Everything we know about the Valve Index: release date, price, games and features of the Valve VR headset
Valve has officially announced its vision of virtual reality - the Valve Index VR headset. The new device will receive a number of unique features, support for all projects for VR on Steam, as well as the best picture and sound quality among existing counterparts on the VR headset market. The Valve Index will be released in July this year, but the high price of the device is unlikely to allow Gabe Newwell's company to become a leader in the field of virtual reality. Valve Index differs from similar devices in several advantages, among which the main one is two RGB LCD displays with a resolution of 1480x1600, which have 50% more subpixels than standard OLED displays. The use of this technology, together with the reduced display response time, can significantly reduce the visibility of pixels and increase the picture quality in games without additional workload on the PC.  The Total Field of View (FOW) is 20 percent larger than the HTC Vive and can be further adjusted with an adjustable lens-to-pupil distance. Valve Index uses special two-element lenses with high geometric stability, which reduces image distortion in adjacent areas and at the corners of the field of view. For the smoothest picture possible, Valve Index operates at 120Hz, which supports both 90Hz and 144Hz.  Another benefit that VR fans should definitely buy Valve Index for is the unique audio system with composite speakers. The peculiarity of the speakers is that they do not fit snugly against the user's auricle, which creates the feeling of being inside the game. Feeling as if the sound comes from the external environment, rather than arising in the player's head. Additional benefits of the Valve Index audio system: the speakers do not touch the ears and can be adjusted according to the user's desire, so there are no problems with ventilation and the ears will be comfortable regardless of the length of the game session.  Valve's VR device is not without its own controllers. The devices are called Knuckles and with 87 sensors can accurately read information about the player's actions, taking into account the pressure on the buttons, the movement of the hands and fingers. The controllers are equipped with a built-in 1100 mAh battery and are designed for 11 hours of continuous operation. For added convenience, each Knuckles controller comes with water-repellent fabric straps that secure the controller firmly to your hand and allow you to unclench your hand without fear of dropping the device.  Together with Valve Index, it is recommended to purchase base stations for tracking user in space. The headset supports both legacy base stations and new generation devices with a range of 7 meters and wider viewing angles.  No problems are expected with games on the Valve Index. At the time of release, all VR games on Steam will be available on the device. In addition to already well-known projects from third-party studios, such as No Man's Sky and Boneworks, Valve promises to release at least one VR game of its own production by the end of this year. In total, Valve is currently working on three games for virtual reality devices and at least one of them is rumored to be related to the Half-Life universe. The Valve Index price varies greatly from the bundle, but in any case it is one of the highest on the market. Apart from a powerful computer with a graphics card of no less than a GTX level, you will have to buy a helmet for 539 euros (40,999 rubles) and two controllers for a total of 299 euros (22,999 rubles). A complete valve Index kit, including slurry, Knuckles controllers and two base stations, will cost € 1,079 (RUB 79,999). The Topic of Article: Everything we know about the Valve Index: release date, price, games and features of the Valve VR headset. |
