With just two months or so until the launch of Half-Life: Alyx, Valve is still struggling to meet demand for its Index VR headset. Our latest check on Valve Index stock and availability shows that nearly every package of the headset is completely sold out in all 31 regions where sold.

Update (January 14th, 2020): After a comprehensive check of Valve Index stock and availability in all 31 countries in which Index is sold, we found that the headset is sold out across the globe. The Valve Index hardware comes in several packages: Headset + Controllers + Base Stations (AKA ‘Full Kit’)

Headset + Controllers

Headset-only

Controllers-only

Base Station-only Across all regions, except Japan, none of the packages are in stock and available for immediate purchase. Japan is the only region where all Index packages aren’t sold out across the board; orders there are handled by Valve’s regional partner Degica which reports that the ‘Headset + Controllers’ and ‘Headset-only’ are still in stock, while ‘Full Kit’, ‘Controllers-only’, and ‘Base Station-only’ are all sold out. In response to the demand, Valve appears to have revamped its Index page to make it easier to know when Index is back in stock. Where a simple ‘Back in Stock Soon’ message used to reside, all pages now have a ‘Notify Me’ button allowing logged-in users to sign up for an alert when stock becomes available. The message at the top of the window reads, “We’re busy catching up with demand for Valve Index!” “We are working hard to build more units and meet the high demand,” a Valve spokesperson told Road to VR on Monday. “We are targeting to be back in stock before Half-Life: Alyx ships.” Update (December 2nd, 2019): Just days after we spotted that Index has been sold out in some regions following the announcement of Half-Life: Alyx, the Index ‘full kit’ now notes that “delivery before December 25th cannot be guaranteed” due to “recent high demand” on the US and Canadian Steam stores. The other packages (headset + controllers, headset-only, and controllers-only) in the US are still out of stock with a “Back in Stock Soon” message in place of the “Add to Cart” button.

Original Article (November 27th, 2019): If Valve is counting on Half-Life: Alyx being a killer app for VR, early signs suggest they may just get their wish.

While Valve’s Index headset was backordered at launch earlier this year, a few months later it became available for ‘immediate shipping’ and stock appears to have held steady ever since… until now.

Following last week’s announcement of Half-Life: Alyx, most Index packages—the headset-only, controllers-only, and headset + controller packages—are currently listed in the US and Canadian stores as sold out with a ‘Back in Stock Soon’ message in place of the order button.

As for the ‘full kit’ package (headset + controllers + base stations) in the US, Valve is advising that anyone ordering today can “expect delivery before December 25th,” nearly a month from now.

Valve sells Index in 31 countries; so far we’ve confirmed stock shortages in the US and Canada.

Update (November 28th, 2019): Road to VR reader Immersive Computing reports that the UK version of the Steam store is showing regular 4-8 day delivery times on all Index kits. We’ve also confirmed that availability in Italy is nominal. If you can access the Steam store in a region other than the US, UK, and Italy, please check the Index page on Steam and drop us a comment below with what kind of shipping availability you see on each kit.

While Valve has confirmed that Half-Life: Alyx will be compatible with all PC VR headsets via Steam, the game is expected to play best on Index thanks in part to the advanced finger-tracking capabilities of the Index controllers. Valve also announced that it would be giving Half-Life: Alyx away to any owners of Index hardware (headset or controllers).