I have been thinking about upgrading my HTC Vive to a Valve Index over the past couple of months and after much contemplations, I have decided to do a half-upgrade. Since I can mix and match components of the Index with my current set, I ended up ordering just the Index Controllers. I haven't lived that long in virtual reality with Steam recording my playtime at 369 hours total since late 2016, which is about 90 hours a year, so I couldn't justify a huge investment on the far superior headset. I am still intrigued by the newfound freedom found with the Index Controllers however in both the finger tracking and object holding mechanics: I am really looking forward to experience these when they arrive in a couple of weeks. On top of the incoming controllers, I have upgraded my launch Vive with the Deluxe Audio Strap. I have been holding off from getting one all this time because I was certain that I would be upgrading my VR headset by now. To me, the default strap for the Vive has been working well though it took some time for the heaviness of the head mounted display on my face to normalize. Now, the Deluxe Audio Strap is ridiculously expensive at $100 and I have waited so long for the price to drop, in which it never did.
Let's be real however. HTC could have sold this thing for $39.99, which should have been the appropriate price for it. Though the overall construction is solid, the materials used still feel somewhat flimsy, with foam pads connected to the rather thin frame using Velcro. Surely it didn't take much to build this thing. The worth here comes in the actual application. The Deluxe Audio Strap is so much easier to place on and remove off your head. It is fully capable of supporting the weight of the HMD without putting any uncomfortable pressure on your face. Adjusting the height of the display to find that sweet spot can be done with more accuracy and it just stays there thanks to the firm hold of the Deluxe Strap. As for the adjustable earphones, they sound pretty beefy and I like how they rest lightly on my ears. I have a 7.1 home theater setup so I prefer to use my surround system but at the moment, I don't feel like detaching the earphones, which is possible, because the process is a bit of a hassle. Overall though, if you are sticking a little longer with the original Vive, the Deluxe Audio Strap is a worthwhile investment even though that horrible price will definitely leave you with a nasty aftertaste. As for my VR future, I think I am going to hold off getting the Index for a while. Maybe I would upgrade the display when Valve releases the second iteration to the Index. This Deluxe Audio Strap and the upcoming Index Controllers should be able to sate my VR curiosities for now.
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