14 DAY TRIAL // Valve keeps developing more advanced VR technologies, and the company just revealed Index, its newest version.
VR Technology has been around for many years, long enough to have been declared dead several times after it failed to capture the audience in a significant manner. Still, companies continue to improve their products in the hopes that the market will catch on and they will be left standing in the middle with worth devices.
There are a few competitors on the market, enough to push each other to get better at this VR game. Valve has the advantage of owning Steam, the largest collection of games and a pool of developers ready to build titles for their products.
Always better
The new VT headset from Valve is better in almost every way, with only one problem, and that’s the name. Index is boring and doesn’t really say anything.
Index comes with two 1440x1600 RGB LCDs, which is actually better than the original HTC Vive, which had a combined 2160×1200 resolution. It also runs at 120Hz and has a wider field of view, although Valve is not saying what’s the exact number.
Furthermore, Valve’s Index comes with two controller and two base stations, which also provide external tracking, which in theory should be much more precise than Oculus’ Rift S internal tracking.
There’s no way around the biggest issue, and that’s the price. If you get a new and full Index, with two controllers, and two base stations, it’s going to set you back $1000. The advantage is that it’s compatible with HTC Vive and Vive Pro in terms of headsets, base stations, and controller. Just how deep this compatibility goes is unclear. Fortunately, owners of previous Vive generations will have access to better prices.
It’s also worth noting that Oculus Rift S from Facebook is going to ship on May 21st, and it only costs $400. On the other hand, Valve’s Index is going to ship, in theory, starting with June 28th.
You can pre-order Index from Steam right now.
