In case you missed it, Valve announced a load of new hardware this week, including a second stab at the Steam Machine, a Steam controller, and a long-rumored new VR headset called the Steam Frame. But in with the new often means out with the old, and perhaps inevitably, the company has confirmed that its previous headset, the Valve Index, is no more.
Valve’s Lawrence Yang told The Verge that it’s “no longer manufacturing” the Index, which we called “the best desktop VR yet” when it launched in 2019. The Index arrived around the same time as the Oculus Quest and its promise of an affordable all-in-one future for VR. By contrast, the Valve Index was very much still a high-end tethered device for the hardcore enthusiasts, with a price tag that reflected that.
I hope you’re right. I’m pessimistic about the new controllers though. The knuckles were awesome and allowed you to fully open your hand without dropping them.
There is apparently going to be an optional grip strap that replicates this functionality. There are sensors in the new controllers that can sense the grip of all five fingers.
Gamers Nexus deep dive video on the Steam Frame did have a shot that showed the controllers with the straps.
Any assurances for the inside out tracking? My first experience was with Windows MR and while that worked, you certainly learned to play “in view” and not so aggressively. Getting the index was so freeing. My main game was beat saber so accurate tracking at all angles/positions was a top priority.
From using other inside-out tracking headsets, it’s gotten better. The quest 3, in comparison, was a lot better tracking than the Quest 2 when not in direct front of the headset.
Behind though, is still hit-or-miss. Doing any behind the back motions is still iffy. Which isn’t an issue for lighthouse based headsets like the Vive or Index. It’s a trade off though for ease of use and setup, and more freedom where you can use it.
I’m optimistic about it and hope Valve has a good tracking implementation.
No, because the hardware is not out to the public yet and nobody’s thoroughly tested it. Or if they have, I haven’t found any published results yet. We’ll see when this thing actually starts hitting the streets.
My current headset is also a WMR unit, a Reverb G2, and it works well enough for me. If the Frame is at least as good as that, I’m golden. But I find it hard to believe Valve of all people would not be aware of the limitations of inside out tracking and not done the best they absolutely could with it.
Maybe they didn’t. If that’s the case, they’re going to have a problem on their hands.
Started with WMR, have a Quest 2 and index, and have used a Quest 3:
Inside out tracking has improved immensely from the WMR days. Quest 2 is solid and the 3 is even better. Now controllers have IMUs built into them that continue tracking after vision loss (confirmed for Frame controllers).
GripVR controllers release soon and look like they will make a good substitute.