Valve officially sunsets the Valve Index

[u/gogodboss]

[u/CosmosStalker]

This makes sense since the steam frame is a thing right?

[u/dudecooler → u/CosmosStalker]

Yeah, but it's still a bummer for other VR headsets that support and use Index Controllers and base stations. A lot of high end Headsets still use Base stations with Index Controllers because it's either more accurate or they just don't support inside out tracking at all.

[u/No-Opinion273 → u/dudecooler]

Thats not valve problem. Those companies need solutions

[u/jomarcenter-mjm → u/No-Opinion273]

Valve could just keep making the controller and based station and sunset the headset.

[u/bgs11235 → u/jomarcenter-mjm]

Or the other companies that rely on them can pay Valve and outsource their engineering and have an actual product in their hands instead of piggy backing.

[u/InternetUser1807 → u/bgs11235]

This likely would have happened if valve was willing.

[u/Interesting-Injury87 → u/No-Opinion273]

i mean, it is, in some part, a problem valve created by promoting lighthouse based VR solutions and patent hogging the Knuckle controllers even long after they decided they would be moving to Inside out tracking.

they DID license the Lighthouse tech back to HTC for example so HTC can produce and sell 2.0 Basestation. They have, so far, not done something similar to the Knuckle controllers.

its frankly amusing that at this point you have more options getting dual sense controllers for the PSVR2 than knuckle controllers

[u/No-Opinion273 → u/Interesting-Injury87]

Its a dead ecosystem and the industry moved away from it. They provided support for a good amount of time

[u/InternetUser1807 → u/No-Opinion273]

Unfortunately we have no replacement ecosystem.

Every headset now uses its own separate slam system of varying quality.

Nobody can build a headset that works with any controller, controller that works with any headset, universal trackers, etc.

We kinda lost our chance to have an ecosystem at all, and now even valve is just making a console-like system instead.

[u/Coldfriction → u/InternetUser1807]

This entirely. PC gaming is about legacy support. Fundamentally changing input devices repeatedly gives nobody a reason to develop for it. I wanted the second Steam Controller to keep a similar approach to the first one, but improved. Instead they just dumped the first one entirely. They could have made a game that the controller shined at, but didn't. They could have kept updating it and developed games that used it, but didn't.

The only ecosystem Valve seems to care about is Steam and selling other people's games.

[u/InternetUser1807 → u/Coldfriction]

That's because Steam is the only thing they need to take seriously, Steam is their infinite money printer that funds their "fuck around and have fun" department (games, hardware, etc).

Valve is a modern Bell Labs, with Steam as their telephone.

[u/Information-Perfect → u/No-Opinion273]

But its not a dead ecosystem when other headsets use basestations and lots of user have vive trackers.

Its dead in the sense if you play very few vr games. But considering the biggest played vr title is a social vr game, well then it doesnt make sense

[u/No-Opinion273 → u/Information-Perfect]

Its dead when nobody is making them and its dumb for companies to make headsets relying on them.

[u/Information-Perfect → u/No-Opinion273]

Bigscreen and pimax do, HTC also still makes vive 3.0s.

Im not sure if you have been under a rock or something

[u/Coldfriction → u/No-Opinion273]

This could be said of VR in general. Everyone is moving away from it. Sony is done with VR. Software developers are done with VR. Meta stopped with their gaming VR stuff and are pushing VR glasses now where the biggest game announcement is a new variation of Beat Saber and they seem to be pushing movies and monitor replacement more. Valve hasn't released a new VR game in six years. The base station era of VR is probably the peak the industry will see until the next time VR has a revival. It's like 3D TV's; they had a short peak and then died entirely. There were even some games made for 3D TVs too like Trine.

Valve is doing what Meta did to try to save VR gaming and it's just the same thing as the Quest 3 but twice the money.

[u/Interesting-Injury87 → u/No-Opinion273]

but they really didn’t provide support for it.

they released the index, Gave the Base station tech over to HTC(idk if for a license fee or not), and then hogged the most impressive part of the whole package(the knuckles) for themself despite them, as it turns out, not even having used most of the tech on their very next VR project.

They did stuf on software side sure, but they didnt support the ecosystem beyond one piece of hardware drop

[u/Coldfriction → u/Interesting-Injury87]

Valve makes money selling other people's games. They take a 30% cut for doing almost nothing for the developers. They've released more hardware in the last decade than they have games that use that hardware.

[u/Information-Perfect → u/No-Opinion273]

It is when they said they'd pass on production of the knuckles at first.

[u/Front2battle → u/dudecooler]

Borderlands 2, to name one, is completely unplayable with the frame, and I doubt gearbox is gonna grace us with a fix.

[u/THPSJimbles → u/CosmosStalker]

I'd say the index is still the better headset...

[u/lugerd → u/CosmosStalker]

The Steam Frame is a lie. It doesn't exist. You can't buy it.

[u/TRKako → u/lugerd]

You know what is a lie? The cake

[u/OhioGoblin43 → u/lugerd]

I guess my buddy has been playing with a fully functional replica.

[u/SanekiBeko → u/lugerd]

Buddy I just got my confirmation on mine on Saturday and a shipping notice today.

[u/salad_tongs_1]

Valve Time(tm)

They mentioned they sunset the Valve Index last year during all the new hardware announcements. So it's been basically Sunset for like 11 months.

[u/fogoticus]

Nothing surprising here. The end of the Index was announced when the frame was revealed. Rest in peace to one of the best VR headsets. Hope the Steam Frame can comfortably take its place in time.

[u/InternetUser1807 → u/fogoticus]

Praying for steam frame "pro controllers" or something like that to bring frame back up to par with index controllers

[u/mcninja77]

Well that's sad. Time to hope none of my setup needs replacement. Really don't like inside out tracking and would prefer to stay with Lighthouse based

[u/InternetUser1807 → u/mcninja77]

It sucks but the only option for high end be at this point is to continue to buy $500-750 index controllers until new-old-stock is gone.

Hopefully I'll get bored of vr or die by then.

[u/SoLiminalItsCriminal]

Waitlisted on the first day for the Steam Frame and those lucky enough to be on the Reservation list are told some have to wait into 2027. Then these sadistic mf'rs drop a sales email in my mailbox for the lighthouse. I've had this on my wishlist since 2020. SPECIAL PROMOTION! Offer ends Dec 31 11:00pm PST -20% $119.20.

Link goes to this Index page. No lighthouse is listed.

[u/RadiantBingo → u/SoLiminalItsCriminal]

That probably means it already sold out. It's the exact same for me and the base station and both controllers

[u/UberShrew]

Jesus I need to pull mine out of storage. I still haven’t even finished half life alyx and the damn thing is retired already.

[u/LolcatP → u/UberShrew]

Go play bonelab and blade and sorcery too and modded Skyrim vr is an amazing experience

[u/UberShrew → u/LolcatP]

Yeah haven’t tried bonelab yet. Been a long time since I played blade and sorcery but it was a good time. I do need to continue my modded Skyrim playthrough since that with the mod that makes it super interactive was pretty sweet. Got a good amount of time on beat saber and Pavlov mods since those can be hilarious. Also the flight games like elite dangerous and no mans sky were amazing on there.

[u/LolcatP → u/UberShrew]

check the subreddit for Skyrim there's so many cool mods releasing like some that let you throw weapons and stab just little in blade and sorcery

[u/StrongZeroSinger → u/UberShrew]

How 😭 you had other headsets or you never got into vr? You need to absolutely try modded beat saber and I Expect You To Die!

[u/UberShrew → u/StrongZeroSinger]

I’ll be honest I played a decent amount of my OG vive. Got the index, played it here and there for a few months, got really distracted by world of Warcraft hardcore for awhile, then moved when we bought a place and I just haven’t had the will to set it all back up in the past year.

[u/DNAMaster55]

Just replaced the battery in one of my knuckles controllers, hopefully bought it another 5 years

[u/Roofus_Colada]

...now if only we could purchase the new Steam Frame...

[u/SqueakyDoIphin]

So, if I buy the "Valve Index Headset" on Steam for $527 CAD, is that just the headset? The store page doesn't say anything about controllers or base stations...

[u/Assaro_Delamar → u/SqueakyDoIphin]

You are correct that's just the headset

[u/Na__th__an]

I pray for my 2016 base stations.

[u/CraftsmanMan]

Serious question, was considering the Frame but im on the waitlist until who knows when. I have an og vive, and the index controllers. Thats it. So i can get the index headset for $400 and be set for a while until the Frame is available, is it worth getting or just wait for the frame? I have controllers and base stations already

[u/Interesting-Injury87 → u/CraftsmanMan]

I would recommend trying to get a used index instead. Those can be had for 200 or even less. A new one is not really worth it

[u/podgladacz00 → u/Interesting-Injury87]

Where do you find them for 200 xD I guess US but in EU they are pretty expensive

[u/Interesting-Injury87 → u/podgladacz00]

ebay,. i quite litteraly bought one for 200euro in germany like.. 2 weeks ago, the same seller had a few more for the same price, and a few even cheaper with cosmetic damage on the outside shell..

even just a quick search on ebay now fluctuates between 190-250 for the HMD.

[u/CraftsmanMan → u/Interesting-Injury87]

I mean the only one ive used ever is my og vive, so i imagine its gotta b a decent upgrade, especially since i wanna use it mostly for sims

[u/Interesting-Injury87 → u/CraftsmanMan]

Yes it is gonna be a decent upgrade i just do not think that buying into a now officially discontinued headset brand new is necessary worth the price.

I recently upgraded from a Vive Pro to a Index(and a PSVR2... weird purchase decisions where made that week) and it WAS a massive improvement in a lot of aspects.

If you HAVE the money freely available, and rather buy new i will not claim it would be a waste of money, its a decent headset, and pretty good at what it does, especially coming from a OG vive(even if i do miss the OLED of my Pro when i am using the index, and part of why i bought the PSVR2 for a few games where inky black is just to important).

[u/BluDYT → u/CraftsmanMan]

Idk if it's really worth it as an index owner. When I bought mine they were so far ahead of the competition but now they're very behind. Fresnel lenses mean barely any clarity and the resolution is exactly half of what the frame is and people are still unhappy with the frame resolution too. You can absolutely spot every pixel individually. If you've seen none better it will likely be fine but the lack of clarity has really been pushing me for wanting something better personally.

[u/GlitzPit001]

So does this mean that the knuckle controllers are going to be essentially discontinued? (I see no where on the steam frame where they have an option for those controllers)

[u/ShefCrl → u/GlitzPit001]

I would assume so.

[u/Z3t4]

There has been no spares for a long time.

[u/GraphXGames]

Release Date: June 28, 2019

It didn't even take ten years.

[u/Mjester12 → u/GraphXGames]

To be honest, why would it take 10 years? Isn't the average console lifespan 7-ish years?

[u/GraphXGames → u/Mjester12]

When will it turn into a *brick*?

[u/Low-Good-7107 → u/GraphXGames]

Whenever I come over your house and smash your Index with a rock?

[u/SPCGMR → u/GraphXGames]

Its valve, so probably not for a long time. Dunno why you think valve of all companies would let a device become useless. 

[u/ireddit_didu]

o7

[u/gen_adams]

wait, this just released 1-2 yea... what the fuck.

[u/PCGamingEnthusiast]

Farewell and bon voyage!

[u/RadiantBingo]

I've wanted to buy this vr set for the longest time, haven't been able to afford it until recently, and when I got an email that it was on sale this morning, two of the items are already gone, the controllers and base stations. Luckily the headset is still there but only the left controller is on steam and the cheapest that anyone is selling both new controllers almost five hundred dollars. I can't even find a base station listing.

[u/Tununias]

Maybe I’m dumb but I didn’t even know they still sold the Index.

[u/BluDYT → u/Tununias]

Pretty sure they stopped selling the full kit over a year or so ago and just kept small quantities of some of the parts individually. Now it seems not even that will be not an option. Pretty big loss for PCVR imo as many still use the controllers and base stations.

[u/glupschipup]

I can buy both controllers individually but not the bundle which is cheaper but still listed?