Around a month ago Valve announced its take on VR space with little more than a name, Index. Now the company reveals more about the device, including technical specifications and a September launch date.
As one might expect from Valve, the Index is aimed at gamers wanting a high-end VR experience. It is a tethered headset, with a 5m cable connecting it to a PC, and uses Lighthouse base stations to track the position of the user within a space measuring up to 10 x 10m. Delivering VR images are a pair of 1440 x 1600 resolution RGB LCD displays running at either 120/144Hz, and Valve says the lenses offer a 20-degree larger field of view than the HTC Vive, at least for "typical users."
Twin stereo RGB cameras allow users to peer at the real world through the headset, allowing for AR experiences, while an IPD slider provides means to adjust the distance between the eyes. An interesting feature is the included headphones-- or rather the lack thereof, since what Valve includes is actually a pair of speakers able to fire sound directly into the ear. Just in case users want actual headphones, the headset features a 3.5mm jack.
Control comes through the Index controllers. Formerly known as "Knuckles," the controllers track hand and finger position with 87 sensors. According to the company, the setup allows users to reach, grab and throw virtual objects, something not possible with the competition.
As mentioned earlier, the Index hits the market on September 2019.
Go Valve Index
