Vive Pro or Valve Index

Gryphaea

I've browsed the forum , but wanted to solicit any further opinions on my next upgrade. I've had the standard Vive for a couple of years. I have no issue with the controlers, the need for lighthouses and I operate in a 3x2 meet room space.

PC is
Intel Core i5 6600 s1151 3.3GH
2x8G Corsair  Vengence LPX DDR4 3000 RED
Cougar QBX Pro Mini ITX case
Gigabyte GA-B150N-Phoenix-Wifi Motherboard
Gigabyte GTX 1080 Founders Edition

and a Thrustmaster T300.
I have a lot of Steam VR & ReVive games, that I flit between.

I feel it is time to upgrade something & my priority is  better graphics - the 'wow' factor. So I'm thinking it is either a Vive Pro or Valve Index headset. I'll change controllers later.

Any considered options please.

Atmos

All those that own the Index will say Index all those that own Vive Pro will say Vive Pro and those that don’t own either will say RiftS.

I own 4 HMDs and Index is the best overall package imo. I’ve played over 70 hours in No Mans Sky alone and Index is so comfy and easy on the eyes you don’t feel the need to take it off even after hours of play.

The latest batch of Knuckle controllers are now devoid of issues.

Tracking on Vive Pro will be identical to Index.

I’ve never used a Vive Pro or had the chance to compare it to the Index but the main difference are these. The Vive Pro uses OLED screens so gives you deeper blacks over Index but Vive Pro also uses Pentile displays with far less sub pixels over Index which will have much reduced SDE.

Vive Pro uses the old Fresnel lenses from OG Vive which has pronounced rings where as Index has zero Fresnel rings but does have more glare in high contrast scenes. I prefer the Index lenses over Vives. (Index just had a firmware update and you can now adjust the brightness although I’ve not tried this yet.)

Vive Pro has built in headphones that were criticised at launch for lacking bass. Index has been praised highly for its off ear speakers. I like them. The Vive Pro was criticised at release for Mic popping, Index has a top quality Mic. I don’t know if the problems with the Vive Pro were eventually fixed.

Index has wider FOV than the Vive Pro but this is dependant on headsize, eye position etc. I measured Index at 115 degrees which in my case is 20 degrees more than the Vive. Vive Pro should be the same as the Vives.

You can buy Knuckles for either headset but it works out cheaper if you buy the full Index package.

Vive Pro - £799 Index - £460.
Or get Index and Knuckles for less than Vive Pro. Unless you find a good deal on the Vive Pro.

For me Index is a no brainer, it’s cheaper by far with better lenses, higher sub-pixel count, less SDE, higher refresh rates, has an extra cushion for small heads and looks great with a removable front cover and expansion slot.

Vive Pro has better blacks so if you play lots of dark games like ED then it’s this might be better.

I like to play No Mans Sky that has plenty of bright and colourful planets to explore so the lens glare is not an issue.

If you can, try both with the games you like to play because the ultimate decision maker is your own eyes.

Atmos

Oh I forgot to mention the edge to edge clarity on the Index is fantastic. I never notice any lens blur and once you get use to the clarity it’s hard to go back to other HMDs. This is why I prefer the Index over the Pimax 5k  even though the Pimax has bigger FOV.

Gryphaea

Thanks to both insights. Particularly good to hear that the Index controllers are fixed, as that seems the main topic in the Index forum.

huxley

Is that a cert? I`ve seen returned controllers this week that still have problems.

ArmitageShanks

FWIW, I was in the same dilemma a month or two ago, coming from the Vive. I already have a Pimax 8K so that's about as good as it gets resolution and FOV wise, but the LCD panels just lack the punchiness of the Vive's OLED panels and for me at least, that was a biggie.

I ended up upgrading to a (used) Vive Pro. It's probably not quite as big of a visual upgrade as going to the Index if you're prepared to sacrifice colour depth, but it certainly has made life easier on my eyes, so I'm very happy with the Pro. The audio is a little harsh-sounding compared with the Vive's DAS - just a warning. Will pair it with some Index controllers at a later date once the issues have been resolved.

Gryphaea

I'm now thinking Index, but would have gone second-hand on the Pro as well.

ArmitageShanks

Either will give you a fantastic experience I think coming from the Vive. Most reviewers rate the Index as much better than the Pro as an overall package so you can't really go wrong either way.

ArmitageShanks

Also if you want to go wireless, currently the Pro is the only viable option really. The Pro's single cable is actually far, far more annoying and twist-prone than the original Vive's 3-in-1 cable imo. Not sure how it compares with the Index cable, but at least in the short term it's got the only decent wireless solution available...if you have a machine to handle it and the funds of course. I'm sadly still tethered.

Gryphaea

I thought about wireless, but having opted for a micro case, I don’t believe I have the space for the dedicated card. I’d rather keep  the wire and the £300 that I didn’t spend on the wireless solution