Valve Index - The Worst Headset I've Ever used

[Clientofwar]

Just gonna summarize the entire thing by saying this headset absolutely sucks.

The biggest and most glaring issue is the clarity of the lenses. They are trash. Quest 2 looks better and its considerably cheaper. I tried so many different spots, angles, and different ways to wear this headset. None of which ever made text clear. It was always blurry.

In order to get the claimed "120 FOV" you need to have the lenses grinding against your eyeballs.

The "sweet spot" is in the completely wrong spot. I don't know what dumbass designed these lenses, but the "sweet spot" is much lower than it should be, it's no where near center. I get better clarity when looking down. Like an old person with prescription glasses. I have great eyesight in real life. However after wearing this piece of garbage for 30 mins my eyes hurt and I feel like I just had a doctor dilate my eyes after an eye exam.

As far as the build quality goes. It's garbage. The rails that allow for adjustments on the length of the headband are the most fragile little pieces of trash ever made. Any slight movement that isn't straight forwards and backwards will bend the rails, forever dooming your headset to be uneven or have issues when adjusting the knob in the back.

The default face padding is literally a joke. I'd rather have a piece of plastic glued to my forehead than this poor excuse for "padding". In order to get your headset nice and snug, you need to to be pretty tight. But when you get there the padding might as well not exist. The headset, according to Steam "fit guides' should be loose and essentially sitting on your face. But when you do that the headset wobbles around and makes your vision blurry and the original fit you setup to move or slide around your face. Meaning you have to constantly re-adjust the headset if it's not super tight.

Why did I pay $1,000 dollars for something that gets out performed by the Quest 2 as a PCVR headset? Before anyone says "just get a better PC and it will look better". I have a Intel Core i9, 32gb DDR5 RAM, and a 3090ti. My PC has the 2nd best available technology. I mean at this point I could go back to standalone Quest 2 and have better clarity. Why was the design of the lenses so poor? You made something of lower quality for more money. Huh?

I've tried so many times to give this headset another chance. Every time I wear it for more than 30 mins I get so frustrated with it. I never had this many problems with a stock Quest 2. I even have some custom items on my Index and it's still more uncomfortable than a normal Quest 2. Maybe Valve should just stick to making one game every 10 years.

[--ranXerox--]

mines is the opposite experience. the quest 2 is a joke. I play with both of them.

[Clientofwar]

Originally posted by --ranXerox--:

mines is the opposite experience. the quest 2 is a joke. I play with both of them.

Yes and no. I've had issues with both. But overall Valve Index is extremely overrated and overpriced.

[simon]

OP should have done some research. All the info is out there for all to see. Ocuclus 1832 x 1920 per eye versus the Valve Index’s 1440 x 1600. Any amount of research would have given you this info as well as the build quality of the index. Both head sets (like most things) have pros and cons. One is better in some places the other is best in other places.

Best option, if you have the money for an index set up, is a HP Reverb G2 with Index controllers and base stations. Best image quality and best tracking.

[DmAnd]

How about the increase in FoV? I can't stand that about my Quest, among other things.

[Gracey Face]

Originally posted by Clientofwar:

The "sweet spot" is in the completely wrong spot. I don't know what dumbass designed these lenses, but the "sweet spot" is much lower than it should be, it's no where near center. I get better clarity when looking down. Like an old person with prescription glasses. I have great eyesight in real life. However after wearing this piece of garbage for 30 mins my eyes hurt and I feel like I just had a doctor dilate my eyes after an eye exam.

This, and the way the lenses uncontrollably fog up all the time, are my main problems with the index. The sweet spot is incredibly tiny and not positioned right. And I don't understand why. Is it something to do with the goal of FOV? But every time the headset shifts even slightly on your head suddenly you've gone blind or something and have to stop what you're doing and readjust it.

Only used a couple of other headsets but neither of them had this sweet spot issue.

[simon]

Originally posted by Gracey Face:

Originally posted by Clientofwar:

The "sweet spot" is in the completely wrong spot. I don't know what dumbass designed these lenses, but the "sweet spot" is much lower than it should be, it's no where near center. I get better clarity when looking down. Like an old person with prescription glasses. I have great eyesight in real life. However after wearing this piece of garbage for 30 mins my eyes hurt and I feel like I just had a doctor dilate my eyes after an eye exam.

This, and the way the lenses uncontrollably fog up all the time, are my main problems with the index. The sweet spot is incredibly tiny and not positioned right. And I don't understand why. Is it something to do with the goal of FOV? But every time the headset shifts even slightly on your head suddenly you've gone blind or something and have to stop what you're doing and readjust it.

Only used a couple of other headsets but neither of them had this sweet spot issue.

You can help the fogging by turning on the head set 10-15 mins before you use it so it gets warm.

[DmAnd]

The only time i have fogging problems is when my own face is putting out more heat then the headset...CHill out

[Gracey Face]

Originally posted by simon:

You can help the fogging by turning on the head set 10-15 mins before you use it so it gets warm.

I already do, some times it seems to work and some times it doesn't. Point is however I have never had to do this kind of thing with any other headset.

[Clientofwar]

Originally posted by simon:

OP should have done some research. All the info is out there for all to see. Ocuclus 1832 x 1920 per eye versus the Valve Index’s 1440 x 1600. Any amount of research would have given you this info as well as the build quality of the index. Both head sets (like most things) have pros and cons. One is better in some places the other is best in other places.

Best option, if you have the money for an index set up, is a HP Reverb G2 with Index controllers and base stations. Best image quality and best tracking.

No idiot. The Valve Index can bet set WAY higher than anything the quest is capable of. Valve Index should look a million times better. But it doesn't. The sweet spot is off centered, the headset is uncomfortable, you can't even get anywhere close to the 120-130 FOV unless you squish the lenses against your face

I don't understand how you're going to develop a $1,000 dollar product and have it perform worse than damn near every other headset. A basic ass $300 Quest 2 does better. Atleast with a Quest 2 you know you can get the FOV it claims to have. I barely have more FOV with my index than a Quest 2.

I can't stand this headset anymore. Everything about it is bad. Sure a Quest 2's comfort level isn't the best. But atleast It doesn't make my eyes hurt after 30 minutes, or make me go blind after the lenses move 1% off the center. It's like Valve designed the headset to work for literally one face type and that's it. The default face cover is garbage. Might as well have bought a lame ass Quest Pro. Atleast I'd get my moneys worth.

[roel_koel]

Did you try holding the Index close to your face without the face gasket?

If you can find the sweet spot, the problem is the face gasket (it's preventing you fitting correctly).

I was a launch day owner, almost returned as it wasn't possible to get a good fit. Thankfully Valve released the cad files for Index and anonymous hermit remodeled the face gasket to be wider like the standard HTC Vive face gasket.

Originally Index was to be supplied with narrow and wide face gasket, the development kits had "L" (large) and Steam support mistakenly sent one to a redditor (it has clips rather than magnets) so we know it existed.

Why no wide face gasket? Perhaps Index is designed for smaller heads and narrower faces, the ipd upper limit is lower than Vive/pro which supports this theory.

After 3d printing the wide face gasket, it fitted very well and I've been happily using Index since (bought another one start 2022, after selling launch headset once 2 years EU warranty expired). Should point out my ipd is 63.5mm (0.5mm left offset) and I wear a medium bicycle helmet, so not a melon head, just someone with wider cheek bones

You might find this useful:

https://skarredghost.com/2019/10/04/valve-index-fit-ergonomics/

[simon]

Originally posted by Clientofwar:

Originally posted by simon:

OP should have done some research. All the info is out there for all to see. Ocuclus 1832 x 1920 per eye versus the Valve Index’s 1440 x 1600. Any amount of research would have given you this info as well as the build quality of the index. Both head sets (like most things) have pros and cons. One is better in some places the other is best in other places.

Best option, if you have the money for an index set up, is a HP Reverb G2 with Index controllers and base stations. Best image quality and best tracking.

No idiot. The Valve Index can bet set WAY higher than anything the quest is capable of. Valve Index should look a million times better. But it doesn't. The sweet spot is off centered, the headset is uncomfortable, you can't even get anywhere close to the 120-130 FOV unless you squish the lenses against your face

I don't understand how you're going to develop a $1,000 dollar product and have it perform worse than damn near every other headset. A basic ass $300 Quest 2 does better. Atleast with a Quest 2 you know you can get the FOV it claims to have. I barely have more FOV with my index than a Quest 2.

I can't stand this headset anymore. Everything about it is bad. Sure a Quest 2's comfort level isn't the best. But atleast It doesn't make my eyes hurt after 30 minutes, or make me go blind after the lenses move 1% off the center. It's like Valve designed the headset to work for literally one face type and that's it. The default face cover is garbage. Might as well have bought a lame ass Quest Pro. Atleast I'd get my moneys worth.

The Index has a lower resolution than the Quest 2. It cant be set higher. What are you talking about. All the things you are criticising it for are all well know facts you could have found out just by google it. Why am i an idiot? You payed $1000 dollars for it. Doesnt that make you the idiot.

[76561199281265327]

Originally posted by simon:

The Index has a lower resolution than the Quest 2. It cant be set higher. What are you talking about. All the things you are criticising it for are all well know facts you could have found out just by google it. Why am i an idiot? You payed $1000 dollars for it. Doesnt that make you the idiot.

I paid !50ish for my Windows mixed reality WMR Acer AH 101, the real reality is 150 dollars or 1000 dollars, both are gonna make you vomit and get motion sickness , how expensive do you want your throw up to be.

[Gracey Face]

Originally posted by New Login for Fallout76:

I paid !50ish for my Windows mixed reality WMR Acer AH 101, the real reality is 150 dollars or 1000 dollars, both are gonna make you vomit and get motion sickness , how expensive do you want your throw up to be.

Some people just don't get motion sickness. I don't personally. And even those people who do get motion sickness can acclimatise themselves out of it.

[76561199281265327]

it takes hours under VR to over come motion sickness, i sorta steer clear of VR , i just experinced motion sickness on Dishonored after a hour of playing it with no VR

[simon]

Originally posted by New Login for Fallout76:

Originally posted by simon:

The Index has a lower resolution than the Quest 2. It cant be set higher. What are you talking about. All the things you are criticising it for are all well know facts you could have found out just by google it. Why am i an idiot? You payed $1000 dollars for it. Doesnt that make you the idiot.

I paid !50ish for my Windows mixed reality WMR Acer AH 101, the real reality is 150 dollars or 1000 dollars, both are gonna make you vomit and get motion sickness , how expensive do you want your throw up to be.

I play in VR for hour at a time and never have any issues with head aches or vomiting. It's not a problem for every one.