This week has been a busy week for VR enthusiasts. Not only did Valve put their VR headset, the Valve Index up for pre-order. But Oculus has also placed their latest VR headsets, the Oculus Rift S and Oculus Quest up for pre-order. What impeccable timing, right?
The Oculus Rift S and Quest are available via the Oculus website, as well as other retailers. Both are available for $399.99 and will be released on May 24, 2019. For more info on both headsets, be sure to check out deep dive here.
Newcomer to the show, but not really a newcomer is Valve. Who previously and still is, partnered with HTC with their Vive VR headset. Which is also getting an updated version, the Vive Cosmos, later this year. Now they’re releasing their own VR headset with the Valve Index.
Unlike the other VR headsets, the Index is super pricey. We’re talking $999.99 for a full kit that includes the headset, two controllers and two base stations. With additional base stations being priced at $149. Yet, for the price, you’re looking at a premium piece of hardware. It features a 120Hz refresh rate, experimental 144Hz mode, a resolution of 2,880 x 1,600 (1440×1600 per eye) and 130-degree field of view.
It’s also backward compatible with the HTC Vive and Vive Pro. Meaning if you already own either then you can simply purchase the Valve Index headset and use your existing Vive controllers and base station. The Valve Index releases on June 28, 2019.
I haven’t jumped on the VR experience yet, but I fully indeed to do so when the Oculus Rift S is released. I’ve already pre-ordered mine on Amazon, But I may end up change that to a Best Buy pre-order. Only so that I can head up the road and pick up mine and get started on my possibly venture into VR.
What about you? Are you already playing with VR or are you looking to jump in with either of these new headsets? Let us know in the comments, we’d love to know.
