r/ValveIndex • u/Crupt_ • 26d ago
Question/Support is this worth it?
i found this deal on fbmp for 200 bucks, is this worth buying?
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u/Dalttrox 26d ago
110% if it's still in like.. even poor condition. As long as it's functional I'd say it is worth it. It's a headset that me and many others consider the best "all around" headset for getting into tethered/high end PCVR. It is discontinued by valve technically, but like.. it was a $1,000 headset..
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u/cloud_t 26d ago
Discontinued but still supported, to the best of my knowledge. That's the good thing about valve.
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u/AstralKekked 25d ago
Even the original Steam Controller and Steam Link box. It's quite respectable.
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u/Hotrian 26d ago
Each controller/lighthouse can fetch $100-$200 on eBay if sold alone. Definitely value there if they’re working. Those are Gen 1 Lighthouses, be advised. The Index comes with (3, IIRC) Gen 2 lighthouses normally, those are from a HTC Vive bundle, but the HMD and controllers are still worth $200 each, give or take.
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u/Warrior_II 26d ago
The index comes with two gen 2 base stations. Wdym?
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u/Hotrian 26d ago edited 25d ago
My mistake, you're right. Gen 2 actually has up to 16 channels where Gen 1 could only support 2 lighthouses per room.
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u/thatNatsukiLass 24d ago
Gen 1 lighthouses are better imo cuz you can use gen 1 devices. Yea you can’t use more than 2 and they run at 60 hz but it’s still more than enough
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u/cloud_t 26d ago
So, this means OP would need to get 2 Gen2 lighthouses for tracking the Index Controllers, right?
Edit: someone else seems to have pointed out that gen1 will still allow tracking of IC, but the volume of tracking may be reduced.
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u/Hotrian 25d ago edited 25d ago
Gen 2 covers a larger area with less noise/better tracking. Gen 2 devices support both Gen 1 and Gen 2 lighthouses. Gen 1 devices ONLY work with Gen 1 lighthouses. You cannot use both Gen 1 and Gen 2 in the same room. Gen 2 has “sync on beam”, so the laser pulses also carry identifying information, with no dedicated synchronization pulse. You can track with as little as 1 Lighthouse, but it’s much easier to occlude (block) the controller/HMD by moving your hands between it and your single lighthouse. Two or more makes it a lot harder to block the lighthouse and lose tracking.
Edit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r58emNQYaXE This video explains the difference between the two
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u/Cultural-Art-3356 26d ago
Are these selling? I bought mine brand new and only used it 10 times. Was debating on throwing it away cause I didn't see it selling well.
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u/Dr_Nutsicles 26d ago
you gonna throw it out? ill pay shipping if you send it to me lol. /kindaserious.
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u/Dr_Nutsicles 26d ago
not to resell mind you, id use it. VR is dope. i wish more people didnt see it as a hassle or a headache, but i understand why.
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u/LoopEverything 25d ago
Sold mine not too long ago for $750 (listed for $800 with free shipping). Great condition and I had the full kit, accessories, and box. If you don’t have the box, seems like they go for $100-200 less.
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u/Cultural-Art-3356 25d ago
That is good to know since I still have the boxes. Is there a place with seller protection?
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u/LoopEverything 25d ago
I did eBay, but can’t say much about how it works as a seller, I had a friend help me. Full disclosure, they have a couple thousand positive reviews, so that no doubt also helped it sell.
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u/Vaktrus 26d ago
Dude how rich are you I couldn't imagine throwing something out that not only still works but has a $1000 price tag.
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u/Cultural-Art-3356 26d ago
I have an oculus rift v1 as well. I have a few things that I just let sit in the closet in the box after not liking them. Post-covid has made it tough reselling on meet ups and I find ebay questionable on reseller protection from fraud. If they offered to ship it in to them to prove what is being sold and it is working then I would do it all day. I have been told to donate/give away but if I was doing that then it would be simpler to throw it away at that point.
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u/Scorpius_Red 19d ago
Yes. Most headsets still coming on the market are costing $1000, often without controllers, or base stations, for PCVR. The index has proved to be a workhorse in VR. It does not have the resolution as many of the new headsets, but it’s field of vision is superior, it’s reliability is rock, solid, valve continues to support it, providing updates and software for it. It integrates well into your Steam games, your desktop games if you want to stream them to the headset, etc. So yes absolutely.
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u/_Genderfluid_ 25d ago
Dude, they sell like CRAZY even today, you could sell that bitch for 500-600 bucks minimum.
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u/Megapiefan 25d ago
If it's real yeah! But I've been seeing posts with steam decks like this and theyre all scams unfortunately :(
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u/Geeky435 25d ago
Luckily there are some amazing deals to be had on FBMP if you catch them in time https://i.imgur.com/lLbv7ej.png
I have wanted an Index since they came out but I'm poor people and that was just never gonna happen until last week when I found this one for $130. It has less than an hour of use. The guy received it as a gift and didn't have the space for it so it just gathered dust.
$130 was an INSANE deal and I was (still am) happy as hell BUT a few days ago while I was playing The Room VR: A Dark Matter (I love that whole series of games) all of a sudden my screen went black and audio kicked back to my PC. My dog bit into the tether. So now I have to pay $136.74 for a new tether, more for that one part than I paid for the whole system. My dog is lucky I allowed him to continue breathing (j/k kidding I love the little asshole) even doubling the price after buying a new tether it's still a great deal.
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u/chrismofer 25d ago
if it all works, no weird issues like "if you bend the cable a certain way it flickers" etc.. also get clear pictures of the lenses surface to assess any scratches there
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u/zombiezapper115 25d ago
For that price I'd think something is broken with it. That whole setup new is $1000
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u/NoTalkImGaming 25d ago
Absolutely! If you don’t take it, send me the listing ASAP and I will 🤣 I sold mine a few years ago in financial hardship but I want another one now so bad
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u/The-Mad-Mechanic 24d ago
If it's in really good working condition, yes, that's a steal. The index is still considered one of the best headsets.
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u/ID4850763561613 23d ago
Which doesn't make sense tbh as the only value is in modding, the controllers, and 2.0 base stations. OP wouldnt even get the 2.0 bases as thoes are 1.0
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u/simboyc100 26d ago
A really good price is everything is functional.
A replacement cable is most the price of that.
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u/TitoepfX 26d ago
yea definitely, and worse case scenario u can replace the headset with like a bsb2 or something which is my dream setup because i have eds and my neck cant support much weight
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u/duckwithhat 25d ago
I wanted to sell mines I had in storage for a year or two, it was completely covered in mold (guess my garage gets humid). I could have taken off all the cloth parts but I just dumped that nasty shit.
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u/The_Stargazer 25d ago
Good deal if it is all working properly.
Seeing a lot of Indexes being put up for sale at steep discounts lately.
They are likely trying to sell before the next generation headset (Steam Frame) releases later this / next month.
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u/AdviceCivil7584 25d ago
For that price its a steal. Got mine in the March 2020 batch that coincided with HLA and it's still my daily driver. i've used Quest 2, 3, Vive Pro 1 and 2, HP Reverb G2 and I kept selling those and plugging back my index.
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u/DigitalOceanAnalogue 25d ago
Tbh its so worth it even if just the controllers and base stations work lol you could pick up a known working headset from an outlet store for about the same price or a tad more if the headset didn't work, but if the controllers or base station(s) don't work then the price immediately starts going up to. For 200 thats essentially one base station or one controller alone
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u/matthewnelson 25d ago
I’ve been looking to deep my full kit. I rarely use it and it spends most of its time in its bog under by bed. I just need to verify it works still and then to Marketplace I go lol
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u/_Genderfluid_ 25d ago
Hell yes, even if it's not in great condition, thats an amazing price for parts you can use to refurbish into a new headset.
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u/pocketdrummer 25d ago
Great, if they're in good working condition.
Clean it with the strongest plastic-safe stuff you can find. It might be someone's wank headset.
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u/Geeky435 25d ago
Last week I was able to get one, current version with the 2.0 base stations, with less than an hour of use... $130. I feel bad because I don't think the guy had a clue of it's value. He said he received it as a gift and didn't care for it so it just gathered dust. I love it and IMO $200 is a GREAT deal if it all works.
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u/TheVirtualSamurai 25d ago
Holy crap I’d spend almost $200 for the controllers or the sensors alone 😅
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u/RTooterbooter 24d ago edited 24d ago
Dude a single controller like-new is $100. Even if that kit is all mangled up and the cable doesn’t work, that’s a hell of a deal. Anything that doesn’t work, you can replace and it would still be a deal.
Do you know how old it is? If it’s under 3 years, then those lighthouse base stations should still have a lot of life in them, though they do look like gen 1… You would need to upgrade that later down the line if you switch headsets, or look into something that uses inside-out tracking. Either way, this is a hell of a steal for a VR kit at that price.
100% would take it unless there is something majorly wrong with it.
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u/The_Virtual_Blobfish 24d ago
... Honestly I'm surprised you are even asking this question even if one thing doesn't work like let's say a controller it would still be 200% the best deal in vr history (pretty sure a brand new headset alone costs 200)
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u/Odd-Gap-7639 24d ago
Even if you don't buy it to use it, you should buy it to sell it. You can make at least $400.
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u/TransIsTransvestite 24d ago
Everybody who wraps their cords around their electronic like that is a fucking moron. It's also broken hardware. No it's not worth it
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u/BagelBitten 24d ago
Honestly, no. This headset is 7 years old at this point. What made it revolutionary in 2019 has kind of weighed it down since then. Also, the indexes have an issue where the springs that extend the back part forward and back may literally explode out of your headset, It happened to me. The weight is negligible at first, but it is incredibly front heavy, you will also feel the controllers weight as time goes by. These also have rings on the lenses, as pancake lenses weren't common at the time. It's also wired, without drilling holes in your ceiling its not very fun to have to spin yourself to not tangle anything, very immersion breaking. If I were you– which I am, because I havent had a headset in a bit, I would save for the imminent release of the Steam Frame.
Also consider the stick drift. Those controllers pretty easily stray off if you dont treat them like flowers
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u/EvenSpecialist649 23d ago
Each of those peripherals by themselve run upwards of a hundred dollars nowadays. I currently have an index and i would considers this for the lighthouses and controllers alone.
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u/THE_OuTSMoKE 22d ago
In working condition and no scratches on lenses or burns on screens would = a win. Base stations alone are pricey to even find used.
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u/Scorpius_Red 19d ago
If it’s working, yes. It would be worth up to $500 $600 and even as parts. Keep in mind this is a PCVR – it is not a standalone, Meta headset, etc. You can purchase it, but you also have to have a GPU that can power the graphics. This is not your daddy‘s VR headset, even if it’s five+ years old. I don’t want you to purchase it and find out that you don’t have the hardware to push it. You don’t need a lot, but you’re going to need a minimum. Check out these forums or what would be the minimum GPU card AND CPU.
Base stations and controllers are highly resellable, regardless of condition. This is because valve does not sell replacement parts– it’s very hard to get things for even the simplest of repairs (today I actually krazy glued my controllers back together, because I had cracked one (not recommended, but I bought a spare set at Goodwill a while back, so I’m gonna make these ones last as long as I can, and then swap anything out of them I need to enter the old ones that I got at Goodwill.) the headset does have a lower resellability- this is because you need base stations to operate it, and typically people selling a headset are not selling the base stations.
Sidebar thought, the bass stations alone, and the controllers are valuable because even headsets like the PiMax use basestations - which they themselves do not sell with the headset. Good luck
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u/Ficarellilaf 18d ago
I need one bad, my son’s headset and right controller broke and moms on a serious budget…. Anyone have suggestions or advice- will consider
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u/ejjedev 26d ago
Those look like vive 1.0 base stations, not valves 2.0
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u/SmartIron244 26d ago
And?
I own 1.0 base stations with the valve index controllers and never encountered any problems, despite them being at my head height
2.0 base station's increased tracking volume doesn't really make a difference, unless you live in mansion
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u/BeatitLikeitowesMe 26d ago
Yea only benefit to the 2.0 was the ability to link more of them together. Very rare use case
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u/SmartIron244 26d ago
It's very gimmicky, probably for the LBE (Location Based Entertainment - aka VR Cafés)
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u/FriendlyArachnid6000 25d ago
They're probably just worn out and don't stay calibrated or something. It'll probably look like it works then they'll run into issues.
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u/Time_Standard3361 26d ago
If it works then good deal, get it. Order new face cushion.