Valve Index
Ranked 4 of 7 VR headsets by recommenders
People recommend it for comfortable long sessions and reliable tracking that works with little tinkering. The most common caveat is fiddly setup, with cable clutter and dated screens also criticized.
People recommend it for comfortable long sessions and reliable tracking that works with little tinkering. The most common caveat is fiddly setup, with cable clutter and dated screens also criticized.
25 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 15
- criticize it
- 10
- approval share
- 60%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 15 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 1.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Comfortable to wear for long sessions
“I can wear my Index on my head for like all day.”
Comment from 14 Sep 2026 in “Steam Frame starts at $1059” “a bit on the heavy side but comfortable”
Comment from 10 Jun 2026 in “Ask HN: Are you still using your Vision Pro?” “the coding experience on the index is far more comfortable”
Comment from 9 Jun 2026 in “Ask HN: Are you still using your Vision Pro?” Works well with little tinkering
“I used my Index on my Gentoo Linux machine like six months ago and it worked fine.”
Comment from 14 Sep 2026 in “Steam Frame starts at $1059” “with nearly no tinkering my index just works”
Comment from 14 Sep 2026 in “Steam Frame starts at $1059” Enjoyable, fantastic headset
“really feeling how nice that headset was”
Comment from 12 Nov 2025 in “Steam Frame” “I really enjoyed my Valve Index”
Comment from 16 May 2026 in “A Meta employee gets real about the horror of working there” “which is a fantastic device”
Comment from 14 Sep 2026 in “Steam Frame starts at $1059”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Fiddly setup and software problems
“I have owned the index for a few years, running it on ubuntu/mint. It is a pain.”
Comment from 28 Jan 2026 in “Microsoft forced me to switch to Linux” “trying to get the Valve Index working was so frustrating and inconsistent I eventually gave up”
Comment from 14 Sep 2026 in “Steam Frame starts at $1059” “SteamVR won't see my Index unless I power cycle it”
Comment from 15 Sep 2026 in “Steam Frame starts at $1059” Cables are messy and hassling
“the hassle of cable management/etc adds some real hassle”
Comment from 14 Sep 2026 in “Steam Frame starts at $1059” “pretty much never used it again cause its such a mess to have around”
Comment from 12 Nov 2025 in “Steam Frame” Dated screens and technology
“pretty crappy screens compared to what they could use today”
Comment from 15 Sep 2026 in “Steam Frame starts at $1059” “It was released in 2019 and by comparison, sucks.”
Comment from 15 Sep 2026 in “Steam Frame starts at $1059” “It's far from fantastic technology now.”
Comment from 15 Sep 2026 in “Steam Frame starts at $1059” Needs extra lenses for glasses
“I have the index, plus special eyesight amendment lenses accessory that I had to fork out on. grudge #1.”
Comment from 14 Nov 2025 in “Steam Machine” “had to buy prescription lenses to put inside to allow me to play without my glasses”
Comment from 10 May 2026 in “Meta's Embrace of A.I. Is Making Its Employees Miserable”
Other VR headsets people recommend
The four most recommended other VR headsets, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valve Steam Frame | 162 | 74 | 69% | 11 | — | Approved |
| Meta Quest | 106 | 98 | 52% | 11 | 4 yrs14 owners | — |
| Oculus VR headset | 21 | 36 | 37% | 9 | — | — |
| Valve IndexThis page | 15 | 10 | 60% | 6 | — | — |
| Bigscreen Beyond 2 | 10 | 5 | 67% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
26 of the 31 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I did for my Valve Index, which I've used twice and are now sitting in a box.”
“It's far from fantastic technology now.”
“pretty crappy screens compared to what they could use today”
“SteamVR won't see my Index unless I power cycle it”
“It was released in 2019 and by comparison, sucks.”
“with nearly no tinkering my index just works”
“I used my Index on my Gentoo Linux machine like six months ago and it worked fine.”
“the hassle of cable management/etc adds some real hassle”
“I can wear my Index on my head for like all day.”
“which is a fantastic device”
“I couldn't do that in my apartment layout with lighthouses a la BSB or Index”
“It's still out of stock in France today.”
“trying to get the Valve Index working was so frustrating and inconsistent I eventually gave up”
“one base station started making loud noise after 2 weeks but still functional”
“a bit on the heavy side but comfortable”
“the coding experience on the index is far more comfortable”
“I really enjoyed my Valve Index”
“had to buy prescription lenses to put inside to allow me to play without my glasses”
“I have owned the index for a few years, running it on ubuntu/mint. It is a pain.”
“mainly Valve Index and Steam Deck, both still relatively niche”
“so hyped for valves headset”
“I have the index, plus special eyesight amendment lenses accessory that I had to fork out on. grudge #1.”
“It now shows a green pixels line on the right.”
“pretty much never used it again cause its such a mess to have around”
“maybe as an "upgrade" to the tracking if you already have a lighthouse setup”
“really feeling how nice that headset was”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.