Virtual Desktop just added a new sharpening feature based on AMD’s Contrast Adaptive Sharpening.
That’s not to say you need an AMD graphics card to use it. CAS is part of AMD’s FidelityFX SDK, which works on any hardware. In Virtual Desktop it’s actually implemented on the standalone headset – it works on Quest 1 and Quest 2.
Since just after the first Oculus Quest launched in 2019, without official PC support, Guy Godin’s app Virtual Desktop has offered wireless PC VR streamed over your home WiFi network. Facebook initially rejected this – meaning users had to apply a patch from SideQuest – but eventually relented and recently launched a similar feature called Air Link.
The new Sharpening feature applies itself only to blurry areas, skipping already sharp areas to avoid over-sharpening artifacts. Godin claims this improves image quality of VR games considerably and combats some of the effects of video compression (WiFi doesn’t have sufficient bandwidth to send uncompressed frames).
Sharpening is available as a setting from 0% to 100%. Godin recommends setting it to 75%, but says some users prefer less.
