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Analogix
2019/07/03
Analogix Introduces Its VirtualLink™ Reference Design for High-Performance Gaming Notebooks
The Analogix VirtualLink RD brings VR support to gaming laptops that will connect to future VR HMDs with a single cable
Analogix Semiconductor, Inc. announced the availability of its 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 Analogix VirtualLink reference 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 3.0.
“Connecting and powering a tethered VR headset environment today involves multiple cables; the goal is to leverage a single connector solution that simplifies set-up and maintains high-performance,” said Michael Ching, vice president of marketing for Analogix. “The Analogix VirtualLink RD brings VirtualLink and VR support to gaming laptops of any size with a single USB-C port.”
All system components are in full production and the reference design will be available for purchase from Analogix by July 2019.
