Valve Reveals The Index as a High-End VR System

VR enthusiasts have been eagerly waiting for Valve to reveal their intentions with the mysterious new headset, the Index. That time has come and the company has revealed the setup to be a high-performance virtual reality system.

The biggest new feature of this Index model is in the hands. The system uses the "Knuckles" controllers. One for each hand, the Knuckles controllers have two face buttons, a joystick, and a thumbpad button. Attaching at the hand instead of the wrist, early demo users have reported a comfortable and fluid feeling when controlling them.

The big draw from the Knuckles controllers, however, is with the finger tracking. The controllers are able to track the motion of individual fingers. The aforementioned demo had users interacting with a Portal robot, performing hand signs, high fives, and so on to familiarize themselves with the new input format.



The Index headset itself comes with a number of improvements, as well. Users will notice a sharper view than other units. This is because the headset has a 1440x1600 resolution per eye, compared to the Vive's 1080x1200 resolution.

For those more interested in expansion, the Index appears to be the first VR system to support modifications. A front-mounted space on the headset's brow appears to allow space for attachable peripherals. Valve is humorously calling this space the "Frunk," or front trunk.

The final upgrade to current market VR is with the lighthouse. The HTV Vive uses two base stations, positioned on both sides of the room, for tracking the head and hands of the user. The Index will feature an upgraded base station system, which offers longer range and a wider field of vision.

None of this comes cheap. The Index is the most expensive VR setup on the market at this time. To buy the complete package, which comes with a headset, two Knuckles controllers (left and right hand), and two base stations, consumers will have to drop a hearty $999.99.

For those who don't need everything, you can purchase individual parts. The headset alone costs $499, a pair of Knuckles costs $279, and the base stations cost $149 each. Regardless of which you want, the product itself won't be shipped or for purchase until July 31. Interested buyers can reserve their own now via the Steam store page.

The price is above what most people are willing to spend on a gaming setup, myself included. But that price isn't wasted on clout or prestige, you get a great deal of bang for your buck here.