For me, as a Rift S user, it would be a step backwards in some cases. While i would love the increased FoV and new controllers, there are significant things i would not like about the index.
I don't like that the index-controllers have an accu built in. The advanteage of replacing batteries is that you can continuously play while one pair of batteries are charging. I would hate it to be forced to end a gaming session because of a low accu.
Also to place base stations / sensors again would be a step backwards. I love the advantage to set up my playspace independently. With my Rift S there are no limits where i can use it and the setup process takes only about a minute. If i need to use seated experiences with the indes, it has to be inside the tracking area of the base stations.
The increased weight is also a disadvantage. The higher the weight the stronger you need to fix the HMD on your head / face to keep it in position.
For me it's not worth to pay about 600 Euro more. With the new tracking-update 1.39, the Rift S is one of the best HMDs on the market. If you consider the price, it's the best HMD on the market.
Yes a half full glass may be appropriate in this circumstance as it sums up every headset launched this year 🙂
You may want to take the pessimistic approach every time and you are probably justified to do so, as presently nobody is delivering everything we want yet. However some of us are hopeful someone will eventually release something close enough.
Not sure Oculus needs a killer when it comes to PC VR. They threw themselves on their own sword. They are no longer the King to topple from the throne. In fact there is no King at the moment. If they had proceeded with half dome, I would have no doubt it would have kicked Index's arse.
In my opinion the Index blows the Rift S away in nearly all areas (hardware wise) but then again that's not hard. I'm not even considering a Rift S as its in the entry level league. However is the Index worth a 1000 pounds if the FOV is not that bigger jump to me.
Plus like the Rift S, Reverb and now Index quality issues are being reported from the first batch. No manufacturer is coming up smelling of roses at the moment.
I wouldn't say the Index blows the Rift S away right now, not even in tracking. The resolution, the FOV and the tracking ARE better, but not by much. The Rift S is a 1440p headset, the Index is a 1600p headset. The Rift S has a 110 degree FOV, the Index has a 130 degree FOV. The tracking is better too, and it DID blow the Rift S away until the PTC 1.39 release came out. Now that the 1.39 release is out it no longer blows the Rift S away in terms of tracking either. And the tracking of the Rift S will only get better as their Machine Learning starts to work on the tonnes of data that's constantly being sent to Facebook from our VR sessions, whereas the Index and Lighthouse tracking will stay at the same standard that it's at right now.
I also forgot to mention in my reply to @Luciferous that Oculus haven't fallen on their sword. Why not? Because the Rift S is going to sell considerably more than the other headsets. If Valve hadn't been a greedy bunch of wankers and released the Index for £720 then there would be Medieval melee weapons involved but everything that Oculus and Facebook have done since Facebook bought the company has been for the good of VR (and of course their pockets in the long term!).
We'll probably see the Rift S selling around twice as much as the Index which will see more developers and publishers jumping into VR development than we would have seen if Oculus had released the Half Dome prototype as the CV2 this year at around the same price as the Index is.
It's all about getting headsets on heads right now for the good of the industry, which is why I've been so pissed off with Valve's blatant price gouging.
Yes true Snow Dog, I guess I am not referring to how much money they make (the King reference) rather than who makes the best headset. You could argue that Oculus also were greedy by making an entry level headset as cheap as possible to sell more units. However they are all businesses and they are there primarily to make money.
I care who delivers the best headset not who makes the most cash (in a reasonable price range and I do include up to a 1000 pounds for me). That used to be clear, Oculus and the CV1. Now its a very muddy water.
Ok been told off by @Shadowmask72 quite rightly so back on track.....index index blah blah headset fingers vr blah index blah quite good ain't it.....sorted
A PC with lots of gadgets inside and a thing to see in 3D that you put on your head.
