Analogix has produced a VirtualLink Reference Design which enables VirtualLink directly on the motherboard of high-performance gaming notebooks, allowing them to support virtual reality (VR)

over the USB-C connector.Analogix has produced a VirtualLink Reference Design which enables VirtualLink directly on the motherboard of high-performance gaming notebooks, allowing them to support virtual reality (VR) over the USB-C connector.

External accessories can also leverage the reference design to interface legacy graphics processing units (GPUs) to future VirtualLink-enabled VR head-mounted displays.

Introduced by a consortium led by NVIDIA, Oculus, Valve, AMD, and Microsoft, the VirtualLink Alternate Mode of USB Type-C was designed to deliver the power, display, and data required to power VR headsets through a single USB Type-C connector, eliminating the need for multiple cables.

It expands on the USB Type-C connector’s capabilities to deliver high-definition video at high frame rates, high-speed 10Gpbs USB-C data for camera and sensor communication back to the VR source, and up to 27W power delivery to the VR headset.

The  design system consists of:

Input: 4-lane DisplayPort 1.4 and 1-lane USB 3.2 Gen2;
Output: USB-C with power delivery (PD) and support for DisplayPort™ Alt Mode and VirtualLink Alternate Mode;
ANX7440 – USB-C Mux with active re-timer solution, fully compliant to USB 3.2 and DisplayPort 1.4 specifications, with insertion loss compensation to recover up to 23dB channel loss for USB 3.2 Gen 2 10 Gbps, and up to 27dB for DisplayPort 8.1G;
ANX7428 – fast center switch capable of switching between USB 2.0 and USB 3.2 signals with excellent crosstalk performance at 10G for DisplayPort Alt Mode and VirtualLink applications;
ANX7430 – USB 3.2 Gen2 active re-timer for dedicated high-speed USB data path;
ANX7411 – USB-C port controller with USB PD 3.connecting VR ocer USB-C

All system components are in full production and the reference design will be available for purchase from Analogix by July 2019.