After watching Linus' latest videos about reducing the size of the tether for the Vive, I noticed that theoretically, a usb typ-c connector should be able to handle all of the duties of the necessary connectors. Type c isn't terribly pervasive at the moment, but it seems incredibly useful for this application and should make VR headsets much more practical. What do you guys think?
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That would help a lot.
In case the Vive (I declare Oculus DOA) needs more juice, you might be able to put the two wires into the same cord and split them out at the ends.
I think it would be a vast improvement if they could. But I don't know if they can use usb and display functionality at the same time with usb type c (never used it, as you can gather). Should also be able to carry audio out and mic input over it if the usb functionality can be used. One cable to the headset and ports out of it for audio/mic. Would be nice. Next step after that would be wireless. I've seen some wireless hdmi implementations, but batteries are a pain. Could use a system that hangs the cable(s) from a ceiling of sorts. Imagine bumper cars type of cage on top and dual axis sliding mechanisms attached to the cable. That wouldn't be terribly practical, I'm sure, but it would be nice.
Having thunderbolt over type-c carry power, video AND sound is totally possible, however, there could be two potential limitations.
The first and main limitation would be the length of the cable. To keep it "short" ( ;) ), the longer the cable, the less "data" it will be able to carry. You can search up why that is. Anyway, what you'd basically have is either a really short cable, or you just wouldn't be able to send very much data over a longer cable.
(Reference: https://blog.startech.com/post/thunderbolt-3-the-basics/ )
Another limitation would be the amount of current (amperage) that you'd be able to send through the cable. The wires inside a Thunderbolt 3 cable (Type C) are very thin, and wouldn't be able to handle very much current because of resistance. If too much current is sent through the wires, they'll heat up and possibly melt. Also, the longer the cable is, the thicker the wires will need to be, because of resistance. Shorter cables can handle higher currents compared to longer cables. This can be solved by raising the voltage, and lowering the current, and then using a "buck" converter built into the headset.
(Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_wire_gauge )
Although Linus did show it's possible to carry every signal via Thunderbolt 3, those two limitations above may have a much greater effect when using a single cable connecting the headset to the PC. Anyway, i'm just thinking of ways this potentially couldn't work, without anything to completely back me up. Take this with a grain of salt, but you may want to read my references and search up some more to understand why I think those limitations are present.