Valve Index first look part 2: Gameplay and Overview
12Overall the Index is very impressive. There are a few minor complaints but this is likely my new daily driver, even without wireless!
The lenses distance was very nice. This is the biggest stand out feature IMO. The lenses sit right up on my eyeballs with a nice large field of view. There was almost no black in my vision whatsoever. This should be the gold standard for the next generation of headsets or better yet, the minimum bar to be surpassed.
The refresh rate of the headset! I forgot to set this when doing the initial recording but I've played other titles since. It takes a lot of juice to run reasonably at the higher refresh rates and you'll need to bring down your super sampling but it feels buttery smooth when you do. Not the overwhelming difference I expected at 120. I'll likely notice more trying to go back to 90.
There are sadly some God Rays in certain off scene light sources. IE: When I'm looking at the moon in A Township Tale, it looks fine but when I lower my head and look straight ahead, the god rays rear their ugly head. The ATT moon is the only example I can remember.
The sweet spot seemed pretty large on the Index. I didn't have to hunt for it at all. As soon as I put the headset on and adjusted the IPD it was perfect.
Speaking of the IPD, it is a nice mechanical slide on the bottom of the headset. Fairly easy to dial in my IPD. Fine tuning .1s is somewhat difficult. The range only hits the 58 to 70mm mark which is rather disappointing. It would be interesting to know if anyone outside the supported range is able to find a decent fit. Let me know in the comments.
I don't like using the built in audio. Even with Steam set to not switch audio it still swapped out my headset and mic with the Index speakers and mic. This is extremely frustrating but may be a Windows thing. I did try the mic during a Final Assault tournament stream. For me, it's just inconvenient and the audio quality is not better than my headset. This remains something I wish was optional.
Removing the built in speakers requires a T6 star screwdriver which was not provided in the box. A common flat head or Phillips would have made far more sense for ease of disconnection.
As far as comfort goes the Index nailed it. The material is cushioning the face plate and various parts of the headset grips your head nicely and there isn't any single point of pressure. With an included spacer you can fit into the back that squishes like silly putty, no matter what your head size you should be able to find a comfortable fit. Comfort was the top priority here.
The cable is ridiculously long.
*pauses for that's what she said jokes*
The cable easily reaches across my entire play space without pulling at my head. The reach is so long that it minimizes the disappointment at the lack of wireless. There were still times I tried to decapitate myself by stepping on the cord but it was a far cry from what I remember of corded headsets. I also didn't really feel like I was getting wound up in it too much but I'll put this to the test during my first Orbus/ATT streams.
After covering up my TV, the tracking was wonderful. Tracking 2.0 seems to be more susceptible to reflections than 1.0 was. Very happy with the 2.0 base stations.
And here's where I lose you... The Index controllers pinched the bottom of my hands and were fairly uncomfortable after a while. I usually like to keep my straps nice and tight but I think that may be a mistake here. I probably need a leave a little give in the strap. After just an hour or so of play I had some serious indentations on my hands from where the straps bit in. The track pad can be a bit cumbersome to use for previous mechanics and is very easy to accidentally touch. The "clicking" is far superior to the original Vive wands though. The sweet spot for your finger tracking is a bit odd and for me took frequent readjustments as I was flipping people off in ATT. A calibration option would be nice if possible.
Other than that I loved the controllers. They just felt good. Especially reaching out and grabbing faces in Blade and Sorcery! A lot of things are just more natural and intuitive.
Devs will need to learn the sweet spot for the grip sensor. ATT is far too sensitive while Final Assault did a very good job.
I'm still happy with my Index controllers and would definitely buy them again but my happiness has been tempered a bit after getting my hands on them.
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