MyOpinion

Meta Quest 3S isn't a hit with PC VR enthusiasts

https://lemm.ee/post/51552899

Meta Quest 3S isn't a hit with PC VR enthusiasts - lemm.ee

Valve has released the SteamVR statistics for December 2024, and surprisingly Meta Quest 3 and 3S have seen even less growth than last month. Quest 3S has at least improved from 11th to 9th place, but in reality it should be further ahead. We know that Quest 3S headsets used on a PC via Quest Link and Virtual Desktop are registered as Quest 3 by Valve’s survey, and only those used via Steam Link are actually registered as Quest 3S. The Quest 3’s percentage therefore includes an unknown proportion of Quest 3S, and it would make more sense to count Quest 3 and Quest 3S together. The combined shares amount to 22.1 percent. Before the launch of Quest 3S, the Quest 3 percentage was 17.26 percent. Overall, the growth of Quest 3S is below expectations. Both Quest 2 and Quest 3 grew faster after their launch, but we’ll have to see what happens in the following months. Although PC VR enthusiasts are likely to have primarily opted for the more expensive Quest 3, the fact that the Quest 2’s percentage has barely shrunk and still stands at 34 percent shows that many users haven’t switched yet to a newer Quest headset, even after the launch of the more affordable Quest 3S.

Jan 3, 2025 at 9:41amWeb
Show threadno bananaJan 3, 2025
That isn’t too surprising, is it?
Show thread🇰 🌀 🇱 🇦 🇳 🇦 🇰 🇮 🏆Jan 3, 2025
I don’t find it surprising at all that Quest 2 users aren’t opting to “upgrade” to the 3S. It’s barely an upgrade.
Show threadPrunebuttJan 3, 2025
Especially since the AR gimmick doesn’t really work with PCVR and the black and white passthrough is good enough.
Show threadDoucheBagMcSwagJan 3, 2025
It’s because the resolution and lenses are exactly the same. The new changes only affect the standalone experience
Show threadsquid_slimeJan 3, 2025
Won’t touch my quest 2 until we see wired tethered support on Linux there is no way I’m connecting the internet with that spyware junk.
Show threadPrunebuttJan 3, 2025

You can block internet access via adguard home (DNS blocking), or via your router. Unfortunately, to sideload apps (like ALVR), you need to activate dev mode which needs registration and therefore internet access.

But ALVR works really great with the quest 2 (unless you run NixOS and a Nvidia GPU) 😭

Show threadStampelaJan 3, 2025
Yeah, Nvidia and Linux drivers are a bad combo. I’ve been pretty much using GeForce since the first one, because notoriously the ATI/AMD drivers were not great. Then I switched to Linux and surprise! Sometimes when they update they’re so bad the entire OS stutters. Needless to say, I have an AMD one now… (and can vouch for ALVR! Not as polished as Virtual Desktop, but works great)
Show threadPrunebuttJan 3, 2025
It works on arch, though. The NixOS build has some weird hiccup they couldn’t resolve yet.
Show threadyonderJan 3, 2025
I personally find Wivrn to be much easier to use than ALVR. lvra.gitlab.io is a great place for Linux VR info.
Show threadEpsilionJan 3, 2025

In my brief testing, I found this to be the case as well. ALVR was constantly having a bad time (stutter, frame drops, audio drops), and the lack of reprojection in SteamVR was miserable.

WiVRn (through Envision) was a bit jank, but worked much better.

Show threadStampelaJan 3, 2025
Looking into it. I’m happy with ALVR, but I didn’t see any reason not to check out alternatives :)
Show threadJaddedFauceetJan 3, 2025

thanks! I have been looking for a way to do vr remote desktop on linux

found WlxOverlay-S in the link you shared

btw, your link is still broken

lvra.gitlab.io

Home

Welcome to the LVRA Wiki# This is a collection of links, useful resources and guides for the amazing world of VR on Linux. Feel free to contribute to this wiki yourself if you find anything useful that you might want to share with others. Your VR setup all depends on what hardware you have installed/available. Start by reading the hardware page. Keep these things in mind: Generally, for wireless/Android/standalone headsets, you’ll want to use WiVRn. Visit the WiVRn page for installation instructions. Generally, for wired headsets like Index/Vive/WMR/Oculus/Rift, you’ll want to use Envision to build and run the latest Monado. Monado or WiVRn are replacements for SteamVR. Once set up (and complemented with xrizer) you won’t need to launch SteamVR anymore. Install WiVRn directly if you can; it’s a lot easier than building it with Envision, which is only necessary if you need a custom branch (e.g. for SlimeVR support). Community# Join our community of thousands of Linux VR adventurers!

Linux VR Adventures Wiki
Show threadyonderJan 4, 2025
Thanks, link fixed. Glad to hear you found something useful. I find that the website I shared does not show up in search results very well, so I mention it when it’s relevant since t’s an amazing resource.
Show threadbrsrklfJan 3, 2025

PCVR user with Quest 3 here, tethered Oculus Link + Steam VR works but it’s confusing as hell.

You have to start / stop them in order every time, with different menu controls, for the whole clusterfuck not to crash completely.

Also Steam and Meta will fight all the time for the right to run openXR apps, both telling you they may not work correctly if they can’t. In my experience, Steam is smart enough to work even if it’s not default, while Meta’s shit is not (surprise), so congratulations, Meta, you win thanks to your incompetence.

Show threadSporkbomberJan 3, 2025

Fellow Q3 user, I just use steam link on the quest itself. It runs better than Meta’s implementation and I can go full wireless.

I’ve also got a cheap 5ghz AP connected to my computer to serve the quest. Performance is great. Boot up the quest, connect to AP, launch steam link. It very rarely goes wrong. I do 99% of my quest use in steam link.

Show threadolicvbJan 3, 2025
Seconding on the Steam Link; been using it for my Q2 and it’s great not having to deal with Meta’s garbage PC client
Show threadbrsrklfJan 3, 2025

I do this when I go wireless, but for some stuff I prefer wired.

My ISP-provided router is only Wi-Fi 5, and though it works for some stuff, I get small hiccups, which is not acceptable for say, Beat Saber. I got these even when I dedicate the 5Gz band for the headset and nothing else.

Maybe a Wi-Fi 6 router would be enough, not sure. 6e is still rather expensive though.

Show threadSporkbomberJan 8, 2025

I use a little dedicated wifi 6 AP that I picked up for maybe $40. It’s a travel router so it’s tiny and powered by USB.

It doesn’t need to be a big buck nasty router when I only use it for one device and hard wire it to my host PC.

There are still hiccups, but I can go hours between hiccups in a good session.

Show threadISoloxJan 3, 2025
Isn’t it basically the same as the Quest 2 if you’re only using it for PCVR? It’s like upgrading from a 1080p monitor to another 1080p monitor.
Show threadMyOpinionJan 3, 2025
It is exactly the same for pcvr as the quest 2 except you can use the av1 codec if you have the right video cards that support it.
Show threadyonderJan 3, 2025
Minus a headphone jack as well.
Show threadHootinNHollerinJan 3, 2025
Why would anyone buy a Meta product?
Show threadyonderJan 3, 2025
They are easily availible from physical stores and are cheaply priced and don’t need a PC.
Show threadHootinNHollerinJan 3, 2025
You seem to misunderstand what the product is
Show threadyonderJan 3, 2025
Could it prehaps be, my attention? Especially given Meta is an advertising company.