This idea can be taken further, with using no physical PC at all by using a shadow PC connection over the cloud! The ethernet connection on your end will give the best result possible in that situation. To clarify in the video, this is entirely possible on quest 2 but you will only be able to use WiFi for VD and the virtualhere server. depending on where you want to setup you can simply have another router placed in new area much like the traditional best practice for wireless pcvr, however that router you are connecting by wireless to, will need to be wired back to your PC The ethernet trick here eliminates the need for the second router entirely and it doesn't really matter where you connect in your house or to what router, it can be the usual crappy things your ISP gives you. No need for a dedicated router for VD (and you normally need to make sure it's a good one for wireless performance) So long as your pc is on ethernet to same network, you have the most reliable and performative solution, cutting down latency for both VD and more importantly the connected usb devices. If you are not worried about hdmi out from the Pico headset at same time, you simply need a usb C to gigabit ethernet cable to benefit from the best connection for VD. If you want to charge headset at same time, you can search for a usb C to gigabit ethernet adapter that has PD pass through, although these adapters are short and you will want to add a good quality type C extension. If you want to add usb devices, search for a USB C dock that has gigabit ethernet, usb 3 ports and PD charge support, having hdmi is a bonus but my cable matters dock (£50+) did not actually work with hdmi, type C docks can be finicky things! As shown in video, even with cheap adapters and hubs in a big daisy chain, you can still achieve great results.
And the crazy latency situation and missing 90hz in video was a bad Pico firmware update, factory resetting the headset fixed that. For cross eyes on VD, I had to revert my steam VR fov slider changes, VD doesn't like it when you mess with FOV settings.
This looks great. It might just be me , but I had real difficulty following what you did (rewound bits of it several times) and I'm still not sure I have got it. Really appreciate the information, thanks 😀
Excited rambling sorry Ideally I wanted a funny skit sitting outside in the middle of the garden, but UK weather stopped that idea. My setup is a daisy chain of existing hubs and docks but it doesn't need to be, I've put another comment up about setups you can use. TLDW for what's in video is; 1: Usb C extension cable from headset 2: usb type C dock/hub, which has power input, hdmi out (not strictly needed but cool), usb 3 data port (this hub can have ethernet too but mine didn't) 3: usb hub with ethernet (this can be eliminated if you have multiple USB ports and ethernet on your first dock/hub) 4: steering wheel , gear shift and handbrake usb devices connected to there own hub (these could be plugged into second or better yet, the first dock if you have enough ports. -my setup already has these devices cable managed so already on their own hub) End result: no usb devices are connected to the PC, they are all plugged into the headset and the connection is sent back by either wireless or wired ethernet from the headset to the PC by using virtualhere. Virtual here can run in the background, so when you connect and play pcvr with virtual desktop (which can be done by ethernet on Pico headsets) you can play racing or flight simulators with all the controllers you normally use, but be able to do so without connecting any devices to the pc tethering you into the same room. Ethernet cable allows any router to be used, even crappy ISP ones and gives the absolute best performance you can have on VD and eliminates the USB device latency to a point you would never know it wasn't connected to the PC itself
@@virtuallyreal Thanks very much for the rundown, so if I understand right ,the ethernet cable (from the router obviously), goes to a hub, with all devices including headset, coming off that hub, plus the hub is powered to the mains for charging & powering devices? That is great, I am already using ethernet direct to my headset via a usb c adaptor, and I think I have enough other bits to give this a go if I need to set up further away from my pc. Thanks for taking the time to clarify this, it's much appreciated.
@@kmw6845 yep exactly that, the headset is the 'PC' you connect all your devices too. You'll need virtualhere which is essentially showing those devices to your pc like they were plugged into it, if you do this over ethernet to your headset and your pc is connected by ethernet, there is absolutely no difference to your inputs.
Well explained. Pico 4 has great potential and using this Ethernet to usb-c method and Virtual Desktop (godlike mode) it looks better than my old reverb g2 V2. With this there is no need for DisplayPort. By the way I didn't know the program V.H. Regards
Very cool! I guess the only difference here is using Ethernet, but I've been doing this for over a year with my Quest 2. Using a 20,000mAh battery going into a USB-C Hub connected to the Quest 2 which forwards all USB connections to the PC with VirtualHere over wifi, its able to charge the headset at the same time and keep it running for over 8 hours. I mainly use it to connect a Vive Face tracker camera, but sometimes an X52 HOTAS, Logitech G27 wheel, Keyboard and mouse too. I am able to play Elite dangerous in VR with a HOTAS in the living room on a very comfy chair. I'm currently trying to test Vive trackers with the receivers connected to the Quest to be able use full body tracking in a larger room far away from the PC. I've installed three 5ghz routers across the house on a gigabit network so connection speed and latency has never been a problem. Having an Android based platform has so many possibilities
Yep so long as you can set dedicated routers where you want to move to its still possible, I was surprised just how well it still worked wireless on virtual here, but blown away how little latency on usb server when using ethernet The hdmi mirror was another bonus to using Pico for me and why it's took a while to piece it all together but if all you want to do is game and not share view, the daisy chain of docks can just be the one with usbs, power and ethernet port, ironically my cable matters type C dock (expensive) didn't work with the hdmi out, but random cheap crap daisy chained still did. And everyone needs a comfy chair 😁
Ahhh, I remember being able to do this on the quest, until Facebook decided to tear it out in an update. I think people will look at the latency and think it’s too high, but that latency in the performance overlay doesn’t tell you everything that’s going on in the background. It’s a nice solution for having your rig in one place and a potentially noisy PC out of the way. 👍
My garage is cooler than the house in the summer, even before the PC heats the room up, so this method will absolutely be used throughout summer which is ironically when most my league races tend to be, may even look at a new extruded sim rig again that can simply live out there, only a walk up the garden with my headset😁
Completely understand. Even with a good case and coolers what my pc exhausts ends up very toasty. My current rig as I’m living in temporary accommodation for work, is a next level racing fgt-lite with a couple of clip on braces for the wheel deck. Nice and airy but you can’t beat a dedicated rig. I got a neo link 3 off the back of your reviews as my G2 won’t be getting replaced or repaired any time soon. Many thanks for the time and honest appraisal, it’s surprisingly good.
I wonder, if some USB-C Dockingstations (for Laptops) will work too. So you can have a whole workstation with Keyboard, Mouse, USB-Sticks, Webcam, Ethernet (so Internet) and others which you can just stick into your Pico, while it gets charged. And optional all the connected devices can passed to a PC if needed.
Yeah so long as the dock works on android, my cable creations type C dock doesn't work with hdmi for some reason, but that dock is setup on my desk for my steamdeck, I simply plug the type C into an extension to the pico and do this sort of thing if you wanted to. Same thing with my official steam deck dock, can use the usb and ethernet ports from that (I use cable creations dock as it's small and I don't need a stand where I have my steamdeck) That dock setup I have on a switched KVM, as my steamdeck and PC share the same desk, instead of steamdeck it all can be plugged into pico, but if you are at your desk, there's no reason to do this input through headset lol. But you can use what you got! If you only have a docking station, give it a go! My daisy chain of hubs and docks was only so it can move away from my desk, I could do it all through my cable creations dock too, just the video out isn't working for whatever reason with that dock. A recent upload shows the video out situation that wasn't in this video, combine that with everything I'm doing here and you can sort of see why it's so ridiculous 🤣
have you updated your pico and updated pico link....? just asking as i've updated both and now getting perfect streaming with high frames and low latency!
I wonder if I could connect a pico 4 with ethernet cable from my TP link powerline adapter as my room is so far away from our WiFi router and then use WiFi for the PC, do you think that would be better using VD instead of usbc connection from pc to pico 4? If that would even work, I had a pico 4 but the compression using the oculus fibre optic link cable was awful, made my quest 2 look like it was using DP cable in comparison.
Any network setup won't solve compression, it'll always be there on streaming even when using a 4090gpu and ethernet, VD godlike resolution at 150mb hvec does offer a better image than streaming assistant, but is limited to 150mb bitrate across both hvec and h264, where if you could bump h264 beyond that limit it would help the artifacting in motion. The powerline may be too sketchy, they are generally a very noisy signal depending on your home wiring. Also you really want your PC on ethernet for best pcvr streaming. Generally I would only recommend a setup like this if you can have ethernet to both your PC and headset, but putting a second router as an Access point in your playspace away from pc will also work fine, providing it's got ethernet into it
Hi this looks awesome, my router is situated downstairs. I cant move it and I cant really install a router upstairs and i dont kinow how. I have a pwerline adaptor with two ports to give myself wired internet upstairs. if I add a wire to my powerline down stairs and then use the upstiars powerline via ethernet to usb-c to headset would I get better strength via the headset than using wifi? or does it have to go directly into my router to work?
I got the CableCreation 6 in 1 hub and the JSAUX USB Type C 3.2 Extender Lead you told me about there today and setup as you said... it does work... tried normal wireless first and then wired Gigabit Ethernet connection to Pico 4... was only getting about 380Gbps to my other room from my TP-Link Wi-Fi 6 AX3000 - I get over 1000Gbps in same room... but Virtual Desktop reported 1200Mbps fixed over the Ethernet. I only tried/tested with Automobilista 2 so far - as that's the only game I could actually get past menus in using Fanatec BMW wheel controls (seriously fuck ACC and its shitty menu system - an absolute nightmare to try and control using just wheel controls) It looked good, and getting near 70FPS... but one thing I noticed was a lot of severe glitching... where framerate would drop right down and whole display jumping to different position like it missed displaying a lot of frames... and the sound was very choppy too, a lot of popping like it was missing a lot of it. I did record some video of it... might upload it here when I get a chance. I also noticed the same or worse severe framerate drops and glitching while just sitting in ACC menu screen. The other thing I noticed is that Fanalab does not show any connected Fanatec device at all - even though CS2.5 Wheelbase and V3 pedals are connected and working. Also the VirtualHere client shows three items in Android Hub and for some reason (called "inc" "AX88179A" and "FANATEC Clubsport Wheel Base V2.5") repeats the same hub and three devices content twice!?? Also about my Buttkicker... I can't figure out how to get the sound to its amplifier box... it only has a cable with one of those stereo audio jacks which you are supposed to plug into a PC sound output... and there is nowhere to plug that with this setup... :-(( That's all so far...
Hello I have a picot for trying to play DCS and my networking keeps jumping up to 100 MHz making the game on playable is there a list of what I need to buy from Amazon in order to set up this wired version thank you
Hey, do you reckon a wireless xbox controller would work from the hub too (i.e. with the wireless receiver plugged into a hub usb port instead of the pc? I have one or two VR games (such as Adr1ft) that use a controllers instead of the hand controllers.
This is amazing information for me and my Pico 4 and simrig setup. Right now my simrig is sitting idle in another room in house because I don't really have room for it in small box room I use for my main office with my entire main PC setup (5950X, RTX 4080 in HAF 700). Now I might be able to get the rig running in the other room. My entire house is already 1Gbps Ethernet wired... all I need is that software you showed and to buy some USB hubs and that device - that is going to be the hard bit - bought enough USB cards and stuff over the years to know how hard it is to get working USB hubs/cards. But yes this info is GAMECHANGER for me!! ps. how did you get all those games in your Pico games library - they look like Oculus exclusive ones?? pps surprised you can run VD in Godlike mode... from the specs it shows in the preferences page in VD... I was afraid my 4080 was not good enough, so always only run in Ultra mode - still looks good enough for me at that resolution!
If you check out the latest video on that channel you can install the aurora store and download and install apps to the headset much like you install apps on your phone from Google or apple stores. ruclips.net/video/Wkm1VvOMj-E/видео.html If you want multiple USB devices you need the ANDROID licence, (from virtual here website) www.virtualhere.com/android
@@virtuallyreal Do I need multiple devices? i'm not exactly sure what counts as a device in all this. Is PICO 4 one device? Is that all I am connecting according to this VirtualHere software? Or is all the devices on simrig going through this counted as separate devices?
@@anone3842 any usb device counts as one, it depends what gear you have, a fanatec wheel setup that's all plugged into the wheel and then just one usb to your computer would be one device. But my shifter and handbrake are not fanatec so are two seperate extra usb devices. If I didn't want to use anything but fanatec wheel and pedals with my setup, or had the whole fanatec kit all plugged into wheel, I wouldn't need to license. For what it's worth though, licence will get you peace of mind anything you connect will work and can change peripherals, the single device trial is to make sure you can connect a device and get it working before buying really.
@@virtuallyreal Yeah I could use one plug, but as I said on other comment, I normally keep Wheelbase and Pedals separate so Fanatec software can do firmware updates and show as separate in their crappy software. Android server license is currently 50% off half price now at $25 (€23) only anyway, so I bought licence now already. Will probably order dock and cable today too.
For sim racing or flight sim, you are sat down and not really moving enough for a cable to be a problem You'd be plugging power in anyway for long sessions, so makes sense to add a solution using ethernet that's supported on the Pico headsets as it improves the experience , no need to worry about wireless performance or stability or buying second high end wireless routers Of course for any other use case on VD the wireless aspect is clearly what people want, you can still do this wireless, but input devices with force feedback you want minimal latency, which ethernet cable gives.
@@muhchy566 ideally if you just want a wired ethernet connection, look for a usb C gigabit ethernet adapter with PD charge. Or you can look to usb C hubs /docks and use extension cable like I have to leave just one wire upto headset I don't do affiliate links or anything so choice would be yours depending on budget
Could do with more information on how to do this... "pico 4 headset with side-loaded VirtualHere app" .. sideloading? Does that mean VirtualHere is not a native Pico app? Do I need to install one version on PC and another version on headset? Is this software $49 to buy? That app also gives ZERO information or instructions when installed... just opens window with "USB Server is running" but I have no idea how to connect to it or use it.. can't find instructions. EDIT: I had backwards... client goes on PC... server goes on headset. Is it the Android version I need to side-load? Says its 50% off right now...
If you check out the latest video on that channel you can install the aurora store and download and install apps to the headset much like you install apps on your phone from Google or apple stores. ruclips.net/video/Wkm1VvOMj-E/видео.html If you want multiple USB devices you need the ANDROID licence, (from virtual here website) www.virtualhere.com/android
@@virtuallyreal I'm still unclear how exactly to install VirtualHere on the Pico 4 - are you saying it is on the Aurora store somewhere? I tried to find download on VirtualHere site and presume its the Android one... but can't see any way to download an APK from there - it seems to do a search on network and finds my Nvidia Shield and asks me if I want to install on that? This is even when I access the website on the Pico headset in their browser. EDIT: INSTALLED AURORA STORE AND SEARCHED FOR VIRTUALHERE ON THAT AND SUCCESSFULLY INSTALLED IT FROM THERE ON PICO 4 - THE VIRTUALHERE CLIENT ON PC CAN NOW SEE THIS (shows as Android Hub).
Nooooo. That is VD godlike, maxed out bitrate on HVEC Just a torture test for my system. Realistic settings the network latency reported difference isn't huge, but it's the stability that makes the difference, the further I get from router, the worse the performance on network will be, the cable is eliminating that, while also bring the usb data latency way down to basically nothing and again, way more stable which you want for input devices giving force feedback
There is currently a bug with the latest Pico firmware also; it's causing some issues with VD misreporting things and the odd bit of weirdness. The VD dev said Pico has been made aware.
since decoding has to be done on the pico4 regardless of the form of transmission (wired or not), i doubt this is much of a difference. my network latency is below 5ms for the most part, so for me wireless is just free real estate.
@@EnnTomi1 if you are in same room as router, it doesn't make sense having wired, but the cable does allow different playspaces without moving router and running long cable back to your pc, as it doesn't really matter if it's first or second router it's connected to when over ethernet on the android device (pico4) so long as it's on same network
Some Chinese manufacturer should make a single idiot-proof box which can be bolted onto your simrig which gives enough inputs/outputs to do everything you did there in three bodged together hubs/devices.... if anyone knows of such a device available now (on Amazon preferably) please post reply here!
If you want a dock that can do everything but HDMI OUT on the pico (no idea why this specific dock doesn't do it) And also have a decent dock for steamdeck (what I use mine for) or even a laptop/ PC I can recommend the cable creations dock, but it's expensive and the hdmi not working on Pico annoys me- it's ONLY the Pico that has that problem though ( my steamdeck is doing 1440p 120hz by hdmi no problem) 2x usb a ports, another type C (can get a c to a adapter to give you total of 3 usb a ports. Ethernet and decent power in. www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B09C5MXBLN This is not an affiliate link, and it's expensive, but I've also had my fair share of shit docks, this is solid on my steamdeck and apart from hdmi out with the Pico 4, is extremely reliable. I also use this 2mtr usb C extension, again not cheap but actually works - it's fairly heavy so support this with velcro tie to headstrap at side and the back of headstrap to help that. www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B08F2GQLDB
@@virtuallyreal Thanks for this info... might get those... so do I need another USB3.0 hub then to plug all the Fanatec gear into on simrig? Or could they be plugged into the USB3.0 ports on back of this hub? And then what is it - the cable you linked above plugs into that hub USB C PD input and other end into Pico 4 is it? And then the optional Ethernet back to main house Ethernet switch. So you say the Pico 4 is not outputting video to that hub HDMI? Maybe that uses power so they turn off HDMI output by default? Or could be this - "make sure your device supports DP 1.4 Alt Model" - never heard of ALT model - could be another standard not common. Don't think i'd be using that anyway, but would be handy if it could be got working (PICO if you read this - try and get it working!). No use for the USB-C DATA on hub then? Also shouldn't that 2m extension cable be male connectors on both ends - why is one end female? Pico is female and the hub input is female?
@@anone3842 probably easier to know what sim racing devices you have right now and how they would normally connect to PC and how many usb ports are required. The female end of extension I plug into the dock and male end into the Pico, as it is easier having the remaining data, power and ethernet away from your head as the dock only has a short cable that would otherwise plug straight into Pico. On the dock, you plug in your ethernet, plug in your PD charge power cable and plug in however many usb devices you need for sim rig stuff. The dock has 2 usb A data ports and a third usb C data port, which you could convert the type C to full size usb A again with a small adapter if required. The hdmi out doesn't really matter unless you want to show off what you see in headset, you may be right about the DP alt mode, it crashes the Pico when attempting to use the hdmi on this dock, I'll send logs to Pico to see if it's fixable. If you have a mix of different usb devices in the sim rig, you'll need the android licence for virtual here and to get every device linked up you will want to start the Pico, start virtual here and plug each device in seperate first so that they register, rather than connect everything upto the dock first and wonder why only one device is showing- took me a while to figure that one out but once all done, they can be connected together at the same time on the dock and virtual here will list them all connected on your PC.
@Virtually Real Yeah I was just confused about the male/female extension cable you listed above - thought it only worked for your small dock you use, not for the Apple dock you linked which would require a 2m cable with male/male ends instead of male/female ends. But now I look again... I was getting confused about where the extension plugged into dock... it is connected to the end little cable... i thought it was plugging into one of the USB C inputs on dock! What I have is some Fanatec gear: Fanatec Clubsport V3 Pedals Fanatec ClubSport Wheel Base V2.5 Fanatec ClubSport Shifter SQ V 1.5 Fanatec ClubSport Handbrake V1.5 Wheels Fanatec Clubsport Formula V2.0 X Steering Wheel Fanatec Clubsport BMW GT2 Racing Wheel The used to normally plug the pedals and wheelbase seperately to PC as this makes them show up in fanatec software seperatly for driver updates etc... when pedals plugged into wheelbase they don't show up so no way to update firmware (stupid feature) The shifter is plugged into wheelbase and handbrake is connected to pedals. So only 2 USB connectors needed I think
@@anone3842 the dock I linked has a cable coming off it that is only short, this has male usb c end to it that would connect into your laptop/ pico headset. to stop the dock having to be supported to the headstrap because of the short cable on it, I use the female end of that extension cable on the short wire coming from the dock, and then the male end of the extension to go into the pico headset- essentially making that short cable on the dock longer. as you have the full fanatec setup, if you plug the pedals and handbrake into the wheelbase too, it will show as one device to your PC, so you will not need a virtual here licence key, saving a bit of money.
Doesn't matter, it's all done over your local network, internet speed only matters if you want to do remote connections from different networks. Ie, connect to your pc at home from several miles away.
Also the crazy latency was bad Pico update, common problem with 5.3.2 that if you enable power saving mode you lose 90hz and all funky stuff seems to happen with VD, factory reset of headset fixed it
@@FatNorthernBigot nooo, just those ridiculous spikes I was having was because of the funky broken update. In game that latency is about right for me pushing VD to its max on a heavy game like dirt rally and recording in headset at same time.
This works well enough for me at the moment, stand has diagonal box section bolted through uprights which helped most the wobble and I've welded a brace that goes between seat frame and stand and it's solid enough when connected together. I'm actually trying to now save weight from it so it's a bit easier to chuck around🤣
Works on all. DR was used as it has shifter, hydro and wheel all mapped to use together and FFB is more active than a smooth track so I'd feel any latency.
![PCVR on Pico 4: THE COMPLETE Guide (2024 Update) [All 3 Methods Explained]](/img/1.gif)
This idea can be taken further, with using no physical PC at all by using a shadow PC connection over the cloud!
The ethernet connection on your end will give the best result possible in that situation.
To clarify in the video, this is entirely possible on quest 2 but you will only be able to use WiFi for VD and the virtualhere server.
depending on where you want to setup you can simply have another router placed in new area much like the traditional best practice for wireless pcvr, however that router you are connecting by wireless to, will need to be wired back to your PC
The ethernet trick here eliminates the need for the second router entirely and it doesn't really matter where you connect in your house or to what router, it can be the usual crappy things your ISP gives you.
No need for a dedicated router for VD (and you normally need to make sure it's a good one for wireless performance)
So long as your pc is on ethernet to same network, you have the most reliable and performative solution, cutting down latency for both VD and more importantly the connected usb devices.
If you are not worried about hdmi out from the Pico headset at same time, you simply need a usb C to gigabit ethernet cable to benefit from the best connection for VD.
If you want to charge headset at same time, you can search for a usb C to gigabit ethernet adapter that has PD pass through, although these adapters are short and you will want to add a good quality type C extension.
If you want to add usb devices, search for a USB C dock that has gigabit ethernet, usb 3 ports and PD charge support, having hdmi is a bonus but my cable matters dock (£50+) did not actually work with hdmi, type C docks can be finicky things!
As shown in video, even with cheap adapters and hubs in a big daisy chain, you can still achieve great results.
And the crazy latency situation and missing 90hz in video was a bad Pico firmware update, factory resetting the headset fixed that.
For cross eyes on VD, I had to revert my steam VR fov slider changes, VD doesn't like it when you mess with FOV settings.
So the quest family of headsets can't use Ethernet over usb-c??
@@Blu0tuth0ninja nope🫤
This looks great. It might just be me , but I had real difficulty following what you did (rewound bits of it several times) and I'm still not sure I have got it. Really appreciate the information, thanks 😀
Excited rambling sorry
Ideally I wanted a funny skit sitting outside in the middle of the garden, but UK weather stopped that idea.
My setup is a daisy chain of existing hubs and docks but it doesn't need to be, I've put another comment up about setups you can use.
TLDW for what's in video is;
1: Usb C extension cable from headset
2: usb type C dock/hub, which has power input, hdmi out (not strictly needed but cool), usb 3 data port (this hub can have ethernet too but mine didn't)
3: usb hub with ethernet (this can be eliminated if you have multiple USB ports and ethernet on your first dock/hub)
4: steering wheel , gear shift and handbrake usb devices connected to there own hub (these could be plugged into second or better yet, the first dock if you have enough ports.
-my setup already has these devices cable managed so already on their own hub)
End result:
no usb devices are connected to the PC, they are all plugged into the headset and the connection is sent back by either wireless or wired ethernet from the headset to the PC by using virtualhere.
Virtual here can run in the background, so when you connect and play pcvr with virtual desktop (which can be done by ethernet on Pico headsets) you can play racing or flight simulators with all the controllers you normally use, but be able to do so without connecting any devices to the pc tethering you into the same room.
Ethernet cable allows any router to be used, even crappy ISP ones and gives the absolute best performance you can have on VD and eliminates the USB device latency to a point you would never know it wasn't connected to the PC itself
@@virtuallyreal Thanks very much for the rundown, so if I understand right ,the ethernet cable (from the router obviously), goes to a hub, with all devices including headset, coming off that hub, plus the hub is powered to the mains for charging & powering devices? That is great, I am already using ethernet direct to my headset via a usb c adaptor, and I think I have enough other bits to give this a go if I need to set up further away from my pc. Thanks for taking the time to clarify this, it's much appreciated.
@@kmw6845 yep exactly that, the headset is the 'PC' you connect all your devices too.
You'll need virtualhere which is essentially showing those devices to your pc like they were plugged into it, if you do this over ethernet to your headset and your pc is connected by ethernet, there is absolutely no difference to your inputs.
Well explained. Pico 4 has great potential and using this Ethernet to usb-c method and Virtual Desktop (godlike mode) it looks better than my old reverb g2 V2. With this there is no need for DisplayPort. By the way I didn't know the program V.H. Regards
Very cool! I guess the only difference here is using Ethernet, but I've been doing this for over a year with my Quest 2. Using a 20,000mAh battery going into a USB-C Hub connected to the Quest 2 which forwards all USB connections to the PC with VirtualHere over wifi, its able to charge the headset at the same time and keep it running for over 8 hours. I mainly use it to connect a Vive Face tracker camera, but sometimes an X52 HOTAS, Logitech G27 wheel, Keyboard and mouse too. I am able to play Elite dangerous in VR with a HOTAS in the living room on a very comfy chair. I'm currently trying to test Vive trackers with the receivers connected to the Quest to be able use full body tracking in a larger room far away from the PC. I've installed three 5ghz routers across the house on a gigabit network so connection speed and latency has never been a problem. Having an Android based platform has so many possibilities
Yep so long as you can set dedicated routers where you want to move to its still possible, I was surprised just how well it still worked wireless on virtual here, but blown away how little latency on usb server when using ethernet
The hdmi mirror was another bonus to using Pico for me and why it's took a while to piece it all together but if all you want to do is game and not share view, the daisy chain of docks can just be the one with usbs, power and ethernet port, ironically my cable matters type C dock (expensive) didn't work with the hdmi out, but random cheap crap daisy chained still did.
And everyone needs a comfy chair 😁
Ahhh, I remember being able to do this on the quest, until Facebook decided to tear it out in an update.
I think people will look at the latency and think it’s too high, but that latency in the performance overlay doesn’t tell you everything that’s going on in the background. It’s a nice solution for having your rig in one place and a potentially noisy PC out of the way. 👍
My garage is cooler than the house in the summer, even before the PC heats the room up, so this method will absolutely be used throughout summer which is ironically when most my league races tend to be, may even look at a new extruded sim rig again that can simply live out there, only a walk up the garden with my headset😁
Completely understand. Even with a good case and coolers what my pc exhausts ends up very toasty. My current rig as I’m living in temporary accommodation for work, is a next level racing fgt-lite with a couple of clip on braces for the wheel deck. Nice and airy but you can’t beat a dedicated rig. I got a neo link 3 off the back of your reviews as my G2 won’t be getting replaced or repaired any time soon. Many thanks for the time and honest appraisal, it’s surprisingly good.
I wonder, if some USB-C Dockingstations (for Laptops) will work too. So you can have a whole workstation with Keyboard, Mouse, USB-Sticks, Webcam, Ethernet (so Internet) and others which you can just stick into your Pico, while it gets charged. And optional all the connected devices can passed to a PC if needed.
Yeah so long as the dock works on android, my cable creations type C dock doesn't work with hdmi for some reason, but that dock is setup on my desk for my steamdeck, I simply plug the type C into an extension to the pico and do this sort of thing if you wanted to.
Same thing with my official steam deck dock, can use the usb and ethernet ports from that (I use cable creations dock as it's small and I don't need a stand where I have my steamdeck)
That dock setup I have on a switched KVM, as my steamdeck and PC share the same desk, instead of steamdeck it all can be plugged into pico, but if you are at your desk, there's no reason to do this input through headset lol.
But you can use what you got! If you only have a docking station, give it a go! My daisy chain of hubs and docks was only so it can move away from my desk, I could do it all through my cable creations dock too, just the video out isn't working for whatever reason with that dock.
A recent upload shows the video out situation that wasn't in this video, combine that with everything I'm doing here and you can sort of see why it's so ridiculous 🤣
have you updated your pico and updated pico link....?
just asking as i've updated both and now getting perfect streaming with high frames and low latency!
I wonder if I could connect a pico 4 with ethernet cable from my TP link powerline adapter as my room is so far away from our WiFi router and then use WiFi for the PC, do you think that would be better using VD instead of usbc connection from pc to pico 4? If that would even work, I had a pico 4 but the compression using the oculus fibre optic link cable was awful, made my quest 2 look like it was using DP cable in comparison.
Any network setup won't solve compression, it'll always be there on streaming even when using a 4090gpu and ethernet, VD godlike resolution at 150mb hvec does offer a better image than streaming assistant, but is limited to 150mb bitrate across both hvec and h264, where if you could bump h264 beyond that limit it would help the artifacting in motion.
The powerline may be too sketchy, they are generally a very noisy signal depending on your home wiring.
Also you really want your PC on ethernet for best pcvr streaming.
Generally I would only recommend a setup like this if you can have ethernet to both your PC and headset, but putting a second router as an Access point in your playspace away from pc will also work fine, providing it's got ethernet into it
Hi this looks awesome, my router is situated downstairs. I cant move it and I cant really install a router upstairs and i dont kinow how. I have a pwerline adaptor with two ports to give myself wired internet upstairs. if I add a wire to my powerline down stairs and then use the upstiars powerline via ethernet to usb-c to headset would I get better strength via the headset than using wifi? or does it have to go directly into my router to work?
This is crazy cool.
I got the CableCreation 6 in 1 hub and the JSAUX USB Type C 3.2 Extender Lead you told me about there today and setup as you said... it does work... tried normal wireless first and then wired Gigabit Ethernet connection to Pico 4... was only getting about 380Gbps to my other room from my TP-Link Wi-Fi 6 AX3000 - I get over 1000Gbps in same room... but Virtual Desktop reported 1200Mbps fixed over the Ethernet.
I only tried/tested with Automobilista 2 so far - as that's the only game I could actually get past menus in using Fanatec BMW wheel controls (seriously fuck ACC and its shitty menu system - an absolute nightmare to try and control using just wheel controls)
It looked good, and getting near 70FPS... but one thing I noticed was a lot of severe glitching... where framerate would drop right down and whole display jumping to different position like it missed displaying a lot of frames... and the sound was very choppy too, a lot of popping like it was missing a lot of it.
I did record some video of it... might upload it here when I get a chance.
I also noticed the same or worse severe framerate drops and glitching while just sitting in ACC menu screen.
The other thing I noticed is that Fanalab does not show any connected Fanatec device at all - even though CS2.5 Wheelbase and V3 pedals are connected and working.
Also the VirtualHere client shows three items in Android Hub and for some reason (called "inc" "AX88179A" and "FANATEC Clubsport Wheel Base V2.5") repeats the same hub and three devices content twice!??
Also about my Buttkicker... I can't figure out how to get the sound to its amplifier box... it only has a cable with one of those stereo audio jacks which you are supposed to plug into a PC sound output... and there is nowhere to plug that with this setup... :-((
That's all so far...
Hello I have a picot for trying to play DCS and my networking keeps jumping up to 100 MHz making the game on playable is there a list of what I need to buy from Amazon in order to set up this wired version thank you
when i plug in the ethernet cable my pico 4 audio cuts out, no audio from both the pico home screen or my game. any ideas?
Hey, do you reckon a wireless xbox controller would work from the hub too (i.e. with the wireless receiver plugged into a hub usb port instead of the pc? I have one or two VR games (such as Adr1ft) that use a controllers instead of the hand controllers.
It works in wired mode I think
I had the same idea 2 days ago :D but searching for something else than Virtualhere
This is amazing information for me and my Pico 4 and simrig setup. Right now my simrig is sitting idle in another room in house because I don't really have room for it in small box room I use for my main office with my entire main PC setup (5950X, RTX 4080 in HAF 700). Now I might be able to get the rig running in the other room. My entire house is already 1Gbps Ethernet wired... all I need is that software you showed and to buy some USB hubs and that device - that is going to be the hard bit - bought enough USB cards and stuff over the years to know how hard it is to get working USB hubs/cards. But yes this info is GAMECHANGER for me!! ps. how did you get all those games in your Pico games library - they look like Oculus exclusive ones?? pps surprised you can run VD in Godlike mode... from the specs it shows in the preferences page in VD... I was afraid my 4080 was not good enough, so always only run in Ultra mode - still looks good enough for me at that resolution!
If you check out the latest video on that channel you can install the aurora store and download and install apps to the headset much like you install apps on your phone from Google or apple stores.
ruclips.net/video/Wkm1VvOMj-E/видео.html
If you want multiple USB devices you need the ANDROID licence, (from virtual here website)
www.virtualhere.com/android
@@virtuallyreal Do I need multiple devices? i'm not exactly sure what counts as a device in all this. Is PICO 4 one device? Is that all I am connecting according to this VirtualHere software? Or is all the devices on simrig going through this counted as separate devices?
@@anone3842 any usb device counts as one, it depends what gear you have, a fanatec wheel setup that's all plugged into the wheel and then just one usb to your computer would be one device.
But my shifter and handbrake are not fanatec so are two seperate extra usb devices.
If I didn't want to use anything but fanatec wheel and pedals with my setup, or had the whole fanatec kit all plugged into wheel, I wouldn't need to license.
For what it's worth though, licence will get you peace of mind anything you connect will work and can change peripherals, the single device trial is to make sure you can connect a device and get it working before buying really.
@@virtuallyreal Yeah I could use one plug, but as I said on other comment, I normally keep Wheelbase and Pedals separate so Fanatec software can do firmware updates and show as separate in their crappy software. Android server license is currently 50% off half price now at $25 (€23) only anyway, so I bought licence now already. Will probably order dock and cable today too.
Gracias, justo lo que necesitaba.
Weird how you said that "you can use headset wireless but why would you." Meanwhile it's main reason i got standalone headset to play without cables
For sim racing or flight sim, you are sat down and not really moving enough for a cable to be a problem
You'd be plugging power in anyway for long sessions, so makes sense to add a solution using ethernet that's supported on the Pico headsets as it improves the experience , no need to worry about wireless performance or stability or buying second high end wireless routers
Of course for any other use case on VD the wireless aspect is clearly what people want, you can still do this wireless, but input devices with force feedback you want minimal latency, which ethernet cable gives.
@@virtuallyreal Can you send me some amazon links what i need for just having a great wired pico 4 ? :)
@@muhchy566 ideally if you just want a wired ethernet connection, look for a usb C gigabit ethernet adapter with PD charge.
Or you can look to usb C hubs /docks and use extension cable like I have to leave just one wire upto headset
I don't do affiliate links or anything so choice would be yours depending on budget
@@virtuallyreal ok i will have a Look. Thxi
Could do with more information on how to do this... "pico 4 headset with side-loaded VirtualHere app" .. sideloading? Does that mean VirtualHere is not a native Pico app? Do I need to install one version on PC and another version on headset? Is this software $49 to buy? That app also gives ZERO information or instructions when installed... just opens window with "USB Server is running" but I have no idea how to connect to it or use it.. can't find instructions. EDIT: I had backwards... client goes on PC... server goes on headset. Is it the Android version I need to side-load? Says its 50% off right now...
If you check out the latest video on that channel you can install the aurora store and download and install apps to the headset much like you install apps on your phone from Google or apple stores.
ruclips.net/video/Wkm1VvOMj-E/видео.html
If you want multiple USB devices you need the ANDROID licence, (from virtual here website)
www.virtualhere.com/android
@@virtuallyreal I'm still unclear how exactly to install VirtualHere on the Pico 4 - are you saying it is on the Aurora store somewhere? I tried to find download on VirtualHere site and presume its the Android one... but can't see any way to download an APK from there - it seems to do a search on network and finds my Nvidia Shield and asks me if I want to install on that? This is even when I access the website on the Pico headset in their browser. EDIT: INSTALLED AURORA STORE AND SEARCHED FOR VIRTUALHERE ON THAT AND SUCCESSFULLY INSTALLED IT FROM THERE ON PICO 4 - THE VIRTUALHERE CLIENT ON PC CAN NOW SEE THIS (shows as Android Hub).
Latency is still over 40ms with cable too? that's a bit underwhelming :V?
Nooooo.
That is VD godlike, maxed out bitrate on HVEC
Just a torture test for my system.
Realistic settings the network latency reported difference isn't huge, but it's the stability that makes the difference, the further I get from router, the worse the performance on network will be, the cable is eliminating that, while also bring the usb data latency way down to basically nothing and again, way more stable which you want for input devices giving force feedback
There is currently a bug with the latest Pico firmware also; it's causing some issues with VD misreporting things and the odd bit of weirdness. The VD dev said Pico has been made aware.
since decoding has to be done on the pico4 regardless of the form of transmission (wired or not), i doubt this is much of a difference.
my network latency is below 5ms for the most part, so for me wireless is just free real estate.
@@EnnTomi1 if you are in same room as router, it doesn't make sense having wired, but the cable does allow different playspaces without moving router and running long cable back to your pc, as it doesn't really matter if it's first or second router it's connected to when over ethernet on the android device (pico4) so long as it's on same network
Some Chinese manufacturer should make a single idiot-proof box which can be bolted onto your simrig which gives enough inputs/outputs to do everything you did there in three bodged together hubs/devices.... if anyone knows of such a device available now (on Amazon preferably) please post reply here!
If you want a dock that can do everything but HDMI OUT on the pico (no idea why this specific dock doesn't do it)
And also have a decent dock for steamdeck (what I use mine for) or even a laptop/ PC
I can recommend the cable creations dock, but it's expensive and the hdmi not working on Pico annoys me- it's ONLY the Pico that has that problem though ( my steamdeck is doing 1440p 120hz by hdmi no problem)
2x usb a ports, another type C (can get a c to a adapter to give you total of 3 usb a ports.
Ethernet and decent power in.
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B09C5MXBLN
This is not an affiliate link, and it's expensive, but I've also had my fair share of shit docks, this is solid on my steamdeck and apart from hdmi out with the Pico 4, is extremely reliable.
I also use this 2mtr usb C extension, again not cheap but actually works - it's fairly heavy so support this with velcro tie to headstrap at side and the back of headstrap to help that.
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B08F2GQLDB
@@virtuallyreal Thanks for this info... might get those... so do I need another USB3.0 hub then to plug all the Fanatec gear into on simrig? Or could they be plugged into the USB3.0 ports on back of this hub? And then what is it - the cable you linked above plugs into that hub USB C PD input and other end into Pico 4 is it? And then the optional Ethernet back to main house Ethernet switch. So you say the Pico 4 is not outputting video to that hub HDMI? Maybe that uses power so they turn off HDMI output by default? Or could be this - "make sure your device supports DP 1.4 Alt Model" - never heard of ALT model - could be another standard not common. Don't think i'd be using that anyway, but would be handy if it could be got working (PICO if you read this - try and get it working!). No use for the USB-C DATA on hub then? Also shouldn't that 2m extension cable be male connectors on both ends - why is one end female? Pico is female and the hub input is female?
@@anone3842 probably easier to know what sim racing devices you have right now and how they would normally connect to PC and how many usb ports are required.
The female end of extension I plug into the dock and male end into the Pico, as it is easier having the remaining data, power and ethernet away from your head as the dock only has a short cable that would otherwise plug straight into Pico.
On the dock, you plug in your ethernet, plug in your PD charge power cable and plug in however many usb devices you need for sim rig stuff. The dock has 2 usb A data ports and a third usb C data port, which you could convert the type C to full size usb A again with a small adapter if required.
The hdmi out doesn't really matter unless you want to show off what you see in headset, you may be right about the DP alt mode, it crashes the Pico when attempting to use the hdmi on this dock, I'll send logs to Pico to see if it's fixable.
If you have a mix of different usb devices in the sim rig, you'll need the android licence for virtual here and to get every device linked up you will want to start the Pico, start virtual here and plug each device in seperate first so that they register, rather than connect everything upto the dock first and wonder why only one device is showing- took me a while to figure that one out but once all done, they can be connected together at the same time on the dock and virtual here will list them all connected on your PC.
@Virtually Real Yeah I was just confused about the male/female extension cable you listed above - thought it only worked for your small dock you use, not for the Apple dock you linked which would require a 2m cable with male/male ends instead of male/female ends.
But now I look again... I was getting confused about where the extension plugged into dock... it is connected to the end little cable... i thought it was plugging into one of the USB C inputs on dock!
What I have is some Fanatec gear:
Fanatec Clubsport V3 Pedals
Fanatec ClubSport Wheel Base V2.5
Fanatec ClubSport Shifter SQ V 1.5
Fanatec ClubSport Handbrake V1.5
Wheels
Fanatec Clubsport Formula V2.0 X Steering Wheel
Fanatec Clubsport BMW GT2 Racing Wheel
The used to normally plug the pedals and wheelbase seperately to PC as this makes them show up in fanatec software seperatly for driver updates etc... when pedals plugged into wheelbase they don't show up so no way to update firmware (stupid feature)
The shifter is plugged into wheelbase and handbrake is connected to pedals.
So only 2 USB connectors needed I think
@@anone3842 the dock I linked has a cable coming off it that is only short, this has male usb c end to it that would connect into your laptop/ pico headset.
to stop the dock having to be supported to the headstrap because of the short cable on it, I use the female end of that extension cable on the short wire coming from the dock, and then the male end of the extension to go into the pico headset- essentially making that short cable on the dock longer.
as you have the full fanatec setup, if you plug the pedals and handbrake into the wheelbase too, it will show as one device to your PC, so you will not need a virtual here licence key, saving a bit of money.
My internet plan is only 300mbps for download and 50mbps for upload...
Doesn't matter, it's all done over your local network, internet speed only matters if you want to do remote connections from different networks. Ie, connect to your pc at home from several miles away.
I sacrificed the graphics quality on my Pico 4 for better latency, to get about 30ms on average. Much higher than that, and I feel a bit sick. 🤢
Yep I'm only running godlike and maxed hvec as a stress test.
Ultra and 90mbps is more suitable for my 3080ti
Also the crazy latency was bad Pico update, common problem with 5.3.2 that if you enable power saving mode you lose 90hz and all funky stuff seems to happen with VD, factory reset of headset fixed it
@@virtuallyreal So, does that mean I'll get a better latency if I do a factory reset? 😀
@@FatNorthernBigot nooo, just those ridiculous spikes I was having was because of the funky broken update.
In game that latency is about right for me pushing VD to its max on a heavy game like dirt rally and recording in headset at same time.
Title is misleading, this is a showing of everything you have in your room not just about pico 4.
Without Pico 4 the idea using ethernet doesn't happen though?
Buy yourself a cheap rig, get a cheap one for 100£ or just get the lot bolted down
This works well enough for me at the moment, stand has diagonal box section bolted through uprights which helped most the wobble and I've welded a brace that goes between seat frame and stand and it's solid enough when connected together.
I'm actually trying to now save weight from it so it's a bit easier to chuck around🤣
Can you do it on a proper sim race game like AC... dirt is a toilet game, not a SIM racer.
Works on all.
DR was used as it has shifter, hydro and wheel all mapped to use together and FFB is more active than a smooth track so I'd feel any latency.