When Will the Index Controllers Be Available Again

The VR market has been on a rollercoaster ride in the last few years.

With the release of the Oculus Quest 2, HP Reverb G2, and Pimax 8K, we have seen some large shifts in the industry.

Now information technology's time to accept a look at the Valve Index in this new light.

• Valve Index Comfort: 9 out of 10
  • Impeccable Build Quality and Design
  • Total Adjustability
  • Modability and Extensibility
• Valve Index Visuals: 7 out of 10
  • Display
  • Lenses
  • Field Of View
• Valve Alphabetize Controllers: eight out of 10
  • Valve Index Controllers Are Extremely Accurate
  • Valve Index Controllers Support The Widest Range of Interactions
  • Valve Alphabetize Controllers' Comfort Is Off Charts
• Valve Index Tracking: 10 out of 10
• How to Setup Total Body Tracking with Valve Alphabetize
• Valve Index Sound: nine.5 out of x
• Valve Alphabetize Accessories: A Dainty-to-Have Listing
• Valve Index Setup Instructions
• Volition At that place Be Valve Index Wireless Mode?
• What Do We Know About Valve Index two?
• Who is Valve Index for, and Should You Get Ane?

It'south been almost ii years since the release of the headset in July 2019.

The headset is all the same priced at $999, and the question that many people are asking these days is, "Does the Valve Alphabetize still offering enough comparable value to command this price ?"

The answer is yep. We took a deep look into how it compares to the alternatives today and information technology'due south pretty clear that fifty-fifty today, Valve Index notwithstanding offers the best VR feel on the market place -- if you lot're willing to pay for it

Permit'due south take a closer look now and see how the Valve Alphabetize compares to the modern solutions and why you lot might consider investing in i.

Valve Index Comfort: 9 out of 10

Let's address the elephant in the room: Valve Index is not the lightest headset you'll e'er wear. In fact, information technology'southward on a beefy side of VR headsets with a total weight of around 809g (1786lb).

But who said weight precludes comfort? Hundreds of online reviews merits Alphabetize to be the most comfy headset on the market. Having used the Alphabetize in our projects for almost two years, our verdict is the aforementioned.

Here are three reasons that easily make the Valve Index one of the most comfy VR headsets bachelor

Impeccable Build Quality and Design

Valve put a lot of thought into using materials that ensure a high comfort level even after long hours of using the headset.

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All the soft surfaces that come in contact with your head and face are fabricated with high-quality, antimicrobial woven fabric that is soft on the skin and piece of cake to clean. Meanwhile, the padding was ergonomically designed to distribute pressure evenly and comfortably.

Floating Alphabetize controllers that you lot don't accept to hold, spatial audio that doesn't put pressure on ears, and high display refresh rates (120hz - 144hz) all serve the same purpose: comfortable experience for any kind of VR interaction.

Total Adaptability

Valve Index's authentication is that pretty much every part of the headset can be adjusted for every head size, face angle, and ear position.

The Velcro height strap adjusts for your headset's weight to rest evenly on the acme of your head, whereas the caput strap holds the headset in a firm, comfortable position.

Using the manual IPD adjustment slider, you can gear up the interpupillary altitude between lenses — the current IPD will be shown in the headset display. Valve Index supports IPD betwixt 58 mm and seventy mm and tin can be fine-tuned downward to a millimeter.

For instance, Oculus Quest ii doesn't sport such a luxury and allows for only three stock-still IPD positions: 58, 63, 68.

Some other Index advantage rarely seen in other headsets is that using a mechanical knob, you can adjust the distance between eyes and lenses for optimal middle relief. This aligning will assistance you maximize your field of view, marshal a sweet spot forth the Z-centrality, or create the necessary room for spectacles.

Finally, you can pin and slide your ear speakers to ensure they hover properly over your ears for the best possible sound experience.

Modability and Extensibility

Since Valve Index'southward developers shared detailed documentation on all three products (controller, headset, and base station) to the public under a Creative Commons license, 3rd party companies released a broad range of VR mods that boost the level of Index comfort even farther.

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For example, the headset's face gasket is replaceable with a magnetic interface for like shooting fish in a barrel swapping. Companies such every bit VR cover already provided custom Index face gasket covers to increase condolement and protect foam padding from sweat, dirt, and impairment.

Pro Tip: use fingerless gloves or cleaning wipes if you desire to prevent your Alphabetize controllers from actress sweat and grease building upwards over time, particularly if yous're a fan of active VR experiences.

Valve Index Visuals: 7 out of 10

At the time of its release in June of 2019, Valve Alphabetize was one of the most visually avant-garde VR headsets bachelor.

Merely time passed, and now a couple of solid contenders came out that beat Valve Alphabetize in some areas. For example, HP Reverb G2 boasts with a college pixel count, whereas high-end Pimax headsets offering a wider field of view.

Yet, Valve Alphabetize notwithstanding provides i of the most fluid and immersive visual experiences due to a well-balanced combination of the extended field of view and high refresh rates.

Let's go through key areas that constitute Valve Index visual feel.

Display

Valve Index ships with 2 LCD displays, each with 1440 by 1600 pixels resolution per eye.
An optimized pixel layout produces 50% more subpixels than OLED screens, resulting in increased sharpness for the aforementioned rendering cost.

Additionally, the fill factor is three times better than OLED, reducing the "screen door" issue significantly and producing a sharper image than, for example, Vive Pro headsets.

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Valve Index displays accept a shorter illumination period of 0.330ms to 0.530ms (depends on framerate), which contributes to improved image clarity both in motion and when you are standing still.

Lenses

Valve Index comes with custom dual lenses that maximize its field of view without sacrificing edge-to-edge clarity. The lens provides high geometric stability, making you able to look around a scene using not merely your caput but likewise your optics without experiencing distortion.

At the same time, dual lenses contribute to one of the Valve Index drawbacks: a rare glare issue. In low-contrast environments, this effect is typically undetectable only can occur when large, loftier-dissimilarity elements are placed in front end of a dark background.

Field Of View

Valve engineers quickly realized that extended Field of View (FoV) significantly contributes to the level of VR comfort, immersion, and satisfaction. Then they made every endeavor to expand Index FoV without diminishing its other visual qualities.

Equally a result, Valve Engineers achieved the highest field of view on the market: Valve Index currently boasts 130 degrees FoV, perceived every bit 120. That's 14% more Reverb G2 offers and almost 40% more than Oculus Quest two does.

Valve Index achieved that through canted eyes, dual lenses, and adaptable sweet spot. Index displays deceit outward past 5 degrees, which increases outer FoV and balances the inner FoV simultaneously.

Indeed, expanding FoV is a trade-off: a bigger FoV decreases the angular resolutions every bit pixels are spread over the larger viewing area.

Valve engineers concluded that coupled with subpixel layout, fill factor, higher refresh rates, optics, and ergonomics, a wider field of view allows Valve Index to achieve a complete visual clarity and the most fluid VR experience.

Pro Tip: Take extra time to find your Valve Index sweet spot using face gasket adjustments. Besides, check if your face mask is adjusted precisely in the heart to achieve perfect clarity beyond the unabridged field of view.

Valve Index Controllers: 8 out of 10

Nothing beats Valve Index controllers in terms of precision, comfort, and the number of supported interactions. It's that simple.

Valve Index Controllers Are Extremely Authentic

Every Valve Index controller is equipped with 87 sensors that track manus position, finger position, motion, and pressure to determine the user's action with the utmost precision.

All this sensor information, combined with custom software and algorithms, allows for authentic tracking of user movements in challenging VR scenarios such as reaction-based games (e.chiliad., Shell Saber or Half-Life: Alyx) and sophisticated business VR simulations and solutions.

In conjunction with a superior Valve Index Base Stations tracking system in its 2d iteration, Valve Index controllers are still amongst the virtually accurate controllers on the market today.

Valve Index Controllers Support The Widest Range of Interactions

Valve Index controllers facilitate deeper immersion through low-latency finger tracking and a broad range of expressions. Pinch, throw, beat, moving ridge, point, squeeze — there's a natural feel to any of these interactions when using Valve Index.

The built-in sensors tin distinguish between a light touch and a firm clasp, which adds to the life-like VR experience and introduces new VR interactions like squeezing and crushing.

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Force and capacitive sensors help determine the intended release point when throwing objects, while optical and motion sensors measure velocity and trajectory. Finally, the thoroughly tested algorithms and software come up together to evangelize an intuitive and natural feel when throwing objects in VR.

Lastly, the rail push button on the face up with capacitive and strength sensors allows for pinching and pressing and can be used as a scroll bike, a trackpad, or even a uncomplicated binary with haptics.

Pro Tip: Half-Life Alyx game was designed to activate the whole specter of interactions available with Valve Index controllers.

Valve Index Controllers' Comfort Is Off Charts

Hither's the affair: you don't demand to hold Valve Index controllers.

Subsequently strapping the controllers to your mitt, you never have to worry about dropping them during virtual reality interactions.

With other headsets, if you want to throw an object or open your palm, you lot typically accept to press a specific trigger or button to mimic this interaction.

That's not the case with Index. Valve Alphabetize controllers support real-life-similar interactions: yous can throw things, make manus signs, or open your palms in VR the aforementioned fashion you would practise that in real life.

You can adjust the strap at the top to three unlike positions with a swivel hinge to arrange various mitt sizes and shapes.

As mentioned earlier, Valve developers encourage custom mods that can farther heighten controller comfort.

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A common modification is a booster that wraps around the controller'southward grip to accommodate people with big hands, prevent unintended controller rotation, and serve as a place for mechanically attached accessories.

The cloth used for the controller straps is antimicrobial, wet-wicking, and easy to clean.

The controller's battery life is approximately seven hours and depends on how active your VR experience is: motility-packed games and apps tend to drain charge faster. Controllers tin exist charged via a USB cable and support 900mA fast charging interfaces.

Pro Tip: If you are an gorging VR gamer, you might invest in controller covers to make them extra sweatproof and amend the grip. These covers shell the existing grip and increase grip size and thickness, enhancing the controllers' feel during active playing.

Valve Index Tracking: ten out of ten

To rails your movements in virtual reality, the Valve Index headset utilizes SteamVR Base Stations 2.0 or compatible Lighthouse 2.0 tracking stations that come with HTC Vive Pro.

SteamVR 2.0 stations are currently known as the industry standard for room-scale virtual reality tracking in terms of accurateness, range, and latency.

Every base of operations station covers a 150 degrees horizontal field of view and 110 degrees vertical field of view. The stations sweep laser beams 100 times per second to track photonic sensors on the headset and controllers, eliminating any chance of occlusion or inaccurate tracking.

Although for seating and continuing-only VR experiences one base of operations station can be enough, ii stations are recommended for optimal tracking.

2 base stations cover 5x5 meters (16 x 16 feet) playing surface area. With the add-on of the tertiary base station, you lot can cover catchy spots in your room. Using four stations, you tin double the playing surface area upwards to 10x10 meters.

How to Setup Full Body Tracking with Valve Index

Currently, Valve does not take its full-torso tracking solution, but y'all can rail your body movements using the Vive trackers.

With Alphabetize, you tin can use Vive Trackers two.0 (with blue logo) or newly released Vive Trackers iii.0 every bit only those trackers will be supported by a 2.0 tracking system that Valve Alphabetize utilizes.

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For full-body tracking, it'due south recommended to use at least three trackers. Since each tracker requires a divide USB port, you might demand to buy a USB 3.0 hub to ensure you lot have plenty free ports.

Pro Tip: Download the OpenVR Advanced Settings tool to adjust your height and width during whole-torso tracking for improved tracking accurateness.

Although Valve Index tracking accuracy is off the charts, you might still experience specific problems with your controllers drifting or floating when y'all are not in motion.

Follow these tips to ensure impeccable tracking:

• Ensure proper positioning of base stations. Base of operations stations should be placed no further than five meters (16 feet) apart) and aimed towards the center of your play surface area.
• Secure the base stations in place. Make sure your stations can't exist moved with ease.
• Encompass or remove cogitating surfaces. Windows, mirrors, and TV or PC screens can interfere with tracking. Try roofing or removing reflective surfaces if y'all experience tracking issues.
• Avert bright lite playing areas. Bright lite (and green screens) tin can also interfere with VR tracking, then brand certain your playing area features moderate lighting.
• Check if your computer or laptop is VR-ready. Performance issues such every bit lagging tin mimic tracking issues. Brand sure your PC meets VR requirements and upgrade it accordingly if needed.

Pro Tip: Trackable objects should exist located at least 0.50 k abroad from a base of operations station to ensure the best functioning, and then brand certain to stay closer to the middle of your playing area for maximum tracking precision.

Valve Index Sound: 9.5 out of 10

Frankly speaking, at this time no headset comes close to Valve Index in terms of spatial sound quality and immersion out-of-box.

Valve Index features ultra virtually-field, full-range, extra-audible headphones speakers that hover over your ears without making a directly affect with your skin.

Speakers placed this way support the output format of current VR content while allowing the ears and head to imprint their tonal coloration onto the audio. Too, a hovering setup is more than comfortable and puts less pressure level on the ears.

Engineers at Valve audio used BMR drivers to ensure consistent sound quality, even when speakers are slightly misplaced on the side of the head.

As for the microphone, Valve Alphabetize utilizes:

• a dual microphone array to narrow directional response and focus on the user's voice
• dynamic compression to avert clipping of loud voices
• BMR drivers to reduce external noise pollution while keeping the sampling rate of the microphone stream at a delightful 48kHz.

Interesting fact: Valve engineers used a dummy caput model to take response measurements of ear speakers and capture incremental improvements or identify any issues in the future-to-be Valve Alphabetize audio subsystem.

Valve Index Accessories: A Nice-to-Have Listing

Over the two years, a community of professional modders and VR companies issued dozens of accessories that push the level of comfort and usability of the Valve Index beyond what's already been a high level of quality.

Below are some of our favorite Valve Index accessories to raise your VR feel:

Valve Index is a PC VR headset: it requires a PC that meets specific VR requirements and a cable that connects this PC to your Valve Index.

And this cablevision is tricky.

The majority of the time, information technology lays on the flooring, but sometimes it may get stuck past a table, or worse, you might trip over it while fully immersed in the virtual globe.

To prevent that, y'all can invest in a cable management arrangement. Substantially, it's a series of ceiling hooks that keeps your cablevision(s) above the playing surface area and allows you to fully concentrate on the VR experience without the adventure of dissentious the cablevision or yourself.

Or you can expect until Valve finally releases a wireless mode adapter! More than on that in the later department.

Valve Index Setup Instructions

1. Make sure your PC is VR-fix. Check if your PC meets virtual reality hardware requirements using the SteamVR operation exam and update your graphics menu drivers.
2. Choose a playing area. Valve recommends at least 2m x 1.5m (vi.5ft x 5ft) of infinite for a room-scale VR experience. Make certain at that place are NO obstacles or objects in your playing surface area, kids and pets included.
3. Set up Valve Alphabetize base of operations stations. Make certain your base stations point toward the center of your playing surface area. Connect each base station to a power outlet. Peel off the protective picture from the base station lenses.
4. Connect your Valve Index to your PC. Ii plugs connect your headset to your PC. Connect the headset DisplayPort cord to your graphics bill of fare port. Now connect the USB headset cord through the USB iii.0 port on your reckoner.
5. Connect your Valve Index to the power outlet. Plug your headset into a power outlet using the headset power adapter.
6. Launch SteamVR. Open the Steam client on your reckoner and click the VR box in the upper right corner. Alternatively, press the System button on your controller.
7. Run room setup. Follow the on-screen SteamVR instructions to finish setting up your playing area.

Will In that location Exist Valve Index Wireless Way?

Valve Index does not back up wireless mode at the time, and there are no wireless adapters that can plough Valve Index into a tetherless device.

But at that place'southward a lot of evidence that might happen in the hereafter.

In July 2020, Valve registered a patent that outlines a possible wireless version of a Valve Alphabetize headset. Still, information technology wasn't clear whether the patents refer to the adapter for the original Valve Index or a completely new Valve Index ii headset.

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Valve's patent filed in September 2020 outlines both wireless and adapter-mounted versions of hereafter Valve Index headsets, so a wireless mode is indeed happening for the next generation of Valve Index headsets.

While nosotros can't say for certain that wireless manner for Index will come out before the second iteration of a headset, chances are Valve Index users will get a tetherless experience one mode or another.

After all, a wireless mode is one of the almost requested features since the headset's release in 2019.

What Do We Know About Valve Index 2?

We don't know much most the Valve Index ii headset yet. Still, given the number of patents filed over the last year and data from Valve officials, we are confident that Valve Index ii is already in the works.

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Valve Index 2 does non yet accept a release appointment, only we wouldn't expect it to come out earlier than 2022.

However, here's a list of features the VR community and we expect to see in the Valve Index 2:

• Fifty-fifty meliorate condolement. The latest HMD patent from Valve outlines three potential versions of the future headset, all aimed at improving user experience through enhanced ergonomics, weight distribution, and comfort adjustments.
• Wireless mode. The recent patent outlines a wireless version of Valve Index 2 and a PCVR version that supports wireless adapters.
• Updated visuals. Given how far the newest headsets came in terms of visual quality, we might expect Valve Index 2 to nevertheless once again set new standards for visual VR feel through updated lenses, increased 4K resolution, wider FoV, and improved black levels.
• Standalone version. Later the raving success of Oculus Quest two, Valve might shift its attention to creating a standalone Valve Index ii headset for premium segment users that beats Oculus Quest 2 in terms of GPU operation, privacy, content library, and comfort.

Who is Valve Alphabetize for, and Should You Get 1?

Despite existence released almost two years ago, Valve Index is withal a strong choice for your next virtual reality headset.

Hither are the main advantages that however brand Valve Alphabetize a skilful headset for its price:

• Unparalleled tracking. Valve tracking system is yet considered the best on the market in terms of accuracy and versatility.
• High condolement. Valve Index set a standard for VR condolement and still is one of the most ergonomically counterbalanced headsets available.
• High-quality audio feel. Valve Index offers the best sound experience out-of-box without you having to purchase an actress pair of headphones.
• Modability. There are dozens of mods and accessories on the market that can improve your comfort level even further and suit the headset to the particular usage scenario.

To balance things out, here are disadvantages of the Valve Index headset:

• High price. The Valve Index VR Kit costs $999, and you'll demand a high-performance PC to run VR applications with it. Given that the headset is budgeted its 2d birthday, information technology'due south getting harder to justify such a high price, especially compared to less expensive and more recently released competitors.
• Visuals are getting outdated. Despite that Valve Alphabetize withal offers premium segment graphics, the headset is no longer a leader in the visuals department. At that place are already headsets with a improve screen resolution (Reverb G2) and higher FoV (StarVR, Pimax).
• No wireless style. Valve is yet to release a wireless manner for Valve Alphabetize. Given that Vive already adult a wireless adapter for their Pro headsets and how widespread the tetherless Oculus Quest 2 is, such a delay becomes a massive disadvantage for all current and future Value Index users.

In a nutshell, Valve Index is still a peachy option if you have a powerful PC and desire the virtually fluid and immersive VR feel with real-life-similar interactions and long-term condolement.

If yous want a fully tetherless experience, don't accept whatsoever issues with Facebook privacy agreements, and want to save some money on operation, try Oculus Quest 2.

Terminal but not least, HP Reverb G2 is still an excellent pick for those who demand high-quality visual performance on a budget.

Looking to start developing apps for your headset? Bank check the 10-week XR Evolution with Unity syllabus:

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Source: https://circuitstream.com/blog/valve-index/