Valve Index VR Set to Launch in June 2019

Valve's VR headset, the Index, is confirmed to have a June 2019 release date after product page leaks.

Valve quietly announced their upcoming VR headset the Index last week by secretly dropping its product page on Steam. They may have also accidentally leaked more information as a more in-depth hardware page was live before being quickly taken down late Monday evening.

The leaked page doesn’t have a ton of hard info, but what it does have is interesting. Most notably is the June 2019 release date. According to a report by roadtovr.com, a Valve spokesperson confirmed that the information “while not comprehensive, is accurate.” The source also claims the company is targeting May 1st for a full reveal and pre-orders. This lines up with the first image we got last week, which included text proclaiming “Upgrade your experience. May 2019”.

The leak also includes our first good look at the headset and I must say, it is quite the looker. The faceplate, as seen above, kind of reminds me of a Stormtrooper helmet and I’m a big fan of the integrated headphones. The headset will also be tethered and not wireless like the upcoming Oculus Quest.

The Index’s leaked recommended PC specs call for an Nvidia 970 or AMD RX480 graphics card. However, they recommend you at least have a 1070 and a quad-core processor to get the most out of the headset. Those specs put it right in line with the HTC Vive, which makes sense given the history between Valve and the Vive.

Two other product pages popped up along with the Index’s. One for the system’s Base Station and another for its Controllers. Neither page has any information, so everything is just speculation. That said, it stands to reason that the controllers will be some form of Valve’s Knuckles controllers.

Valve will fully reveal everything thing you need to know about the Index on May 1st. And with Oculus releasing two new headsets this spring, VR enthusiasts will have some decisions to make.