VirtualLink

VirtualLink is proposed USB-C alternate mode that allows the power, video, and data required to power virtual reality headsets to be delivered over a single USB-C cable and connector instead of set of three different cables as it was in older headsets.[1][2] The standard is supported by Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices, Oculus VR, Valve Corporation, and Microsoft.[3] VirtualLink 1.0 may be standardized in 2018.

In VirtualLink mode there are six high-speed lanes active in USB-C connector and cable: 4 lanes are used to transmit four DisplayPort HBR 3 video streams from PC to headset, and two lanes are used to implement bidirectional USB 3.1 Gen 2 channel between PC and headset. Unlike classic DisplayPort alternate mode of USB-C, VirtualLink have no USB 2.0 channels active and provide higher speed USB 3.1 Gen 2 over the same A6, A7, B7, B6 pins. VirtualLink also requires PC to provide from 15 up to 27 Watts of power.[3][4]

Six high-speed lane usage of USB-C requires special cables conforming to the 1.3 version of USB Type-C standard and additionally using shielded differential pairs for both USB 2.0 pairs.[3][5]

Available bandwidth is preliminary estimated as DisplayPort 1.4 equivalent (32.4 Gbps, up to 4K @ 120 Hz with 8bpc color) for video and 10Gbps of USB 3.1 Gen 2 data.[3]

Nvidia GeForce 20 series cards, released in 2018, will implement single VirtualLink port in RTX cards (2070, 2080, 2080Ti).[6] It is also available on Quadro RTX cards.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "The next generation of VR headsets will connect over a single USB-C cable". The Verge.
  2. ↑ "VirtualLink: Everything USB Type-C Is Supposed To Be". Forbes. 2018-08-17.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Smith, Ryan (July 17, 2018). "VirtualLink USB-C Alt Mode Announced: Standardized Connector for VR Headsets". AnandTech. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
  4. ↑ "Virtual reality giants unveil VirtualLink as a standardized cable that may simplify VR rigs". PCWorld.
  5. ↑ "VirtualLink Removes Tangles from VR Goggles". EEJournal. 7 August 2018.
  6. ↑ Lang, Ben (20 August 2018). "GeForce RTX Cards Announced with VirtualLink VR Connector". Road to VR.
  7. ↑ "NVIDIA Unveils Quadro RTX, World's First Ray-Tracing GPU". NVIDIA.
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