It’s safe to assume that a Valve Index 2 headset may be in development. While there is no verifiable confirmation yet, the success Valve has seen in the VR space since 2019 seems to say it all. However, we are already seeing hints of what might be in it ahead of the official unveiling.
For example, it could be a wireless, standalone VR headset, and there’s strong evidence that Valve is iterating on its next VR product. Right now, it’s hard to find the best VR headset. It’s not like choosing a new phone or headphones – there aren’t many options available. But the Valve Index Virtual Reality Headset is one of the top VR headsets you can buy — and one of the best VR experiences at home.
According to data from the official Steam Hardware Survey in October 2022, over 17% of all Steam VR players use the Valve Index. It is the second most used VR headset right after the Oculus Quest 2. With that success, we’d expect Valve to want more with a follow-up that improves upon the brilliant original. But the original Valve Index is only two years old, we may have to wait a while.
Valve Index 2: Cut to Chase
- What is this? A rumored follow-up VR headset from Valve
- when can i play it? tbc
- what can i play it on? TBC, but almost certainly on PC
valve index 2 release date
There is currently no official information on when Valve might release Index 2, so speculations are in the dark for now.
We know that the original Valve Index was revealed in 2019, so considering that other headset iterations have taken at least two years, we can expect an announcement later this year. However, thanks to the disruptions caused by COVID-19 in 2020, it is more likely that an announcement will happen in 2023. A release date next year also sounds like the best we can hope for.
valve index 2 price
Once again nothing is concrete about how much Valve Index 2 will cost but we can make some educated guesses. Given that the Valve Index was priced at $999 / £919 (about AU$1,425), we’d expect a better headset to cost at least that much – although we wouldn’t rule out a price drop if possible.
We also know that the Oculus Quest 2 – a much cheaper VR option – is the most popular headset on Steam. It’s current 41% share of the SteamVR market is likely one Valve wants to eat, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see it release a budget competitor.
This could mean that Valve will release two different headsets – one targeting a high-end, one more accessible all-in-one mobile device. But while rumors suggest it’s not out of the question, we won’t know exactly what it’s planning until an official announcement.
Valve Index 2 features: rumours, leaks and official information
Here we start to build up a picture of what the Valve Index 2 and other Valve VR products could look like, in the context of a standalone VR headset, based on patents and some SteamVR files.
wireless capabilities
A patent filed in early 2021 suggests that the Valve Index 2 could be wireless, with wired capabilities becoming optional for some version of the headset. The patent shows three different headsets that explore different options between being wireless and standalone (like the Oculus Quest 2) or wirelessly connected to a PC.
The patent also details new comfort options, such as new ways to more effectively distribute heat and weight for each design of the VR headset.
As with all patents we have to take the information with a pinch of salt – there’s no guarantee that this means Valve will produce a headset with these features – but it does show that the company is continuing to develop VR technology. Is.
Evidence of an in-development model
The latest rumors come from VR reporter and YouTuber Brad Lynch (opens in new tab)Which was revealed in some public SteamVR files to be codenamed ‘Deckard’, which refers to an in-development VR headset at Valve.
Lynch pointed VR fans to “a Lighthouse driver file” that cites a “Deckard POC-A” device in the file released back in January, with the POC likely being a ‘proof of concept’ and a “POC -C” model is mentioned. The June documentation, instead, suggests Valve has been working on refined iterations of its device over the past six months, and ensuring SteamVR stays up to date with what it supports.
There are other tidbits to dive into in Lynch’s video, including a mysterious ‘prism’ function and a VR link file that points to a Wi-Fi 6 connection for a wireless headset – alongside the VR headset patent we published in March. reported back.
Valve Index 2: what we want to see
While the Valve Index is a great VR headset, it’s not perfect by any means. Here are some of the areas we’d like to see Valve Index 2 improve on.
Better game selection – straight from Valve’s teams
While this hasn’t been a direct issue with previous Valve Index headsets, games are still an important factor for all gaming hardware. There are some great VR games out there like Valve’s own Half-Life: Alyx, but a platform can’t be built on just a few titles.
If Valve wants to commit to VR then we not only want to see a great device, but we want them to make more games to play on it. Be that the Half-Life: Alyx sequel, the VR adaptation of another IP like Portal, or an entirely new IP from the studio. The quality of the games will also be important, but a little more quantity won’t go amiss.
In an interview with TechRadar, Half-Life Alix director Robin Walker Mentioned wanting to make an XCOM VR game – so maybe we can have something like that to look forward to?
hand tracking
Facebook recently unveiled its plans Controller-less AR Experience using hand tracking, and we’d like to see similar technology in VR. Hand tracking sounds like it came straight out of a sci-fi world and we’d love to see something like this offered in every VR headset going forward.
While it’s more likely we’ll see it in future Oculus devices — like the rumored Oculus Quest 3 — Valve could be developing its own version of the tech for a future headset.
no more base stations
Base stations are devices that help the Valve Index and other headsets like the HTC Vive track users, place their headset and their controller in a room-scale virtual environment. while he performed well in the headset our reviewWe hope a Valve Index 2 drops them.
Base stations aren’t the worst things in the world, but if you ever want to change your room—or just dust it off and you clog up one of the sensors—you’ll have to go through the whole recalibration process again. It’s tedious and we could do without working with them, especially as other headsets like the Oculus Rift S work fine without base stations, thanks to the in-out tracking.
high-resolution screen
The Valve Index used two screens with 1440 x 1600 pixels each – one for each eye. While the image is ultra-crisp, the improved screen wouldn’t be unexpected, especially considering that the Apple VR headset is rumored to use a dual-8K screen — it’s 7680 x 4320 pixels.
We feel like 8K is a bit high, but there’s a nice sweet spot between that and what we currently have which would be nice to see on the Valve Index 2.
Customizable Headset Size
Everyone is built differently, so a one size fits all headset is hard to pull off and make it comfortable. With that in mind, we wish Valve would delve deeper into the ergonomics of the Valve Index 2, adding new straps and features to make it more customizable. This will let everyone tweak the headset to suit their needs, and ensure more VR experiences can be enjoyed.
more haptics
Valve Index’s controllers included some haptic feedback and clever design to make the virtual world feel more realistic. While this is good, we would like to see it grow further in the future.
Apple has patented haptic socks that could be compatible with its VR and AR devices, so we know some companies are already thinking about this stuff. Some additional haptic peripherals for the Valve Index 2 could be a great way to dial the realism of VR up to 11.