Exactly a month has passed since Valve kicked off Steam Frame pre-order reservations on September 14, and now the company has knocked 20% off the price of its previous VR headset, the Valve Index. Simply put, the Index has been discontinued, and this special offer remains “while supplies last”. The headset itself has dropped from $499 to $399, with replacement parts also receiving a 20% discount.

Considering the Steam Frame costs four figures – $1,059 and $1,299 USD for the 256GB and 1TB kits, respectively – some customers may be interested in the Index as a backup option. Unlike the wireless Steam Frame, which also works standalone, the Valve Index must be tethered to another device, ideally a suitable gaming PC for running VR games. It also requires a SteamVR base station to operate.

“Valve Index is no longer being produced”

Valve is selling any remaining Index stock they can, and what is actually available differs per region. For instance, we were unable to find replacement Right Controllers listed on the US store, while they are still available in the UK. While Index stock is being carted off, Valve continues to work its way through Steam Frame reservations, and the company reportedly received three more shipments of the headset last week.

Valve Index requires (at least one) SteamVR “Lighthouse” base station for its headset and controllers. It seems that in the UK and the US, these are not available directly on the Steam store, so you’ll have to source them from a third-party retailer. One base station is a minimum, but it is only suitable for seated or stationary play. You’ll want two base stations for a proper room-sized Valve Index setup. According to Valve, the Index is compatible with older HTC Vive Base Stations and newer SteamVR 2.0 models.

Unsurprisingly, Valve will continue to support the Index on Steam and SteamVR, and this 20% sale might help bump up its market share, despite its rather outdated wired restrictions. Recently, the Meta Quest 3 overtook the Quest 2 to become Steam’s most popular VR headset, but the Valve Index still represents just 11% of users on the Steam platform.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.