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DEVINDRA HARDAWAR: Where
does VR go from here?

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Right now, there seem
to be two paths--

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the portable and self-contained
VR headsets like the Oculus

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Quest, or the
slightly bigger ones

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that connect to your PC
or your game console,

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like the Oculus Rift
and Playstation VR.

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Valve is clearly betting on
the second way with the Index,

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its first VR headset.

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It crams in just
about every feature

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you'd want for high-end
virtual reality,

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including some
truly transformative

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finger-sensing controllers.

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It's just too bad the entire
Index package costs $1,000,

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putting it out of
reach for most people.

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But maybe that's the point--

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it's a boundary-pushing
headset meant to keep the VR

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industry from getting stale.

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[THEME MUSIC]

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But before we get
to the Index itself,

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we have to talk about
the controllers.

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Valve has been
testing them for years

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under the codename
Knuckles, which

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refers to their key
feature, finger-tracking.

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They don't look anything
like the Oculus Rift

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or HTC VIVE's motion game pads.

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Instead of just
holding them, you

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have to slide your
fingers under a microfiber

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strap which secures a
controller to your hand.

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They rely on 87 sensors
to track your finger

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movements, which also opens
the door for new types

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of VR interactions.

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Games can tell if you're
holding your thumbs up

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or if you're just waving
to another character.

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The mere act of grabbing
and holding things in VR

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feels more believable
with the Index controllers

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since you're actually
gripping them with your hands.

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There's also
pressure sensitivity,

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which lets games detect when
you're gripping extra hard.

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Better haptic support also gives
you the sensation of touching

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and holding objects, as well.

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None of that was possible
with earlier VR game pads

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since they just had a single
grip button for opening

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and closing your hands.

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As you can imagine, having
true finger-tracking

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goes a long way towards
improving VR presence,

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or the sense of being
transported to a virtual world

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while you're wearing a headset.

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Beyond just seeing
where your fingers are,

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the Knuckles
controllers also have

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an analog stick, two
face buttons, a trackpad,

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and of course, a trigger button.

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They're backwards compatible
with every game that works

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with the VIVE's controllers.

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But it's up to
developers to build

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in finger-tracking support.

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So far that only
includes a handful

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of games like "Space
Pirate Trainer,"

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"Arizona Sunshine,"
and "Superhot."

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But hopefully more will
follow as devs get their hands

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on the new controllers.

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And even though they're
debuting with the Index,

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the game pads are also
compatible with the VIVE

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and VIVE Pro.

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You'll just have to shell out
$279 to grab them separately.

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As for the Index itself, it
doesn't really look that much

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different than the Rifter VIVE.

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But there are some
notable upgrades

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once you dig a bit deeper.

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There's a huge emphasis
on comfort here.

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The head strap is easy
to put on and you can

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secure it by turning a dial.

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There's no awkward Velcro
to fight with like you'd

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find on the Rift and VIVE.

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A generous amount
of plush cushioning

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surrounds the eyepiece
and rear head strap.

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And instead of putting you
in contact with bare foam,

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they're covered in a
breathable microfiber cloth.

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There's also a dial to adjust
the distance of the lenses

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to your eyes, which is
particularly helpful

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if you're wearing glasses.

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And instead of
headphones, the Index

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has too near field
speakers which

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produce high quality
sound without even

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touching your ears.

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The Valve claims it wanted to
make a headset that you could

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wear for hours without
feeling fatigued,

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and it seems like
they succeeded.

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The Index feels well-balanced
on my head with none

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the front heaviness
that annoyed me

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on the wireless Oculus Quest.

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Valve also crammed in
as much high-end tech

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as it could inside the Index.

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It features two RGB LCDs running
at 1440 by 1600 pixels each.

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Instead of the lower
resolution OLED

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panels on first-gen headsets.

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Valve says its LCDs feature
50% more subpixels, which means

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they'll look even sharper
than an OLED panel

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with the same resolution.

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Unfortunately, you'll lose the
inky blacks you'll typically

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find in OLED, but the
overall improvement

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here seems worth it.

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The new displays can also run
at 120 hertz or 144 hertz,

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a huge leap beyond the
90-hertz refresh rate

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we've seen on most headsets.

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A higher refresh rate means
your VR experience will simply

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look smoother,
assuming your computer

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can actually reach the higher
frame rates they require.

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The Oculus Rift S, the company's
most recent halfhearted stab

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at a PC headset,
actually scaled down

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its refresh rate to 80 hertz
from the original Rift's 90

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hertz.

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While Oculus was more focused
on making its tech cheaper

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and easier to consume,
Valve is taking

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the exact opposite approach.

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The Index also offers far
better image persistence

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than first gen headsets.

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Everything you see
will still look sharp

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when you're moving your
head around, something

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you're always doing in VR.

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Most noticeably, Valve bumped
the Index's field of view

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to 130 degrees, 20 degrees
more than other consumer VR

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headsets.

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That means even more
of the virtual world

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will envelope you.

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You won't get any of the
periscope effect you find out

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cheaper headsets, which makes
it seem like you're only peeking

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into VR through tiny windows.

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Upfront the Index
has two cameras

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and a notch with a
USB 3.0 port hidden

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underneath the face plate.

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Valve calls this the frunk, an
accessory slot that developers

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can use however they see fit.

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Reality Instruments is already
using it to add LCD displays

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to the front of the Index.

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For all of its
whiz-bang new features,

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the Index is still a
wired PC headset that

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relies on external sensors.

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That means it still has made
the downsides of the VIVE.

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Setup is a chore since you still
need to find a high location

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for the two base
stations and you

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need to plug the headset
into a display port

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USB 3.0 and power connection.

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Thankfully, Valve made the cable
detachable so you can remove

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the Index headset
while leaving the plugs

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connected to your computer.

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Once everything is
plugged in, you also

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have to draw a boundary
around your play

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space for room-scale gaming.

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And if you're low on
space, you can still

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use it in seated
or standing mode,

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though that will limit you from
playing some room-scale titles.

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Since the Index is
a Steam VR headset,

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the entire setup process
is the same as the VIVE's.

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The only difference
is I manually

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had to enable the 120-hertz
refresh rate in its settings.

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So how well does the
Index actually work?

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I've tested every major
VR headset, including most

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of the flagship Windows
Mixed Reality offerings,

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and nothing comes close.

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Valve has crafted a
headset that's comfortable

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while also delivering the
most immersive virtual reality

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experiences I've ever seen.

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Partially, that's due to the
tech crammed into the headset,

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but the new controllers
play an even bigger role.

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Running through the
hilarious aperture Hand Lab

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demo instantly sold
me on finger-tracking.

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It starts with some
simple gestures

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like waving at a
smart aleck robot,

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but quickly
escalated into a game

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of Rock-paper-scissors and an
awkward handshake competition.

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Throughout the experience,
I wasn't focused

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on pressing any buttons.

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It all centered on how
my hands and fingers were

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interacting with virtual space.

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The addition of finger-tracking
also made "Superhot,"

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my favorite VR
title, even better.

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Now grabbing guns out
of the enemy's hands

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and throwing knives at them
feels far more visceral.

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I'm still digging
into the update,

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but I'm shocked by how
much finger-tracking

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alone makes the game I know
very well seem completely new.

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Just imagine what
developers can accomplish

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when they plan for
finger-tracking from the start.

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Both "Space Pirate
Trainer" and "Beat Saber"

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also show off just how well the
Index handles motion-tracking.

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It never lost sight
of my controllers

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as I was shooting space
baddies and hitting beat boxes,

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something I often have trouble
with on the VIVE and VIVE Pro.

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Chalk that up to vastly
improved Lighthouse sensors.

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The visual upgrades
in the Index also

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make mainstay VR experiences
like Google Earth and Blu

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feel much more immersive.

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I honestly felt a
bit of vertigo as I

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rotated the globe beneath me
and flew above gorgeous cities

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like Rio de Janeiro.

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Hopping into Street View
almost felt like I was

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teleporting around the globe.

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The Index's faster refresh
rate also meet everything

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I played that much smoother.

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It was most pronounced
in fast-paced games

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like "Space Pirate Trainer."

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Everything just felt a
bit closer to reality

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instead of just being
stuck in a game.

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But even though it's the cream
of the crop for high-end VR,

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there's still some room for
improvement with the Index.

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For one, I'd love to
see a wireless option.

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That was a huge
upgrade for the VIVE,

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especially when it
came to VR immersion.

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Of course I'd expect that to be
even tougher with the Index's

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high-resolution screens.

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I also hope Valve moves
towards built-in sensors

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eventually, though
that won't be possible

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until we see an index sequel.

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Every recent VR headset has
banked on internal sensors.

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They simplify setup and make it
far easier to move your headset

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to another location.

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External Lighthouses inevitably
trap you in a single space.

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Now for the big question, who
should actually buy the Index?

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Clearly it's not
meant for everyone.

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At $1,000, it's not
even vaguely affordable,

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especially when other
headsets like the Rift

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S and Windows Mixed
Reality entries

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are going for $400 or less.

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Instead, the Index seems
more like the Mac Pro--

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an expensive and
aspirational piece of gear

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meant for professionals and
geeks who need the best.

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For regular folks,
it's something

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to seek out the next time
you're at a VR arcade.

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The Index's controllers
alone are groundbreaking,

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and hopefully
they'll pave the way

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for some finger-tracking
competition.

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At the very least, Valve is
reminding us that there's

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still a place for high-end VR.

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The Oculus Quest might
be cheaper and far more

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convenient, but it'll always be
limited by its mobile hardware.

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With the Index, the VR
possibilities are endless.

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As always, stay tuned
to Engadget for more

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news about the state of VR.

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Subscribe to our
channel, like this video,

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and check out our past reviews
of virtual reality headsets

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to see just how far we've come.

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