The current Turing generation of graphics cards from Nvidia offers a so-called Virtual Link, which is designed as a commercially available USB-C socket and should support future VR headsets via a single cable. Another part of the necessary free Linux drivers is now included in the USB branch of kernel developer Greg Kroah-Hartman. The driver should therefore appear with the upcoming version 5.2 of the Linux kernel. Previously, Nvidia had already used firmware and a driver for the USB-C controller.
The now available different contributions to support the technology are mainly used to implement the Virtual Link as Alternate Mode for USB-C. As can be seen from the patches, the Virtual Link is not officially standardized by USB Implementers Forum, so the manufacturer has to use its own ID for this mode.
In addition, the Virtual Link extends the Displayport Alternate Mode to use the USB 2 pins, which is not actually provided in the Alternate Mode. This is probably why Nvidia has to rely on its own manufacturer ID for the technology. Since the communication to Displayport is not different, the individual devices need no driver of their own, as stated in the patch. Nvidia instead relies on a review of the devices on the feature.
In addition, an Intel developer was involved in the implementation, which is responsible for the Displayport Alternate Mode in the kernel. These patches prepare for the use of Alternate Mode via UCSI. It is a special interface (PDF) used to control the controller responsible for USB-C.
Source: https://www.golem.de/news/vr-nvidia-erstellt-freien-virtual-link-treiber-fuer-linux-1904-140930.html
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