After months of speculation, Valve has finally officially confirmed a new VR headset called Index that bears the company’s own name and will presumably be a first-party product. A teaser image for the headset may indicate a release date of May.

A new page posted to Valve’s Steam website revealed the Index headset today; only a photo with the text “Upgrade your experience. May 2019” is shown. We expect that May would be the release month, but it could also just be the month that the company provides a full reveal of the headset beyond this teaser.

Image courtesy Valve

From the photo we can infer a few things. First, the angle of the headset prominently shows a hardware IPD adjustment on the bottom of the headset, and we’d be surprised if this wasn’t specifically chosen to highlight the fixed IPD of the Rift S. Second, faint circles on the underside of the headset are the signature mark of IR-transparent plastic which would indicate that the headset will be compatible with Valve’s outside-in SteamVR Tracking tech. The cameras clearly seen on the front of the device may indicate that the headset will also, optionally, support inside-out tracking. If not that, the cameras could also be used for passthrough video, controllerless hand-tracking, or passthrough AR.

From the photo we also see that the Index headset itself prominently bears ‘Valve’ branding. This is significant because it suggests that Valve will be manufacturing the headset itself, a departure from its prior VR R&D efforts which had tapped HTC to handle headset manufacturing (which became HTC’s own ‘Vive’ brand).

Image courtesy Valve

And last but not least, the “Upgrade your experience” tagline in the photo suggests that this isn’t a dev kit, but rather a full-on consumer product. It seems quite likely that the Index headset will be shipped with Valve’s next-gen Knuckles controllers, which the company has been much more public about.

The reveal today ends months of rumors swirling around the company’s VR hardware plans, and confirms the legitimacy of photos of the headset leaked back in November of 2018. It also seems to put to rest some of the more audacious fears predicated on recent layoffs at the company.

Leaked photos of Valve’s Index headset. | Image courtesy 2flock

The leaked photos may give us some hints about what else to expect from the headset come May, unless the design has changed significantly in the intervening months. From the photos, we can expect that Index will include built-in over-ear headphones and a rigid head-mount with an overhead strap.

Leaked photos of Valve’s Index headset. | Image courtesy 2flock

We would certainly expect higher resolution panels than the original Vive; exactly how high is anyone’s guess, though at least matching the Vive Pro’s 1,400 × 1,600 per-eye displays seems likely. What appears to be larger lenses could also indicate a wider field of view, but there’s really no telling at this point.

SEE ALSO
Valve Affirms Continued Work on VR Games, Suggests First May Ship with Knuckles
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Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."
  • 144Hz

    Half Life 3 VR confirmed

    • Luke

      Half Life £

    • Sebastien Mathieu

      How AWESOME this could be!!!!

  • Caven

    Wow, feels unreal to see this! I sure hope it doesn’t disappoint. Hopefully Valve has learned the right lessons from the current state of VR.

    • Sebastien Mathieu

      they created roomscale VR I hope they know better!

      • Tesla

        That’s worrying. Inside-out tracking is better, unless they really have something portable and wireless in their sleeves.

    • gothicvillas

      Yassss

  • Arashi

    Exciting stuff. If this is going to have 2k * 2k full RGB per eye OLED, I’m going to jizz my pants

    • Caven

      It’s going to be a long 1-2 months. I sure hope they don’t wait until the end of May to make any announcement.

      • Smokey_the_Bear

        If they are smart, they will announce a ship date no later then May 1st. Since Facebook has their F8 talk on April 30th, it’s rumored their (Oculus Rift S & Quest) headsets will begin shipping that day. It would be a pretty good shot across the bow of Facebook, if the following day they revealed all the details on Index.

        • Bob

          “they will announce a ship date no later then May 1st. ”

          Wishful thinking and unrealistic since they’ve only just released this product teaser for an official unveiling in May. Shipping a product that the public has absolutely no knowledge about especially in terms of the hardware specifications right on the brink of May is not a good move without some preparation for gauging consumer interest.

          There has been no news from Valve other than leaks regarding the Index so most likely the May event, which will happen sometime within May, is an official product announcement for a release later on in the month or in the year.

          • Mradr

            You mean sort of like how Oculus made almost no information about the Rift S to the public until now then a short release later like they did:)?

          • Bob

            “You mean sort of like how Oculus made almost no information about the Rift S to the public until now then a short release later like they did:)?”

            You’re not very good at this are you? Rift S has not been shipped nor has it been released nor can you purchase it. It was announced last month.

            “As for leaks of the HMD – we’ve seen pictures before meaning we knew or had an idea Valve was working on something”

            Pictures and hard details are two entirely separate things. Know the difference.

    • lujho

      Not possible yet, as far as I know. Quest and Vive Pro use the OLED panels they do because they are literally the densest OLED panels you can get. 2000×2000 RGB stripe OLED panels of the necessary size simply don’t exist yet. If you want those resolutions you have to go LCD.

      • Arashi

        Well they do exist already. BOE is currently test running their new production lines to mass produce them (read Kopin’s latest conference call). Question though is if they’ll be ready in large enough quantities in May

      • dsadas

        sony xperia has 4k OLED panels

        • lujho

          Is that the Xperia 1? That has a six inch wide display, which gives it a pixel density of 643 ppi. Vive Pro has 615 ppi density because the screens are smaller. It’s not the pixel count that matters, it’s the density, so while that Xperia screen is a very slight improvement, it’s not a significant one. If you cut it down to the size it would need to be to fit in to a headset, it wouldn’t be 4k any more.

      • Tesla

        Not true since 1 year. Look at this. 9600×9000 and 4800×4384 pixels, from May 2018. The tech is there or near being there. Few times more pixels. OLED and 120 Hz.
        https://www.reddit.com/r/hardware/comments/8l9r5s/an_18_megapixel_43_1443_ppi_120_hz_oled_display/

    • Andrew Jakobs

      Nope, it’s gonna use the same panels als the Vive Pro..

  • Matilde Constance

    hummm!
    I hope it will not be a disappointment!

    • Firestorm185

      Constance, what would you consider mediocre?

      • realtrisk

        Uh… Rift S, maybe? Nooo, couldn’t be that.

  • Moe Curley

    I wonder how the people over at valveindex.com feel about this name?

  • byeRShelloVI

    Forget Rift S, this is the headset to get this year.

    • Chad

      I don’t really think it’s going to be aimed at the rift. The rift s is 399, this will probably be more towards the vive pro price range.

      • Cybis Z

        Doubt it. Only the regular Vive was Valve’s baby. The Vive Pro and its ridiculous price was all HTC’s doing.

        • Caven

          Yep, and one need only look at the prices of the Samsung Odyssey and Odyssey+ to get a pretty good idea of how far HTC went with the price gouging of the Vive Pro.

        • kontis

          Sure, but Vive’s original price was $800…

          • Caven

            So was Oculus once the Touch controllers came out, but since then both headsets have dropped considerably in price, and most newer consumer-focused headsets haven’t started at such a high price.

          • gothicvillas

            For a reason. Lighthouse tracking is well beyond what rift can achieve

          • Nick Herrick

            Yes and HTC is a hardware company. They had to make money on it. Valve makes money on Steam, boatloads of it. This headset will be to secure market share, and get people off of Oculus, and onto SteamVR.

      • Trenix

        Even for $500, which is what the htc vive is going for, I’d still buy.

        • Jim Cherry

          599 at launch is more likely.

          • Alan Harrington

            I would buy at that if you got the lighthouses and knuckles

        • Martin355

          I’d pay $1200 for it. Where I live, the Vive Pro sells for
          $1640 and up, so the Index would be a bargain in comparison. If they manage to sell it for as little as $800, then I’m delighted.

      • Adrian Meredith

        This is very much a consumer product, Vive Pro is commercial. Gabe has said numerous time about how he was envious of miyamoto of Nintendo who could design games and hardware simultaneously. This is the only reason to build this device in house…

      • Tesla

        Vive Pro is like paying Mercedes s-class price for Peugeot. Vive Pro has no place on the market when there is Odyssey+, for 1/5 to 1/3 price of Vive Pro. Also, Vive Pro has ugly and visible, immersion breaking screen-door effect. Big no no. Odyssey+ OR new device which is better than Odyssey+. I hope Valve VR will be it. The progress is needed. I dislike outside-out tracking and I see it has it. hmm… let’s see what it is soon.

        • Skippy76

          Are you on crack??
          Vive pro has virtually no screen door effect and is MUCH sharper than the regular vive. As for the odyssey+ sure its cheap but the controllers are total garbage. The tracking is horrible.. Even worse than oculus with 2 sensors!
          You pay more for the pro because you get the mercedese experience. Top notch design, hardware and comfort! Excellent built in audio too!
          Don’t be mad because you are too poor!

          • Kyokushin

            Change a dealer folk.
            Odyssey+ is outstanding in comprasition to Vive pro.
            Playing on vive pros is like looking behind the curtain.
            O+ at now is a game breaker. It may be beaten only by HP reverb ata now.
            All hTC’s and Oculus’es, even pimax, sucks in comprasition to Odysey+

          • Tesla

            This was my point. Skippy76, if you want direct comparison between Odyssey+ and Vive Pro screen-door effect, then look at this video – Pimax 5k+ vs Vive Pro vs. Odyssey+
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB2FsmOUT4c

          • HybridEnergy

            Call me when you can do wireless on it.

          • Gonzax

            Sorry mate but the tracking on Oculus with two sensors is perfect so bad example.
            Vive Pro is a ridiculously overpriced piece of hardware and everybody knows it.

          • Skippy76

            Oculus tracking with 2 sensors is horrible for full roomscale! Most people have to buy a 3rd sensor to get close to the same quality as Vive. It’s a known fact. Also the reason most oculus players use snap turning instead of motion tracking

    • Romulo de Castro

      Sure! This is it! Thank you Gabe!

    • brubble

      Fingers are crossed but I for one am tired of being disappointed.

    • Raphael

      Price will be higher than Rift S.

      • Erin

        Probably but likely because they won’t gimp features to make it a little cheaper. That’s what the Rift S did, for better or for worse.

        • Raphael

          All depends how far it is from 399. I guess the number one market for home VR is still simulation (flight and racing) so that segment will pay more for higher spec.

          • Rosko

            I expect double the price for the whole package. Knuckles are more complex, added price of sensors & better screen will be a significant cost to add. Also there is the space in the front that may even add more costs. I think when the specs get announced it will be a little disappointing as the PPD will be lower than the Rift S.

          • Mradr

            Depends on the screens they use:
            Edit – Please note – it really depends on the FOV you are getting so this really will depend per person face and how close they can get their eyes to the lenses.

            1080 / 100 = 10-12 per eye for CV1
            1280 / 100 = 11-13 per eye for RS (with it being a single display – I wonder if this value isn’t lower and no IDP to adjust for different viewing might keep this the same as the CV1 or only a little better, aka why no one could see more detail than they did with the CV1)
            1440 / 100 = 13-15 per eye for Vive Pro
            1440 / 135 = 10-12 per eye for Index
            2160 / 135 = 15-17 per eye for Index

            Then there is the pixel lay out and the number of sub pixels that make up a single pixel (RGB vs Pintile). If Index uses full RGB then in theory it’ll be a night and day difference for its PPD vs Vive Pro PPD.

    • burzum793

      Why? Do you know the specs? :D

    • Yoshi Kato

      Agreed. This announcement effectively killed any small interest I had in the other upcoming headsets, especially anything coming from Facebook. In fact, this is the most excited I’ve been for a new VR headset in a while.

      • Get Schwifty!

        Agreed – and it fully explains why no Knuckles for Vive specifically…. curious if they let them be used with the system or not…

        I will say though, I sure hope “Index” is just an internal project name, that is a horrible name otherwise…

        • HybridEnergy

          People are already using them with Vives, meaning it’s going to probably hook up to the light house tech.

          • Get Schwifty!

            Ah been away a bit, didn’t know that. Is it naively working, or does it require some kind of software shenanigans to get working?

          • HybridEnergy

            natively , they just light up in SteamVR the same way that the Vive Wands do.

    • Tesla

      Unless it’s worse than Samsung Odyssey+ with hardware IPD, ultra black OLED 2880×1600 and no screen-door effect visible. They only VR headset on the market without screen-door effect. I own Odyssey+ and wish to tell everyone who doesn’t have it – this thing shows super sharp and super smooth image. There are no visible pixels. Built-in AKG headphones are great. With Odyssey+ you have access to the most platforms – Windows platform (where you will be able to start regular applications in VR context soon), Vive platform, Oculus platform. 3 different eco-systems in one headset is a big advantage. I only replaced the face padding as the original was leaking light. Now it is perfect. Also, I use Vive head strap to have super well distribution of weight of Odyssey+. Till now, whoever wanted to buy VR headset I was recommending the Odyssey+ as its the best. I bought mine for just 299$ on Black Friday 2018. Very cheap. Now, let’s see what this Valve VR can do. I really hope for OLED, higher resolution than Odyssey+, a bit at least wider FOV and of course anti screen-door effect technology as it is a must. No pixels visible. Then I could change.I hope it has HP Reverb like resolution. That would be a dream. and OLED. Maybe I ask for too much.

      • Kevin White

        Do you use extensions for the cords?

        Pretty sure Valve is going to have LCD.

        • Tesla

          I don’t use. The cable is average length. Should be USB-C connection. In the next version I guess.

      • Gregory Martin

        Hi Telsa. You mentioned you modded the Odyssey+ with a Vive headstrap. Do you have a guide/walk through you could direct me to that would detail that process? I would very much like to mod the headstrap for my Odyssey+, but haven’t found any good information on it yet. Thanks.

      • HybridEnergy

        Wireless adapter > screen door removing blur tech.

        • Tesla

          Not blur. Super razor sharp. Try it. It is sharper than Vive Pro. Details like 1200 ppi.
          Heavy microwave over your head, heating up to high temperatures (don’t lie that it is not) is not something healthy. Also, did you just paid 1200 USD just for tracking? Vive Pro uses Odyssey+ OLED panel, but without anti screen-door tech. I bought my Odyssey+ with controllers for 299$. That’s 6 times less than heavy Vive Pro with extra microwave over head.

          • HybridEnergy

            I have no head heating issues, there is padding there anyway, I have no idea what you are talking about. 1200 ppi? 1200 for tracking? what? You bought an Odyssey and now every single post from you is your insecure self trying to justify your purchase. After having wireless to me it’s on the top of importance, and it’s not even an option on the headset you are trying to convince me of so forget is all I am saying.

          • Tesla

            Insecure is a nice joke from you. I am software developer with 20 years of programming experience, from big company producing games. I will not write which one. I played with all headsets since they were devkits in 2013 or so… I am talking about 1200 ppi visual quality, not tracking. Odyssey+ is the best and has unbeatable price currently. I am waiting every day for something new which can beat it in terms of resolution and FOV. I would love to upgrade, but not… buy the same or downgrade.

          • HybridEnergy

            Well I guess you’ll be buying the HP Reverb then? It crushes your Odyssey plus in resolution and clarity + 114 fov. lol No thanks, I’m not ever down grading to sub-standard tracking like WMR.

          • Tesla

            Play in well lit room and there is no problem with tracking. I will get the Reverb probably. I am suspecting Samsung is not sleeping and will present Odyssey 2 soon.

    • this won’t beat the rift s

    • Andrew Jakobs

      It all depends on the price.. Rift S isn’t meant for the same group as the Index is. If the Index is released anywhere near the $399, yeah, THAN you’re right, but I doubt it, I think it will be much more like $699 or even higher..

    • Pre Seznik

      Yeah, they really missfired with the Rift S. Ignoring your core audience is not a good idea.

  • Mike549

    Wondering if this will require higher specs to run than the Rift S. But more than anything I want Half Life VR.

    • Kevin White

      It’ll require more GPU power for any given supersampling percentage, or a lower supersampling percentage, to maintain similar performance compared to the Rift S, unless it’s also at 80Hz and 1280×1440 per eye (it gets more complicated when you take into account different motion smoothing topologies and different relative default screen render targets)

      If I had to guess, I’d say it’ll run at 90Hz and that its resolution will be at least 1440×1440, but I’m hopeful the resolution will be somewhat higher than that.

      • Tesla

        150 USD Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti Kalmx passive card from Palit can run Odyssey+ 90fps with 1440×1600 per eye. I use 2080 RTX for 650 EUR and it can go to 250-350% supersampling. The hardware is not a problem even for VR 2.0 hardware. If these companies make foveated rendering, then the min specs will drop significantly.

        • I know oculus uses foveated rendering in the go and I wouldn’t be surprise if the quest will too it’s up to dev to use it

          • Fabian

            They don’t because foveated rendering needs eyetracking. “fixed foveated rendering” is not the same.

    • Trenix

      Most likely it will. The FOV appears to be higher and there is no way that the resolution will be lower than the original Oculus Rift.

  • iThinkMyCatIsAFlea

    Btw, those pics were not leaked.

    • Jistuce

      [citation needed]

      • iThinkMyCatIsAFlea

        They were not taken quickly. In fact, photo Bob probably had a tripod, lights and Spielberg directing him.

        • Jistuce

          Oh lord, someone capable of using a camera took a photo on his lunch break? WE’VE GOT A SMOKING GUN!

          • TheHitman1982

            Don’t worry, I think he just forgot to take his meds.

  • Firestorm185

    I love the glassy faceplate on top. Looks awesome so far!

    • Sebastien Mathieu

      just crossing my fingers for inside out tracking….

  • OkinKun

    aww.. only 2 cameras. oh well.

    • Caven

      Given that it looks to be a Lighthouse-based headset, being limited to two cameras probably isn’t too big a deal.

    • TheHitman1982

      Oculus Fanboy

      • OkinKun

        Maybe, but for now I just want good wireless standalone VR headset, since I already have a good room-scale setup. I don’t see how this Valve Index could be much better than a Rift S, it’s still going to be a 1.5 upgrade, not a Gen2.
        Unless this Index increases the FOV a good amount, or has some other new cutting edge feature like eye tracking or variable focus, it’s just a Gen1.5 headset like the Rift S, and not the PCVR savior people are freaking out over.. It’s likely to be well over $500, and still needs sensors around a room, so only enthusiasts who haven’t bought a VR headset yet, or who really want knuckles, will want this. For everyone else, Oculus is still king of good quality VR that’s affordable. Frankly, who needs knuckles when we’ve been able to strap Touch to our hands for like a year. Might not have every finger tracked, but it’s a good standard for hand presence and game mechanics, without being overly complicated.

        • TheHitman1982

          There no maybe about it, I’ve read your comments. Anyway I’m not saying this will be a savior but you don’t know how much it will be so saying “It’s likely to be well over $500” is nothing more than a guess with no backing. There is also nothing wrong with sensors around the room. The Rift S is garbage. It is nothing more than a money grab. Which is completely expected from shit company like Facebook. Why do you think the primary architects of Oculus left? Because they knew Facebook was going to ruin their brand. Which they are doing with crap like the Quest and Rift S.

          • OkinKun

            None of these things are making much money right now. Rift S isn’t a “money grab”, it’s a market strategy. They’re trying to improve the mass market’s willingness to get into VR with the Rift S, not trying to appeal to a tiny niche market of enthusiasts, which is all the Index can do for now, unless Valve can take a significant loss on the hardware cost. It’s almost a certain bet to cost at least $499.
            Developers cannot continue to justify developing for VR unless the market grows by a lot, and quickly, and frankly PC VR enthusiasts aren’t the place to do that right now, just not enough of them. That is why so many devs are focusing on Quest right now, because it has a huge mass-market potential, and that means selling way more copies of their games than they could before.
            Don’t get me wrong, I like the potential of Knuckles, and it’s nice that Valve is doing this for the enthusiasts who want it.. But I think the Rift S is also a sign that the true next-gen features we all really want aren’t quite ready for prime-time yet, regardless of whether it’s Oculus or Valve behind the hardware. We’ll have to see, but I’m not expecting anything too groundbreaking. And I also think there’s a good chance the Rift S will still outsell the Index.. Tho my fandom-obsession lies more with the Quest right now. lol

          • TheHitman1982

            It’s absolutely a money grab. It is minimal “upgrade” from the Rift for a lot more money then its worth. First you say “It’s likely to be well over $500” then you follow that up with “It’s almost a certain bet to cost at least $499.” Once again without knowing how much it even costs to develop a headset. You are pulling numbers out of thin air to appease your argument. I dont care about Knuckles or even controllers. Hand tracking is what is needed. Also “I also think there’s a good chance the Rift S will still outsell the Index.” Once again, this is a complete guess with no backing. Stop speculating. Also the Quest is a POS.

  • mellott124

    Holy crap. Cancel my Quest order. Can’t wait!!! My knuckle controllers are already waiting.

    • Marcus

      Does a PC headset compete with a standalone one?

      • mellott124

        It competes because it requires money and not everyone will buy both.

        • Marcus

          If you have a PC in that room you want to use, wait for the Index – if not go for the Quest. No-brainer.

        • Bob

          Whether or not it competes depends on whether or not Valve Index requires a PC. If it does then it competes directly with the Rift S and the HTC Cosmos but not the Switch-like Quest.

        • Pre Seznik

          Then it also competes with cucumbers and motor oil. Those things cost money, too.

    • OkinKun

      That doesn’t make any sense. Index is a PCVR headset, Quest is a standalone headset. The markets don’t cross, and someone wanting a Quest wouldn’t want an Index, unless they also have a gaming PC.

      If you were going to get a Quest, there is no reason to cancel it for the Index. You’ll probably end up with a less interesting experience, tied to 1 room, not portable or wireless.
      Standalone wireless VR is the future. There are a lot of possibilities with Quest, that are not possible with a wired-to-a-PC headset, and a lot of advances that will only require new software to achieve. I think Quest has some major Augmented Reality possibilities down the line, or at least locational reskinning.

      • TheHitman1982

        The quest is a toy. Its not a real VR headset. A Samsung Gear VR with the cellphone electronics built in.

        • OkinKun

          Why you gotta be like that? lol
          The Quest is a serious standalone headset, it impresses everyone who uses it. What you said couldn’t be further from the truth. lol

    • Andrew Jakobs

      But the Quest does have physical IPD adjustment..

      • mellott124

        Yes understood. Was referring to Rift S on that one.

  • Trenix

    Death to Oculus!

    • Tags I812

      bite your tongue.

    • Thunk

      Death to HTC Vive more like. Valve’s official offering makes buying a
      HTC Vive headset quite redundant. They may use the same constellation
      tracking, but you’ll never touch the HTC headset again and there’s no
      need to ever buy a headset from HTC again.

      Whereas, if you buy an
      Oculus Rift, you get easy access to Oculus Store exclusives + Steam VR
      games, without need for tricky hacks. And there’s also the fact that
      Oculus Quest exists, and the potential for cross-buy / cross account
      management across the Rift and Quest.

    • Tesla

      Valve’s VR headset is like being backstabbed, while on stage and presenting your new tech. Now, lots and lots of people will wait for Valve. But wait… Samsung released their Odyssey 1 and then 6 months later their Odyssey+ . 1/2019 they patented this!!!
      https://www.patentlymobile.com/2019/01/samsung-invents-next-gen-gear-vr-headset-that-provides-a-curved-display-for-a-more-natural-field-of-view-and-more.html

      With flexible and transparent (!!! AR too!) display installed into prototype headset, close to 180 FOV and VR/AR in one headset this can kill products of all VR players, but also overpriced and miserable Hololens 2. Samsung has flexible display since years. They just worked on making it bendable for smartphones. But VR/AR headset does not need daily bendable display. The display needs to be curved and only permanently. This is IT! I hope Samsing shows up with their mega toy in the next 3 months.

      • Baldrickk

        patent != imminent product. The LG Ultragear had patents filed for it.

  • kontis

    VR at this moment still struggles with insufficient quality of the experience, which is the fault of the hardware in the first place.

    What VR needs is BOTH: better hardware and better software.

    • Robbie Zeigler

      In other words kontis has yet to experience VR but he feels qualified to speak on its behalf… nice.

  • Sebastien Mathieu

    Yep this seems good… but I still got my Steam controller dying in a corner plugged to a steam machine…. just hope it’s good as it seems!!

  • Kevin White

    Outside in… no, not so much. The Vive HMD and wands use inside-out tracking, just with the need for a particular type of marker (IR lasers) instead of the painting on your wall or the couch and table in your room like the inside-out tracking of the WMR and Quest and Rift S headsets. Furthermore, the Vive wands are currently the only controllers on the market that, from their perspective, also utilize inside-out tracking. With WMR/Quest/Rift S it’s really outside-in in that some external sensor is attempting to establish position (those sensors just happen to be located on your head but it’s still outside-in tracking from the controllers’ perspective).

    Regardless, big news. I’m definitely getting the Quest, but anxious to see what Valve has cooked up for the world. :o)

    • gothicvillas

      I cant afford 2 headsets.. I’m definitely going to hold my horses and see what we learn next

    • Trenix

      Must be new to VR.

      • Kevin White

        I’ve been using VR for nearly six years now. Try again.

        • Trenix

          Well wands are not the only inside out tracking controllers available. Oculus for example, had touch controllers. Pimax also had their own type of controllers. Also valve has been working on knuckles controllers for quite some time. I highly doubt we’re getting wand controllers, enjoy your quest, I’ll enjoy my Valve Index.

          • Kevin White

            Touch controllers are definitely outside in. The external cameras do the tracking. I don’t believe the Pimax controllers are on the market.

            Valve Knuckles will be inside-out tracked, when they hit the market, from the perspective of the controllers, as they themselves will be establishing their position and movement (using IR lasers in the environment), just like the wands.

            I’m likely getting the Index, if it’s as good as it could be. Quest will be awesome too — I’ll be using it in a 25′ x 25′ area which I think will be amazing.

          • Trenix

            I highly doubt that valve knuckles will be inside-out, especially if they want to make sales with current Vive users and other headsets that want to use base stations.

          • Baldrickk

            Vive wands are inside out. Knuckles are inside out.
            Outside in involves cameras tracking them as per Occulus/PsVR.
            Inside-out tracks the environment, be it the natural environment (all the MS headsets and the Rift S/Quest) or through tracking beacons (Vive, PiMax and now the index)

          • Trenix

            Yeah I realized that the guy was being more technical than I thought. Just a pointless argument with no purpose. All I’m saying in general, is that I don’t want a headset that is inside out tracking.

    • JDawg

      Yea, journalists still think they know better then the Engineers and call Valve’s system an outside-in tracking. There is nothing tracking anything from the outside!!! Hey journalists read this: https://packet39.com/blog/2018/10/07/roomscale-tracking-technologies/

    • Erin

      For years now there always some pedantic person that comes into a thread with the all-knowing knowledge to teach everyone about outside in vs inside out.

      Anyone who knows how this stuff works knows what the lighthouse is and how it works. For the purposes of discussion, comparison and setup, lighthouse is way more like outside in and is therefore being compared correctly.

      Please stop correcting everyone.

      • Kevin White

        I’ll keep correcting everyone. :o)

        • MrGreen72

          And you’ll cover yourself in ridicule every single time. Be my guest.

          • Kevin White

            It’s so dumb to use imprecise terms on an enthusiast site or forum. Like calling a supercharger a turbocharger on a car enthusiast forum, just because it’s “easier” and the general population can’t tell them apart.

      • Pre Seznik

        He was right to correct that. And you’re wrong in saying it’s being compared correctly as outside-in. His contribution is greatly appreciated,

        • Erin

          Having lighthouses on the wall is similar for comparison purposes to having Rift cameras on your walls. You have to setup external things,etc.

          Having nothing for tracking outside of your HMD and controllers is similar-like WMR, Quest, RiftS,etc.

          That’s why they group them that way because for *discussion purposes (aka what’s involved) they are similar. 95% of people that call them that *incorrectly know the technical difference. Especially VR journalists. Trust me they know…

          I know most of you guys that rush in to correct everyone are the same guys who rush in to correct a misspelling or misuse of grammar and that’s fine….I guess. But please know that most people reading it already know the difference and there are 1 or 2 of you guys in every thread “educatin’ the masses”.

    • MrGreen72

      Of ffs. Everybody here knows the fucking difference, let alone the guy who wrote the article. But semantic and pedantic arguments aside, the point is to tell whether you need external hardware or not. At the end of the day, the exact specifics are irrelevant and they’re not going to add a paragraph explaining it every time just to appease the know-it-all’s.

    • TheHitman1982

      I knew you were a douche from the moment you said “I’m definitely getting the Quest” The Quest is a garbage low end gaming product. Enjoy your cellphone quality games. Its nothing more than a Samsung gear VR headset with the cellphone screen built in.

      • Kevin White

        I knew you were a douche the moment you decided it would be best to call me a name, and I knew you were ignorant and simple-minded the moment you labeled a potentially popular VR system “garbage.”

        The Quest will be a lot of fun in a large space (we’re planning on a 25′ x 25′ area) with the right games, and will be a great way to get a larger swath of the public interested in VR in a way that doesn’t seem totally out of reach (i.e. requiring a gaming PC). I want all kinds of VR and all kinds of people enjoying VR.

        • TheHitman1982

          Original

    • Tesla

      The problem of Quest is shit processor and shit quality smartphone-like games. Look how Beat Sabber look on PC VR and Quest. It is like a different game, for the benefit of PC VR. Quest is good to buy to promote VR around. Give friends a try and something to think about.

    • Hivemind9000

      Technically correct, but not in terms of the way the market understand it. It’s a bit like the whole 8K vs 2 x 4K, and diagonal vs horizontal FOV fiasco. I think the industry needs to try and standardize terms of meaning for the market, whether they are technically correct or not – so long as convey the correct understanding to the users. “Markerless Inside-Out Tracking” requires the user to understand how the technology works in order to understand it correctly. Not sure what a better term would be – Standalone Tracking, Self-Tracking, Base-Stationless Tracking (ugh). Any thoughts?

      • Baldrickk

        I’m going to generally refer to the Vive/PiMax/Index as being lighthouse tracking, or if another implementation appears, I may genericise it to “beacon tracking”.
        It’s still inside out, but a more specific term isn’t bad.

    • benz145

      As others have pointed out, you’re right, insofar as speaking to a different definition of the same words, but the VR industry has adopted the terms to mean something different.

  • gothicvillas

    Ok now shit got real

  • Trenix

    Outside in tracking, inside out tracking, IPD adjustment, knuckles controllers, dude every other VR headset lost. Even if they have similar specs to the original rift, this VR headset has just dominated the competition.

    • iThinkMyCatIsAFlea

      There is nothing to play on the bloody things ffs!

      • Caven

        That’s because all the developers got distracted Googling Oculus Trump.

      • Is that you Jason?

      • TheHitman1982

        You must be new

    • Adrian Meredith

      All it needs now is the clarity of the hp reverb

      • Erin

        That would be amazing but I doubt it will be that high res. I wish though….

    • Gonzax

      it’s not confirmed it has inside-out tracking but I hope so, that would be amazing, I don’t want any sensors anymore.

      • Erin

        It will almost certainly have lighthouse tracking but I guess it could have inside out tracking as well. I doubt it though. They are going to have to keep the costs down somehow.

  • Crash T Dummy

    After the disappointment of the Rift S hopefully Valve will reveal a headset that is a genuine advancement in hardware both in terms of resolution and field of view.

    • Tesla

      the only problem is outside-out tracking. inside out with built-in multiple cameras seems better.

  • Kevin White

    They need to wrench Lighthouse-based VR from the clutches of HTC.

  • TJ Studio

    Are you saying you’re not going to use Steam because Valve does stupid things?

  • mellott124

    Because the Vive with tracking is the best HMD available. I own them all. It’s the best.

    • Romulo de Castro

      It is the best!!! So happy!

    • OkinKun

      Neither company has “the best” tracking. There are tradeoffs. Both lighthouse, constellation, and even Quest’s system, are all for the most part equal in their tracking accuracy, as far as most people are concerned.

      Actually, some of the VR competitions that have happened, have found that Rift’s tracking is actually a little better, high-speed/accuracy wise.. And in the end, more of the winners ended up being Rift users, than Vive users.

      • Erin

        Dude, the Rift tracking is not better(speed and accuracy wise) than Lighthouse. That’s just a fact. Someone may feel that it’s close enough that it doesn’t matter but it’s certainly not better. That sounds like a fanboy statement.

        • OkinKun

          It’s hard to find the source now, but there were a few VR eSports competitions a while back, where the winners were mostly Rift users. I think it was a table tennis tournament, but that might be wrong. The consensus afterward was that the Rift’s tracking had slightly better accuracy when it came to the real fast high-acceleration movements needed for the competition level.
          Not really a fanboy statement, tho I wish I could find the article, was like a year ago.

          • Caven

            That sounds like it might be related to the Beat Saber issue, where very fast players were exceeding software limits on speed of movement. Not so much a tracking issue as a faulty assumption about what the human body is capable of. The hardware was tracking properly, but the software assumed the results were impossible, thus disregarding valid data. No hardware changes need to be made to fix the problem, just a minor software update.

      • TheHitman1982

        Your fanboy is showing

    • Tesla

      Tracking is not important, when you have shit image with screen-door effect on Vive Pro. Then its tracking doesn’t count when you stare at pixel grid.

  • Ero

    If this comes bundled with Half-Life 3, I’m already sold.

  • A Hyena

    Well I mean..valve kind of help give it a boost with including room scale and specially made controllers, which prompted Occulus to push out controllers of their own.

  • Jim Cherry

    If this comes out we can at least take solace in the fact that valve will not aim it at enterprise or commercial markets :)

  • Pizzy

    Who else is selling their current vr shit on ebay asap lol.

  • HybridEnergy

    Damn! This means highly likely Knuckles available to the public for Vive owners as well come May !!!

  • fuyou2

    Rift S..What a fucking joke….

    • VR5

      Rift S will hopefully reach a new audience, maintaining a low pricepoint and focussing on ease of use. This seems to be a better choice for upgraders or people who don’t mind spending more for better specs.

      I’m more interested in what software Valve has in store for us. This new headset hopefully means their VR games are ready too.

      • Erin

        I think it’s the Rift Quest that will reach a new audience, maintaining a low price point and focusing on ease of use.

        • VR5

          >>I think it’s the Rift Quest that will reach a new audience, maintaining a low price point and focusing on ease of use.

          I guess you meant the Oculus Quest. How could that possibly be “maintaining” a low price point? It’s a standalone, first of its kind. Not a successor like the Rift S is to the original Rift or like the Index is to the Vive.

          Obviously Quest will reach a new audience. But Rift S too isn’t supposed to just get upgraders but mainly new customers. There are a lot of untapped PC owners who could run VR.

          And the Rift S is the VR add-on with the best ease of use so far. Quest’s affordability and versatility is a whole other level though.

    • OkinKun

      Not really.. It’s still a great headset. Plus the Rift S will be much more affordable and easier to use, for the majority of gamers looking to get into PCVR. This Index headset will probably end up remaining in the enthusiast niche for a while, and it’s price drops will always be well behind what Oculus can do with Rift S.
      Rift S isn’t an upgrade, but it’s a great way to get the market more into VR, and because they didn’t make it too complex or expensive, they can drop the price quickly.. And since Lenovo is the one’s making it, Oculus can focus more on a real Rift 2, and of course the Quest.

      • I agree with this right here. the lenvovo thing is a very big deal this is the first outside company to get an hmd into oculus home. up until this point 3rd party focus on steam but seeing oculus go to #1 on steam and how it branded itself I feel we’ll see a switch to making oculus home hmd then u’ll get more choices. i’m keeping an eye out for word that Lenovo is releasing an oculus home hmd of their own design.

    • Pre Seznik

      I was sincerely hoping for Oculus to have a next-gen HMD by now, because I’m in their ecosystem. I love being able to play evereything without fiddling (ReVive). Unless they’re hiding a new, powerful flagship product, it looks like I’ll be going with Valve next time.

  • theonlyrealconan

    Really want better lenses. Can’t stand Fresnel lens.

    • Andrew Jakobs

      Don’t count on it, especially looking at the previous photo’s which clearly show fresnel lenses.

      • Nathan Benkhe

        Look at the photos though, I agree that they look like they’re still frensel lenses but they look WAY better than the frensel lenses in the vive. concentric circles are packed in way tighter and I can’t make out the ridges, wheras, just looked at my vive and ridges are very pronounced and far apart. I think regardless, we’ll be getting better lenses.

  • Tags I812

    Ohh here we go……………. gonna be a game changer.

    • Rosko

      Why is everything a frigging game changer these days? Sorry for my miserableness, so sick of this phrase.

  • y_m_o

    Praise the Gabe! Tickets please, all aboard the Hype-train!

  • impurekind

    And already it looks fugly. And so far what I’ve seen isn’t enough to get me excited. Need to know specs, how it works, controllers, games, service (home/UI), price, etc. . . .

    And they better have a f’n Half-Life game coming to this headset, even if it’s just VR revamps of the original and sequel.

    • TheHitman1982

      Who cares what it looks like?

      • Tailgun

        Yeah, exactly. That’s a weird thing to focus on… are any of these things actually aesthetically pleasing?

      • gothicvillas

        people who lack confidence and are easily offended (aka snowflakes), they do care and usually express themselves in public chat vomitting

    • 3872Orcs

      How it looks is not important for VR as long as it does what it should without compromises based on looks. AR glasses on the other hand that you wear out in public need to blend in or look cool. Let someone like apple figure that out.

      As for how it works, reddit is cluing together some exciting possibilities about the lenses and how they tie in to the logo of the Index and it’s name: https://www.reddit.com/r/virtualreality/comments/b7motx/i_know_why_its_called_the_index_and_what_the_logo/ejss021/?context=3

      • impurekind

        How it looks is important for almost every commercial product that people are spending their hard-earned money on. VR is no exception.

    • RagnarLothbrok

      You and your preferences! :facepalm: I tell ya what, get yourself some nice pink spray paint, cover the cameras and the headphones and spray. While you’re at it, you might as well put some flower stickers on it, and you would look amazing. You deserve it. As long as it delivers decent specs , tracking , comfort and price Who the **** cares how does it looks like sissy ?

      • impurekind

        To be fair, after seeing some more images it actually looks a bit better than my initial impression. Might even end up looking kinda cool with the shiny visor and stuff.

  • MW

    Specs and price first. Hype after. Learn this once for all, for sake…

  • 3872Orcs

    I’m getting this day one! Hopefully as a bundle with knuckles and a Valve game.

    • Tailgun

      I just hope Day 1 isn’t in October….

  • Dan

    Sounds really nice but no matter how good it is, if it cannot use my vive wireless addon or doesnt have one available then it is useless.
    PC VR with wireless is minimum spec required in 2019. Period.

    • Bryan Ischo

      Maybe it has wireless capabilities; maybe not. But you’ll find most people don’t care as much as you do about that.

      https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamVR/comments/b6yr05/poll_results_what_do_vr_redditors_value_most_in_a

      • Dan

        I understand that I’m in the minority and that’s cool. My own experience is that when I got the wireless I went back to play a lot of games and spent more time on them. Also the ability to spin around in my chair added a lot of freedom. I couldn’t have known before I tried it but I guess I’ve been ruined and I can’t go back to feeling tethered with games that really need full 360.

        But again it’s just me, everone has their thing that influences full immersion and thats cool.

        • HybridEnergy

          “I understand that I’m in the minority and that’s cool. My own experience is that when I got the wireless ”
          You’re not, they just haven’t tried it.

        • Bryan Ischo

          That’s cool. I mean I am 100% for all the advances, wireless is definitely an important feature, and I can’t wait for the day when nobody has to compromise on their experience unlike with these early headsets where it seems there is always some drawback.

    • Cybis Z

      Wireless technology today is only barely adequate with 1200x1080p per eye resolutions since the FPS has to be so high. Even then, the video has to be compressed – it’s too much raw video data. I don’t think there is a wireless technology today which can offer the bandwidth to support higher resolutions with low-enough latency.

      • Dan

        Agreed the 802.11ad is only enough for the original vive and rift however I think the 802.11ay chips from October just last year can handle all current vr resolutions at 90hz with ease and without more than a millisecond or 2 delay.

        Anyways wireless pc vr has the same issue as pc vr, people are not convinced until they try it.

      • HybridEnergy

        The wireless adapter is doing just fine with 2880 x 1600 with no loss.

    • TheHitman1982

      Absolutely Not. I dont care 1 bit about wireless. It is NOT the minimum spec. There are so many more issues that I would rather have over wireless. Larger FOV, Higher Resolution, No SDE, Seamless hand tracking without controllers. Wireless is WAY down the list. I want the image quality of a 4K TV resolution in a VR headset.

      • HybridEnergy

        Spoken like someone who has never tasted the freedom of the wireless adapter. You’ve never ate that food so stfu about it. It’s impossible to go back. I’d rather have lower res and some SDE than go back to that stupid wired tether, fuck no.

        • TheHitman1982

          I love how everyone assumes they know everything about a person they are commenting about. How do you know if I’ve ever used a wireless adapter? And dont say “cause if you did you would love it blah blah blah” If you want to run around like a fucking moron be my guest but dont sacrifice everyone else’s quality experience for your wireless bullshit. Is it a nice feature? Absolutely. Is it a requirement above all over issues in the VR world? Not even close.

          • HybridEnergy

            “Absolutely. Is it a requirement above all over issues in the VR world? Not even close.” It is to me, so don’t accuse me of bitch think and then do the same to me thinking that you know what is important as a feature to me.

    • Andrew Jakobs

      Funny how people think their needs are the minimum spec required….

  • AlanWake

    Valve Index HMD + 2 lighthouse boxes + 2 Knuckles controllers. My prediction, this bundle will be around $800. In my country it’s $1100 or so.. This is sad :(
    But, I want this headset so much…

    • Cybis Z

      If Valve is looking to position the Index as a Vive replacement, I seriously doubt they would make it cost significantly more. I predict $599 at the worst and more likely $499, today’s Vive price.

      Also, wasn’t HTC and not Valve that set the price of the Vive? We know HTC gouges its customers.

      • Bob

        Aside from the HTC Vive Pro/Eye and HP Reverb there doesn’t seem to be anything else on the VR market that is featured as a “premium”, polished and refined consumer PC VR product from a reputable company (we’re not looking at Pimax here). So on that note Valve have the opportunity here to obviously swoop in and take the hardcore and the enthusiasts by force.

      • Tailgun

        Also, there are rumblings that the entire project is essentially produced at just over break even – as it’s intended as an attractive gateway to draw more users into VR on Steam.

  • Downvote King

    Honest question: the only thing that’s been confirmed so far is that they’re releasing a headset, no resolution, FOV, tracking or price info has been revealed; why does this seem so incredible as to make you weep?

    • suicidal.banana

      These things have been rumored
      – 135′ fov
      – Inside out tracking
      These things we know
      – Valve doesnt half-ass things, they just take forever :P
      – Look at the build quality and pricing of the steam controller & steam link, these are great, and if an indication for the headset its going to be a great deal.
      – This will also mean we finally get the knuckle controllers, which are praised by all who’ve been lucky enough to try devkits
      – This will also mean we get some/all of the 3 new valve titles for vr they have been working on for the past year or so, one of which is known to be hl:vr, a prequel to hl2.

      • VR4EVER

        Inside out tracking? I dont think so. They have their lighthouse sensors still going. The frontfacing cameras arent enough for 360 tracking but maybe for a passthrough/ handtracking kinda thing…

        • Zeke

          Could be a few different things. This could be arm tracking, passthrough cameras (although the distance between the cameras seems like this would cause some disconnect), or a secondary tracking system so buying the external trackers isn’t required.

      • Downvote King

        When someone says they’re weeping with joy over a product, I expect more than rumors and speculation to be the cause. Of course if all of these things come to fruition that would be fantastic, but at the moment all that Valve has confirmed is a name, and presumably what a portion of the bottom of the headset looks like.

        • Jerald Doerr

          Well, clearly its using lighthouse tracking most likely 2.0 daaaa yes.. Knuckles for controllers daaaa yes… From the leaked pictures of the hmd, the lenses are clearly larger than the Vive and Vive Pro… So daaaa yes that means a wider field of view… Just about the only thing I can’t tell from all the evidence provided is display type, disply resolution and HMD Hz….

          Considering all the VR units released in the last 3 years…

          YES…. This is something to be excited about…..

          • Downvote King

            I’ve replied elsewhere to all of these points, but to clarify: these are all speculation. Nothing is confirmed. My interest was why folks are so confident in rumor in this regard.

          • David Herrington

            I understand what you mean by “speculation” since there is no official word on these specs, but the leaked images are EXACTLY the same headset.
            This doesn’t mean that in the last year they couldn’t have changed something, but it gives a pretty good indication of what to expect. Likely since they didn’t change too much of the exterior, then it makes sense that the rest is the same or very similar.

          • Downvote King

            The portion they’ve shown does look very similar to the leaked images we saw last year, but this doesn’t change the fact that all of the specs which were reported at the time were still unconfirmed, essentially rumor and speculation.

    • Romulo de Castro

      Short answer, knuckles controllers.

      • Downvote King

        You should be able to use the Knuckles controllers with other headsets though. And it’s not confirmed to be included, although this seems a relatively safe bet. Every single feature of the headset itself is unconfirmed, no?

        • kuhpunkt

          Knuckles require Lighthouses. You can use another HMD, but you still need those.

          • Downvote King

            True. Anyone upgrading from an existing Vive setup can use any headset they want in combination with Knuckles then. Or conversely a Rift or WMR user could add a Lighthouse setup to use Knuckles.

            That scenario does beg the question to me though whether Valve has made Index with a true inside-out tracking system that doesn’t require external Lighthouse emitters necessarily, but can track itself and Knuckles internally from the headset cameras. If not, this does seem a strange anachronism in the face of the usability and convenience that Rift S and WMR tracking represents.

          • kuhpunkt

            Highly doubt that they have Lighthouse-independant technology implemented yet. The possibility to mix something like the Odyssey with the Vive wands is just a workaround.

          • Downvote King

            To my knowledge yes, Valve hasn’t baked in the ability to use whatever headset/controller combo you want, but that it is certainly possible with a reasonable amount of enterprising effort. Something on the level of using hacked songs with Beat Saber, which doesn’t seem to be terribly much of a problem for someone with the incentive to solve it, or at least google how and implement the solution.

            The more I think of it, the less enthused I am at the prospect of Valve continuing down the Lighthouse path actually. I understand it’s fantastic on a technical level, but to what degree is it better than Quest or Rift S in this regard? And is it possibly worth the tradeoff of convenience true self contained tracking represents? Being able to pack up and use your laptop and headset anywhere you go seems a boon, let alone the all-in-one console functionality of the Quest, and the prospect of an ad hoc wireless tether, admittedly a feature as confirmed as any the Index currently boasts, with the exception of John Carmack himself boasting of working to this end.

          • kuhpunkt

            Not sure. I’m curious where the future will lead. Will bodytracking become a thing? That’s nothing any HMD will be able to do by itself. I guess it will be split in two directions. Quest-like stuff for mobility, Lighthouses for stationary use.

          • Downvote King

            It will definitely be interesting to see where body/face tracking goes. For telepresence it’s a very important element, but doesn’t need to be perfect. Predictive algorithms pieced together with tracking from on-board cameras could be enough for that, or possibly ultrasound, electromagnetic or some other 3D imaging. If you want a fully fledged martial arts game where you’re accurately kicking things, or a dancing or platforming game where foot placement needs to to be precise, you may need Kinect or Leap Motion style tracking rather than Lighthouse. It’s a good question though, the tech for body tracking theoretically already exists in those products but for some reason has not been implemented in a consumer experience at least.

          • HybridEnergy

            “If not, this does seem a strange anachronism in the face of the usability and convenience that Rift S and WMR tracking represents.”

            I don’t think they give a crap, putting up to simple light houses isn’t rocket science.

          • Downvote King

            It’s not rocket science, but it’s also a lot less practical and convenient to pack up and move around. You also can’t use them in rooms with open windows, or spaces that are too wide open. Small things make a difference with consumer products. Folks made a big deal out of the moderate differences in setup costs and usability between the original Rift and Vive as well. Self contained tracking systems seem undoubtedly the method that has the best chance of breaking through to the mainstream, eventually even Valve will have to get on board.

          • HybridEnergy

            I don’t know, mine have been on top of literally a shelf and the other on on top of my tv. Not according to instructions angled and not at the specified height and guess what, they work and perfect tracking. How they track is pretty incredible, I tried using only one the I swear there was only like 5% of an area it wasn’t getting. So really, it’s just the plugs into the power since they are blue tooth that is inconvenient.

          • Downvote King

            It’s a matter of degrees really. Obviously Lighthouse is a great tracking system, it just seems fated to be replaced by self-contained systems.

      • Tesla

        Then look at Samsung Odyssey+ controllers. Big thumbstick for certain games, big touchpad, with 4 side buttons in it, bottom button and front button. WMR controllers are the best in terms of ergonomy. The only thing I don’t like about them is that big ring in front, which is easy to damage. I punched a robot in Steam VR boxing environment and instead of robot was my table. I have crack in plastic holding that ring. I had to use super glue. This is the only aspect not good about WMR controllers. Other than this, it is great to put controllers on that ring in vertical position.

      • Princepwnage

        knuckles from sonic ?

    • MrGreen72

      That shows how much people love Valve I guess…

      • Downvote King

        Now this could be true. That and its announcement almost directly after the reveal of a Rift S that seems to have disappointed so many. Almost appears like a rebuttal by proxy, all details simply implied to be better, a savior come to swoop down and rescue the rabble from mediocrity without ever having to confirm a single feature.

    • NooYawker

      I guess the hope is since Valve is releasing it and not just letting other companies use their tech, it’s going to be a far superior. Why else bother releasing one at all.

      • Downvote King

        I’ll chalk this up in the “people love Valve” column. Seems the best theory that’s coalesced so far. Still, I do find it interesting the peculiar faith that’s been placed in previous speculation here.

        • HybridEnergy

          That’s just how it works with brands. HTC can come out with the best VIVE 2 that spec wise smashing everything right now and people will irrationally hate it. Could be the best headset ever but it’s HTC so hate hate hate. This Valve headset could be a 110 fov LCD 1440p basic bitch HMD for all we know.

          • Downvote King

            Yep, this is the source of my curiosity. People know literally nothing about the actual specs, yet seem convinced it’s going to represent something very specific.

          • HybridEnergy

            Yea, though I assume it’s just fun to speculate and the enthusiast level of VR fans are hungry.

  • John

    Rift S is still a good option for those who play on the go with a gaming laptop. If this is still using light houses for tracking its going to still need a dedicated VR play area.

    • Chris Edwards

      Better have displayport on that laptop or Oculus S won’t work.

      • dk

        hdmi to display port …..or mini display port to dp

        • Chris Edwards

          HDMI to DisplayPort does not work ! Mini Display Port will work. Unfortunately lots of gaming laptops only Have HDMI and will not work with the Oculus S

          • dk

            bullshit it will work ….it’s not res beyond what hdmi can do

    • HybridEnergy

      Is this like an incredible large community of people walking around the world with VR gear to play it on the go? I’ve never wanted to take my VR places, I want VR to take me places but not me to take VR places. lol

  • Simple O’Rourke

    You people are nuts.

    Some of you are having VR orgasms and you don’t even know the specs yet.

    If this thing really is coming out in 30 days or so then why wouldn’t they release the specs ahead of time? My guess is we get the specs in May.
    I hope it is awesome and $600 or less.

    • brandon9271

      I’m just excited because i know it’s going to be better than anything we currently have because if it’s not Valve wouldn’t even bother making it. Time to sell off all my other VR gear before it becomes worthless.

    • Cl

      Well, this most likely means knuckles controllers are coming out soon. That’s enough to get me excited.

    • Baldrickk

      There have been unverified leaks. A 135° field of view is expected, with LCD screen, 2016×2240 render resolution was leaked, and then removed from the video that leaked it.

  • Alan Harrington

    Yes, this is the headset you have been looking for…

    • Tesla

      HP Reverb is better. 2160k x 2160k per eye, inside out tracking.

      • gothicvillas

        here you go.. inside out tracking is HPs weak point. Other than that. looks good. I’ll stick with lighthouse tracking for now, you cant beat it at this time and age.

      • Alan Harrington

        Resolution, yes; FOV? Probably not; WMR tracking 1.0? You gotta be kidding me. That’s a hard pass from me ..

        • Tesla

          Tracking is very good in well lit room, which that things inside, not empty blank walls. Tracking is worthless if you see screen-door crap. Visuals are the most important than anything. It’s what you put your face into.

      • jwvanderbeck

        Inside out tracking is one of the big reasons a lot of us are negative on the Rift S.

        • Tesla

          I am more negative about having cables all around the room:) I played with Rift 1 and no no, thank you. Also, wireless connections woule be great. Cables are immersion breaking. I guess in a few years…

  • Mohamed Ouedarbi

    Seems in the past fotos , it is a stand alone headset , we dont see any cabke and there are lot of little hole for heating. The index will be a thetered headset but they plan to have a standalone too in my guess. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/9357966009512f1ca5d72395e41caf5e2c238461896eb41cb4ba28437991a92e.jpg

    • Well, that image shows what looks like a cable clip.

    • benz145

      It’s extremely unlikely that Valve would dive into standalone VR because Steam is not a mobile platform. Also in the leaked photo in showing the lenses you can see at the top left the slot for the cable insert.

      • HybridEnergy

        Here is to hoping for some type of wireless adapter though, just so used to my Vive one by now I can’t go back.

  • Excited. Can’t wait to upgrade my Vive (In terms of build quality as well hopefully). The USB port, the space it sits in, and the latter pictured plastic cover suggests some cool form of tracking too IMO.

  • Luke
  • Brian Brown

    I’ve been patiently waiting for this to happen. From what Gabe Newell has said, I’m thinking there will be Valve VR titles released at the time of commercial availability, or bundled with the HMD.

    Also, I’m really hoping to be able to purchase the headset, and the Knuckles controllers ala carte, since I already have the base stations (along with the Vive HMD and wands).

  • JesperL

    Dear Sant..Valve
    I have been a good bo…middleaged dude, and I sold my Vive last year, hoping to see a new REAL VR HMD upgrade soon. Everyone else have failed me,
    Bring us that better resoulution, lenses and FOV that we need. And if you manage wireless, lol… come on obi, you are my last hope :D

  • OkinKun

    Comparing it to a ‘toy’ or a ‘gear vr’ is utterly absurd, neither of those is even close to accurate.. Clearly you’ve never used it.

    It’s more like a game console for VR. Of course PC will always be better than what consoles can do, but consoles sell better and right now VR needs a console, if we’re going to get more customers into VR to buy our games. The industry is not making much money right now, more needs to be done to ensure it’s long-term survival.

    Frankly, you can call me a fanboy all you want.. but my interest in Oculus’s stuff stems from having followed them since 2012, and seeing their focus/decisions over the years. And for now, I’d rather develop my VR game for a platform with the most available users to sell games too.
    Of course what works on Quest will easily work on PC, but post Quest launch I’d expect many VR devs to focus on Quest first and PC ports later, similarly to how development tends to go for traditional console games.

    • TheHitman1982

      No Gear VR is exactly what it is. Your reference to a “console” for VR. What do you think a cellphone attached to a VR headset is? A VR console. I also have used it. If devs focus on making shitty mobile games for the quest and then porting them to PC then they might as well just burry VR now because it will be nothing more then a quickly passing fad that will end up in landfills. As for traditional consoles games I think you are backwards. There are many games that are developed for PC and then ported to consoles. Once again you are also assuming for your own argument. “Doubt they’d do that if it was just a gear vr or a “toy”.”

  • Jerald Doerr

    I take “Upgrade your experience ” as in our VR is better than yours…

  • Tony_Neville

    It’s been nearly 3 years since getting a Vive. I’ve been patiently waiting for an upgrade that does not cost more. The Index won’t have eye-tracking, but I’d be happy with improvements in resolution, FOV, and comfort.

  • Tommel

    Nice. However, I first want to know more about the release games and concrete game announcements. Why knuckles and yet another headset when there is no long term software strategy. Maybe there is, but judging from Valve’s software releases the past…. years. I am very much looking forward to more news, but so far I mainly see a lot of disappointment about the rift s and/or Oculus hate in the current hype.

  • I can’t make out these “Faint Circles” for Lighthouse tracking. It really looks like another Inside-Out, WMR headset. That would mean that all existing VR makers are moving to the Microsoft initiated, inside-out standard.

    People poop on Microsoft all the time, but man, they are innovators. Their design is being copied by EVERYBODY.

    • Zerofool
      • impurekind

        Ah, from this image, along with the recently leaked one of the front, it definitely looks like it has a shiny plastic front plate almost like an astronauts visor on there, which could be kinda cool.

    • gothicvillas

      If it doesnt use lighthouse tracking, this would be the worst news of the year

  • As I have written in a post of mine, one of my sources told me that it should feature hands tracking out-of-the-box.

    I am super hyped by this headset… especially if it will come with Half Life 3!

  • Gonzax

    Have you guys seen this?? https://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/b7jp2i/heres_the_now_deleted_video_from_gdc_describing/

    no sensors or controllers? did I get that part right?

    or maybe it was all a joke, who knows….

    • That’s confirmed a joke by the creators themselves.

      • TheHitman1982

        It seems more of a “oh it was just a joke” so we dont get our asses sued.

  • WyrdestGeek

    You’ll have your better experience, but you’ll be tethered to your PC.

    Whereas I will be able to take the VR to any place with enough room. No time spent setting up lighthouses or cameras or hooking up the PC or waiting on Windows to do some stupid Windows thing.

    Obviously the Vive (or Index) will be a higher quality experience. But it comes at the cost of far less mobility.

    • TheHitman1982

      So you would rather have a shitty experience but be able to run around into shit? Unless you are in a completely bare room you are going to be running into tables and chairs and shit all over the place. And even if you are in a bare room in a house its not going to be very big. So you sacrifice actually having super high resolutions and actual depth in AAA games for that? No thanks. Buy some extension cords and you can still do 75% of that.

  • Trip

    The choice of name is very interesting IMO. In this context I’d say it implies that it measures up very favorably when compared to the competing products.

    I’m super excited, I’d rather buy from Valve than any third party, and I’ve been holding off playing a ton of games until I get knuckles because the wands are SO bad for so many games. I found “Moss” nearly unplayable.

    • Trip

      More directly, the name most likely means “The standard measure by which others shall be judged”.

    • dk

      the people on reddit think the name is related to the refractive index of the cornea….and the logo of it refers to 2 stacked lenses and the circle is the eyeball
      https://twitter.com/steamdb/status/1088370699532677120

      • Trip

        That is interesting indeed! So are people theorizing that this means it has some kind of compound lens type setup?

        • dk

          there is a link to patent like that in the tweet

  • Chris Edwards

    Me too, Since I would like to upgrade my Vive and already own lots of games on Valve this would be the obvious choice. 140 degree FOV and real IPD adjustments would make this a Oculus S Killer.

  • JesuSaveSouls

    Jesus God’s Son

    • dk

      no his name is Gabe

    • 3872Orcs
      • HybridEnergy

        Even as an atheist myself the atheist responses to anything like this is always leftist cringe. Bet they won’t say the same shit about Muslims like the hypocrites these are, watch.

    • gothicvillas

      I think you are evil person. I have shivers when I see your posts..

  • ritual veality
  • gothicvillas

    i dont see May 2019 reference anymore.. should we start to worry?

  • HybridEnergy

    Our resolutions are quite good right now to enjoy the games, I feel like people who obsess over resolutions to this point have some kind of VR porn addiction and just want that ass to look as clear as possible. Once you start playing the games all the SDE and everything goes out the window when you are enjoy it, but that stupid wire just never fucking goes away.

  • Does anyone know why they removed reader comments from UploadVR.com? Or was it never there and I’m just crazy? Guess I’ll be coming here exclusively now.

  • Cl

    It would be cool if the front slot was actually for a battery pack because its wireless.

    • Caven

      Not really. A battery pack that small probably wouldn’t even run the headset for a full hour.

      • Cl

        Maybe big enough for 2 18650 batteries. So 6000 mah

  • Downvote King

    I agree – hopefully!

  • JustNiz

    > a hardware IPD adjustment on the bottom of the headset, and we’d be surprised if this wasn’t specifically chosen to highlight the fixed IPD of the Rift S.

    No… that’s just how you do things properly. Given the Rift S is so spec-limited I’m sure Valve don’t actually consider it as legitimate competition for the Index, except maybe through pricing and misleading marketing.

  • Downvote King

    Seems solid, but not quite up to the hype, no? Similar FOV to Rift S, and has an LCD screen instead of OLED. Uses projected audio, although a bit different than Rift S. Resolution in the same ballpark. Price double. Knuckles are a great upgrade too, but Lighthouse 2.0 seems incremental. Still not a next gen device unfortunately. Still, maybe we’ll finally get Half-Life 3 out of the deal…

    • Jerald Doerr

      True…. But my told you so was more along the lines of the “Speculation/roomers/leeks” part of our conversation.

      • Downvote King

        Lol K. I just read that the FOV is actually 130 degrees btw the first source I saw was 110 degrees. 130 would actually be a pretty decent upgrade.

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