---
title: "Valve Index: PC VR's high water mark."
date: 2019-07-12
url: https://remiam.co.uk/notes/valve-index-pc-vr-high-water-mark
tags: [VR, Valve, SteamVR, PC VR]
read_time_minutes: 6
description: "Valve Index launch impressions — 144Hz displays, finger-tracking Knuckles controllers, and what it means for the PC VR ecosystem in 2019."
---

# Valve Index: PC VR's high water mark.

*Published 2019-07-12 · 6 min read · by Liam (Remiam)*

Valve just shipped the most ambitious consumer VR headset yet. 144Hz displays, finger-tracking controllers, $1000 for the headset alone. Glorious for enthusiasts. Not for everyone else.

Valve shipped the Index in June. We picked one up — partly for studio R&D, partly because Valve hardware has a habit of being the reference design everyone else copies. After three weeks, the verdict is split: it's the best consumer VR headset ever shipped, and also the clearest sign that PC VR has settled into an enthusiast plateau.

## What's actually different

- 144Hz display option, plus 120 and 90Hz. Higher than anything else on the market — much smoother motion, much less nausea for sensitive users.
- Field of view ~130° versus the Rift's ~100°. The 'goggles' feeling is dramatically reduced.
- Knuckles controllers — each finger is individually tracked. You can grip, release, point, and gesture naturally.
- Off-ear speakers — no headphones needed, audio is spatial and surprisingly good.
- Lighthouse 2.0 tracking — works at larger distances with fewer base stations.

## What it costs

| Component | Price |
| --- | --- |
| Headset alone | $499 |
| Headset + Knuckles + base stations | $999 |
| PC capable of 144Hz VR | $1,500-2,000 |
| All-in for a serious setup | ~$3,000 |

*Valve Index total cost of ownership, summer 2019.*

## Where it earns the money

- Studios doing immersive R&D — the higher refresh rate alone improves the work.
- Demanding sim gamers — flight sims, racing, Microsoft Flight Sim VR mode.
- Anyone waiting for Half-Life: Alyx, which Valve has heavily implied is in development.
- Anything where finger-tracking changes the interaction model — climbing games, object manipulation.

## Where the wheels come off

- It's expensive in a way the consumer market has rejected for two years. Quest is half the money, no PC required.
- PC VR's content pipeline has slowed. The biggest releases this year have been Quest-first, PC-second.
- Inside-out tracking has won the consumer category. Lighthouse is technically superior; it's also extra hardware nobody else is shipping.
- Cable management. Still a real thing in 2019.

> The Index is the most polished PC VR experience anyone will ship for a long time — and it confirms that the consumer market has moved on. Standalone wireless headsets are where the volume now is.

## What it means for the category

The Index is the most polished PC VR experience anyone will ship for a long time — and it confirms that the consumer market has moved on. Standalone wireless headsets are where the volume now is. Quest launched in May at $399, and the early data shows it outselling everything else combined. Valve knows this; the Index is for the enthusiasts who'll stay regardless.

We're keeping ours in the studio for high-end client work where the fidelity matters. Everything else — and that's most things — gets prototyped on the Quest.

## References

1. [Valve Index — official product page](https://store.steampowered.com/valveindex)
2. [Half-Life: Alyx announcement](https://www.half-life.com/en/alyx)
3. [SteamVR — runtime documentation](https://store.steampowered.com/steamvr)