The Index thread (please keep to subject)

MowTin said:

RuneSR2 said:

Yes, I think I got it back in late November (it's in a post somewhere in this thread I'm sure) - it took 3 weeks forth and back... 

I also got the new taller thumbstick, but didn't notice it before today :blush:  

It's still working perfectly - but now I'm worried about my right old controller  :D  

EDIT - found it, page 41 in this thread - got it back Nov 20, so before everything sold out. 

I have to RMA mine too but not because of the click issue. I had the issue but it wasn't a big deal for me. Now my left controller drifts very badly. I tried the controller deadzone adjustments and recalibration but nothing works. It has steadily gotten worse, now it's barely playable. 

Again, the Rift controllers are just better. I keep accidentally grabbing things using the Index controllers. I'm sick of charging them and sometimes forgetting to charge them. With the Rift-S, I just swap rechargeable batteries. Tracking every finger adds nothing to games. It just makes the controllers more expensive and prone to failure. 

When drifting occurs, there's probably nothing to do - it'll only get worse. Better get it rma'd as soon as possible, seems like Alyx is making it very hard to get new controllers these days, so the sooner you send it in the better - I think. 
Not sure finger tracking makes the controllers more prone to failure, if only they could fix the thumbstick... They do have great thumbsticks on the Steam Controllers, strange that it's so difficult with the Index controllers.
At least you'll get the new version with the taller thumbstick, in case that matters - mine is still working perfectly after being mashed and smashed several times in Boneworks ;) 

RuneSR2 said:

VR demand outstripped supply during the holiday season

Valve sold 149K Index headsets in 2019. Sales more than doubled from Q3 to Q4 (103K) thanks to anticipation for Half-Life: Alyx, which was announced in November and is slated to arrive in March. The Index sold more units than any other PC VR headset during the quarter despite a steep price of up to $1000. It would have sold even more if not for inventory issues (the device is currently sold out worldwide).

https://www.superdataresearch.com/blog/superdata-xr-update/

That's crazy awesome news!! Both for Valve and VR.

I hope they re-stock and then sell another 500k units! Good for them!!

I have held of buying an Index or Pimax for now. I'm going to wait a bit longer so this means I'll be playing Half Life Alyx on my Rift-S. Fingers crossed it's still a good experience and runs well. Hopefully no oculus updates before release :)

RuneSR2 said:

VR demand outstripped supply during the holiday season

Valve sold 149K Index headsets in 2019. Sales more than doubled from Q3 to Q4 (103K)......

Have been involved in some research for a feature on this situation and came across an interesting fact. The term "Ramping Up" is employed by some to describe when a fabrication plant has been set a target build number and then has to change it for a larger number. Either due to a greater than expected sales order for a particular line, or to address higher than expected returns. In some cases fab operations can not rampup because they expected a one time build and de-tooled (broke up the production line), they had other commitments or had been ordered by the client not to exceed a build number.

It would seem that both Index and Quest are in interesting positions that it has taken them longer than would be hoped to rampup their headset builders as they had limited the expected production run. We are now seeing the interesting situation of executives that had limited production numbers after feeling the consumer VR scene was slowing, now scrambling to try and increase orders... and in one situation seeing Lenovo go to a competitor company to help them make up the backlog!! 

Just as I posted this, this interesting Superdata "crystal-ball gaze" came in! 

kevinw729 said:

Just as I posted this, this interesting Superdata "crystal-ball gaze" came in! 

Couldn't post that pic yesterday using my phone, but interesting to see the very expensive Index sell more than the very inexpensive Rift-S, Alyx or not - because you can in fact play Alyx just fine using Rift-S. So people are willing to spend money on VR given the right content it seems. 
Quest seems to have sold like 700k units last year, which probably is close to 40 - 50% of CV1 total sales, but impressive in less than a year. Quest could reach CV1 measured in sold hmds later this year. 
Also the numbers above may not reflect the demand, because both Index and Rift-S were hard to find in Dec 2019 - and still is several places, especially Index is impossible to get right now. No doubt Index would be (much) higher if it was possible to buy it, lol. 

Agree @RuneSR2 - this made for interesting cogitation.

The INDEX penetration numbers into the market are an
'expert" guess by Superdata - they do have a wonky calculation process reputation,
(as seen by zero mention of the HTC Cosmos - though there are Western sales issue
with that). I also know Valve are being super closed mouth about market
penetration, wanting to launch their new SteamVR service with direct support
for captive users (the ultimate eco-system)!

The numbers do, however, point to the smoking
gun regarding the troubled state of the Lenovo / Oculus relationship. Seeing
the news of the Varjo / Lenovo partnership and suggestions that Lenovo is
working on their own Standalone in partnership with a previous competitor, all
seems to point to Déjà vu of the Samsung situation.

Maybe nobody bought the Cosmos except Tom, I cannot think why you would.

Luciferous said:

Maybe nobody bought the Cosmos except Tom, I cannot think why you would.

You do get 5% more res than the Index - for games like Chronos, Kin and Lucky's Tale it might work great even in SteamVR res 200% (maybe also in some sims?), but agreed it may be more problematic in games needing proper tracking - but I've never tested the Cosmos, I really hope HTC can fix the tracking problems. 

BTW, I noticed something that made me in a very good mood the other day. In Boneworks, the Index res allows me to see ultra-tiny details that I'm convinced you cannot see (clearly) using CV1. This is the benefit of having nearly 100% increased res compared to CV1, but it only works if devs provide ultra-high texture res. 

In Tested's Alyx video, Norm said something that resonated with me when explaining the benefits of the Index high-res displays: "I could actually for example put my gravity gloves up close to my face and I can even read out the microchip text that was on the pcb board" 

- and then the other dude said that he was 10 years older and that had affected his eyesight so he could no longer see such tiny details, lol - jump in 10:25:


It has been rumored that the Source engine is more than capable of showing ultra-high-res (4K) textures - until proven otherwise, I think what Norm experienced is a testimony of Alyx being able to provide details you'll need a high-res gen2 hmd to experience, and of course Reverb may be king of that hill...