Spark Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Hi everyone, My local electronics supplier shop is selling HTC Vive without Link Box. LinkBox is sold separately as an accessory and they price is very high (about 160 euros for LinkBox). The local supplier is selling a power adaptor for HTC Vive Headset - guess to power it up without LinkBox. My question is : Can I use HTC Vive without the LinkBox and experience the same VR immersion/feeling as I would with LinkBox? Thanks guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockjaw Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 You can, although we don't recommend it. Having no LinkBox would not affect the experience you'll have in the headset, performance wise. Without it, you'd have to connect directly to your PC, and clearly, have all the ports necessary to do so. I assume this is a used Vive being sold? Because we definitely include a LinkBox with the Vive. :) , any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spark Posted October 2, 2017 Author Share Posted October 2, 2017 Hi Rockjaw, thanks for answer. Good to hear I can have same experience without LinkBox. The HTC Vive is new, and the price is same as found on www.vive.com , but this supplier ( a major Czech electronics online shop www.alza.cz ) doesn't include the LinkBox. Instead they sell it separate for a price around 170 Euros (corrected price since my previous post) - around 5 times more than normal price! If I would want the LinkBox too, I guess I have to order it from somewhere else. Thanks again!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HackPerception Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Hi , Thanks for bringing this to our attention. It's troubling that someone would see the kit without a linkbox. The linkbox is primarily an active extender that helps prevent wear and tear on your graphics card's port. The USB and HDMI can simply be plugged directly into your PC, however, you also need a way to connect the power supply. If you don't already have the HMD power supply, that may be very problematic as high quality 3rd party DC adapters that won't damage your equipment are notoriously hard to find. If they did provide a Vive power supply for the HMD, it would be male which is a problem as the HMD's lead are also male and would require a converter (3.5mm x 1.35mm male -> female) but these are also not common. Overall, this is a very problematic situation and is one reason why Vive only sells complete kits. Is it possible to return to the website and buy a kit from an approved vendor or directly through us (www.vive.com)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spark Posted October 3, 2017 Author Share Posted October 3, 2017 Hi. Thanks for your reply! I will take your advice and buy the kit from Vive.com, avoiding unnecessary costs! Many thanks for support again. Cheers, Spark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockjaw Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Hey , thanks for bringing this to our attention. I'm going to make sure our European office knows about this. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgmotz Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 Hey there. My experience with the Linkbox has been horrible. Long story short, you don't need it. I just keep getting error 108 when using it which ultimately means it's not allowing the computer to communicate with the headset for whatever reason. Read the link below if you want to know what your experience might be with a linkbox. You might decide to stay away from it altogether. https://www.reddit.com/r/Vive/comments/4jatu8/hmd_red_light_error_108_usb_problem_fixed/ Important part, "And then, I tried one last thing. I unplugged the HDMI and USB from the Linkbox, and keeping the power running through that to the HMD, I plugged the two cables directly into the computer." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HackPerception Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 , The link box does reduce wear and tear on the GPU's ports and adds a buffer that prevents the cables from being yanked out of the GPU. It also acts as a signal booster. That said, it can indeed be bypassed (or at least the HMDI and the USB can be bypassed) and in some configurations it can introduce incompatiblity issues. That said, it still poses the easiest method of passing power from the supply into the HMD. I always prefer to use a linkbox whenever possible but bypassing it is also always my first step when troubleshooting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgmotz Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 I wish I could use both of my linkboxes. Is anyone willing to troubleshoot or at least take a look using a remote connection and my hands&eyes to fix this? I'm already setup on Teamviewer and work from home Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Just got another issue now after changing the head straps, everything checks out fine, mirror display shows Vive headset is working but there is no image displayed through the lenses. :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HackPerception Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 , I can probably hop on a service to try and lend you and hand. Send me a PM with your email address and we'll go from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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