Valve Index Controllers – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

June 22, 2023

Valve Index is Currently Selling for $600 Refurbished from GameStop

Looking to get your hands on arguably the best PC VR headsets out there? Well, you might consider GameStop’s refurbished units for $600.

Used, refurbished units typically sell through GameStop for $700, which includes the full kit and kaboodle: SteamVR tracking base stations, Index motion controllers, cables, and of course the Index headset itself.

Now that package is on sale for $100 off, bringing it way below its $1,000 all-in price when new. All you’ll need left to play a host of SteamVR content, such as the award-winning Half-Life: Alyx, is a VR-ready PC.

Before plonking down those six crisp Benjamins though, you might want to try out Steam’s VR Performance Test first to see if your system has what it takes.

But the last hurdle to overcome is invariably deciding whether it’s worth that price in 2023, as Index is now nearly four years old. For the long of it, check out our 2023 VR headset buyer’s guide. Here’s the short of it:

If you’re looking for a good all-in alterative to the Index deal, Meta’s Quest 2 is cheap and cheerful at $300. In addition to offering its own native library of standalone content, it also works as a PC VR headset thanks to both a wired and wireless PC connection.

You can also pick up a refurbished HP Reverb G2 from NewEgg for $390—another headset that made our list. It’s a good all-around PC VR headset, although controller latency is markedly worse than either Quest 2 or SteamVR-tracked headsets like Index or anything HTC offers.

Wherever you look though, you’d be hard-pressed to find anything new for $600 that matches Index’s still excellent displays, off-ear audio, ergonomic headstrap, and Index controllers.

Here’s a full list of what’s included:

What’s in the Box

Headset
Integrated Headphones
Headset Cable
Headset Connection Cable with DisplayPort 1.2 and USB 3.0 Connections
Headset Power Supply
Regionalized Headset Power Adapter(s)
Headset Cradle Adapter (for smaller heads)
Headset Face Gasket
2 Controllers, Left and Right
2 Controller Lanyards
2 USB Controller Charging Cables
2 SteamVR 2.0 Base Stations
2 15 ft (4.5 m) Base Station Power Cables
2 Base Station Stands with Mounting Hardware
Regionalized Base Station Power Adapter Plug(s)

May 11, 2021

Vive Pro 2 With Index Controllers Is $100 Less Than HTC’s Full Kit

You can get HTC’s new Vive Pro 2 with two base stations and better controllers for less than the price of the full kit coming in August.

Announced alongside the Vive Focus 3 today, Vive Pro 2 is first launching as a headset-only version designed for people that already have SteamVR trackers and controllers. It’s available to pre-order from today and ships in early June for $749. Once it’s started shipping the price will increase to $799. The full kit, meanwhile, includes two base stations and two Vive wands for $1,399 and lands in August.

But you can order everything you need to play the Vive Pro 2 today for less than the price of the full kit, and swap out the dated Vive wands for Valve’s Index controllers.

Vive Pro 2 With Index Controllers +2.0 Base Stations – $75 Off

You can order the individual components over on Steam. A single 2.0 base station costs $149, so it’s $298 for a pair. They’re out of stock at the time of writing, but come and go quite often. Then a pair of Index controllers cost $279. Add that to the price of the pre-order promotion and it’s $1,326 for the entire kit. Not the biggest price cut perhaps, but don’t forget you’re getting controllers that are much better than the wands, and HTC itself confirmed to us they’ll work with Pro 2.

Even if you waited until after the promotion and bought the headset alone at full price, it would still come to $1,375.

Why are the Index controllers better than the wands? Because they released a few years after and featured several big updates. The controllers have sensors to tell when each finger is wrapped around the grip, for example, and there’s both an analog stick and a small trackpad as opposed to the wands’ singular, large trackpads. Plus the grip allows you to release the controller from your grasp and not fall away.

But we do have two other options to talk about too.

Vive Pro 2 With Older SteamVR Accessories – $120 Off

There’s another cheaper option out there, too, though it involves slightly downgrading your kit in some small ways instead. HTC still sells the original base station ($134.99) and Vive wand ($129.99) on its accessories page. A pair of each brings you to $529.96, thus taking everything to a total of $1,278.96 with the promotion and $1,328.96 without it. Again, the downsides to these older versions are negligible – the base stations are a little noisier, aren’t quite as solid for tracking (though still basically faultless) and only support up to two stations at a time (2.0 can support four), while the Wands are essentially the same. Again, HTC confirmed to us in a pre-brief session that these older devices work.

Vive Pro 2 With Base Station 1.0 And Valve Index – $100 Off

Okay, time for the best of both worlds option. You could order two original base stations from HTC ($269.98) and the Valve Index controllers ($279) which would, with the promotional price, bring you to $1,297.98 ($1,347.98 afterward). That’s just a little more than $100 off with the better controllers. The base stations aren’t quite as good but, honestly, it’s hard to notice the difference. That makes this deal the best of both worlds and, in our opinion, it’s definitely worth spending the extra $20 over the previous set to get the better controllers.

If you are thinking about picking up the Vive Pro 2 full kit, then, make sure to look into these alternatives first. Just remember you have until early June to take advantage of the Vive Pro 2 promotion and keep checking Steam for stock on the individual components.

Will you be picking up the Vive Pro 2 with any of these options? Let us know in the comments below!

March 5, 2020

Valve Index Going Back on Sale Next Monday

Since its launch last year the Valve Index headset has been in demand, rocketing even further when the news of Half-Life: Alyx came out. Customers around the world have been unable to get their hands on the virtual reality (VR) headset for most of 2020. That will (sort of) come to an end next Monday, 9th March when more units finally go back on sale.

Valve Index

Valve has confirmed that there will be stock available just don’t expect it to meet demand. In a statement the company said:

“Valve Index VR kits will be available for purchase this Monday (March 9th) starting at 10 AM PDT (5 PM UTC). Due to high demand, we expect available stock to sell out on Monday. All purchases beyond this initial quantity will be fulfilled in the order in which they are received, as supplies increase over the coming months.”

The company hasn’t said if any of the singular components will be available for those that may want just the headset, only mentioning the full kit which retails for £919.00 GBP/$999.00 USD. So you’ll need to be ready at 6pm GMT to secure a kit ahead of Half-Life: Alyx’s launch two weeks later (hopefully it’ll arrive before then). Currently, the UK store page has now changed from ‘Notify Me’ to ‘Coming Soon’ on all the products so there’s a possibility all the product options could become available.

Half-Life: Alyx release date

The Valve Index is a favourite here at VRFocus thanks to a range of features including a comfortable design, excellent audio and clear visuals. Take a look at our in-depth review for further details. Owning the Valve Index or the Index controllers will secure you a free copy of Half-Life: Alyx when it arrives on 23rd March. Looking set to become the biggest VR videogame of 2020, Valve has released further details regarding its gameplay this week.

Valve released three gameplay videos highlighting three locomotion systems used in Half-Life: Alyx, Teleportation, Continuous and Shift. These should cater to most players needs depending on their familiarity and comfort levels when playing in VR.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Valve Index and Half-Life: Alyx, reporting back with the latest updates.

November 27, 2019

Impressions Of

During the UploadVR Holiday Showcase today we just revealed that we now have a review unit of the upcoming Vive Cosmos SteamVR Tracking Addon, launching in Q1 2020.

We’ll be bringing you our full impressions of this addon next week!

If you own a Vive Cosmos and want more robust tracking, or support for Valve’s Index controllers (without manually aligning tracking systems) this could be what you’re looking for.

vive cosmos external steamvr tracking mod

There’s no word on the exact price yet, but HTC tells us it will be less than $200. Keep in mind you’ll also need to purchase two or more SteamVR Tracking base stations ($150 each from Valve).

It does then seem that the combination of Vive Cosmos, SteamVR tracking addon, SteamVR base stations, and Index controllers would actually significantly exceed the price of the Valve Index full bundle. So, why buy one?

The answer, for some, could be that Vive Cosmos is the only new headset which offers a wireless option. If you’re bothered by the cable in PC VR, or used to the wireless freedom of Oculus Quest, such a combination could be what you’re looking for. Of course, that would be even more expensive, as the wireless adapter costs a total of $350 extra.

Inside-Out vs SteamVR Tracking

The original Vive used the SteamVR “Lighthouse” tracking system. In this system, external base stations placed at the top corners of the room send out a timed infrared signal which the headset and controllers use to determine their position in the room. SteamVR tracking is highly accurate and, since the base stations are positioned in the top corners, robust.

Cosmos uses inside-out tracking instead. This means buyers no longer need to set up base stations, however there are some tracking limitations.

The headset features total of six onboard cameras instead, more than we’ve seen in any other headset. HTC claims this provides a 310 degree controller tracking range. When we went hands on with Cosmos we found that while tracking mostly worked well, it sometimes took multiple seconds to re-establish when a controller goes completely out of view.

For more detailed information on this topic, see How VR Positional Tracking Systems Work.

The post Impressions Of <$200 Vive Cosmos Lighthouse Tracking Coming Next Week appeared first on UploadVR.

November 21, 2019

Valve: Some Optional Half-Life: Alyx Interactions Only Possible With Index Controllers

Valve’s upcoming VR game Half-Life: Alyx works with all tracked PC VR game controllers, but some optional interactions are only possible with the company’s own Index Controllers.

The intriguing detail comes to us in a lengthy answer from Bronwen Grimes, Technical Artist at Valve, in response to a question we sent the company about the highly anticipated game. The artist also told us core interactions in the game, like “picking up, holding, dropping, throwing, and manipulating” objects “end up being better on Index Controllers because we were developing them in concert with the game.”

Half-Life Alyx is available for pre-order now on Steam for around $60 and slated for release in March 2020, but it’ll be free to owners of the Valve Index VR headset. Valve debuted the high-end Index VR headset earlier this year in tandem with the Index Controller — a new type of tracked VR controller which straps to each hand around the knuckles and palm.

In 2016, HTC shipped the Vive with wand-like tracked controllers powered by Valve’s technology while Facebook shipped Oculus Touch. The following year, Microsoft supplied PC manufacturing partners with another type of controller which combined features of both for VR headsets running on its Windows Mixed Reality platform. While these earlier controllers require the player to hold them, the Valve Index Controllers track the movements of all five fingers and allow more realistic grasping and release sensations.

Earlier this year Pistol Whip developer Cloudhead Games worked with Valve to release the Aperture Hand Lab free introductory software which showcased some of the interactions these controllers were uniquely capable of providing — like playing a game of rock, paper, scissors. Owners of the original Vive controllers can replace them with Index Controllers for $279. A new VR buyer needs a VR Ready PC plus $1,000 to purchase the Valve Index VR headset, tracking base stations and controllers.

Valve’s SteamVR software interfaces with all the tracked PC controllers mentioned and many VR games work with all of them, including Half-Life: Alyx. But people with the Index Controllers may have different experiences with the game as compared with the rest.

Half-Life: Alyx Gravity Gloves — Gravity Gloves

Crushing Cans In Your Hands And More

Here is the full answer provided by Valve’s Bronwen Grimes to our question seeking to understand the differences players might notice playing Half-Life: Alyx with the Index Controllers versus others:

“We’ve really tried to make the best use of Index Controllers for those who have them, while also ensuring that those who don’t still have a great experience with Half-Life: Alyx. There’s a small set of things that Index Controllers can do that other controllers can’t do at all, and they’re fun but not required – like being able to crush a can that you’re holding in your hand. But there’s a larger set of things that work on any tracked controllers, yet end up being better on Index Controllers because we were developing them in concert with the game. The most obvious example is the core interaction players have with objects in Half-Life: Alyx – picking up, holding, dropping, throwing, and manipulating. Players perform these basic actions many times throughout the game, and over our years of playtesting, we’ve found that combining the player’s trigger usage with their tracked finger locations was the most successful method of supporting their intentions. So while you can perform most actions with just a trigger or a button, we just think it feels more natural with the way the Index Controllers operate. Finally, the ability for the player to relax their hands without dropping their controller turned out to be a significant factor in our Half-Life: Alyx playtests. As our Index Controller prototypes started replacing our older controllers in playtests, we started seeing players able to play for longer and longer stretches of time, because they weren’t required to hold onto a real-world object the entire time. This wasn’t really something we saw as a problem in our early days of VR development, but now that VR games are becoming longer and more fully featured, we think it’s becoming more important.”

The post Valve: Some Optional Half-Life: Alyx Interactions Only Possible With Index Controllers appeared first on UploadVR.

September 20, 2019

Batman: Arkham VR Gets Surprise Index Controller Support

Get ready to thwip Just like Batman! Wait? Oh, wrong superhero.

But, all the same, you can now do whatever a Batman can with Valve Index Controller support. Batman: Arkham VR just got a surprise update to celebrate Batman Day, which this year recognizes 80 years of gravelly voices, brooding from the rooftops, and employing child soldiers in the war against crime.

The update adds full support for Valve’s new controllers. That means the controller’s finger tracking should work inside the experience. That means you can finally give Joker the finger and do even more elaborate Adam West-inspired sexy Bat-dances in front of the mirror.

Elsewhere, the game also implemented an OpenVR Mesh, which could apparently give some users a “small performance increase”.

It’s surprising to see the game get an update this significant so far after release. Batman: Arkham VR first released on PSVR all the way back in 2016 and came to PSVR the year later. If developer Rocksteady is able to update the game with the latest VR tech, could it perhaps still be working on new VR titles?

Arkham VR remains one of the most polished VR experiences out there, so we certainly hope so. It’s actually been a busy year for Batman in VR. Back at Comic-Con in July fans could go on a VR skydiving trip with the caped crusader. I also saw a curious experience mixing AR and VR all the way back at MWC.

If you’re looking for more Index-fuelled superheroics, Sony’s Spider-Man: Far From Home tie-in recently got support for the controllers too.

The post Batman: Arkham VR Gets Surprise Index Controller Support appeared first on UploadVR.

August 29, 2019

Valve Completely Overhaul’s The Lab for 2019

When HTC Vive went on sale in 2016 the first download any sensible owner should have started was Valve’s The Lab. The collection of mini-games was designed to showcase the virtues of virtual reality (VR), with roomscale environments and lots of items to grip and interact with. However, as the years have passed The Lab started to get a little dated, surpassed by new content which took The Lab’s ideas and expanded them. Today, the title gets the update it has long deserved, improving a raft of features.

The Lab

With Valve Index now available as well as the Index Controllers Valve has obviously looked at hand interactions – hence why its called the Hands-on Update. It doesn’t matter whether the controllers you own fully track fingers or not, the update will represent hands ‘to the highest fidelity possible’ states Valve.

Another feature taken right back to the bare bones is the physics-based interaction. This means that most objects within The Lab can be grabbed, poked, thrown, smashed, stacked and discarded however you wish. Just as important as touching stuff in VR is the audio, creating a rich soundscape to immerse you in. So all the spatialisation tech in The Lab has been overhauled to create an even richer audible tapestry.

It’s not just stuff you can see and hear which Valve has improved upon. Originally The Lab was designed to run at 90 Hz, the optimum frame rate for most VR headsets at the time to provide a smooth experience. That has caused some issues so now all the code is frame rate dependent, ensuring a seamless experience across a wide array of devices.

Valve Index

Other under the hood improvements also include upgrading to a modern engine version. All of which should mean The Lab becomes just as relevant as it was back in 2016, and an essential download for any Valve Index customer. As Valve says in a statement: ‘The Lab is a playground, and one that you can now enjoy like never before.’

While the update is good it probably isn’t the news fans want to hear. Valve still has yet to release any details regarding the ‘Flagship VR Title’ mentioned in May, when it does VRFocus will let you know.

August 29, 2019

Valve Updates ‘The Lab’ with Index Controller Support & Latest VR Tech Stack

Valve launched The Lab as an experimental VR playground way back in 2016. Today the company is updating the game to bring it up to speed with the company’s latest VR tech stack, including Index controller support, overhauled physics, spatialized audio, and more.

Three years after launch, Valve’s The Lab still stands as one of VR’s best ‘first time’ experiences thanks to great art & sound, straightforward interaction design, and an array of fun mini-games which titillate the imagination with VR’s vast potential.

Today Valve is updating The Lab to bring it in line with the latest VR tech stack that the company has developed in the intervening years.

First up, The Lab now supports the SteamVR Skeletal Input system and SteamVR Input. Not only does that mean proper support for the finger tracking on the Index controllers, it also means that any VR controller will be animated more realistically thanks to the system mapping whatever controller tracking inputs are available onto the virtual hand model (inputs like sticks, buttons, grips, and capacitive zones).

Thanks to SteamVR Input, The Lab is future-proofed to work with VR controllers of the future which don’t even exist today; the system allows games to define their controls in a controller-agnostic way, and even allows players to make and share their own controller bindings.

Valve also says the physics interactions in The Lab have been “completely overhauled.”

“Nearly all interactable objects can be freely poked, thrown, bashed against each other, stacked, toppled, and smashed. You are no longer a ghostly visitor to VR, your hands are physical like everything else, grounding you in the universe and raising your immersion to new heights,” the company writes in the update announcement.

The update also brings upgraded audio via the made-for-VR Steam Audio system, which the company says enhances the spatial accuracy of sounds in The Lab. This should also bring real-time sound modeling to the experience, which more accurately simulates the sounds heard by the user by taking the geometry of the scene into account.

Valve says it’s also tuning up The Lab to be more friendly to new users.

“Thanks to extensive user testing and three years worth of feedback, we’ve smoothed over the few bumps in the experience to make the game even more welcoming to new users.” That includes “innumerable changes to improve gameplay and performance […],” and support for arbitrary refresh rates; The Lab‘s physics system was initially designed to run at 90Hz, and could get thrown off at higher or lower framerates. With recent headsets covering a wider variety of refresh rates (like Rift S at 80Hz and Valve’s own Index at 144Hz), the company has made the physics system framerate independent.

– – — – –

It’s quite likely that we’ll be seeing much of this same tech stack incorporated into Valve’s upcoming “flagship VR game” which the company has said will launch in 2019; though we’re now entering the fourth quarter of the year, Valve has yet to reveal any specifics about the title.

The post Valve Updates ‘The Lab’ with Index Controller Support & Latest VR Tech Stack appeared first on Road to VR.

August 2, 2019

SteamVR Adds Workaround For Valve Index Thumbstick Click Issue, Fixes Firmware & Runtime Bugs

The latest update to SteamVR adds workaround for the Valve Index controllers’ thumbstick click issue, as well as fixing firmware bugs and improving stability for the headset.

Index is Valve’s PC VR system. It was released at the end of June. The full kit costs $999, but existing HTC Vive owners can purchase the headset and new controllers separately for $499 and $279 respectively.

The face of the controllers features two buttons, a small trackpad, and a thumbstick. While the thumbstick can be clicked when centered, when deflected at certain angles it cannot. On the Valve Index subreddit, users have reported that Valve do not consider this a defect. This software update indicates the company intends to work around the issue with software.

The Workaround

Valve has updated the default Index controller input bindings such that when a thumbstick is fully deflected in any direction, it is considered to be fully clicked. This is only applied for apps which have not set their own input bindings, which means mostly games which have not yet been updated to support Index.

Users can manually enable this new setting for any app using the SteamVR input system’s Controller Settings panel. The exact deflection to activate the emulated clicking is fully configurable.

Just like with the Steam Controller, Valve is putting a heavy emphasis on community and user input bindings. This allows for customization, but leads to some degree of input fragmentation between games.

Bug Fixes & Stability Improvements

The update also brings a plethora of bug fixes and stability improvements to Valve’s platform, including firmware updates for both the headset and controllers. Based on the changelog, this seems to address most of the Index’s launch bugs commonly reported:

SteamVR Runtime

Enabled automatic firmware recovery for Valve Index and Vive Pro devices that have had certain firmware updates interrupted or failed.
Fixed a rare spontaneous shutdown of vrserver caused by very briefly connected pipes.
Fixed a rare case where SteamVR would stop working after a prolonged period of high CPU load.
Fix cases of error 422 that could happen when launching a game and letting it launch SteamVR (as opposed to launching VR first and then launching the game).

Index Firmware/Drivers

Improved device discovery to reduce the impact of misbehaving USB drivers and devices.
Introduced a fix for some Valve Index users experiencing Base Station Power Management intermittency.
Fixed a skeletal system issue where the thumb would not respond when the thumbstick is moved but no touch is detected.
Fix cases of error 422 that could happen when launching a game and letting it launch SteamVR (as opposed to launching VR first and then launching the game).
Improved USB reliability.
Fixed an issue that could result in displays turning off during active usage.
Fixed an issue where initiating pairing just after powering on the controller could result in a power off.

The post SteamVR Adds Workaround For Valve Index Thumbstick Click Issue, Fixes Firmware & Runtime Bugs appeared first on UploadVR.

July 2, 2019

Get Modding as Valve Index CAD Files are Released

Last Friday, 28th June, consumers around the world began receiving their Valve Index headsets the pre-orders of which had sold out within minutes. But the company isn’t purely interested in producing virtual reality (VR) headsets with high fidelity, Valve wants to foster a community to expand the device’s potential. To that end, Valve has announced the release of CAD files for all three primary components in the Valve Index system.

Released under a Creative Commons License, the files allow modders to design additional attachments or other peripherals for the headset, controller and base station units. The files a lot of modders will likely be interested in relate to the ‘Frunk’, the recessed gap at the front of the headset under the translucent visor.

This gap was designed specifically for additional attachments, with a USB 3 type A port capable of 1A@5V located on the inside to power whatever designers dream up. Details include the above image which represents the volume that a design can occupy without occluding cameras or sensors.

Valve notes in a statement: “If your creation attaches elsewhere, we recommend routing the USB cable directly out the side towards the eye-relief adjustment knob in order to minimize the chance of occlusion. We strongly recommend against removing the frunk plastic, as it can impact your sensor calibration and will void a warranty you may otherwise enjoy. Anything that requires a T5 or smaller is not user serviceable.”

Users can customise the visor without fear of occlusion as no sensors or cameras look “through” the translucent visor (attach stickers if you so wish). There are even files to create your own face gasket which attaches by magnets for easy removal and replacement.

As mentioned, the CAD files are for all three products, so the controllers are also moddable. Due to the fact that every input of the controller has capacitive sensing: the thumbstick, trackbutton, trigger, grip, and buttons, Valve does recommend keeping these surfaces clear. Valve has included a “Booster” accessory example for the Index Controller. This is a shell that wraps around the grip portion of the controller, great for people bigger hands and longer thumbs.

All the files are hosted on a GitHub repository located here. This feature:

High-resolution STP files to model with
Low-resolution STL files to quickly view and explore
Dimensioned drawings of relevant geometry

Do be aware that if you design anything using these files and want to sell the product you need to get in contact with Valve at steamvrbiz@valvesoftware.com. For further updates on Valve Index, keep reading VRFocus.