I started to look at the Valve Index Controllers today after feeling frustrated using my Vive wands trying to jump with the grip buttons having took me some time to do something that should have been easy.
Since the squat button and jump are mapped to the same button if not quick enough i would squat instead of jump on the pistons in the Dwemer undergrounds.
I looked up youtube reviews and even on this forum for recent information and found almost nothing that was less than a year ago.
Any experience you care to comment on that is up to date would be appreciated.
For me the buttons are too close together. Sometimes when I press the top button I also hit the bottom.
I only had mine for three weeks and I’m still adjusting the inter strap. I used the Rift S before I got my 8K+ and the angle of the shaft feels off. I do have to keep them both plugged in using the usb cable which is fine because I do a lot of setting games. I like the feel of them in my hands and they do work as good as the set the came with my Rift S. I have both lighthouses bought as a bundle maybe I only needed one. Tracking is never a problem as they set very high using stands.
Only negative I’ve found is non replaceable batteries but charge lasts sufficiently. Been my favorite controllers for the last few months. Played HLA in its entirety with them. Bought them to get the game and I’m glad I did. The game and the controllers are one of my best buys for VR. Recommended period.
They’re a bit on the small side (for me), but that’s mostly fixed with the “boosters” (designed by Valve):
Besides that the buttons on top of the controllers feel a little bit too close so it feels a bit awkward on my thumb. This is most likely only an issue if You have big hands like me.
Thank you for your reply DrWilken, the buttons seem to be to close as a couple of you have pointed out, i was wondering more specifically how the thumbsticks work in games like SkyrimVR or Fallout4VR. Also has the thumbstick button press issues been worked out. Another question do you have to reconfigure each game or would they work straight away? Appreciate every ones input who responded so far. Thanks guys! Still seems like a lot of money if i can hold off and get through with the Vive wands a little longer, like so many others I’m definitely in favor of the thumb sticks over track pad just cause i’m an old gamer from way back.
Thanks for your opinion, it sounds like if i get the chance i will be purchasing these could you write any more about using them with games like Skyrim VR that i just asked DrWilken about. How do the thumbsticks feel for movement in games. Are there enough buttons triggers for functionality in other games besides HLA? Old Clicking issue been resolved?
I love mine, I had WMR controllers before and I hated them and would never use those terrible things ever again.
Agree with the others, ergonomics are very very good, but not perfect. However those with bigger hands will have more of a problem, I’ve not felt the need to get boosters ultimately. I have ProTube mag mounts attached anyway so wouldn’t change that until there’s an all-in-one solution.
No issues with quality or thumbstick click, these are leagues above WMR in terms of quality.
Yes gotta keep battery charge in mind.
Final thing, if you intend to use them in combination with a HOTAS - it’s the one time that the hand straps are a negative, because of course you can’t just put them down to switch controls.
I bought day1 index controllers.
Had thumstick non click issue but rma’d without any trouble & not an issue now.
When I first got them, i felt the thumstick was not in the most natural position as my thumb naturally hovered over the trackpad instead.
I quickly adjusted & don’t notice this anymore.
I personally haven’t had any other quality issues so far.
They look premium too which is nice
Battery is good enough but I have ran them very low on longer play sessions, so if i had a whole day of vr, they would likely need charging in any breaks.
As many others have said, the boosters might make them feel nicer to use.
I much prefer using boosters & use them all the time.
They are basically not suitable for small children’s hands.
My 6 year old boy & 5yo twin girls struggle to reach the joysticks & buttons
They are a big improvement over vive wands.
Especially for someone who likes joysticks & dislikes the vive track pads.
Finger tracking is cool but I need to shuffle my hands into the right position for it to be accurate.
My opinion, after a while of use now I found I don’t care about finger tracking anymore.
I wouldn’t really care if the index controllers didn’t have it.
But that’s only my opinion.
I haven’t tried oculus controllers to compare.
Most games just work but some (fallout 4) I had to use a profile for a good experience.
Overall a pretty solid upgrade for a vive wand user longing for joysticks.
But ergonomics could be improved a little
I like mine, but as mentioned, some games don’t work correctly with the controllers and need rebinding. I have a couple VR games where it wouldn’t work cause the bindings were screwed up and I’m too lazy to rebind them, instead just play a different game where it works out of the box. Grip is a bit small and thumb button placements feel awkward and close together, but I’m slowly getting used to it. Vive controllers definitely easier and more comfortable to use, but these offer more options/play abilities. I don’t even use my Vive controllers anymore and just use the Index now.
Joy sticks work fine for me with locomotion. I even like the design of the trackpads. My hands are not to large for the controllers but control surface could probably have been slightly larger. They obviously spent alot of time with the design so they must have tried everything. Its a lot of tech built in. If they hold up over time they are well worth the price. If one fails in any way it will be a real bummer.
If you opt to do this, several of Skyrim’s controller bindings can be edited in the file: Data/Interface/Controls/PC/controlmapvr.txt, albeit alas none of the functionality that is on the touchpads.
It is also possible to edit your SteamVR controller settings for Skyrim, so that it the game believes the Vive wands are Oculus touch controllers (under “Set Up Legacy Actions”), and gives you the control scheme it has for those, but then you need to decide where to bind the various ABXY buttons…
This is what i needed to hear to make my decision. Thanks @Virtualmisterl and to all the others who shared their experience here maybe others reading this will help with their decision as well.
the above answers directly a main question i had also in my mind, it appears you can adjust over time to the new position. I was able to adjust to the very different positions when using an Xbox controller and than switching to a PS controller so now i’m not worried about that issue.
You’re welcome.
The joystick placement was the first thing I noticed but after 2 - 3 evenings max, I had adjusted.
Also if you feel like this, the 3d printed boosters might help it feel more natural.
I think a lot of it depends on hand size.
I was always a ps4 man & i felt a similar thing when I bought my first Xbox controller for pc
