OOTL I just found out about the valve Index. Whats the difference between valve Index and steam Frame?

Submitted ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨orochi02@feddit.org⁩ to ⁨steamdeck@sopuli.xyz⁩

I’m so ootl cause I never really bothered with vr but I wanted to get the frame. Now I just discovered that apparently valve dabbled in vr already and I Read about the Index in some titles which got me confused. Why Are people so keenly interested in the Frame when the Index already exists? For what reason would one get over the other?

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mrmaplebar@fedia.io ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
The Valve Index is just an I/O device (display, tracking* and controllers), whereas the Steam Frame is also a stand-alone Linux computer (although with a very limited battery life and around the power of a cellphone).

For tracking, the Index does room-scale outside-in tracking using little boxes that you have to hang up in your room, called Lighthouse VR base stations. The Frame uses inside-out tracking of controllers using a combination of IR cameras and gyro--maybe not quite as accurate, but significantly more convenient. I believe that the original base stations that were sold with the index are no longer being made, but other ones are, though I'm not sure.

The Frame supports eye-tracking, plus eye-tracking features like foveated rendering and streaming. The Index doesn't, at least not out of the box. These optimizations essentially make things look better/sharper exactly where you're currently looking even as you look around, which generally gives you better performance.

The Frame can be used wirelessly, and comes with a dedicated 6GHz streaming dongle. The Frame also supports an interesting mode called a Multi-Link connection which uses both the dongle and your WiFi at the same time to (in theory) give you a most stable connection. Unlike the Frame, the Index must be plugged into a computer at all times.

The Frame is lighter and smaller than the Index, and has better, higher-resolution screens.
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PonyOfWar@pawb.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
Valve Index is a traditional PC-VR headset. It’s always tethered to a computer and it needs Lighthouse basestations set up in the room. Meanwhile, the Frame can run some games standalone without a PC, has wireless streaming for when you do play on your PC and uses inside-out tracking without the need for basestations.

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thoughtfuldragon@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
Frame is newer, in production, and requires less hardware setup. It’s capable of wireless use and some games can run without an additional gaming PC. I believe the display is higher resolution as well.

The Index is cheaper but AFAIK is no longer in production. It requires base stations to be setup to track the headset and any controllers. A cabled connection to a gaming PC is required.

The Frame’s price and separate bundles are a flawed delivery, somewhat understandable due to the market conditions, but it’s one of the better VR options on the market as a whole.

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Thatuserguy@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
The Index is very old at this point and starting to show its age. It’s still functional, but there’s much better headsets out these days. The one good thing about it that a lot of modern headsets don’t do is lighthouse tracking. Essentially, little IR tracking cameras you place around your play space mounted to walls/tripods that super accurately track you in 3D space. Very precise and tracks from all angles.

The Frame is a their more modern headset. Still not bleeding edge specs, but still lighter, smaller, and better functionally in a lot of ways. But it’s inside out tracking, meaning the cameras are on the headset itself. Good for tracking your hands/controllers right in front of you, but middling at tracking at waist level, and unable to track behind your head. This is the standard a lot of the industry is moving towards. Functional for 90% of games and all-in-one so no mounting, but definitely a less accurate technology.

If you’re trying to decide between the 2, get the Frame. It’s more likely to be supported for much longer since it’s new and the Index seems to be getting phased out now.

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- PonyOfWar@pawb.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
  
  Essentially, little IR tracking cameras you place around your play space
  
  Small correction, but as it’s a common misconception: The base stations don’t contain cameras. They sweep the room with IR lasers, which get detected by photosensors on the headset and controllers.
  
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  - RaoulDook@lemmy.world ⁨23⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    Right, and they also don’t connect to the PC. They only have power cables.
    
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TabbsTheBat@pawb.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
The index is not a standalone device while the steamframe is. The index is also quite old, and VR tech has advanced a fair bit, making it fall behind in many metrics, like tracking, the screens and others

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NathanRanch@lemmy.zip ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
A lot of the talking points will be spoken to death. I still rock a CV2. I’ve refused to go cable-less and i don’t mind base stations. If you buy an index and take care of it, you’re probably spending less and can maybe sell it for a good value later on. If you just plan on using this in one room forever, you’re tossing out most of the advantages offered by the frame.

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