Valve Index VR HMD supply constraints worsened by coronavirus issues

Published , by Asif Khan

Horrible news for VR fans looking to score Valve's latest head-mounted display before the release of Half-Life: Alyx. The coronavirus appears to have slowed down production of the VR HMD to a crawl.

Valve provided the following statement to our friends at UploadVR:

"With Half-Life: Alyx coming March 23rd, we are working hard to meet demand for the Valve Index and want to reassure everyone that Index systems will be available for purchase prior to the game’s launch. However, the global Coronavirus health crisis has impacted our production schedules so we will have far fewer units for sale during the coming months compared to the volumes we originally planned. Our entire team is working hard right now to maximize availability. To receive a notification as soon as the Valve Index is back in stock, please visit Steam and click 'Notify Me.'"

Valve is working on meeting demand for their new headset which was already experiencing shortages. The Index is already selling for materially more than its retail price on eBay. The Valve Index features finger tracking VR controllers that had some issues at launch, but fans are still clamoring for the device. Half-Life: Alyx releases on March 23, 2020 on Steam VR, and sadly not everyone will have a Valve Index in time.

The coronavirus has lead to several cancellations in the gaming events space this week. Square Enix has changed their PAX East 2020 plans in Boston, following Sony's decision to pull out of the event as well. Many Asian gaming companies have been cautious to send their folks overseas as the coronavirus outbreak intensifies over in Japan, Korea, and China.

GDC 2020 issued a statement to assuage fears surrounding the coronavirus.

Facebook Gaming, Oculus, and Sony all announced that they will also be cancelling their GDC 2020 plans due to coronavirus concerns. GDC 2020 issued a statement saying that the show will go on, but some developers don't appear to be willing to take the risk.

Shacknews will be at PAX and GDC this year, so please pray for our health. Hopefully this coronavirus outbreak is under control soon.