About a month ago, Valve teased that it was working on its own VR headset separate from the HTC’s Vive and Vive Pro, but still compatible with all the Steam VR games that are currently available. Now, Valve has finally released a ton of details about the Index, including some of its new and unusual abilities.
About a month ago, Valve teased that it was working on its own VR headset separate from the HTC’s Vive and Vive Pro, but still compatible with all the Steam VR games that are currently available. Now, Valve has finally released a ton of details about the Index, including some of its new and unusual abilities.
Starting with the headset itself, the Index looks poised to take on the HTC Vive Pro with specs such as dual LCD displays that deliver a 1440 x 1600 resolution to each eye, the same as what you get on a Vive Pro. But where Valve went the extra step is by supporting refresh rates up to 120Hz (30Hz higher than the Vive Pro), with support for an even higher 144Hz experimental mode.
This increased refresh rate could be a big boon for people who normally feel nauseous when using VR, as any sort of visual lag or jitter is often one of the biggest causes of VR-induced motion sickness. The Index also switches up how it handles audio because instead of having built-in on-ear headphones, the Index comes with special off-ear “radiators” specifically designed to rest an inch or so away from your ears in order to deliver a more natural and immersive sound stage.
