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VR on laptops (share your experience!)

Anonymous
Not applicable
Hey there,
Laptop owner here. It is well known that laptops and VR are not always a perfect match. Most of the time, people will recommend a desktop PC over a laptop if it's for VR.
But not everyone likes that answer. Some people hate it. Some people need a laptop comfort and portability.
So for those people, I suggest that we share our experience with laptops and VR, say which models work well with VR and which don't work at all.
I believe it will be useful for anyone looking for information about VR on laptop. So many of us went through that typical scenario: we get the laptop, we get the headset, and we realize that they are not perfectly compatible (or not at all, in some case).
I made this thread in hope that it will prevent this scenario from happening ever again (over-the-top mode, activated).
Seriously though, I believe it can be really helpful for people who decided to buy a gaming laptop and want to use VR with it. It can also convince people to give it a try ("hey, they say this model works and it is relatively cheap today, I should try it out!").

I'll start : 
- My laptop is a HP Omen 15, Intel i5-7300HQ + GTX 1050 (2GB VRAM).
- Works fine most of the time. Oculus Home 2 used to be smooth, it had 2 green dots and a yellow one (that is, before update 1.27 xD).
- Games run smoothly on low settings. Most of the time, even with medium settings it is smooth, but thanks to ASW. When I get performance issues, it comes from the low VRAM (that is, if they are not due to an Oculus update 🙂 ). Stutters happen in Robo Recall (although I am pretty sure it also comes from the game itself: I suspect it is not well optimized), Elite:Dangerous (only when I get in the big colonies), Oculus Medium after some time, and Echo:Arena since the Lobby update (before it became Echo VR).
- Games that don't need a high VRAM work pretty well. I can play SkyrimVR on low settings, without lowering the resolution (in SteamVR), and with no problem at all (well, not with high-quality texture mods of course). Assetto Corsa works damn well with average settings (which are already stunning), so do City Car Driving with normal traffic, Arkham VR, Tilt Brush, Onward (now that it's been optimized xD).
- Sadly, that hardware configuration doesn't allow the "application displays" that Oculus Desktop offers (you know : that thing when we "tear out" the window from our desktop). Aside from that, Oculus Desktop works well (I can even use it in some VR apps ; stutters happen while opening Oculus Desktop, but it quickly becomes smooth when using it).
If you want that laptop, better find the 4GB VRAM version, you will be sure to get no stutters in most games. Really, most of the time, neither the CPU nor the GPU runs at 100% (it's usually between 85 and 95, but almost never over it), it is the VRAM that brings performance down.

Okay, now I'll be glad to hear from anyone! What problems did you encounter while using VR on laptop? Were you able to solve it, and how? Would you recommend your model?

PS: Just to be clear, this thread is not about the official "VR-Ready" or "Oculus-Ready" notations. This is not about official statements, but about real experience. This will be more helpful for people to choose what laptop they buy (if they decided that desktop PC is a no-go).
Hopefully it will help anyone!
9 REPLIES 9

Anonymous
Not applicable
Given a recent topic where a potential new VR-user says they'll be using a laptop, more feedback would be appreciated! Anyone else wants to share their experience with VR and laptop?

Anonymous
Not applicable
this is what im using in uk.im new to vr ,everything seems ok but I do get the odd sensor warning where it says poor tracking,its always same sensor

Medion Erazer X7851 Gaming Laptop



  • Intel Core i7-7700HQ Quad Core Processor

  • 17.3" Full HD IPS Screen

  • Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64-bit

  • 16GB DDR4 RAM

  • 256GB SSD

  • 1000GB HDD

  • Dedicated Geforce GTX 1060 6GB Graphics

  • Nvidia G-Sync & VR Ready

  • Backlit Keyboard

  • USB3 | HDMI | Bluetooth


Techy111
MVP
MVP
My wife has an Alienware 15 with an I7 and a 1060. Zero issues on that but it was bloody expensive !!!
A PC with lots of gadgets inside and a thing to see in 3D that you put on your head.

sford52
Heroic Explorer
I just (last night) set up my new Oculus rift on an Ausu ROG Strix GL702VS-AH73
It is really hot!  No really, it runs up to 73 degrees Cent, sitting on a four fan cooler.
But it does run, it doesnt crash. I've "played" for about 45 minutes straight.
I'm simply too new to this to be of much use at the moment, but will post more as I learn more.
Set up is not trivial, and there is a steep learning curve just to get to the end of "First Contact"
But it is worth it, and the laptop is performing well.
ASUS ROG Strix GL702VS-AH73 17.3" Laptop.  I7-7700HQ, GTX1070, 12 GB DDR4 RAM, 500 EVO 970 GB SSD, VS 2017, Oculus rift, Windows 10 home

TomCgcmfc
MVP
MVP

Techy111 said:

My wife has an Alienware 15 with an I7 and a 1060. Zero issues on that but it was bloody expensive !!!


Ya, I got an AW17r4 with same specs and it works great with my Rift.  I only need to lower settings a bit on flight sims like X-plane 11.  And ya, way too expense, lol!
i9 13900K water cooled, RTX4090, Z790 MB w/wifi6e, 32Gb 6400 ram, 2x2TB SSD, 1000W PSU, Win 11, QPro, Q3, w/Link and Air Link, Vive Pro1 with Etsy lens mod and Index Controllers

Scott_Sharra
Protege
Picked up a GT83VRSLI023 specifically for VR.  I wanted a laptop since it just made more sense given the gym environment I would be setting up as the VR playspace.

Pretty good featured laptop:
  • Intel® Core™ i7-6820HK
  • 2.7 - 3.6GHz w/ Turbo Boost
  • Dual GeForce® GTX1070 [SLI]
  • 16G GDDR5 (8GB each)
  • 64GB (16GB x4) DDR4 2400MHz
So far, i dig the set-up.  Way more play space than had I upgraded my (comparatively under powered) desktop and been forced to play in the office.  Honestly, I haven't played a game where I've been forced to choose less than optimum graphics settings yet.  Though, I'm sure if I spent too much time tweaking super sampling like some of you, I'd find the limits of this system.  Shame the SLI isn't fully taken advantage of...  I didn't realize that tech was a useless luxury at the time of purchase.

Anyway, definitely count me as a +1 in the "recommend laptop for VR" camp.

Scott

tonny_hu_549
Honored Guest
This is what I using in China.



  • Intel Core i7-7700HQ Quad Core Processor
  • 17.3" Full HD IPS Screen
  • Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64-bit
  • 16GB DDR4 RAM
  • 256GB SSD
  • 1000GB HDD
  • Dedicated Geforce GTX 1060 6GB Graphics
  • Nvidia G-Sync & VR Ready
  • Backlit Keyboard
  • USB3 | HDMI | Bluetooth
Sometimes I was thinking how about add a VR device with vibration function.

sford52
Heroic Explorer


Picked up a GT83VRSLI023 specifically for VR.  I wanted a laptop since it just made more sense given the gym environment I would be setting up as the VR playspace.

Pretty good featured laptop:
  • Intel® Core™ i7-6820HK
  • 2.7 - 3.6GHz w/ Turbo Boost
  • Dual GeForce® GTX1070 [SLI]
  • 16G GDDR5 (8GB each)
  • 64GB (16GB x4) DDR4 2400MHz
So far, i dig the set-up.  Way more play space than had I upgraded my (comparatively under powered) desktop and been forced to play in the office.  Honestly, I haven't played a game where I've been forced to choose less than optimum graphics settings yet.  Though, I'm sure if I spent too much time tweaking super sampling like some of you, I'd find the limits of this system.  Shame the SLI isn't fully taken advantage of...  I didn't realize that tech was a useless luxury at the time of purchase.

Anyway, definitely count me as a +1 in the "recommend laptop for VR" camp.

Scott


WOW, that is a really nice device.  I am slobbering with envy!   How is it for heat dissipation?  Do the dual 1070's help by sharing the load and cutting heat, or do they multiply it?     Also, have you OC'd he 6820K yet? My desktop has spent it's life at 66% OC, but it's well pasted and cooled;    the laptop, not at all. 

After just a few hours of play, I too am  in the "recommend laptop for VR" camp.
ASUS ROG Strix GL702VS-AH73 17.3" Laptop.  I7-7700HQ, GTX1070, 12 GB DDR4 RAM, 500 EVO 970 GB SSD, VS 2017, Oculus rift, Windows 10 home

RattyUK
Trustee
My laptop is fine with VR (and a usb C adaptor) but is getting a bit old (in marketing terms) as it is only a 6820HK  / 1070 setup.

It was quite expensive when it came out, but if you see one in the bargain bucket consider it, be warned it is quite thin, so very noisy fans...

Spec in sig... 🙂
PC info: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X - Sapphire 7900XTX - 32GB DDR4 4000 - 3 NVMe + 3SATA SSD - Quest 2 & 3