This article is missing information about the Index's history, development, reception, etc.(January 2020) |
Developer | Valve |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Valve |
Type | Virtual reality headset |
Generation | Second |
Release date | June 28, 2019 |
Availability | 2019 |
Introductory price | US$999 [1] [2] |
Operating system | Windows, Linux |
Display | Two 1440×1600 LCD IPS Fast Switching Type Displays @ 80 Hz, 90 Hz, 120 Hz, or 144 Hz [3] |
Sound | Integrated headphones, 3.5mm audio jack, built-in dual microphone array [3] |
Controller input | Valve Index Controllers |
Camera | Front-facing 960×960 stereo cameras [3] |
Connectivity | DisplayPort 1.2, USB 3.0 expansion port [3] |
Backward compatibility | Supports HTC Vive and Vive Pro Controllers and HTC Vive and Vive Pro Base Stations [4] |
Related | HTC Vive, HP Reverb G2 [5] |
Website | www |
The Valve Index is a consumer virtual reality headset created and manufactured by Valve. Announced on April 30, 2019, the headset was released on June 28 of the same year. [6] [7] The Index is a second-generation headset and the first to be manufactured completely by Valve. Half-Life: Alyx is bundled in with the headset.
The headset uses an IPS fast switching [8] 1440×1600 LCD panel for each eye for a combined resolution of 2880×1600. The panels are full RGB and can operate at refresh rates of 80, 90, 120, or 144 Hz. [3] The specified field of view is 130°, but users report a practical field of view of 120°. [9] The panels and lenses can be moved horizontally to adjust the user's inter-pupillary distance (IPD) using a physical slider underneath the displays. The allowable IPD adjustment ranges between 58 and 70mm.
The headset and controllers both support Valve's Lighthouse 2.0 tracking system, [6] while retaining full compatibility with all previous HTC Vive base stations, [10] using SteamVR.
The headset is intended to be used with the Valve Index Controllers—known during development as the Knuckles Controllers [11] —but is also backward compatible with the HTC Vive and HTC Vive Pro controllers. [4] The Valve Index Controllers have a thumbstick, touchpad, two face buttons, a menu button, a trigger, and an array of 87 sensors that allow the controllers to track hand position, finger position, motion, and pressure to create an accurate representation of the user's hand in virtual reality. [12] In addition, the controllers include an accelerometer for additional measurements. In 2018, a tech demo called Moondust was made to showcase the capabilities of an early version of the Knuckles. [13]
The Index includes "a pair of ultra near-field, full range, off-ear (extra-aural) headphones", [14] which use BMR drivers to create accurate and immersive low frequency sounds, as well as a microphone.
The Valve Index is Valve's first virtual reality headset developed and manufactured in house, and is planned to be the launch console for Valve's upcoming virtual reality games. Development on a completely first party headset started some time around 2015 according to interviews with staff, before the release of their Vive headset with HTC. In February 2021, Valve registered patents for a new VR headset, describing the improvements over the previous model. [15]
It sold an estimated 149,000 sets in 2019, 103,000 of which were in the fourth quarter due to the announcement of Half-Life: Alyx , which buyers received for free. [16] The sudden demand caused the unit to be sold out in all 31 countries except Japan in January 2020. [17] As of December 2019, 6.67% of the VR units connected to Steam are Valve Index sets. [18] While Valve had anticipated supply for many of those that had ordered the Index in time for the March 2020 release of Half-Life: Alyx, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted production of the Index which left Valve with a reduced number of units available on the release date. [19]
Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs 3D near-eye displays and pose tracking to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment, education and business. VR is one of the key technologies in the reality-virtuality continuum. As such, it is different from other digital visualization solutions, such as augmented virtuality and augmented reality.
Valve Corporation, also known as Valve Software, is an American video game developer, publisher, and digital distribution company headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. It is the developer of the software distribution platform Steam and the game franchises Half-Life, Counter-Strike, Portal, Day of Defeat, Team Fortress, Left 4 Dead, and Dota.
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A virtual reality headset is a head-mounted device that uses 3D near-eye displays and positional tracking to provide a virtual reality environment for the user. VR headsets are widely used with VR video games, but they are also used in other applications, including simulators and trainers. VR headsets typically include a stereoscopic display, stereo sound, and sensors like accelerometers and gyroscopes for tracking the pose of the user's head to match the orientation of the virtual camera with the user's eye positions in the real world.
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Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives, commonly referred to as simply Job Simulator, is a virtual reality simulation video game developed and published by Owlchemy Labs for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Oculus Quest, Oculus Quest 2 and Meta Quest 3, in which players participate in comical approximations of real-world jobs. A sequel, Vacation Simulator, was released in 2019.
Foveated rendering is a rendering technique which uses an eye tracker integrated with a virtual reality headset to reduce the rendering workload by greatly reducing the image quality in the peripheral vision.
OpenXR is an open-source, royalty-free standard for access to virtual reality and augmented reality platforms and devices. It is developed by a working group managed by the Khronos Group consortium. OpenXR was announced by the Khronos Group on February 27, 2017, during GDC 2017. A provisional version of the standard was released on March 18, 2019, to enable developers and implementers to provide feedback on it. On July 29, 2019, OpenXR 1.0 was released to the public by Khronos Group at SIGGRAPH 2019.
A virtual reality game or VR games is a video game played on virtual reality (VR) hardware. Most VR games are based on player immersion, typically through head-mounted display unit or headset with stereoscopic displays and one or more controllers.
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Pimax is a technology company specializing in virtual reality hardware products.
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Half-Life: Alyx is a 2020 virtual reality (VR) first-person shooter game developed and published by Valve. It was released for Windows and Linux, with support for most PC-compatible VR headsets. Set five years before Half-Life 2 (2004), players control Alyx Vance on a mission to seize a superweapon belonging to the alien Combine. Like previous Half-Life games, Alyx incorporates combat, puzzles and exploration. Players use VR to interact with the environment and fight enemies, using "gravity gloves" to snatch objects from a distance, similarly to the gravity gun from Half-Life 2.
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Compared to other headsets on the market, Valve Index currently has the highest field of view (FOV) of 130 degrees (perceived as 120)[ unreliable source? ]
a pair of ultra near-field, full range, off-ear (extra-aural) headphones