![]() Even if you already have base stations, it's still nearly double Oculus's offering, and after testing both headsets, the experience really isn't that different. ![]() But at $999, the full kit (headset, controllers, base stations) costs more than double the $399 Rift S. The Index is a fantastic pile of tech and the most luxe VR experience available. After using the Rift S, it just feels old-fashioned-like having to start your car with a crank before sitting down and driving. After calculating floor height, you click the trigger at four corners of your available space, which Steam then measures in order to determine your best play area. The Index's setup, on the other hand, has to be done via Steam on your computer, before you put the headset on. It only takes a few seconds, which is nice if you've moved furniture around or accumulated some floor clutter since the last time you stepped into VR. With the Rift S, the headset's cameras give you digital view of your surroundings wherein you simply draw your play area on the ground. There's a reason the more recent Vive Cosmos Elite goes back to prioritizing the base stations again.Įven after you have your base stations in place, the roomscale setup is also a pain. That is, however, the price you have to pay for a more responsive experience than any of the inside-out options. After growing accustomed to that more streamlined experience, setting up sensors around the room for the Index was frustrating. The new Rift S, as well as the just-announced Vive Cosmos, use inside-out tracking-that is, sensors on the headset instead of placed around your room. This is nothing new, of course-the HTC Vive and Vive Pro, as well as the last-gen Oculus Touch controllers, all use base stations to track your headset and controllers in 3D space. The Index is a roomscale VR experience, which means it requires two base station sensors positioned around your play area. The Index is also frustrating in a lot of ways that have become ever more glaring after using the inside-out tracking of the Oculus Rift S. ![]() Of course, that's a tough sell for developers when doing so means limiting your audience to a fraction of the VR market. It's the sort of tech that will rely on cool implementations to make it worth pursuing-not just slightly enhanced gripping mechanics, but situations that truly take advantage (without feeling like a gimmick) of individual finger tracking. I might feel differently about the finger tracking if more games used it right now, but if all you're doing is gripping and aiming, having individual finger articulation really doesn't make much of a difference. ![]() The action you use most often in current VR games with touch controls is grip-that is, picking up and dropping objects-and that's already simulated just fine with regular triggers. Games like Vacation Simulator and Arizona Sunshine have released updates to implement finger tracking, but the experience after playing both with and without the update was nearly identical. Outside of Aperture's Labs, I found the finger tracking all but unnecessary. The brief experience has all the charm of other Portal games, but the finger tracking felt more like a proof of concept than a groundbreaking gameplay innovation. The best use so far is the Aperture Hand Labs tech demo, which has you waving to, high-fiving, and playing rock-paper-scissors with a collection of quirky Portal-style robots. (Image credit: Future)įinger tracking is one of the distinguishing features of Valve's Index, but there aren't many impressive implementations yet. The Index controllers strap to your hand, so you can let go of the grip entirely without them falling to the ground. But most importantly, the Index is comfortable because of how it delivers audio. The strap materials feel quality too-more like a padded extra-soft t-shirt than standard foam padding-never bothering me during extended play sessions. It's a bit heavier than the Rift S-enough that the weight is noticeable in a side-by-side comparison-but the shape of the head strap better distributes that weight around your head. Speaking of comfort, the Valve Index also feels great to wear. There's also a dial and slider for lens adjustment, helping you get the placement just right for maximum comfort and FOV. (For comparison the Rift S offers 1280x1440 resolution per eye at 80 Hz.) The 'screen-door' effect that plagued first-generation VR headsets is practically nonexistent. The Index display boasts a 1440x1600 per-eye resolution and refresh rate of 120 Hz, which together offer the best visual experience I've had in VR to date. Let's start with what the Index does well. Tracking: SteamVR 2.0 sensors (compatible with SteamVR 1.0 base stations) Display refresh rate: 120 Hz (with experimental 144 Hz mode)Īudio: 37.5mm off-ear speakers, built-in microphone
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