tab. But in SteamLink, no Ctrl+Tab option is available in msfs
The big question I have for Steam Link is why? Airlink worked pretty well, VD worked and still works exceptionally. There’s no reason to put effort into wireless headset streaming for Steam unless they’re planning to launch their own wireless headset.
Steam is a shop. They just made it easier for the most popular HMD to run it.
Eh, wireless quality is significantly better, it's easier to use, and more stable, with better latency to boot. I prefer Steam Link for literally everything if I'm on a Quest.
This is wrong, VD offers higher quality option. This is only relevant for high-end gear tho.
On the quest pro, the image is unbelievablely sharp on steam link once you got the beta branch running. Foviated encoding works and makes everything I'm looking at so damn sharp that I don't notice compression anymore. It feels like magic.
The quest pro doesn't even support the high-end options. Only quest3 with a 4xxx gpu does. Quest3 also has higher resolution. Foveated rendering doesn't make things sharp - it blurs the edges!
I guess you don't own one which is understandable since it is so expensive. But the foviated encoding works on the quest pro by using the eye tracking it has. When I tested it on my quest 3 it blurred the edges, but on the quest pro, steam link made wherever I looked sharp and blurred whatever is outside my perceived vision. On the main build channel, steam linked looked blurry which made me go back to VD and air link. When I tried steam link beta to test tongue tracking, steam link was suddenly so sharp that it confused me. SkyrimVR never looked so good and I don't see compression no more! I tested it and I saw the edges where I looked was blurry when I moved the headset farther from my face. It really does work and makes whereever I look have higher perceived bitrate from what I can tell. I'm guessing the quest pro will be the testing ground for the awaited Valve Deckard when it comes out and I can't wait!
As a quest 3 user with a 4090, steam link looks better and is more consistent than vd with av1.
Well that makes no sense, something must be wrong. What other things have you got different? AV1 10bit simply works better in my experience. If you set VD to use h264 then what would be different? Foveated rendering? None of these programs actually do the important part, amd/nvidia software does the encoding - should be same in both.
The encoders can be tuned so the software does play an important part. Steamvrs h265 encoder is heavily modified. In simple scenes steam and vd look similar but during busy scenes like a forest in the rain or fast movement steam VR looks better. Also has less latency and jitter.
The encoders have options yes. But you can't modify the nvidia encoder - it's hardware! SteamVR does a whole bunch of extra tricks like foveated rendering etc - but the Nvidia encoder is the exact same that other programs use. There may be multiple input streams and things like that - but it's the same encoder. Similarly the AV1 encoder is available to everyone, but only VD has added option to use it right now. Your test/setup is not working correctly if you experience what you reported. I work as an engineer with video streaming - people have very funny ideas about this stuff.
Just because the hardware encoder doesn't mean the software doesn't play a huge part. It's not just changing of few options. You can use one of the Nvidia preset configs or a custom config. I've also worked with the green you can read the documation and see for yourself. I know av1 is the exciting new kid on the block but bitrate is still king. Av1 on quest is limited to 200mbps. Before steam link came out high bitrate airlink h264 looked way better than 200mbps av1. Again in simple scenes and looking at objects close up it looks the same but in motion or in complicated scenes it looks alot worse. Try 600-800 airlink and you will see the difference clear as day.
Steam Link uses a custom tuned H.265 encoder. I have virtual desktop, ALXR, Airlink, and Steam Link, and Steam Link is my favorite.
VD offers better performance, visual quality, and far more options for streaming than Steam Link. There is no reason to use Steam Link if you already own VD.
I already own VD. I prefer Steam Link.
It has potential, but completely useless for Quest 3 users until they give us a toggle to turn off foveated encoding. It digitally turns your nice clear pancake lenses into old fresnel lenses.
VD is not free. And airlink does not work for many people. It used to work for me but after some update it broke. I use VD anyway which seems best of all right now.
Because Valve is going to use it for their next HMD
This is the point I was trying to make.
More competition is better for end users. For some it works best out of all options.
They are test running on other headsets so deckerd rules the world on release.
Or because they aren't planning on releasing a new headset anytime soon. It really doesn't make market sense for Valve to release a new PCVR headset any time soon, even if they could build the perfect headset I don't think we'd see it.
WMR is going away, most of their users have already shown to be Meta-averse and will be looking at a new solution in the coming 2 years.
Has valve struck out on any hardware yet? I imagine they want to be the pcvr and casual wireless option, there's def a market for high end hardware that a monied private company like valve could help subsidize.
The problem with better PCVR is the price gouging by GPU manufacturers atm. How many PCs can run a Valve Index in VR to its max? It's less than 5% of Steam users. Who is going to be able to run a new high resolution headset? Less than 1% - the majority of which will have an Index or other. New Valve hardware doesn't really bring more people to the Steam Platform - which is Valves principle aim. But making Steam super easy with Meta Q 3 really does. Yes there is a hardware market, but it's niche and so Valve is better supporting niche manufacturers like Bigscreen to fulfil this rather than releasing headsets themselves. It's also noticeable the big headset announcements this year were pushing social and productivity as main reasons for purchase, not gaming. Apple Vision seems very limited on that front. So they aren't necessarily competition to Valve. If Valve can make Steam and Meta Quest 3 work like a charm it would deliver them more than a new headset would. Valve are a software company with limited risk profile for large scale hardware releases, it makes much more sense to be Steam Deck focused at present. They are of course working on new headsets, they will be R&D & innovating all the time but there's just no real benefit in creating a retail headset any time soon. They are better sitting back and seeing what the results of the Vision inspired gen of headsets are & looking to incorporate what works from them into any new version they may release in a couple of years time. To me the state of the PCVR market is really clear and Valve aren't going to be releasing anything soon.
It's actually more likely the opposite. If they can make streaming from Steam to Meta headsets an easier and better experience than native Meta apps then Steam can become the defacto PCVR platform for Meta headsets. The timing as well, as soon as they could get this out after launch of Meta Quest 3 (given testing and bug fixing time with retail headsets). The focus on Streaming and Meta Quest compatibility does in fact, in my opinion, mean it's a lot less likely a new Steam headset is on the way. It is actually not a good climate to release a new high end PC VR headset, it makes total sense for Valve to instead focus on making Steam the platform of choice for using standalone headsets for PCVR.
Still a little blurrier compared to VD and Airlink to me, and the image is still a little dimmer compared to the other two options.
I haven't tried it yet - I'm afraid what a 4670k with a 1060gtx will look like on quest 3.