The Valve Index is available as a full package - with headset, controllers and two tracking base stations or in individual parts as an upgrade if you already own an HTC Vive. That's because the Index is backwards compatible and will work with parts from those other headsets.
Valve's Index is the best VR you can buy right now
The Valve Index delivers a stellar VR experience at a more affordable price compared to the HTC Vive Pro. Its LCD display might not have quite the same contrast as AMOLED, but it's superior in nearly every other way.PC VR is far from dead, but it's also more niche than ever. 2019's game and hardware sales have been good, but they reveal an interesting trend that no one expected. If you've been around social media in any form over the past year, it's likely you've heard of Beat Saber.
The Vive wands don't work with the new Index base stations. If you want to use the wands together with the Index you have to use the old Vive base stations instead of the new base stations.
The Valve Index does not read your brain waves, does not track your heart rate, and does not track your eyeballs' motion. The Valve Index does not innovate with an "inside-out" tracking system. It does not include an array of secret cameras or sensors and does not bounce sound waves via hidden or embedded speakers.
Compare Specs: Our VR Picks
| Our Pick | Rating | Hardware Platform |
|---|
| Nintendo Labo VR Kit $79.99 at GameStop | Editors' Choice 4.5 Review | Nintendo Switch |
| Sony PlayStation VR $349.99 at Adorama | Editors' Choice 4.0 Review | PlayStation 4 |
| Oculus Go $149.00 at Oculus | 4.0 Review | Android |
| Oculus Rift S $612.95 at Amazon | 4.0 Review | PC |
The Valve Index is specialized and expensive even by VR's standards. It costs $999, which is more than twice as much as the $399 Oculus Rift or $499 HTC Vive. Like those systems, you'll need a gaming PC to use it. You can find headsets with higher resolutions or wider fields of view.
It can actually be a pretty bad experience. In the long run, the Knuckles may be worth picking up, but for now you're not missing much by simply waiting. Waiting also allows time for the issues with the thumbsticks to be worked out, so you get a fully working pair of controllers.
Best answer: You can use Valve's Knuckles controllers with the Valve Index VR headset as well as with the HTC Vive and Vive Pro. You can also use the Knuckles with your Oculus Rift, but it will require some additional hardware and extra steps to set up.
You can synchronize SteamVR controllers (like the Knuckles) w/ WMR controllers using a 3rd party tool. It's a slight annoyance and isn't 100% accurate (especially if you have a large play space) but it also doesn't take long (maybe a minute or two, but you have to do it regularly).
HTC released an SDK which allows developers to add finger tracking to their Vive or Vive Pro apps. For the Vive Focus standalone headset the SDK instead provides hand position and gesture recognition. The feature was first announced back in October. The software tracks 21 points on the hand at up to 30FPS on PC.
To put on the Knuckles controller, grip the handle with your thumb on the Track Button and your finger on the Trigger. The strap should lay flat on the back of your hand. Pull the drawstring to tighten. It should be tight enough to make an open handed throwing motion.
Index Headset
- Prepare the headset. Release the Velcro on the top strap.
- Look through the Headset. Hold the headset in one hand and tilt the head strap upward.
- Tighten the Head Strap.
- Tighten the top strap.
- Adjust the eye relief.
- Adjust the IPD.
- Adjust the off ear speakers.
- Removing headset.
Not only will the Knuckles controllers track the motion of your hands with outside sensors like the Vive's Lighthouses, but they will also track the movement of your individual fingers using built-in touch capacitors. The sensor on the side of the device is able to track the movement of all 4 of your long fingers.
Valve's Index VR headset will officially cost $999, and here's what it's all about.
The ring in each controller contains a set of infrared LEDs, which allows the controllers to be fully tracked in 3D space by the Oculus Rift's Constellation system, allowing them to be represented in the virtual environment.
The best VR headsets you can buy today
- Oculus Quest. Best VR headset overall.
- Oculus Rift S. Best VR headset for PC.
- Playstation VR. The best VR headset for consoles.
- Oculus Go. A great standalone VR headset for the money.
- HTC Vive. Best VR headset for immersive experiences.
- Valve Index.
- Pansonite 3D VR Glasses.
Both headsets are a few hundred dollars less expensive than they were when they launched. The Rift is $399, down from $599, while the Vive is $499, down from $799. Since both now feature motion controls and whole-room VR in the box, the Oculus Rift is the better value.
HTC confirmed that the HTC Vive Pro and HTC Vive Focus headsets are now discontinued and will be replaced by their newer equivalents, the Vive Pro Eye and Vive Focus Plus, moving forward.
Half-Life fans were initially very excited when Valve announced Half-Life: Alyx, but that excitement was tempered slightly when it turned out Alyx was a VR-only experience. However, a mod has now removed the need to use a VR headset (sort of).
The HTC Vive headset is designed to work with the Windows PC platform. As you use the headset, you will get seated VR, standing VR, room-scale VR and positional tracking experience. The field of view of the headset is 110 degrees. The refresh rate is 90 Hz.
How much will it cost to play Half-Life: Alyx? Half-Life: Alyx will be exclusively released for PC for $60. It will require a VR headset and controllers to play. Valve stated that it will be compatible with the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, Windows Mixed Reality, and the Valve Index (duh).
I love smooth locomotion, but I will play Half-Life Alyx teleport only. I do not have any issues with motion sickness. But when I have to actually physically walk to the other side of the room in valves robot repair demo, there is a magical sense of presence that artificial locomotion will never reach.
'Half-Life: Alyx' mod allows gamers to play through the game without a VR headset. A new fan-made mod that allows players to finish Half-Life: Alyx without a virtual reality (VR) headset has been released. The mod can be found on GitHub, appended with setup instructions.
The short answer is no — at least not natively via the Quest Store. Half-Life: Alyx is a PC VR game and an intensive one at that, so it's not available as a native Quest title and there's almost no chance we'll see it ported anytime soon.
