Valve has officially discontinued the Index VR headset and slashed prices on any remaining stock by 20%, including motion controllers and hand straps.
Valve launched the Index in 2019, several years after collaborating with HTC to develop the Vive and its Lighthouse laser-sensor base stations. It was arguably the most impressive VR headset for several years, offering strong tethered gaming performance, a high refresh rate, and excellent controllers. In 2026, though, it’s decidedly antiquated, and with Valve’s new Steam Frame headset out in the wild, it’s time to sunset this VR gaming champion.
While there are better modern alternatives, you won’t find many for under $400; with the 20% discount, the Index is now $399.20. Still, you need the Lighthouse base stations, which are $120 each after the discount, and it’s not the same without the controllers. So all in, you’re still looking at $700 for the full kit.
The Index isn’t the lightest headset by modern standards, but it’s comfortable. (Credit: PCMag)
The Index also lacks native wireless capabilities, although there is a third-party option with mixed reviews. But if you want to play high-end VR games in 2026, this is still a solid option. Especially if you have an old Vive or Vive Pro and don’t need to buy controllers or tracking sensors.
Existing Valve Index owners needn’t fear an end of service, though. This isn’t the end of life, just discontinued manufacturing. Valve says all existing Index headsets will continue to be supported by Steam and SteamVR, and Steam support will continue to help anyone having difficulties with their Index headset or associated hardware.
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Although standalone headsets like the Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3 and 3S rank high in our ratings, Apple’s solution is vastly more expensive at around $3,500, and Meta Quest headsets collect an awful lot of data on their users. That doesn’t alter your VR experience, but it’s worth considering for privacy-conscious users.
Alternatively, if you’d rather wait for an even better Steam Frame, Valve is rumored to be working on an OLED Version with a higher resolution codenamed “Plano.”
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Jon Martindale
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Jon Martindale is a tech journalist from the UK, with 20 years of experience covering all manner of PC components and associated gadgets. He’s written for a range of publications, including ExtremeTech, Digital Trends, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, and Lifewire, among others. When not writing, he’s a big board gamer and reader, with a particular habit of speed-reading through long manga sagas.
Jon covers the latest PC components, as well as how-to guides on everything from how to take a screenshot to how to set up your cryptocurrency wallet. He particularly enjoys the battles between the top tech giants in CPUs and GPUs, and tries his best not to take sides.
Jon’s gaming PC is built around the iconic 7950X3D CPU, with a 7900XTX backing it up. That’s all the power he needs to play lightweight indie and casual games, as well as more demanding sim titles like Kerbal Space Program. He uses a pair of Jabra Active 8 earbuds and a SteelSeries Arctis Pro wireless headset, and types all day on a Logitech G915 mechanical keyboard.
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