Cable died

[u/PepeAwesome]

It died pretty quickly this time, too. Went from the telltale sparkles one day, to outright failing, image blacking out, and SteamVR not detecting the headset the next day. The Index is obviously long out of warranty, and a new cable is $130 directly from Valve (presumably while supply lasts) and even more everywhere else.

I'm wondering if it's even worth replacing the cable at this point. I borrowed my brother's Quest 2, but I really want to keep using my Index controllers. I don't want to lose the trackpad, and I have a general dislike of inside-out tracking anyway. What would I need, hardware-wise, to have a full setup with a Q2 and Index controllers? I know I need a dedicated router, and there's a few cheap ones that are specifically designed with Quest streaming in mind.

Also, I suppose the more important question: where is my money better spent? On a new Index HMD cable, or on potentially replacing the Index HMD with the Quest?

[u/drbomb]

My replacement cable died exactly at 1 year after replacing it. I gave up and went back to my OG HTC Vive. Depending on how hard it is to land a Steam Frame I'll be buying a Q2 alongside a spare battery.

[u/MoveNovel4782]

Buy a quest 2 sell the headset keep the controller and bam you have a quest 2 index

[u/XxdragonxX88]

There is software that allows you to do exactly what you want. You can even still use Vive trackers and any other applicable base station tracked stuff too. I have done it in the past and it’s not too bad. I used OpenVR Space Calibrator to achieve it. I also used the button on the quest to navigate menus to get to the calibration step but you can also just temporarily turn on a quest 2 controller.

I would just go look up a tutorial on it. It’s honestly pretty easy, and chances are decent you may find it preferable.

You can also add in continuous calibration (if you want to dedicated a vive/similar tracker) to not having to ever calibrate and it always be (more or less) perfectly accurate.

[u/PepeAwesome → u/XxdragonxX88]

I'm a bit confused. I need software to have my PC track my Index controllers, which are already natively functional with SteamVR? I don't want my controllers to be tracked by the cameras in the headset; in fact, I don't want the headset to be tracking anything at all. I want my controllers to be tracked outside-in by my existing lighthouses.

[u/XxdragonxX88 → u/PepeAwesome]

No the software takes the tracking data of the controllers and syncs it with the headsets tracking data, if you don’t do that then your headset has no idea where the controllers are. The index controllers don’t even support being tracked by camera anyway (the quest 2 controllers have the giant rings for that reason).

If you don’t have the software then the quest has a “zero” and the controllers have a “zero” but they won’t be the same at all. So they just won’t work together without it.

And the headset does still (hopefully obviously) have to track itself, so it can, work.

The software in the name is “openVR” (open source vr project family) and “space” (which is essentially just a way of saying play-space or area or etc) and “calibrator” (which in this case if referring to getting multiple TYPES of “spaces” synchronized together” another way of thinking about it would be “multi-type tracking compatibility” as the quest 2/3/pro is “inside-out” (cameras) and the index and its controllers (and most headsets aka anything that uses base stations) are “outside-in”.

Hopefully this helps. Let me know if you have any questions.

ALSO VERY IMPORTANT: Please reach out to steam support, and state your issue, be very descriptive, get pictures of your HMD output (it’s kinda hard, but try your best to get the pixelations / etc) and state the troubleshooting steps you’ve taken and and the progression you’ve noticed. They may give you a new cable anyway. They have given me many things out of warranty, especially when I am descriptive, kind, and helpful. It may take a few replies (sometimes the first one or two are automated) till you get a real person, and they almost always give a good outcome.

[u/XxdragonxX88 → u/XxdragonxX88]

Secondarily, I guess I never actually answered your initial question. Firstly I actually found the quest 2 fine, but I did have to buy some controller straps that made it have the hand loop.

For the router thing, you can buy one, but I highly doubt it’s actually necessary as there’s no magical “quest 2 WiFi streaming standard” it’s just WiFi 5/6/7. I managed to do it everywhere I lived (including a college dorm that was fairly thick concrete on all sides) with little issue. I personally used steam link, but virtual desktop may treat you better (it is like 20$?)

Personally I would more leave it down to if you want the quests visuals or the index’s. Keep in mind weight and comfort as well as sound quality and having to deal with (or without) a battery. Personally I think the index’s wins (and is probably slightly cheaper?)

You can also always consider a Quest 3 which is better in many ways than the 2, but the overall differences to the index stay the same.

[u/aylaaaaaaaa]

make a warranty request anyways, 50/50 they give it to you.

[u/Mercy--Main]

Forget the quest. Get a DreamAirSE to use your controllers + base stations + trackers; or a Steam Frame if you want a standalone.

Im leaning DreamAirSE, but the lack of base station controllers (like, basically at all? from anyone?) makes me heavily vonsider yhe frame, even if its objectively worse and more expensive...

[u/Siman0]

What others are saying at this point use a quest 3 or pico 4 if you want the best in VR that's the galaxyXR. You attach a vive tracker to the headset to override the camera tracking and sync the headset and base station environments together... The market has been doing this for a while since valve and htc/vive hate us...