Update May 1st: Pre-orders are now up.
Valve have pushed out the details of their new in-house VR kit, the Valve Index along with the Controllers and 2.0 Base Stations.
The actual Headset has dual 1440x1600 RGB LCDs and it runs at 120Hz with "full back-compatibility to 90Hz". Additionally, there's an experimental 144Hz mode as well. The displays have a "reduced illumination period of 0.330ms to 0.530ms (framerate dependent)" which Valve claim is a "5x improvement" over first-gen PC VR HMDs which all sounds mighty impressive to me.
The 2.0 Base Station sounds equally as impressive, with you able to have four of them all connected up to create a 10m x 10m play-area. Their Base Stations are compatible with both the Valve Index and HTC Vive Pro. Linking into that, the Valve Index is also compatible with the HTC Vive Controllers, HTC Vive Pro Controllers and the HTC Vive Base Stations, or HTC Vive Pro Base Stations so you don't need to buy every part of Valve kit.
We already knew that the Valve Index would have full Linux support, as Valve previously confirmed this to us directly and with the pages up it's clear this still holds true. Although, their VR-test application is Windows-only. The Pre-orders will start tomorrow, available in a "limited-quantity launch" for the USA and the EA with shipping targetting by July 1st.
No games were announce by Valve at this point, however they are teasing a "flagship" VR game later this year that will be playable on "any SteamVR compatible system". Perhaps they're waiting to properly announce it when shipping begins? Who knows but I will let you know when I know. I would absolutely love to see what Valve could do with it with their own games.
For those really interested in early details, Tom’s Hardware did get to test it and they have some bits up on it. While I wasn't able to get any kind of hands-on yet, I am hoping to see a review unit this time (unlike with the HTC Vive) so we can see how it does on Linux, a quick chat with Valve earlier sounded positive on that front.
They also have a store page up now on Steam and it's time to keep those expectations in check. Brace yourself for the price, as it for me shows the entire kit will go for £919 which is an absolutely eye-watering sum. You can pay less if you already have other kit like the Vive or Vive Pro but it's still pretty expensive. Here's a breakdown of pricing for you across the various combinations possible:
- Full Kit: £919/$999/€1079
- Headset + Controllers: £689/$749/€799
- Headset: £459/$499/€539
- Controllers: £259/$279/€299
- Base Station (one): £139/$149/€159
- Face Gasket (2-pack): £36.99/$39.99
- VirtualLink USB-C Adapter: £36.99/$39.99
Going by the specifications though, this really is top-end stuff we're looking at so the price isn't exactly surprising but it will still likely limit the audience. For Linux gamers, the lack of VR content could be the real barrier although this is likely another reason why Steam Play exists.
There's tons of details to go over, so do check out all the info here.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Comandante Ñoñardo May 1, 2019
Quoting: Comandante ÑoñardoWith the crappy economy We have in Argentina, this will NEVER happen.
You know that we have a little monarchy that will buy it... in the moment they leave the country with our economy leftovers.
slaapliedje May 1, 2019
Quoting: DerpFoxSo let's see what you get with 300 for PSVR. Right now you can get a bundle with Moss and Astrobot (two games that are platformers, beautiful, but not really 'VR') and a Camera and the headset.Quoting: EhvisQuoting: DerpFoxThe full pack should have been at 500€ MAXIMUM to be interesting. And at that price it would still have been really expensive. And a good price would have been 300€.
I agree! And my house should have cost no more than €10000, because that would have been a good price!
No, its just a comparison with the other products in the VR segment that are here or to come. 1000€ is way over priced where most of the other VR sets are sitting between 300€ and 700€. At this point its not even a question of spec, the product just won't sell. Valve have invested so much time and money in that project and all the related games, if no one is buying its just a wasted investment.
At a 700€ price the HTC Vive already have great difficulties to sell. the best seller is currently the Playstation VR priced at 300€ and even at that price people think twice before buying one.
If Valve want to penetrate the VR market they wont make it at 1000€. 500 or 300 might seem low but that is were the others are. I have a couple friends who follow the VR news and they were until today hesitant on what they will buy as their next VR Kit. It was between the Oculus Quest set and the Valve Index. Now they have their answer they will go for the Oculus.
I'm sorry but Valve have already lost, I bet next year this time they will announce they stop production of the Index.
But that's now after it's been discounted, it was 400 originally. The Vive was originally 800, the Vive Pro (full set) is still 1200-1400! So for the Index being WAY better specced than the PSVR (by the way I now have a PSVR, Vive and Vive Pro, and the PSVR barely holds a candle to the Vive). But Valve has broken down the price for you, it's 500 just for the headset, just like the Vive Pro. So if I (already having the base stations) wanted just the headset and the controllers, it's 749 (which is probably what I'll get, though it might be nice to upgrade to the Base station 2.0 just so I can sell my old set.)
Anyone who thinks that HTC Vive is having a hard time selling is high. I can't seem to find current information, but it looks like the latest out there is that they sold 420k in 2016. https://htcsource.com/2017/02/superdata-420k-htc-vive-units-were-sold-in-2016/
HTC is selling at profit on every one they sell. Not sure the same can be said for PSVR (I bought mine mainly because there are some weird hoops you have to jump through to watch 3D movies on the PC through the Vive, whereas it's built into PSVR now, but it's definitely not as nice as the Vive Pro. I haven't really tried any games yet (waiting for the Move controllers)).
Quoting: gomeraIt would be great if the controllers were compatible with HTC Vive, I wouldn't mind spending $280 for that lvl of hand tracking.
Ehm... they are. That's the whole point of SteamVR. You can upgrade what you want. I'll get the Index Controllers now and consider getting the HMD later.
And that's just the screens. Now add to that two motion sensible controllers like the ps4 controllers. Two of them. And a headset, and a base station (check price on another base station standalone).
Just do it, just for fun. What did you end up with?
Last edited by Beamboom on 1 May 2019 at 8:22 am UTC
Quoting: BeamboomJust do it, just for fun. What did you end up with?A load of tech I don't want, and a big hole in my bank account. :P
Al least the monitors would be usable for day-to-day activities though.
Last edited by WorMzy on 1 May 2019 at 8:23 am UTC
Quoting: GuestWell, to be fair, what you end up with is still a price for this VR kit that people will balk at, regardless of whether it's a fair price from a manufacturer perspective or not.
The interesting thing is that there is a lot of tunnel vision behind this. Last year I went on a 10 day holiday and was down a thousand euro. Nobody blinks an eye if you tell that. If I now take that money to buy this thing and take my week off to use it, people will look at you like you just wasted a ton of money. Perception is a weird thing.
Anyway VR is fun and I have the disposable income, so if the linux support is good I'm definitely getting it.
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