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Which XMG laptops are compatible with VR headsets?

Complete overview over compatible models

A complete overview of which XMG laptops are compatible with which VR headsets (both in terms of ports and GPU power) can be found here:

This table is always kept up to date and can be used directly to make purchasing decisions. The following sections explain additional background as to why some laptop models are compatible and some are not.

Segmentation

VR headsets can be roughly divided into two categories:

  • Wireless headsets, which can be connected to the PC via radio
  • Wired headsets with HDMI or DisplayPort cables

Wireless headsets

A good example for a wireless headset is the Oculus Quest 2, which can be connected to a PC or laptop via Air Link using a WLAN router in the 5GHz spectrum. We can confirm that this connection works with all XMG laptops - regardless of whether they use a hybrid graphics solution or not.

The HTC Vive Wireless Adapter, on the other hand, does not work on laptops because it requires a full-sized PCI Express slot of a desktop PC. An external PCIe connection via Thunderbolt is not possible with this solution (presumably for latency reasons).

Wired headsets

Wired headsets require HDMI or DisplayPort outputs which are directly connected to the dedicated graphics card. This also includes adapter solutions like TPCAST, which take an HDMI or DisplayPort signal and forward it over the air.

Such headsets are compatible with all XMG laptops with four exceptions. First of all:

In these three models, the HDMI/DisplayPort outputs are connected to the Intel graphics unit, which in turn is connected to the dedicated graphics via NVIDIA Optimus (MSHybrid).

In this model, HDMI is connected to the dedicated graphics card, but the DisplayPort via USB-C (Thunderbolt 4) comes from the integrated graphics, following NVIDIA Optimus.

This hybrid graphics technology works smoothly for gaming on external monitors and all sorts of professional applications. But it does not work for VR headsets. Rather than simply identifying themselves as external monitors to the operating system, VR headsets require a tighter, direct connection to the dedicated graphics card.

Other XMG series - i.e. XMG CORE 15 and CORE 17, FUSION 15, APEX, PRO, and ULTRA - are not affected by this restriction - they have both HDMI and DisplayPort wires directly to the dedicated GPU.

For XMG NEO series please note:

  • Models up to and including 2021 (Ryzen 5000 and Intel Core 11th Gen): HDMI and DisplayPort on dedicated graphics.
  • XMG NEO 15 E22 (Early 2022, with Intel Core 12th Gen): DisplayPort on integrated graphics (exception).
  • XMG NEO 15 M22 and NEO 17 M22 (Mid 2022, with AMD Ryzen 6000): HDMI andDisplayPort on dedicated graphics (again).

Background information on why exactly the layout change regarding DisplayPort in XMG NEO 15 (E22) was neccessry can be found in this thread: [Launch] XMG NEO 15 (Early 2022) with Intel Core 12th Gen and up to RTX 3080 Ti

DisplayPort via USB-C vs. dedicated Mini DisplayPort

Nevertheless, there is also a significant difference between the aforementioned VR-capable series:

  • XMG CORE, NEO (up until 2021) and FUSION 15 output DisplayPort only via USB-C and Thunderbolt.
  • XMG APEX, PRO and ULTRA still have a classic Mini DisplayPort output in addition to the USB-C port.

This does not matter for first-generation VR headsets (such as the first HTC Vive), because these headsets still used HDMI to connect to the PC. Newer headsets (such as the HP Reverb G2), on the other hand, use the slightly more powerful DisplayPort standard. There are passive adapters that can losslessly pass the DisplayPort signal from USB-C to the DisplayPort connectors of the VR headset. The most powerful adapter of this kind according to our research is linked here. With this adapter, we and our customers have been able to get almost every single VR headset to work on XMG CORE, NEO (up until 2021) and FUSION thus far.

Almost every single VR headset?

One currently known exception is the HP Reverb G1 (predecessor of the G2). This 2019 VR headset does not seem to work with USB-C/DisplayPort adapters because it requires a 3.3V power source via DisplayPort. This rather outdated 3.3V signal (pin 20 on DisplayPort) is not implemented with USB-C. USB-C is designed for 5V, but the G1 wants 3.3V - no more, no less.

Virtually all other wired VR headsets we know of draw their power from their own power supply or from a 5V source via a secondary USB-C or USB-A cable. However, the Reverb G1 went a bit of a special route at the time (2019) and is thus not compatible with XMG CORE, NEO and FUSION according to current knowledge. It is relatively unlikely that future headsets will go this 3.3V special route again - after all, running VR headsets on gaming laptops is becoming more and more common and is therefore also taken into account during the design stage of new headsets. Still, this is a good example that there are still some good reasons to want a dedicated Mini-DisplayPort for a VR laptop - better safe than sorry.

Mini DisplayPort is alive!

Even if your desired VR headset can easily be adapted to USB-C/DP, it is worth taking a look at XMG APEX, PRO and ULTRA. Their Mini DisplayPort port is at least as powerful as the USB-C or Thunderbolt port in the other three series, but you will save yourself another adapter and thus a potential source of interference for future headsets or other borderline situations.

You still need an adapter from Full Size DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort, but it is currently included in almost every VR headset, and this adaptation is also much less complex than USB-C. Mini-DP and Full Size DP are 100% pin-to-pin compatible, while USB-C has to jump through a whole series of hoops before it arrives in the headset.

In the first half of 2022, the VR flagship crown in XMG laptops will move to XMG PRO series (Early 2022) which is planned with Intel Core 12th Gen and RTX 3080 Ti (Max-P) and will continue to include a dedicated Mini DisplayPort, connected to the dedicated graphics card. In addition to the Mini DisplayPort, a second USB-C port with DisplayPort will be available, which is also connected to the dedicated graphics. XMG PRO (E22) will thus offer three different DisplayPort connections at the same time: 2x from the dGPU, once (via Thunderbolt 4) from the iGPU.