Valve Index VR headset: Everything we know so far

Valve has started to give us an idea of what its Virtual Reality (VR) headset is going to await similar. Called Valve Index, information technology looks similar a high-end headset to compete with other Steam VR headsets like the HTC Vive, and the Oculus Rift.

Nosotros take a lot of data now so let's dig in.

Valves blueprint

Valve Alphabetize

CHA CHING

The Valve Index has some fantabulous specs and really interesting design choices. The big question is will it be enough to stand up out with a $1000 price tag?

What's new with the Valve Index?

Updated Apr 30, 2022: Preorders on May 1

Today Valve announced the preorder for the Alphabetize. The release date is May 21, around the fourth dimension we suspected, while the preorder will go live May 1. The entire kit is $1,000 — that includes the headset, controllers, and 2 base stations — which is a significant investment for the boilerplate person and feels very steep when other headset manufacturers are looking to make less expensive headsets.

Updated April 1, 2022: Steam List goes alive briefly

Apr Fools day is never a adept day to exist a tech writer, you don't know what is real. First seen by the Twitter user Wario64 and at present confirmed by the folks over at Engadget, this listing for the Valve Index seems legitimate though it has been pulled from the Steam store now.

The listing includes the minimum and recommended specs, a different release date — now June fifteen, non May — and a cursory overview of what you lot may demand. We take updated the total article beneath with all the relevant details.

What is the Valve Index?

The Valve Index is Valves offset foray into the VR headset space and is gear up to compete against other high-end VR headsets on the Steam VR platform.

It looks to exist the exact headset that Road to VR leaked several months ago with very little in the style of physical changes.

What will information technology piece of work with?

As Valve, and Steam are primarily PC platforms, the likely hood is that the Index volition be for PC but. We know that it will be uniform with the current base stations and controllers, every bit well as with Valves new Knuckle controllers.

What is the Index Hardware like?

The new landing page for the Alphabetize has given united states of america a lot of hardware data, so I'1000 here to break down a little for yous.

Cameras

Although the alphabetize has cameras, they are non designed for Inside-out tracking. Valve has said they will be available for developers to create new experiences in applications. The easiest of these applications a elementary video pass through.

Laissez passer-through would permit you to come across what was happening in the outside world without removing the headset. Navigating the real world can be a pain with a VR headset on and this is one of the means to mitigate that.

Adjustable lenses

The Alphabetize has custom made lenses specifically designed to increment your field of view while maintaining the focus on the border, helping you look effectually with your eyes, non but your whole caput. They take too canted the lenses past 5 degrees. Plain, this helps with balancing field of view which is fascinating. I'm excited to meet the difference.

Headphones

Information technology looks like Valve is trying something a lilliputian dissimilar, and lot interesting, with its built-in headphones on the Index. Using the Term "Off-Ear Immersion", they say it gives you a far more realistic sound than having them touching.

Firstly they are going to much more comfortable. Having headphones on for long periods of time while you are physically doing things makes you sweaty and uncomfortable in fairly brusque order. With these new headphones though yous will be able to go on absurd.

The headphones have, according to Valve, been designed so "...the sound interacts with the geometry of the outer ear and the head." This is not really something I've e'er heard and I will be interested to see how much outside dissonance breaks through the headphones. Maybe having headphones touching your ear breaks immersion as Valve says, just I know my baby shouting at the canis familiaris certainly will.

Head strap

Equally you lot would look on a loftier-end headset, the strap is extremely well fabricated, with an anti-microbial cloth. It has an over-the-head strap as well, which is important when playing for long periods of time. A halo strap can sometimes feel unbalanced just this looks extremely well made.

One neat innovation is a removable confront casket. This will allow you to clean it much easier of form, but Valve will also be releasing the spec to let third-party manufacturers create their own face up caskets. This could open upwards a lot of diversity, and at the very to the lowest degree, enable you to bandy them out when someone else uses your headset.

What about controllers?

Information technology is likely that Valve volition utilize the Knuckle controllers information technology has been working on for a while now. They are supposed to the side by side generation of controllers for VR and Valve will desire the Index to have the best accessories possible.

We already know quite a fleck about the knuckle controllers from our ain Essa Kidwell exhaustive research on the subject. If you lot want to know more bank check out the article beneath.

More: Everything we know about the Valve Knuckle controllers

What kind of PC volition I need?

The specs for running the Index seem in keeping with most VR headsets, though the minimum specs are closer to the Windows Mixed Reality than the Vive's spec sheet. This may hateful information technology will work differently depending on your ready up and how well your organization tin run the hardware.

	Minimum	Recommended
Operating Organisation	Windows x	Windows 10
Processor	Dual core with Hyperthreading	Quad core +
Memory	8GB	8GB
Graphics	NVIDIA 970, AMD RX480	NVIDIA 1070 or better

What Connectors does the Alphabetize utilise?

An interesting discovery in the additional notes shows the cameras may only be cameras after all. The spec sail lists the minimum requirement as being an bachelor DisplayPort 1.2 and USB port 2.0. Yet, over on the recommended side of the table, it says a USB 3.0 or better is required for "Headset pass-through camera and USB port"

A newly revealed connector is in an expanse Valve is referring to as the Frunk. Yes, it's a terrible word, but the USB 3 type A connexion in there is going to exist opened upwards for people to adhere assorted things to information technology. This will be used by 3rd political party developers also as hobbyists to brand the headset into pretty much any they want.

This is an innovation I can go behind and I am interested to see what happens with information technology.

Where and when can I get it?

The latest preorder is now alive at the Steam Store and is supposed to showtime shipping on May 21. The preorder is a whopping $grand for the unabridged kit, though you can purchase all the pieces separately.

So if you already own an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive you won't need to buy new controllers and new Base Stations.

Let us know

If you lot hear anything or take ideas about the Index drib us a annotate. We would also love to hear what yous would like to run into from Valve's kickoff headset.

Valves pattern

Valve Index

CHA CHING

The Valve Index has some excellent specs and actually interesting design choices. The big question is will it be plenty to stand out with a $chiliad price tag?

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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/valve-index

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