Hopeful rumors have floated around that a new VR headset from Valve might be on its way for release in 2023, but as of December, that seems quite unlikely. The supposed upcoming Valve Index 2, codenamed Deckard, is still unacknowledged by Valve itself.
Still, with the original Valve Index now pushing five years on the market, seeing declining sales, and starting to feel a bit archaic compared to the fierce competition, in the face of Meta and its Quest 3, it's plausible to expect that Valve would want to revise and modernize its own VR headset.
With Valve's success with the Steam Deck, we could speculate that the company behind Half-Life and Portal may have shifted its focus away from virtual reality a bit too much, for us to expect a new Index headset anytime soon. However, those are just unfounded speculations, so we choose to remain optimistic.
As of December, 2023, Valve has been quiet on any release date announcements for the Valve Index 2, but eager fans are beginning to suspect that the new headset could be announced and released this year. Currently those are also just fairly baseless speculations, unfortunately. There's a good chance Valve is way more interested in working on future Steam Deck devices right now, but we'll just have to wait and see whether an Index 2 is reasonable to expect this year or not.
After all, even Apple is about to enter the VR/AR market with its Vision Pro headset soon. Samsung may also be working on something behind the scenes, leakers claim, and, of course, the king of VR - Meta - is launching the Quest 3. So the VR headset market is anything but dead or dying, and Valve should theoretically still see the potential value in it.
The original Valve Index made its debut all the way back in 2019, and with its specs now falling behind more affordable options like the Quest 2, and more importantly, with the Meta Quest 3 now on the horizon, Valve will probably want to release a newer competitor. At least if it's still as serious about VR as it was back when it released Half-Life: Alyx in 2020; a big and unexpected move that had one main goal - selling the first Valve Index. If resurrecting the Half-Life franchise with Alyx wasn't a hint that Valve strongly believes in VR, what is? And Alyx has been getting some fantastic updates, adding things we'd never see
Stay tuned for any updates as soon as official news or leaks give us insight on a potential Valve Index 2 release date.
Valve Index 2 price
The Valve Index was never the most affordable VR headset out there, at $999 for the full VR kit, and we currently speculate the Valve Index 2 to boast a similar price.
Although Valve might stop using some now-archaic accessories, namely the Base Stations, which could theoretically make the headset package cheaper, the market trends may actually call for a potential price increase.
The Meta Quest 3, for example, which is one headset that's definitely coming out later this year, has been announced to be getting a $100 price increase over its predecessor.
With that in mind, whether Valve will also raise the price of its next headset, or will instead aim to make it cheaper, so it can compete with the Quest 3's "around $500" price is anyone's guess right now.
Another theory is that Valve may release two headsets – a high-end Valve Index 2, and a cheaper, lower-end variant, but we should take rumor that with a grain of salt.
Valve Index 2 design
Image from a Valve patent application document, potentially showing a Valve Index 2
We don't expect any major redesigns for the Valve Index 2, speculating that the company behind Steam and Half-Life will stick to its sleek, dark look, and most notably – the rigid and intricate face strap.
The face strap in particular might remain exactly the same as on the first Valve Index, at least judging by the image above, which was taken from a recent Valve patent application file.
What we would like to see is a more ergonomic and compact head strap, something more akin to the Quest 2 one, but whether Valve goes simpler or not is still up for speculation, as any official details on the Valve Index 2's design and head strap are yet to be revealed.
Valve Index 2 tracking
While doing our recent Meta Quest 2 vs Valve Index comparison, we concluded that the Index's method of tracking is starting to feel pretty archaic in 2023, requiring plugged-in Base Station devices, which on top of adding to the mess of cables the user has to deal with, even make a high-pitched whining noise.
In contrast, the Meta Quest 2, and its upcoming successor, the Quest 3, don't require any special tracking hardware, and can work perfectly well by just using their built-in cameras.
So we speculate that the Valve Index 2 could be a major step forward from the original, finally dropping the Base Stations and relying on its cameras for tracking. Note that those are still just rumors and speculations, but plausible ones nonetheless. If Valve is to not move away from the use of Base Stations, its new VR headset would just fall behind the competition in terms of ease of use and general convenience.
Valve Index 2 display, IPD, FOV
We're hoping that the Valve Index 2 will be a big step forward from the original, as using the Valve Index after the Quest 2 for our recent comparison of the two made it clear just how far ahead Meta's headsets have gone.
The original Valve Index features an LCD display with a resolution of 1440-by-1600 pixels per eye, and it's just not sharp enough these days, with visible pixels and a screen door effect.
Valve would likely want to match, or surpass the Quest 2's "nearly-4K" display, which offers 1832-by-1920 pixels per eye. Perhaps switch to mini-LED over LCD technology also, which would improve both the sharpness and colors of the VR headset.
In addition, although the first Valve Index has a fantastic FOV of up to 130-degrees, well beyond most competitors, Valve could try to go even higher with the second Index iteration.
In any case, we'll have the official details here as soon as they come out.
Valve Index 2 controllers
An first-gen Valve Index controller (left) next to a Meta Quest 2 controller (right)
While the original Valve Index controllers are bulky and with complex, arguably unnecessary straps, when compared to the competition, we're hoping Valve would simplify them in terms of design, to be akin to the Quest 2 or HTC Vive.
Something we're excited to return is the controllers' rechargeability, meaning the fact that they should have built-in batteries, instead of relying on replaceable ones.
Valve Index 2 features and software
With the Quest 2 shaking things up on the VR headset market, speculations are brewing that the Valve Index 2 will also have the option of working standalone and wirelessly. It's important to note that those are not confirmed, and should be taken with a grain of salt, but the theory would make sense.
If Valve were to make the Valve Index 2 capable of working wireless, and let's face it – the first Index relies on way too many wires – the headset will need more intricate tech inside. A built-in battery, storage, and its own operating system, among others.
The Quest 2's operating system is based on Android, which is also the most plausible option Valve could go with, if the company decides to make its next headset similarly standalone, and with an option to have PC VR content streamed right to it wirelessly.
Will the Valve Index 2 be standalone and wireless?
As mentioned above, there are speculations that Valve could make the Valve Index 2 standalone, like the Meta Quest 2, which would also give it the ability to work wirelessly, whether while running Android-based VR games, or PC VR games streamed from a computer over the internet.
However, this is just speculation, and although it seems plausible, and we're really hoping that it's true, Valve is yet to confirm or deny it, so stay tuned for official information as soon as we have it.
Will the Valve Index 2 use Base Stations for tracking?
The first-gen Valve Index has a complicated set-up, requiring at least two Base Station devices for head tracking
Another theory is that the Valve Index 2 will drop the requirement for setting up and plugging in Base Station devices, which are used for head tracking with the original Valve Index, the HTC Vive, and some other older headsets.
The Quest 2 has set a new precedent in the world of VR headsets, where a simple set-up, with tracking that "just works" without any extra gadgets, should be possible, so it's plausible to expect Valve to want to match that, instead of letting its new headset appearing archaic in comparison to the competition.
Should you wait for Valve Index 2?
Although it's still on our best VR headsets list, and for good reason, the original Valve Index is now pushing five years on the market, and starting to feel a bit outdated in terms of specs, compared to cheaper options like the Quest 2.
With that in mind, it's definitely worth considering waiting for the Valve Index 2, instead of buying a first-gen Valve Index in 2023.
You should certainly consider waiting for the Valve Index 2, which we expect to be a significant step ahead from its predecessor, in terms of specs, features, and overall simplicity.
Rado, a tech enthusiast with a love for mobile devices, brings his passion for Android and iPadOS to PhoneArena. His tech journey began with MP3 players and has evolved to include tinkering with Android tablets and iPads, even running Linux and Windows 95 on them. Beyond tech, Rado is a published author, music producer, and PC game developer. His professional work on iPads, from producing songs to editing videos, showcases his belief in their capabilities. Rado looks forward to the future of mobile tech, particularly in augmented reality and multi-screen smartphones.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless