Valve Index vs HTC Vive Pro vs Oculus Rift S: the VR headset showdown

Image credit: TechRadar

The beginning of 2019 was a very important time for virtual reality. Facebook has dropped details of its new headset

Oculus Rift S

- an upgrade from the original

Oculus Rift

- and shortly after Valve released details of its high-end VR headset

Valve Index

.

At the time, it was a punch of premium VR news that has since reshaped the VR landscape. The only problem with all these new options, however, is that two brand new headsets - plus the pre-existing (and very good)

HTC Vive Pro

- could cripple potential VR enthusiasts. Which should you buy?

If you're new to VR, don't have a high-end PC setup to run it on, or have a lower budget, the answer is simple: don't go for one of these headsets. Instead, we recommend looking into the

OculusQuest

Where

Oculus Quest 2.

But if you're looking for a high-end VR experience and all that precious VR hardware has you blown away, let us clear up the confusion, call out the differences, and generally compare three of the most popular PC VR headsets. top performers you can buy right now.

Here's how the HTC Vive Pro, Oculus Rift S, and Vive Index compare.

Design

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Image credit: HTC

HTC Vive Pro

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Image credit: Techradar

Oculus Rift S

Image 3 of 3

Image Credit: Valve

valve index

As head-mounted virtual reality devices, there are some similarities between these three headsets, but they all take somewhat different approaches.

the

Oculus Rift S

uses a Halo-style headband with a button that tightens the band to fit your head perfectly. This helps reduce the pressure on your face from the screen casing. There is also an adjustable band that goes over the top of your head.

the

HTC Vive Pro

and

Valve Index< /p>

use similar headband styles, with a drawstring that goes around your head and a top strap. This style can cause a little more pressure on the front of your face. But, all three use a button to adjust the tightness, which makes it very easy to put on and take off and adapt to different users' heads.

Audio

the

features small speakers built into the headband for stereo sound, but also includes a 3.5mm headphone jack for use with your own headphones. the

Vive Pro

has a built-in headset that you can place over your ears as needed. During this time, the

Valve Index

has a similar audio design to the Vive Pro, but uses small speakers that don't press directly on the ears.

Configuration, cameras and connectivity

All three headsets require cables from the headset to a powerful PC. the

Valve Index

has a cable that splits at the end into USB 3.0, DisplayPort 1.2 and 12V power connectors. The cable

HTC Vive Pro

connects to a breakout box with power, DisplayPort and USB 3.0 connections. L'

Oculus Rift S

the simplest with a cable that splits into a USB 3.0 and HDMI connector.

All three headsets also have cameras. the

Valve Index

includes two cameras on the front that aim slightly downwards, but they currently have no function. the

HTC Vive

has two on the front that aim straight ahead, and they can enable native hand and finger tracking in some programs. the

Rift S

has five cameras with two on the front, two on the sides and one on the top, and these are used for tracking and passing your surroundings when needed.

As we'll explore more in the Tracking section of this comparison, the Rift S only needs the built-in cameras for VR. The Vive Pro and Valve Index also need external base station cameras to track the movement of headsets and controllers.

Display

Image credit: Valve

(Image credit: Valve)

Displays are an incredibly important aspect of VR headsets, as they can be used to make or break the experience. And, between the Vive Pro, the Valve Index and the Rift S, there are considerable display differences.

The Oculus Rift S

Oculus Rift S

. It uses a single 2560 x 1440 resolution fast-switching LCD panel with an 80Hz refresh rate. doesn't offer the rich blacks of OLED panels. The helmet uses improved lenses that reduce the reflective aspects we saw in the original Rift. But, there's only software IPD adjustment (to adjust the distance between your pupils), which doesn't have as much range or effectiveness as a hardware slider that moves screens and Goals.

the

HTC Vive Pro

speeds things up with its screens. It uses two separate AMOLED screens for 2880 x 1600 resolution and runs at 90Hz for smoother motion. While AMOLED displays have their issues when it comes to the screen door effect in VR, the Vive Pro's increased resolution largely eliminates that issue. The Vive Pro offers a 110 degree field of view and hardware IPD adjustment.

the

Valve Index

tops the charts in many ways. With two screens angled at 5 degrees, it offers a 130 degree field of view with hardware IPD adjustment. And, that view is sharp with a combined resolution of 2880x1600. While this resolution matches the Vive Pro, Valve uses LCD panels that have more sub-pixels than typical pentile OLED displays, resulting in clearer images. And, Valve tops it all off with a 120Hz refresh rate that can go up to 144Hz, for incredibly smooth visuals that can dramatically improve immersion.

While Valve's Index LCD may not offer as impressive a contrast ratio as OLED, the rest of the package seems to help it stand out from its competitors.

Monitoring

We'll start with the Oculus Rift S because it has a system compared to the others.

the

Rift S

uses what is called inside-out tracking. Using the five cameras built into the headset, the Rift S maps the area around you and as you move it changes your view in VR. It doesn't need external cameras to track its movement. This makes it the easiest to set up. The cameras also follow the movements of the controller. However, with no cameras on the back of the headset, the Rift S has to guess their movements and can't accurately track them behind users' backs.

The two

HTC Vive Pro

and

Valve Index

use exterior-interior tracking. This requires external cameras placed around a gaming space to monitor headset and controller movement. Dual cameras can effectively create a large playing space and track controller movement even behind users' backs. However, the installation process is more complex. The overlap doesn't end there either, as both headsets can use the same SteamVR 1.0 and 2.0 base stations.

Image 1 of 3

HTC Vive Pro

Image credit: TechRadar

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(Image credit: TechRadar)

Oculus Rift S

Image credit: TechRadar

Image 3 of 3

Valve Index

Controllers

the

Vive Pro

the

Rift S

uses new controllers with side grips, triggers, two thumb buttons, a menu button, and an analog stick. These buttons are also capacitive, so the Rift S will detect when your thumb is resting on them even if they're not depressed.

L'

valve index

controllers go much further. For one, they use straps that hold them to your hands, so you don't have to hold them to keep them in your hands. They also have triggers, two thumb buttons, a system button, vertical thumb pad, analog stick, and grip sensors. The combination of buttons, sensors, and pressure sensitivity allows the controller to track each finger independently for a more realistic and nuanced recreation of your hands in VR.

Price

Image credit: TechRadar

the

Oculus Rift S

really stands out for its price. At $299 (£299, AU$499) it's by far the cheapest, and that price includes the headset, controllers and everything else needed to get the Rift S up and running.

The Rift S also has easy access to Oculus' exclusive games list (although other headsets can access many of these games through workarounds). For ease of access to VR, it's definitely the winner, especially since it doesn't require as much of a PC to run.

The HTC Vive Pro and Valve Index are both considerably more expensive. Helmet

HTC Vive Pro

costs $599 (£599, around AU$1,077) on its own, and to get two controllers and a set of SteamVR 1.0 base stations, you'll add $299 (around £200/AU$400) to the price.

the

valve index

actually manages to fly under the HTC Vive Pro. For the headphones alone, you'll pay $499 (£459, around AU$710). And, for a complete bundle including Index controllers and SteamVR 2.0 base stations with improved range and field of view, you'll pay $999 (£919, around AU$1,425).

You can save a little. money on the HTC Vive Pro or Valve Index if you already have other VR hardware, though. Both headsets can use each other's controllers and tracking base stations. So, for example, if you have Vive base stations and controllers, you can just buy the Index headset and get all the features.

Still, both devices are more expensive, and with their higher resolution, refresh rate displays, they'll also require more powerful (read: more expensive) PCs to run them.

So which one is right for you?

Without holding the valve index in our hands and playing games with it, it's hard to say for sure which high-end headset will win the day. We certainly like the more affordable price of the

Oculus Rift S

as well as the way it tracks your movements without using external base stations, but its specs leave something to be desired.

That said, if you want the most premium VR package, the

Valve Index

worth it. The headset's controllers add another layer of immersion to VR and it has a higher field of view, a really important spec when it comes to VR gaming.

Last but not least, the

might make the most sense for VR arcade creatives and owners thanks to its high-resolution screen and compatibility with third-party hardware - however, it might be outdated after the Valve Index arrives later this year. For now, though, it's a proven gaming headset that's a significant step up from the Oculus Rift and the original HTC Vive.

All in all, we have high hopes that the Valve Index will be everything the company promised years ago when it said it ran on VR, and it could be the breakthrough hardware that the PC needs to catch up with PlayStation VR.

Mark Knapp

Over the past few years, Mark has been tasked as a writer, editor and manager, interacting with published content from all angles. He is intimately familiar with the editorial process from the inception of a story idea, through the iterative process, past publication, and on to performance analysis.

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