Valve has (finally) officially pulled back the curtain on its newest VR headset hardware! Dubbed the Index, this new VR headset is all about boasting the highest possible quality with VR games and content. The Index will boast an impressive 1440x1600 resolution lens per eye and be capable of operating up the frame rates of 144hz. Each screen in use will also be OLED to ensure the best color contrast in the industry. New controllers have also been developed to be used with the Index and feature some cool features like finger tracking and grip sensor! The Index is compatible with all Steam VR games as well as all previously released VR base stations so anyone upgrading from an older Vive shouldn’t need to upgrade those. Check out the full specs below!

Index HMD Features

Optimized pixel layout: Dual 1440×1600 RGB LCDs provide 50% more subpixels than OLED, resulting in greater sharpness for the same rendering cost.Fill-factor is three times better than OLED, greatly reducing “screen door” effect.

Higher frame rates: Runs at 120Hz with full back-compatibility to 90Hz and features an experimental 144Hz mode.

Extremely low persistence:  Displays have a reduced illumination period of 0.330ms to 0.530ms (framerate dependent), allowing imagery to remain sharp when your head is in motion or when standing still. This is a 5x improvement over first-generation PC VR HMDs.

General: Optimized for FOV (20° more FOV than the HTC Vive); dual-element lens; canted optics.

Audio: Ultra-nearfield flat panel speakers (full-frequency 180-degree dispersion pattern); off-ear immersion; long-session comfort with adjustable speaker position.

System Requirements

OS Windows 10, SteamOS, Linux

RAM 8 GB+

GPU NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970+ or AMD RX480+Available DisplayPort required, HDMI not supported

CPU Dual Corewith hyperthreading, or better

USB 3.0+for headset cameras

Valve Index Controllers

Features

Sensor fusion

Throwing

Low-latency finger tracking

Open-hand interactions

Long-term comfort

Standard gaming inputs

Squeeze-ability

Track button

Tech/Specs

Inputs

A Button

B Button

System Button

Trigger

Thumbstick

Track Button with Force Sensor

Grip Force Sensor

Finger Tracking, IMU

General

Ergonomics 

Connections – USB-C, 2.4GHz Wireless

Haptics – HD LRA

Battery Life – 7+ hours

Charging – 900mA fast charging, 1100mAh capacity Li-Ion polymer battery

Tracking – SteamVR 2.0 sensors, compatible with SteamVR 1.0 and 2.0 Base Stations

Valve Index 2.0 Base Stations

Features

Increased range and FOV – Now with two base stations allowing a 400% larger play space.

Expandable – Add a third base station to cover a tricky spot in your room. Or add a fourth to expand play area up to 10×10 meters.

Sub-millimeter resolution – To capture every gesture.

Laser tracking –  Fixed lasers sweep 100 times a second to track photonic sensors on the headset and controllers.

More compatible – Now with a single coded laser sweep and no omnidirectional blinker. Stations co-exist with other IR devices.

Compatibility Note: Index Base Stations are only compatible with 2.0 tracking capable hardware. This currently includes Valve Index and HTC Vive Pro hardware.

Tech/specs

Range – 7m

FOV – 160º x 115º

Expandability – Up to four base stations, up 10m x 10m playspace

Power – 12V, compatible with existing HTC Vive power supply

Pricing and Packages

Valve Index VR kit ($999)

Ships by June 28

Includes:  Headset, Controllers, and two Base Stations

 Requires a PC.

Valve Index Headset and Controllers ($749)

For those who already have a Base Station

Ships by Jun 28

Includes: Headset and Controllers

Requires PC (and base station)

Valve Index Headset – standalone ($499)

Ships by Jun 28

Includes: Headset

Requires Controllers, Base Stations, and PC

Valve Index Controllers ($279)

Ships by Jun 28

Includes: two Controllers

Requires Vive, Vive Pro, or Valve Index Headset, Base Stations, and PC

Valve Index 2.0 Base Station ($149)

 Ships by Jun 28

Includes: one Base Station

Requires Vive Pro or Valve Index Headset, Controllers, and PC

The Valve Index VR headset will begin taking pre-orders tomorrow (May 1) and begin shipping this June! The Index looks like the next big leap forward in VR tech while still having the same requirements each set has had over the last 5 years. Unfortunately the price associated with it is also high with the full kit being $1000 making this kit very enthusiast or business based. It will be interesting to see how well the Index performs compared to both the Vive pro and lower speced PSVR in the coming months!

Share your thoughts on Valves VR headset below and let us know what you think!