Valve Axes Valve Index: A New Era for VR Underway
In a move that's hardly surprising, given its history of innovation and disruption in the gaming industry, Valve Corporation has confirmed that it's no longer manufacturing its high-end VR headset, the Valve Index. The company's decision to discontinue production of this premium device, which was launched in 2019, is seen as a significant development in the ongoing shift towards more casual and accessible virtual reality (VR) experiences.
According to Lawrence Yang, Valve spokesperson, the company "is no longer manufacturing" the Index, effectively ending its support for the device. The announcement comes just days after Valve revealed its latest hardware offerings, including a second iteration of its Steam Machine, a Steam controller, and a new VR headset called the Steam Frame.
While the Steam Frame is not yet available in the market, it's clear that Valve is aiming to attract a broader audience with its latest offering. The device boasts a built-in Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, 16GB of RAM, and four high-resolution monochrome cameras for inside-out tracking, as well as infrared LEDs on the outside to help with tracking in low-light environments.
The decision to abandon external lighthouse base stations, which were used by the Valve Index to enable roomscale VR gaming, is also seen as a significant departure. Instead, the Steam Frame relies on built-in sensors for movement tracking, aligning more closely with consumer VR trends. This shift towards standalone devices and simplified setup processes suggests that Valve is committed to making VR more accessible to a wider range of users.
While the exact pricing of the Steam Frame has not been announced, its compatibility with Android games and support for streaming flat-screen and VR content from PCs or Steam Machines implies that it's designed to appeal to a broader audience. As such, the discontinuation of the Valve Index marks an important milestone in the evolution of VR technology, signaling a new era of innovation and experimentation at Valve Corporation.
In a move that's hardly surprising, given its history of innovation and disruption in the gaming industry, Valve Corporation has confirmed that it's no longer manufacturing its high-end VR headset, the Valve Index. The company's decision to discontinue production of this premium device, which was launched in 2019, is seen as a significant development in the ongoing shift towards more casual and accessible virtual reality (VR) experiences.
According to Lawrence Yang, Valve spokesperson, the company "is no longer manufacturing" the Index, effectively ending its support for the device. The announcement comes just days after Valve revealed its latest hardware offerings, including a second iteration of its Steam Machine, a Steam controller, and a new VR headset called the Steam Frame.
While the Steam Frame is not yet available in the market, it's clear that Valve is aiming to attract a broader audience with its latest offering. The device boasts a built-in Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, 16GB of RAM, and four high-resolution monochrome cameras for inside-out tracking, as well as infrared LEDs on the outside to help with tracking in low-light environments.
The decision to abandon external lighthouse base stations, which were used by the Valve Index to enable roomscale VR gaming, is also seen as a significant departure. Instead, the Steam Frame relies on built-in sensors for movement tracking, aligning more closely with consumer VR trends. This shift towards standalone devices and simplified setup processes suggests that Valve is committed to making VR more accessible to a wider range of users.
While the exact pricing of the Steam Frame has not been announced, its compatibility with Android games and support for streaming flat-screen and VR content from PCs or Steam Machines implies that it's designed to appeal to a broader audience. As such, the discontinuation of the Valve Index marks an important milestone in the evolution of VR technology, signaling a new era of innovation and experimentation at Valve Corporation.
. The discontinuation of the Valve Index does mark an interesting turning point for the industry, though. By abandoning external lighthouse base stations and focusing on built-in sensors, Valve is taking a step towards making VR more user-friendly and less dependent on complex setup processes 
. It'll be fascinating to see how this new direction plays out, especially with the release of the Steam Frame, which seems poised to appeal to a wider audience 
. I'm curious to know what role VR will play in the future of gaming and entertainment, and whether companies like Valve are paving the way for more affordable and accessible VR experiences 
. And let's be real, external lighthouse base stations were a bit of a pain to set up anyway... I mean, who needs that extra hassle? 
Still, it'll be interesting to see how this plays out and what other surprises Valve has in store for us 
.
it was like the ultimate vr experience but idk why they had to abandon those lighthouse base stations tho that was part of what made roomscale vr so sick 
anyway i think its cool that valve is trying to make vr more accessible now they gotta compete with oculus and htc or whatever 
80% of them say its so easy to use compared to valve index lol...anyway think valve making moves towards more casual vr experience is actually a good thing 
might make it more mainstream and available to more people 
. Not to mention, it's great that Valve is playin' with the idea of standalone devices – like, who needs a whole rig when you can just pop in a headset and go? 
Anyway, this is all good news for VR as a whole... or so I reckon 
but honestly, the steam frame sounds pretty cool i wish they'd come out with a more affordable option tho, still got my eyes on that one 
is this a good thing or bad? idk... i just wanna know how much the Steam Frame is gonna cost 
and will it still be able to play super graphicsy games or just more casual stuff? 
. But I guess you can't keep pushing the boundaries forever. The idea that VR is gonna become more casual and accessible makes me kinda stoked though 
. And I'm loving the fact that they're aiming for a broader audience now. More people should be able to enjoy VR without breaking the bank 
, I think Valve is onto something here 
, i mean think about it, the steam frame is all about simplicity & ease of use - just plug it in & play 
The thing is, I think it's awesome that they're going for a more casual vibe with the Steam Frame. I love how they're trying to make VR more accessible to everyone... but on the other hand, doesn't that mean it'll be less hardcore for gamers? Ugh, my brain hurts 
i gotta say its kinda weird that they're ending support for a product thats still pretty popular, especially among devs and hardcore gamers... but at the same time im hyped to see what valve comes up with next - the steam frame sounds like it could be some serious competition for Oculus & HTC 
. I mean, it was one of the best VR headsets out there, and I loved playing games with it. But I guess this makes sense – VR's gotta be more accessible for everyone now 
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. We need more VR options out there that aren't just super expensive 
!
... didn't see that coming, but not entirely shocked either 
. They need to cater to the casual gamers and non-gamers who wanna experience VR without breaking the bank 
... but now they're abandoning the whole external lighthouse thing? 
. But what this also means is that the big players are gonna have to adapt quickly, just like how our politicians need to be on their toes when new technologies come along 
. The whole thing feels like a step towards a more streamlined VR experience - we're already seeing standalone headsets become more popular, so it's only natural that big players like Valve are adapting to the trend 
.