23 votes

Valve Index

19 comments

  1. [4]
    Wes
    (edited )
    Link
    The focus on the IPD slider is almost certainly in repsonse to the criticism Oculus received by removing their IPD slider on the Rift S. As pointed out by other commenters, the headset contains...

    The focus on the IPD slider is almost certainly in repsonse to the criticism Oculus received by removing their IPD slider on the Rift S. As pointed out by other commenters, the headset contains markers for their tracking system Lighthouse.

    I'm unsure if the inclusion of cameras implies a dual tracking system, camera passthrough, or possibly even inside-out tracking as an option. Further details (edit: or possibly release!) in May.

    11 votes
    1. [3]
      teaearlgraycold
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      When I first heard of inside-out tracking I thought it might mean eye-tracking from inside of the headset. Any idea if anyone is working on that?

      When I first heard of inside-out tracking I thought it might mean eye-tracking from inside of the headset. Any idea if anyone is working on that?

      3 votes
      1. [2]
        Wes
        Link Parent
        Yes indeed. That's known as foveated rendering. It could presumably be used not just for reducing rendering costs, but for gameplay interactions as well.

        Yes indeed. That's known as foveated rendering. It could presumably be used not just for reducing rendering costs, but for gameplay interactions as well.

        7 votes
        1. teaearlgraycold
          Link Parent
          I'd actually be more interested in the game play enhancements than the efficiency gains. Selecting 3D objects by sight combined with some kind of in-headset EEG to detect intention would be the...

          I'd actually be more interested in the game play enhancements than the efficiency gains. Selecting 3D objects by sight combined with some kind of in-headset EEG to detect intention would be the perfect God-mode.

          2 votes
  2. [5]
    Algernon_Asimov
    Link
    Is this just an ad for a product? All I see is a picture. There's no text, no description, no announcement, no discussion, no analysis: just a picture. And it's in the "Store" section of Steam, so...

    Is this just an ad for a product? All I see is a picture. There's no text, no description, no announcement, no discussion, no analysis: just a picture. And it's in the "Store" section of Steam, so I assume it's a picture of a product which people can buy - which makes it an advertisement.

    10 votes
    1. Wes
      Link Parent
      I guess so. It's a big deal if you follow VR headsets though. We've known for months that Valve has been working on a headset, but this is the first time they've officially recognized it. It's...

      Is this just an ad for a product?

      I guess so. It's a big deal if you follow VR headsets though. We've known for months that Valve has been working on a headset, but this is the first time they've officially recognized it. It's likely they'll release their knuckles prototype alongside their headset as well, which have been cooking for years now.

      The photo in the teaser shows information such as lighthouse tracking and an IPD slider, as I alluded to in my starting comment. There's a lot to unpack here for VR fans. And of course, the date may give pause for those planning on buying the Rift S.

      13 votes
    2. [3]
      Whom
      Link Parent
      Going for an article might be a bit better of a move but it appears that the only information so far is this one image and they'll all just restate that. It does feel a little less slimy than just...

      Going for an article might be a bit better of a move but it appears that the only information so far is this one image and they'll all just restate that. It does feel a little less slimy than just an ad, though.

      Is Valve entering the VR game on its own worthy of its own thread even with no details? I don't know.

      6 votes
      1. Wes
        Link Parent
        I thought this might be considered "blog spam", and the original source would be more in line with the site's guidelines.

        Going for an article might be a bit better of a move

        I thought this might be considered "blog spam", and the original source would be more in line with the site's guidelines.

        6 votes
      2. Algernon_Asimov
        Link Parent
        Even your article describes this as a "teaser image" and says "Valve's dedicated website for the new device includes no other information than the above image and the date 'May 2019.'" and "Since...

        Is Valve entering the VR game on its own worthy of its own thread even with no details? I don't know.

        Even your article describes this as a "teaser image" and says "Valve's dedicated website for the new device includes no other information than the above image and the date 'May 2019.'" and "Since Valve's official page includes so little information, we're left picking at the single image to figure anything out." It looks like there's nothing of substance here to discuss.

        4 votes
  3. [3]
    escher
    Link
    I hope this one is easier to get running on Linux than my Vive (which still refuses to cooperate). I'll be getting into VR dev soon and I'd like to not have to boot into Windows to do it.

    I hope this one is easier to get running on Linux than my Vive (which still refuses to cooperate). I'll be getting into VR dev soon and I'd like to not have to boot into Windows to do it.

    8 votes
    1. tesseractcat
      Link Parent
      Fortunately Steam Proton has working VR support, so they'll most likely continue to support Linux.

      Fortunately Steam Proton has working VR support, so they'll most likely continue to support Linux.

      5 votes
    2. clone1
      Link Parent
      Yeah that would be great, hopefully valve focuses more on that this time.

      Yeah that would be great, hopefully valve focuses more on that this time.

  4. [4]
    Defluo
    (edited )
    Link
    This is the logo for the index: link This is one of valve's patents for a double fresnel system to increase fov: link I think the logo represents that double fresnel lens. It looks like 2 lenses...

    This is the logo for the index: link
    This is one of valve's patents for a double fresnel system to increase fov: link

    I think the logo represents that double fresnel lens. It looks like 2 lenses in front of an eye. I think they're hinting that the large FOV in a normal sized headset is going to be their killer feature.

    EDIT:
    The naming conventions: knuckles, index are emphasizing how important valve thinks finger tracking is, maybe.

    What I wonder is what went in the hole on the front of this prototype link. It's using usb 3.0, so it can't be wireless hdmi. The knuckles controllers already have finger tracking so it's probably not a leap motion either. I'm speculating that it's basically a lidar type thing to map your environment and enable really precise AR, which would make those 2 pass through cameras useful.

    8 votes
    1. [2]
      nonesuchluck
      Link Parent
      I know no one thinks it's wireless or pc-free, but that hole is about the right size, shape, and position for a removable battery pack. Which would seem like an odd choice for Valve trying to...

      I know no one thinks it's wireless or pc-free, but that hole is about the right size, shape, and position for a removable battery pack. Which would seem like an odd choice for Valve trying to promote their pc vr platform with a (hopefully affordable!) headset, but is slightly less fantastical than lidar.

      4 votes
      1. Defluo
        Link Parent
        Sorry, you're right. I looked up lidar and I didn't really mean "lidar" I just couldn't come up with the correct name at the time. I meant more like the IR dot projector thing in the Kinect, which...

        Sorry, you're right. I looked up lidar and I didn't really mean "lidar" I just couldn't come up with the correct name at the time. I meant more like the IR dot projector thing in the Kinect, which is also in the iPhone X. Now that I think about it though, it's probably not that because they could get pretty decent AR with just the 2 cameras.

        Maybe it's just an expansion port for some future thing.

        4 votes
    2. Apex
      Link Parent
      I’m eagerly awaiting the Steam Phalange product.

      I’m eagerly awaiting the Steam Phalange product.

  5. [2]
    Gully_Foyles
    Link
    The more competition in the space, the better. I'm really hoping the Oculus Quest will bring mainstream attention and adoption to the space. Here's to 2019 being the year VR achieves widespread...

    The more competition in the space, the better. I'm really hoping the Oculus Quest will bring mainstream attention and adoption to the space. Here's to 2019 being the year VR achieves widespread adoption.

    4 votes
    1. Dragon
      Link Parent
      I feel quest and index fill two seperate niches, as one is a 6DOF inside out headset meant to be quick, easy, but not that powerful. While, if the Index is connected to a computer (which it...

      I feel quest and index fill two seperate niches, as one is a 6DOF inside out headset meant to be quick, easy, but not that powerful. While, if the Index is connected to a computer (which it proably will because Valve have shown intrest in wanting to promote it's VR market on Steam) than it will be a more high power headset that's harder to get into for newer consumers.

      Tldr;
      Quest is easy but weak
      Index is (assumed to be) powerful with more of a gap to get into.

      But I don't know, I could be completely wrong. Sorry if this is incomprehensible garbage, I've been on a roadtrip for a few hours.

      4 votes
  6. clone1
    Link
    I'm glad there's another high end headset coming out now that Oculus is essentially selling windows mixed reality.

    I'm glad there's another high end headset coming out now that Oculus is essentially selling windows mixed reality.

    1 vote