Index, Valve’s PC VR headset released in 2019, is officially on its way out. And to see it along, Valve has dropped the price of everything Index-related.
The News
Valve Index is no longer being produced, which means this could be your last chance to get new stock of the company’s landmark PC VR headset.
Everything is now 20 percent off on the Valve Index page, including:
- Valve Index Headset was $499.00, now $399.20
- Valve Index Replacement Left Controller was $149.00, now $119.20
- Valve Index Replacement Tether was $129.00, now $103.20
If you’re in the US, you’ll notice that Valve is only now selling left replacement controllers. If you’re in the UK or EU, you should still be able to buy both left and right.
Notably, the biggest missing piece is the required SteamVR 2.0 base stations, which give Valve Index six degrees of freedom (6DOF) by emitting lasers. You can find those direct from HTC, priced at $229 for a single unit.
While Index is being discontinued, Valve notes that nothing changes for prior owners, as it’s still supported on Steam and SteamVR.
This follows the release of Steam Frame last month, Valve’s first standalone VR headset that not only includes native VR and non-VR gameplay, but also the ability to wirelessly stream games from a much more powerful PC.
My Take
Valve Index might have been more expensive and less user-friendly than its biggest competitor at the time, Oculus Rift S, but became the choice for VR enthusiasts looking to maximize immersion for good reason. Excellent (for the time) optics, refresh rate, persistence, and resolution. Again, for the time.
And while Index was the leader in visual clarity, it was also one of the first to offer genuinely excellent audio quality too, as the headset’s off-ear speakers are still some of the best in the industry.
Ergonomically, Index was also much more comfortable than its bulk seems to suggest, as the built-in headstrap cradles the back of your head and helps balance out what otherwise might have been an excessively front-heavy weight distribution.
That said, Valve’s PC VR headset probably isn’t worth jumping in at this late date, as I’d consider the sale to be more appealing to existing owners hoping to get their hands on cheaper replacement parts than anyone looking to get into the ecosystem right now.
As it is, the SteamVR tracking ecosystem is on its way out, as most headsets now feature inside-out optical tracking, barring a few late entries, such as Bigscreen Beyond 2 and a number of Pimax headsets, the latter of which offer optional SteamVR tracking faceplates.
That, and the new discounted all-in price (if you can find a right controller in the US) of Index is somewhere around ~$1,200, which is only $100 less than Steam Frame’s top 1TB storage option—and $200 more than the actual all-in Index bundle initially offered in 2019.
It’s also significantly more complicated, as it requires mounting two base stations in your room, although if you’re dead set on getting an Index, check out our review to learn more.
