Yesterday, we reported about the rumors that were swirling in world about the possible return of the Valve Index to the virtual shelves. We said at the time that Valve had yet to confirm those rumors. Times change, Valve finally confirmed the rumors. Get your credit cards ready, folks. There is a limited supply and Valve is expecting to sell out well before the day is over.
The headset will go on sale on March 9 at Noon EST. (Check out local time here) The entire unit will still be costing $1,000, available through the Steam Store.
Valve says that “Valve Index VR kits will be available for purchase this Monday (March 9) starting at 10am PDT. We do expect available stock to sell out Monday due to high demand, so all purchases fulfilled beyond this initial quantity will be fulfilled in the order in which they are received, as supplies increase over the coming months.”
Valve knows that thousands want the headset, especially with the release of Half-Life: Alyx on the horizon. Th age is launching in 18 days and it was perfectly optimized for the Valve Index. If you want a perfect time playing the newest Half-Life title, you’ll need to find a way to get your hands on a Valve Index.
Coronavirus and a Good Headset
The headset has been sold out for months, and the exact cause isn’t certain. We know the headset was initially sold out due to it simply being the best. Since then, COVID-19 has taken many factories down in China, many of which are hurting companies bottom lines.
Without the slowing of the production due to the sickness going around, this likely wouldn’t be a limited-stock release. We know the headset is great, but Valve does too, and they likely had planned for mass adoption. It won’t be until a few months pass that the headset is finally back on the shelves for good. They make it clear in the statement that they will be fulfilling orders in the coming months, not weeks.
This is also giving the impression that they will start to take back orders. If you go to the Steam store right now to buy the headset, you can be notified, but you can’t buy the headset. If Valve allows for back orders, they are going to see a massive amount of sales in the coming weeks.
You can buy the headset on Monday for the regular $1,000. For more VR news and gaming community updates, make sure to check back at VRGear.com.
