Sorry, VR: Asus Drops VirtualLink Port With Latest RTX 2070

[Guest]

Asus decides to drop the VirtualLink port with its latest GeForce RTX 2070 graphics card.

Sorry, VR: Asus Drops VirtualLink Port With Latest RTX 2070 : Read more

 

[TechyInAZ]

VR seems to be very stagnant in terms of adoption. So not seeing a VRLink connection on this card makes sense. I'm sure there are more people out there that would rather have another HDMI port for productivity on more than one monitor.

 

[hannibal]

Most likely for VR you would like to have beefier card in anyway... Something like 2080ti or faster...

 

[Brian_R170]

Most likely for VR you would like to have beefier card in anyway... Something like 2080ti or faster...

faster than a 2080ti?

 

[Brian28]

Do any headsets even have the USB-C VRLink connection yet? Most I've see require both a HDMI (or maybe DisplayPort) and a USB port. Maybe it just didn't make sense to have a port that only supports 1 or 2 models of headset, when the other models would just use HDMI.

 

[cryoburner]

I'm sure there are more people out there that would rather have another HDMI port for productivity on more than one monitor.

The card also has two DisplayPort outputs for anyone wanting to use more than one monitor. How many people are running four monitors? I suppose it might be useful for those with older screens that lack DisplayPort though.

Not including a VirtualLink Type-C port on this card will probably not be that big of a deal for anyone wanting to use a VR headset with it though. They'll just need to connect an adapter with a few cables, like anyone without one of these higher-end 20-series cards. I can't see headsets requiring the port any time soon, as it's mainly just there to simplify connections.

In any case, if the card wasn't using a blower-style cooler, there would be more room for ports. Most other RTX 2070s, the Founder's Edition included, support four displays in addition to USB-C. Unless you're putting the thing in a tiny case with limited airflow where exhausting heat outside might be more beneficial, most would probably be better off with a more typical multi-fan cooler.

Do any headsets even have the USB-C VRLink connection yet? Most I've see require both a HDMI (or maybe DisplayPort) and a USB port. Maybe it just didn't make sense to have a port that only supports 1 or 2 models of headset, when the other models would just use HDMI.

As far as I know, no commercially-available headsets support it yet, though I suspect some will begin to support the connection this year, seeing as all the major headset manufacturers, along with AMD and Nvidia, worked together to develop the standard. When they do start supporting it, I fully suspect it will simply allow you to avoid plugging in the included adapter box, instead going straight to USB-C instead of splitting off to separate cables for video, data and power.

Most likely for VR you would like to have beefier card in anyway... Something like 2080ti or faster...

I'm pretty sure that the vast majority of those running VR today don't have anywhere remotely near that level of graphics performance. >_>

 

[joevt1]

The USB-C port is not just for VR.
1) The card has a USB controller which ASUS probably did not remove. Now it has no connector.
2) You can connect USB 3.1 gen 2 devices (10 Gbps), USB-C displays, display adapters, and docks to the USB-C port.
3) It's easier to convert USB-C to HDMI than it is to convert HDMI or DisplayPort to USB-C. If they want to give us HDMI, then they should have just provided an adapter.
4) It's easier to convert DisplayPort to HDMI than it is to convert HDMI to DisplayPort. They should have left it as DisplayPort if they didn't want to provide USB-C.

 

[fireaza]

I suspect that the reason they dropped it is because it will probably be awhile before a VR headset is released that uses it. The connector has been just recently been unveiled and many of the newest VR headsets like the PiMax were too far along in production to adopt it. By the time one comes out that uses it, we’ll probably be on the next generation of GPU, which meant the connector was entirely useless. Replacing it with a connector you can actually use today makes more sense.

 

[eye4bear]

Isn't PCIe4 just around the corner? I am not going to run out now and spend on a new card that will be out-of-date in 6 months. My 1080ti is just fine until then.

 

[cryoburner]

Isn't PCIe4 just around the corner? I am not going to run out now and spend on a new card that will be out-of-date in 6 months. My 1080ti is just fine until then.

Current graphics cards are not even close to running into the bandwidth limitations of PCIe 3.0 x16. In fact, your 1080 Ti should perform nearly the same if you connect it to a PCIe 2.0 x16 or PCIe 3.0 x8 slot with half the bandwidth. PCIe 4.0 will likely do nothing to improve the performance of graphics cards for many years to come, and since the cards and slots will be backward and forward compatible, it's a non-issue.