Valve Index was first launched in 2019, and since then, it has become the favorite of many VR games players. Although Valve Index VR headset is expensive compared to its competitor Oculus/Meta, it has better graphics and processors. If you are interested in a Valve Index VR headset, you also have to buy some accessories. These accessories will help you increase your immersion in the virtual reality world and improve your VR experience.
Valve index strap trackers and base stations are one of them. The base station provides better tracking as it fills the room with invisible light and tracks every movement of your body. This article has provided two products to improve your VR experience and make you fall in love with it. Read our article if you are a beginner in the virtual reality world and want to buy a new base station or valve index base station replacement. We will also describe the Valve index base station setup.
Valve Index Base Station Overview
Valve Index Base Station package comes with a SteamVR base station 2.0, one 15 ft. (4.5 m) power cable for valve index base station power supply, one base station stands and mounting hardware, regionalized power adapter, and cleaning cloth. The Valve Index base station fills the room with invisible light and laser to provide room-scale precision. With base station 2.0, you can get improved range, a broader field of view, and better support for setting up to 4 base stations in a single playing area without conflicts or occlusion.
The base station itself is good, but the product may come with a missing mounting kit, missing lighthouses, or other lost items. The product is also more expensive compared to the one sale by Steam.
Valve Index base station works fine, but it’s hardware has many bugs. At first, the product works very well. However, after a few months, the base station started blinking red even though you followed all the instructions to take care of this expensive equipment.
Once it starts blinking red, it will not connect to the headset or provide necessary tracking, so you have no other option than to replace the base station. Valve index base station replacement after using the previous one quickly makes this expensive equipment even costlier. Hardware failure in the Valve index base station is quite common, and Valve has to work on this matter seriously.
The base station works extensively with the Valve Index VR headset. However, it is cheap quality material. Some parts of the base station are too greedy that they break easily. With the amount Valve is charging, they should make a better-quality base station so people won’t have to go to Valve index base station replacement after some time.
Valve Index Base Station Setup
If you buy a base station, you should know certain things. Valve index base station setup is one of them. This section will tell you how to set up a valve index base station and other relevant information.
Before buying a base station for your Valve Index VR headset, you should fully understand how to set up the base station. If you don’t handle the base station with care, it will not last long. The base station is a delicate product, and taking it roughly can damage the structure or tracking capabilities of the base station. Here are the steps for Valve index base station setup:
- Select your play area. Please choose the site away from stairs and windows. Check valve recommendation to know how much free space is needed.
- Remove every obstacle and object, including pets and kids, from the play area.
- Remove the base station from its package carefully.
- Make a mental note on how you want to set your base station (angle of the base station compared to playing area, distance from the playing area, height of the base station, and the stand or any stable surface on which you can mount the base station).
- Remove the thin film from the front panel of the base station.
- Set the base station on the desired location. Ensure that the surface you are placing the base station on is stable and not vibrating.
- Front panel of the base station should face the playing area.
- Plug in the base station to a power outlet using a power adapter.
- Once set, you should not move the base station, or it will affect the tracking capabilities of the base station.
Room-scale Precision
The base station should provide room-scale precision by filling the room with an invisible light laser. It should track every movement of your body. That’s the only way the base station can improve your immersion in the virtual reality world.
Material quality
Your base station should make up of good quality material. Otherwise, several parts of the base staying may break down during shipping.
Valve Index Confirmed Compatible With HTC SteamVR Base Station 2.0
Valve Index Full Body Tracking With HTC Vive
Valve Index Full VR Kit (2020 Model)
Valve Index Full VR Kit saves your time and effort of finding and buying every product one by one. A Valve Index complete VR kit contains the following:
- Headset
- Integrated headphones
- Headset cable
- Headset connection cable having DisplayPort 1.2 and USB 3.0 connections
- Regionalized headset power adapter for headset power supply
- Headset cradle adapter for small heads
- Headset face gasket
- Two controllers, left and right two controllers lanyards
- 2 USB controllers charging cable
- 2 SteamVR Base Station 2.0
- Two power cables for valve index base station power supply approximately of 15 ft. (4.5m) size
- Two base station stands
- Mounting hardware
- Regionalized Base station power adapter
- Cleaning cloth.
The Valve Index VR kit is better because you don’t have to buy everything separately. However, this Valve index complete VR kit is quite expensive and does not include Half-Life Alyx. At steam, this kit is relatively cheaper and also comes with Alyx. The equipment is also more affordable on the Valve site. However, delivery from Steam and Valve may take longer than Amazon delivery.
Valve Index VR headset is considered one of the best VR headsets and is widely loved by people. However, the headset in this kit is of inferior quality. It will work well with your PC at the start, but it will take a full of three days to stop working. Some people even complain that headsets stopped working just after a day or within 24 hours. The Valve Index Full VR Kit on Amazon is 500$ expensive than the other one available on Steam.
Overall, the Valve index complete VR kit is the best VR kit you can buy for a better virtual reality experience. The quality and specifications of the valve index are better than many other reputable VR headsets.
Valve Index VR headset is also lightweight, fantastic, easy to set up, and use virtual reality tool. The only problem is that Valve Index does not have wireless adapters while other competitors offer wireless VR headsets. The price of this product is $999 on the valve site. If you want to spend this much money on a VR kit, buying it directly from the original manufacturers would be better.
Last Words
Valve Index base station is one of the must-have accessories of valve index virtual reality headsets. Base station increases your immersion in the virtual reality world by tracking every movement of your body. However, it would help if you handled the base station with care, or else it would break down in a short time. Moreover, make sure to unplug the base station once used it. Leaving the base station all the time lowers its life.
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