Valve Index
The Valve Index is a PC-tethered virtual reality head-mounted display developed and manufactured by Valve Corporation, released June 28, 2019 at $999 (full kit). Valve's flagship VR headset featuring dual LCD displays at 1440x1600 per eye, industry-leading 144 Hz refresh rate, 130° field of view, canted dual-element Fresnel lenses, SteamVR Lighthouse 2.0 tracking, off-ear BMR audio, and revolutionary Index Controllers with individual finger tracking. Bundled with Half-Life: Alyx.
| Valve Index | |
|---|---|
| Basic Info | |
| VR/AR | Virtual Reality |
| Type | Head-Mounted Display |
| Subtype | PC VR |
| Platform | SteamVR |
| Developer | Valve Corporation |
| Manufacturer | Valve Corporation |
| Announcement Date | April 30, 2019 |
| Release Date | June 28, 2019 |
| Price | $999 USD (full kit) / $499 (headset only) |
| Website | https://www.valvesoftware.com/en/index |
| System | |
| Storage | |
| Display | |
| Display | LCD (dual) |
| Resolution | 1440x1600 per eye |
| Refresh Rate | 80/90/120/144 Hz |
| Image | |
| Field of View | 108° horizontal / 104° vertical |
| Optics | |
| Ocularity | Binocular |
| Passthrough | Stereo RGB cameras |
| Tracking | |
| Tracking | SteamVR Lighthouse 2.0 (external) |
| Eye Tracking | No |
| Audio | |
| Audio | Off-ear BMR speakers |
| Connectivity | |
| Device | |
History and Development
Valve announced the Index on April 30, 2019, releasing June 28, 2019. Following their collaboration with HTC on the Vive, Valve developed the Index entirely in-house to showcase premium PC VR. The headset prioritized refresh rate (first consumer 144Hz VR) and the innovative "Knuckles" controllers (now Index Controllers) with finger tracking. Half-Life: Alyx launched March 2020 bundled with Index purchases, demonstrating VR's potential for AAA gaming.[1]
Design and Hardware
Display
High refresh rate LCD:
- 1440x1600 per eye resolution
- 2880x1600 combined
- Dual LCD panels (full RGB)
- 80/90/120/144 Hz refresh rate
- 50% more subpixels than OLED
- 3x better fill factor
- Reduced screen door effect
- Low persistence (0.33ms at 144Hz)
Optics
- Dual-element canted Fresnel lenses
- 130° field of view (adjustable)
- Eye relief adjustment
- Lenses move closer for wider FOV
- 30° difference across adjustment range
Field of View
- 108° horizontal
- 104° vertical
- ~130° diagonal (maximum)
- Adjustable via eye relief
IPD
- Hardware IPD adjustment
- 58-70mm range
- Physical slider
Tracking
SteamVR Lighthouse 2.0:
- External base stations
- Sub-millimeter precision
- Up to 4 base stations
- Room-scale tracking
- Includes 2 base stations (full kit)
Audio
Revolutionary off-ear design:
- Balanced Mode Radiator (BMR) speakers
- Off-ear (extra-aural)
- No ear contact
- Full-range frequency response
- Deep bass
- Integrated microphone
Passthrough
- Dual stereo RGB cameras
- Computer vision ready
- High-quality passthrough
Connectivity
- DisplayPort 1.2
- USB 3.0
- 12V power adapter
- 5m tether cable
Index Controllers
Revolutionary finger tracking:
- 87 sensors per controller
- Individual finger tracking
- Hand position tracking
- Pressure sensing
- Strap design (hands-free grip)
- Thumbstick
- Touchpad
- Face buttons (A/B)
- Trigger
- System button
Pricing
| Bundle | Contents | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Full Kit | Headset, 2 controllers, 2 base stations | $999 |
| Headset Only | Headset, face gasket, cable | $499 |
| Controllers | 2 Index Controllers | $279 |
| Base Stations | 2 Lighthouse 2.0 stations | $299 |
Technical Specifications
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Display | 1440x1600 LCD x2 |
| Combined | 2880x1600 |
| Refresh Rate | 80/90/120/144 Hz |
| FOV | 108°x104° (up to 130°) |
| Tracking | Lighthouse 2.0 |
| IPD | 58-70mm (hardware) |
| Audio | Off-ear BMR speakers |
| Controllers | Finger tracking (87 sensors) |
| Price | $999 (full kit) |
Reception
Praise:
- 144Hz smoothest VR
- LCD clarity excellent
- Wide FOV adjustable
- Off-ear audio revolutionary
- Index Controllers innovative
- Finger tracking immersive
- Build quality premium
- Half-Life: Alyx bundled
- SteamVR ecosystem
- Enthusiast-grade experience
Criticism:
- $999 expensive
- External tracking required
- Base station setup
- LCD blacks not OLED
- Heavy compared to competitors
- Requires powerful PC
- GTX 1070 recommended
- Controller thumbstick durability
- Limited availability[2]
See Also
References
- ↑ "Valve Index Headset". Valve Corporation. https://www.valvesoftware.com/en/index/headset.
- ↑ "Valve Index Review". TechRadar. https://www.techradar.com/reviews/valve-index.