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Ars Technica: Valve’s long-rumored VR headset is finally real: the Valve Index, coming in June

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Delusibeta

Delusibeta

Prophet of Truth
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Oct 26, 2017
5,648
Tharp said:
How has Valve been in the past with availability of hardware close to release? I'm definitely on board for this, but it'll be a shame if it ends up being a thing where you need to preorder right away or it'll be many months before you get your headset.
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Honestly, I don't think Valve's previous hardware launches (the Steam Controller and the Steam Link) is even remotely comparable in terms of complexity of building the device. But, for the record, I believe the Controller and Link launches went smoothly in terms of availability.
 
1-D_FE

1-D_FE

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Oct 27, 2017
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EDIT: I"m only half-paying attention here. Holy hell that was a qualifier for stupidest post of the week.
 
Durante

Durante

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Oct 24, 2017
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wafflebrain said:
Looks sexy, probably one of the most cyberpunk looking headsets released so far. That faceplate is just aces.
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Yeah it looks really nice.

Also, individual availability of HMD/controllers/base stations!

I hope (and expect) I'll be able to use reuse the Vive base stations.

1-D_FE said:
How much power does USB 3.0 have? If that faceplate supported an optional wireless adapter, would stock USB 3.0 have enough power for it (without external power)?
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Normal USB might not have enough. USB-C would, but you don't want to rely on people having that (and even if they do, you don't want to rely on it supplying enough power reliably).

VirtualLink could do everything, but I guess it's too early to require that.
 
Paganmoon

Paganmoon

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Oct 26, 2017
5,586
MrFrankFontaine said:
I'm not following. Maybe the Vive is different, but my Rift is powered through one of my PCs USB 3.0 connections. Are we saying the Vive has a breakout box that requires power?
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Yeah. The Vive uses a break out type box. And power to the hmd is drawn from there (through a power adapter)

Edit: iPhone keyboard messed with my earlier post. Surprised you could decode that mumbo jumbo:)
 
Starviper

Starviper

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Oct 25, 2017
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I had the Vive Pro in the back of my mind for awhile but it's just too expensive and uses that older controller model still. Very interested in this. I liked my OG Vive well enough but at the time I sold it there wasn't very many games worth playing.
 
Waffle

Waffle

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Oct 28, 2017
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Starviper said:
I had the Vive Pro in the back of my mind for awhile but it's just too expensive and uses that older controller model still. Very interested in this. I liked my OG Vive well enough but at the time I sold it there wasn't very many games worth playing.
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I went from Vive to Vive Pro. It is a nice incremental improvement but I still would not recommend it due to many problems that come along with it. The audio is not as good and the pass through camera doesn't work correctly for a lot of people.
 

Deleted member 21

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I mean the sites are down again

Considering their state, I don't think them going online was intended
 
Reinhard

Reinhard

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1-D_FE said:
How much power does USB 3.0 have? If that faceplate supported an optional wireless adapter, would stock USB 3.0 have enough power for it (without external power)?
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Why would Valve add cost to the base package for an optional feature like wireless, seems like the adapter would be for something else or a mistake in the listing. Half the time nowadays, even items that require a power adapter, the company sells it as an extra like with the Kindle, Nintendo 3DS, etc.
 
MrFrankFontaine

MrFrankFontaine

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Oct 25, 2017
1,038
Paganmoon said:
Yeah. The Vive uses a break out type box. And power to the hmd is drawn from there (through a power adapter)
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Durante said:
Yes, it does. And e.g. the Pimax also has a power supply.
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Ok, got it. Was hoping this wasn't the case. I wonder what the chances are of a wireless add-on that doesn't add bulk to the headset and works seamlessly.

I want to upgrade from my Rift, but my biggest gripe has been the cord. I'm ready to be done with being tethered to the PC, but I didn't care for the add-on solution for gen 1 headsets.
 
Potterson

Potterson

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Oct 28, 2017
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Seriously, if Valve would make a Half-Life, L4D or Portal game (like, full game, not set of minigames) for this, I will buy the thing... Which is scary.
 
Nabs

Nabs

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Oct 26, 2017
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pj-

pj-

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Oct 25, 2017
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What does DP 1.2 imply in terms of resolution/refresh upper bounds?

Edit: And if it is a 3 in 1 cable like vive, why does the "tether" line only mention DP and USB?
 
1-D_FE

1-D_FE

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Oct 27, 2017
8,259
Reinhard said:
Why would Valve add cost to the base package for an optional feature like wireless, seems like the adapter would be for something else or a mistake in the listing. Half the time nowadays, even items that require a power adapter, the company sells it as an extra like with the Kindle, Nintendo 3DS, etc.
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No one's even catching the stupidity of my original quote (I tried editing out my shame before it was quoted). Why would you be using the cables if you were running wirelessly? LOL. It was a very dumb premise on my part. Whoops.
 

Deleted member 2620

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Man, this looks nice but I'm not sure if it'll have anything drastically new to it outside of Knuckles, and it'll be hard for me to justify if so.

Not to undersell the controllers at all, they rule.
 

Code Artisan

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Oct 30, 2017
805
Is this what people want from valve? Another VR headset for an already cluttered niche market? Valve hasn't learned anything from Artifact huge failure.
 
Granadier

Granadier

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Nov 4, 2018
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pj- said:
What does DP 1.2 imply in terms of resolution/refresh upper bounds?

Edit: And if it is a 3 in 1 cable like vive, why does the "tether" line only mention DP and USB?
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DisplayPort version 1.2 can support video resolutions of up to 3840 x 2160 pixels (4K) at a refresh rate of 60Hz, and it supports all common 3D video formats. In terms of bandwidth, it can manage 17.28Gbps.
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So 4k60. Source
 
vermadas

vermadas

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Oct 25, 2017
566
This is looking much more appealing than the Rift S with everything except the probable lack of markerless inside-out tracking. The basestations are definitely better than Rift CV1 sensors from a cable routing point of view, but I'd still rather sacrifice perfect tracking for near perfect tracking with some blind spots and no fixtures on my ceilings.
 
I KILL PXLS

I KILL PXLS

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Oct 25, 2017
11,537
About the modular USB in the face: Keep in mind the Vive also has an extra USB port on the headset. Really the only difference here is that they relocated it to the face instead of at the top of the headset.
 
1-D_FE

1-D_FE

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Oct 27, 2017
8,259
Code Artisan said:
Is this what people want from valve? Another VR headset for an already cluttered niche market? Valve hasn't learned anything from Artifact huge failure.
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It's what I want. Then again, never had any interest in Artifact.

Hardware Valve is the best Valve. The 3 VR titles will just be the icing for me.
 

Wat

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Dec 10, 2017
221
Durante said:
Normal USB might not have enough. USB-C would, but you don't want to rely on people having that (and even if they do, you don't want to rely on it supplying enough power reliably).

VirtualLink could do everything, but I guess it's too early to require that.
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They could have designed it to be powered with VirtuaLink and to use an optional extra power supply when VL isn't available. Maybe have the extra power port and power supply be USB-C. Less custom parts, faster VirtuaLink adoption, win-win? If necessary, include the power supply in the box initially and cut it into a separate optional order later when VL is everywhere.
 
FreDre

FreDre

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Apr 10, 2018
275
Argentina
That uneven clear cover looks so weird to me, aesthetically speaking.

The headset looks much more high-end that I've anticipated, it doesn't look cheap at all.
Unless they subsidize the price thanks to Steam, the price range looks like it will be as expensive as the VIVE Pro
 

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I KILL PXLS said:
A true gen 2 (or close to it) VR headset straight from Valve without HTC's markup and terrible customer service? Yes. This is what I wanted.
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Being able to buy a high-end VR headset without HTC's shitty support and VR tax, and with better controllers than the Vive wands is a dream to me. I just want a headset without the huge compromises you have to make for the current market options.
 
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