HTC VIVE vs Valve Index

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

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VIVE compared with Index

	HTCVIVE	ValveIndex
Overview
Released
Released	April 2016	June 2019
Display
Resolution per eye
Resolution per eye	1080 × 1200	1440 × 1600 (better)
Panel
Panel	OLED	LCD
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	90 Hz	144 Hz (better)
Display details
Display details	Dual 3.6-inch AMOLED displays; 1080 × 1200 per eye at 90 Hz. HTC's stated 110° field of view has no specified axis.	Dual 1440 × 1600 LCDs, full RGB per pixel; ultra-low persistence global backlight (0.330 ms at 144 Hz); 80, 90, 120 Hz and experimental 144 Hz
Lenses
Lenses	Fresnel lenses (PC Gamer); separate eye-relief adjustment	Double-element, canted lenses; Valve says typical users see 20° more field of view than the HTC Vive, and doesn't give a figure
Lens spacing (IPD)
Lens spacing (IPD)	Physical lens-spacing knob; 60.2–74.5 mm range reported by Ars Technica	58–70 mm, physical adjustment; eye relief also adjustable
Tracking and input
Eye tracking
Eye tracking	No	No
Hand tracking
Hand tracking	Yes	No
Controllers in the box
Controllers in the box	Yes	–
Colour passthrough
Colour passthrough	Yes	Yes
Sensors
Sensors	SteamVR Lighthouse tracking with two external base stations; seated, standing and room-scale use. Later VIVE Hand Tracking SDK supports controller-free skeleton tracking in compatible apps; its 3D print mode is not supported on original VIVE. No built-in eye tracking.	Outside-in; SteamVR 2.0 sensors, compatible with SteamVR 1.0 and 2.0 base stations
Controllers
Controllers	Two wireless tracked wands with trackpads, grip buttons, dual-stage triggers and haptic feedback; Micro-USB charging. Controller battery life is separate from the PC-powered headset.	Valve Index Controllers with per-finger capacitive tracking; the headset also works with HTC Vive and Vive Pro controllers
Passthrough
Passthrough	Single front camera; SteamVR offers boundary outlines or a small full-colour live view (Ars Technica)	Stereo 960 × 960 global-shutter RGB (Bayer) cameras
Performance
Works
Works	Needs a PC or console	Needs a PC or console
Connections
Connections	PC connection through powered link box; HDMI 1.4 or DisplayPort 1.2 and USB 2.0 or newer. Original tether combines HDMI, USB and power (Ars Technica).	5 m tether with a 1 m breakaway trident connector; DisplayPort 1.2, USB 3.0 and 12 V power; USB 3 Type-A port in the front expansion slot
Design
Battery
Battery	None (powered by a PC or console)	None (powered by a PC or console)
Weight (headset)
Weight (headset)	555 g (better)	809 g
Audio
Audio	Integrated microphone, 3.5 mm headphone connection and separate earbuds; original headset has no integrated headphones. Deluxe Audio Strap is a separate later accessory.	37.5 mm off-ear Balanced Mode Radiators (40 Hz–24 kHz, 6 ohm); 3.5 mm headphone out; dual microphone array
Strap
Strap	Adjustable fabric straps; original launch headset is 555 g without cables according to Ars Technica. Later hardware revisions may differ.	Adjustable head size, face angle and speaker position; rear cradle adapter included; magnetic quick-swap face gasket
In the box
In the box	Headset, two controllers, two base stations, link box, tether, earbuds, cables, chargers and mounting accessories; gaming PC separate	Headset (sold alone, with controllers, or as the VR Kit with two SteamVR 2.0 base stations); Half-Life: Alyx included