Glossary:Valve Index
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| Predecessor | |
|---|---|
| HTC Vive, HTC Vive Pro | |
| Successor | |
| Steam Frame | |
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Graphics and video
Resolutions
Video settings
- Field of view (FOV)
- Windowed / borderless fullscreen
- Anisotropic filtering (AF)
- Anti-aliasing (AA)
- High-fidelity upscaling
- Frame generation
- Vertical sync (Vsync)
- Frame rate (FPS)
- High dynamic range (HDR)
- Ray tracing (RT)
- Color blind mode
Hardware
For a list of games, see List of VR games.
The Valve Index is a PC-only virtual reality headset released by Valve on May 1, 2019.
The Index has a dual-LCD setup with fresnel lenses, with the LCD panels capable of running at the resolution of 1440 x 1600 pixels per eye and a refresh rate of up to 144 Hz. By default, it comes with a pair of detachable speakers that are powered by the headset's audio jack. The headset also has a passthrough USB Type-A on the front, normally covered by a cover. It is compatible with peripherals that were designed for the PC-only HTC Vive headsets.
While the headset is available on its own, it is available in two bundles: one that comes with the Index Controllers and one with the Index Controllers and two SteamVR Base Stations.
As a PC-only headset, it must be connected to the host PC via USB 3.0 and DisplayPort 1.2, and SteamVR must be installed. As the headset uses outside-in tracking, the base stations must be set up around the play area beforehand. As it run though SteamVR, games designed for Meta's Oculus Rift headset requires a workaround. (See Revive.)
General information
Availability
Specification
| Headset | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Valve Index | |
| Headset type | PC VR | |
| Release date | May 1, 2019 | |
| Standard | OpenVR, OpenXR | |
| Main Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3D | Stereoscopic 3D | |
| Display | Type: Dual LCD Refresh rate: 144 Hz Resolution: 1440 x 1600 per-eye, 2,880 x 1600 total |
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| Lenses, field-of-view and IPD | Lenses: Fresnel lenses Field-of-view: 108° IPD: 58-70 mm |
|
| Tracking | Type: Outside-in constellation tracking External base station/sensor: 2 x SteamVR Base Station 2.0 (minimum), up to 4 x SteamVR Base Station 2.0 Built-in cameras: No |
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| Audio | Built-in audio: 2 x removable stereo speakers Audio jack: 1 x 3.5 mm headphone jack |
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| Supported controller | Index Controllers Vive Controller (optional) |
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| PC Connectivity | Method: 1 x DisplayPort 1.2 and 1 x USB 3.0 Software: SteamVR |
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Essential improvements
Revive
Allows HTC Vive owners to play Oculus exclusive games. GitHub page with install instructions and downloads are here.
OpenVR Advanced Settings
OpenVR Advanced Settings adds additional settings into the SteamVR environment that allows you to change aspects of games and SteamVR to your liking and convenience.
ChaperoneTweak
ChaperoneTweak allows you to adjust the chaperone boundaries in SteamVR, as well as the available playspace. This is essential for getting your chaperone boundaries into the correct position and giving yourself the largest available playspace.
System requirements
| Windows | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | ||||
| Operating system (OS) | 10 | |||
| Processor (CPU) | Dual core processor | |||
| System memory (RAM) | 8 GB | |||
| Storage drive (HDD/SSD) | ||||
| Video card (GPU) | Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 AMD RX480 |
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| Other | 1x USB 3.0 DisplayPort 1.2 |
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- HDMI not supported.
| Linux | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | ||||
| Operating system (OS) | SteamOS | |||
| Processor (CPU) | Dual core processor | |||
| System memory (RAM) | 8 GB | |||
| Storage drive (HDD/SSD) | ||||
| Video card (GPU) | Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 AMD Radeon RX 480 |
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| Other | 1x USB 3.0 DisplayPort 1.2 |
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- HDMI not supported.