Valve has announced pre-orders and submitted the specifications for its Index PC VR system. Index is not made in collaboration with HTC, the company Valve first worked with the first SteamVR headset ( Vive ). This is the first product of Valve Corporation.
Index is a headset for PC running SteamVR. It should be compatible with all existing SteamVR games. However, the old name may not be optimized for the Index controllers as they were created with the HTC controllers.
Price
Full set index is $ 999. It includes a headset, two controllers VR, two base stations SteamVR Tracking 2.0, and all necessary cables and mounts.
Owners of HTC Vive or Vive Pro can only purchase a headset for $ 499, controllers over 279 dollars or headset and controllers for 749 dollars. The headset and Index controllers work with all base stations HTC.
Valve base station can be purchased separately for $ 149 each. They will not work with the 1.0 equipment such as the original Vive headset and controllers.
LCD RGB panel with a high refresh rate
Valve partnered with HTC to produce the Vive in 2016. He had two panels PenTile OLED 1080 × 1200. Vive Pro, released in 2018, this increased to dual 1440 × 1600.
The Index uses two custom-made LCD panel, 1440 × 1600. Although they have the same resolution as the Vive and Pro, they have full RGB sub-pixel, instead of PenTile. This means that each pixel has three podpisala instead of two.
It provides more detailed images with reduced “the effect of door screen.” However, you will not get a deep black color OLED because LCDs use a backlight.
The refresh rate of the Vive and Vive Pro was 90hz. Index increases it to 120Hz, with an optional “experimental” 144hz mode. Valve announces full backwards compatibility with 90hz content.
Persistence of pixels is decreased to 0.33 MS, which is the lowest among all the known set. Valve argue that it provides a constant scale sub with typical speeds of rotation of the head. Theoretically, this should completely eliminate motion blur when moving.
Lenses with two elements, a wider field of view
Most modern consumer VR headsets have binocular horizontal field of view is about 100 degrees, plus or minus about 10 °.
Valve does not disclose the exact field of view of the index, citing the lack of industry standard measurement. However, the company said it should be “20 degrees more than the Vive for the average customer.”
Given that the maximum binocular horizontal field of view Vive measured at 110 degrees, the maximum field of view of the Index should be somewhere around 130 degrees.
Valve managed to increase the field of view without adding distortion and maintaining optical clarity, using lenses with two elements. Lenses are also beveled, that is directed slightly outward, not straight forward.
The contact lenses have a wide point, meaning that the center is not the only area of field. This allows you to use your eyes to look around, and head.
Controllers detection of fingers
The Index controllers during development had the code name “Knuckles”. Since they are tied to the hand, you can let them go. This allows more natural to grab and throw virtual objects.
Controllers also have basic tracking of fingers for each finger. The concept of tracking finger using capacitive sensors was first introduced in Oculus Touch controllers at the end of 2016. But while Touch monitors only the thumb and index finger, controllers Valve track and other three fingers. This allows you to expand the range of gestures and enhance the sense of presence hands.
Because the Index controllers wear out, users have two options to choose the right size of their hands. You click on the tab at the top of the loop, and then pull a cord at the bottom to tighten it.
Each controller has a joystick, a small touch panel, 2 buttons, analog, index trigger, system button. In addition, the main body of the controller can determine the grip strength of the user, which allows you to compress the virtual objects.
The controllers are charging USB Type-C and have a battery life of more than 7 hours.
A full optical and ergonomic setup
The purpose of the Valve is that every user can adjust lens and the comfort Index for optimal fit.
To achieve this Index has four adjustments: interpupillary distance, the distance between the lens and the eye, the handle back strap and adjustable top strap.
Unlike most typefaces with adjustable lens-eye lens Index move independently of the facial interface. This allows the lens to get closer to your eyes, providing a wider field of view Index. Adjustment of the lens 1 inch leads to the difference in field of view of 30 degrees.
Valve claims that the Index comfortably fits 95% of adults head of users.
Headphones Nearfield
Valve has done everything possible to improve the audio. Instead of the drivers for the headphones Index is equipped with loudspeakers in the middle of the sound.
The sound quality is excellent, with precise spatial positioning.
Speakers not touching your ears so you can still hear people in the room. However, like other contactless solutions for VR audio, the people in the room can hear what you hear.
SteamVR Tracking 2.0
As the headset and controllers are tracked by the system SteamVR Tracking 2.0. Two base stations included in the package for $ 999 or can be purchased separately for $ 149 each.
Base stations are required to use the Index. The front camera is designed for through passage, they do not perform tracking inside out.
Compared to the original version 1.0 used in the original Vive, the new base station is smaller, quieter and consume less energy. Valve claims that they are also more mechanically reliable and cheaper to manufacture.
While in the old system was a maximum of two base stations in the gaming space, 2.0 increases this limit to four. Thus, for an additional 298 dollars buyers of the index can move to brand the highest quality tracking virtual reality, currently available anywhere.
While the old base station to work with new devices, new base stations will only work with the hardware that supports them, such as Valve Index, or Pimax 5K +.
PC requirements and cables
Valve recommends NVIDIA GTX 1070 or better, but says GTX 970 or AMD RX 480 will work at least.
The headset connects to your computer via DisplayPort and USB. If you use USB 3.0, you’ll get access to the camera mode, but the helmet will work via USB 2.0 without this feature.
You will also need 3 sockets. One for the headset and one for each base station. However, the base station does not connect to your computer, so you can simply plug them in to the nearest outlet to which you will be to install them.
If you have a graphics processor with support for VirtualLink , you can buy a cable for VirtualLink Index for 39,99 USD. This eliminates the need for DisplayPort, USB or power cable — this is all done through a single USB Type-C.
Index will also work on macOS and Linux, but currently only a small part of the game SteamVR supports these operating systems.
Sales began on June 28. But not in Russia.
