Valve Index
Property "Successor" (as page type) with input value "Steam Frame]] (2026)" contains invalid characters or is incomplete and therefore can cause unexpected results during a query or annotation process.
| Valve Index | |
|---|---|
| Basic Info | |
| VR/AR | Virtual Reality |
| Type | Head-Mounted Display |
| Subtype | PC VR |
| Platform | SteamVR |
| Developer | Valve |
| Manufacturer | Valve |
| Release Date | June 28, 2019 |
| Price | $499 (headset) / $999 (full kit) |
| Website | https://www.valvesoftware.com/en/index |
| Successor | Steam Frame (2026) |
| System | |
| Storage | |
| Display | |
| Display | LCD (dual 1440x1600) |
| Resolution | 1440x1600 per eye |
| Refresh Rate | 80/90/120/144 Hz |
| Image | |
| Field of View | 108° |
| Optics | |
| Ocularity | Binocular |
| Tracking | |
| Tracking | Lighthouse 2.0 (outside-in) |
| Audio | |
| Audio | BMR off-ear speakers |
| Connectivity | |
| Connectivity | DisplayPort 1.2 + USB 3.0 |
| Device | |
| Weight | 888g |
The Valve Index is a PC virtual reality head-mounted display developed and manufactured by Valve, released on June 28, 2019. The Index features dual 1440x1600 RGB LCD displays with industry-leading 80/90/120/144 Hz refresh rate options, 108° field of view, canted dual-element Fresnel lenses, and revolutionary Index Controllers with 87 sensors for individual finger tracking. Using Lighthouse 2.0 outside-in tracking, the Index became the gold standard for high-refresh-rate PC VR, maintaining 13.2% of Steam VR market share as of January 2025 despite launching in 2019.
History and Development
Valve announced the Index on April 30, 2019, releasing it on June 28, 2019. The headset represented Valve's first complete VR hardware ecosystem, building on their collaboration with HTC on the original Vive. The Index introduced groundbreaking finger-tracking controllers and maintained backward compatibility with all HTC Vive base stations. In November 2025, Valve announced a successor called Steam Frame, scheduled for launch in early 2026. Despite being discontinued, the Index remains one of the most respected PC VR headsets.[1]
Design and Hardware
Display
High-refresh RGB LCD:
- 1440x1600 per eye resolution
- 2880x1600 combined resolution
- Dual RGB LCD panels
- 50% more subpixels than OLED
- 3x better fill factor than OLED
- Greatly reduced screen door effect
- Full RGB per pixel
- Low persistence global backlight
- 0.330 ms persistence at 144Hz
Refresh Rate
Industry-leading options:
- 80 Hz mode
- 90 Hz mode
- 120 Hz mode
- 144 Hz experimental mode
- Smooth high-framerate VR
- Reduced motion sickness
Field of View
- 108° FOV
- Canted dual-element Fresnel lenses
- Expanded peripheral vision
- Immersive wide view
IPD
- 58-70mm range
- Physical slider adjustment
- Precise eye alignment
- Hardware IPD control
Audio
Premium off-ear system:
- BMR (Balanced Mode Radiator) drivers
- Off-ear (extra-aural) speakers
- Ultra near-field design
- Full-range frequency response
- Accurate low-frequency sounds
- Built-in microphone
- No headphones needed
- Comfortable extended use
Build
- 888g weight
- Premium materials
- Adjustable head strap
- Face gasket options
- Robust construction
Tracking
Lighthouse precision:
- Lighthouse 2.0 tracking
- External base stations required
- Sub-millimeter accuracy
- Full room-scale support
- Compatible with Lighthouse 1.0
- HTC Vive base station compatible
Index Controllers
Revolutionary finger tracking:
- 87 sensors per controller
- Individual finger tracking
- Hand position tracking
- Motion tracking
- Pressure sensing
- Thumbstick
- Touchpad
- Two face buttons
- Menu button
- Trigger
- Grip sensing
- Accelerometer
- Strap-on design (hands-free release)
Pricing
| Configuration | Price |
|---|---|
| Headset only | $499 |
| Headset + Controllers | $749 |
| Controllers pair | $279 |
| Base station | $149 |
| Full Kit (all included) | $999 |
Technical Specifications
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Display | 1440x1600 per eye LCD |
| Refresh Rate | 80/90/120/144 Hz |
| FOV | 108° |
| Tracking | Lighthouse 2.0 |
| IPD | 58-70mm |
| Audio | BMR off-ear speakers |
| Controllers | 87 sensors, finger tracking |
| Connection | DP 1.2 + USB 3.0 |
| Weight | 888g |
| Price | $499-$999 |
Reception
Praise:
- 144Hz highest refresh rate
- Index Controllers revolutionary
- Finger tracking innovative
- 87 sensors unprecedented
- BMR audio exceptional
- 108° FOV wide
- RGB LCD sharp
- Lighthouse tracking precise
- Modular purchasing options
- Gold standard PC VR
- Still respected after years
Criticism:
- 888g heavy
- $999 full kit expensive
- Base stations required
- Complex setup
- External sensors needed
- 1440x1600 resolution dated
- No wireless option
- Discontinued (2024)
- Cables tethered
- Space requirements[2]