I have seen a lot of people argue you must use a 45W output power bank, probably because it’s the charger output Valve recommends for continuous play.

I have yet to pass 30W during play (admittedly I play with 100℅ brightness, not 120%). It will charge at a miserably slow rate, but if I start a session at full battery, I also end the session with a full battery.

If you own a 30W power bank already, it is not some strict requirement to upgrade it for the frame, just make sure to use the right output port.

  • MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz
    10·
    1 day ago

    Same experience.

    I did get a 65W bank, but only because it’d be useful for charging my laptop and Deck as well as the Frame. By my math, even 20W should be sufficient to keep playing, if not charge the Frame.

    There is a caveat though, PD voltage profiles mean that any two devices may not transfer the maximum theoretically possible wattage between them, depending on how their modes line up.

    For example, a PB that is rated to do 30W, may not achieve that on the Frame, if it lacks a 15V mode. (Which is what the Frame and Deck seem to prefer.) You also need a suitable cable to use some of the modes at higher amperages.

      • ferret@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        1·
        18 hours ago

        There is a standard. A power source only needs to provide sufficient voltage to reach it’s rated power, given the maximum current of 3A on a non-eMarked cable, given voltage steps of 5V, 9V, 15V, 20V. Offering higher voltages than is neccesary is optional. This means that only adapters greater in power than 27W are required to support 15V, and only adapters greater in power than 45W are required to support 20V.

        IMO, this is not unresonable. Would you prefer manufacturers be forbidden from offering voltage profiles higher than is necessary for their power rating?

        (This is not neccesarily true for powers above 60W, and ignores PPS, EPR, and AVS. Above 60W you need eMarked cables and it gets a bit more complicated)

    • Arkthos@pawb.socialOP
      3·
      1 day ago

      Fair point, I’m not really sure on the exact power profiles the Frame supports tbh. I’ll take a look a bit later.

      I have exceeded 20W during standalone play, and right now my game of choice is the vr mod for half life 2, which works fine in standalone.

      Even with a 20W supply and 5W from the onboard battery you will extend the lifetime by a lot.

      • nous@programming.devEnglish
        3·
        24 hours ago

        Even if you exceed 20W it doesn’t matter. The only real thing that matters is the average draw and the total duration of a session. If you spend most of the time drawing 10W and peek at 50W for a minute then you can run off a 20W powersupply forever.

        But a faster power supply does offer you more benefits. You can play unplugged until the battery is low, plug it in and continue. It will charge sooner letting you unplug it again sooner. If the wires bother you then that can be a big advantage.

        • Arkthos@pawb.socialOP
          2·
          20 hours ago

          It almost feels like the game is native vr. The only awkward thing is that you need to use a controller button for opening doors and such.

          Whether you should play depends on your vr legs. Alyx is definitely a more beginner friendly experience, while half life 2 vr is way more fast paced.