Is Your Valve Index Headset Not Detected? (Fix It Fast)

Similarly to other VR headsets, if your Valve Index headset is not detected by your computer or SteamVR, you’re looking at a handful of possibilities.

Some of them include the USB connection to your computer, others involve the availability of the graphics driver, so let’s find out the cause.

The major suspects for error 108 on the Valve Index are the following:

Valve Index Headset Not Detected – 10 Best Ways To Fix!

Note: You can check the status of your connected Valve Index headset through SeamVR → Settings → Developer.

1. Inspect the Valve Index Connections

To connect your Valve Index to a PC, and therefore SteamVR, you need to inspect the 2 specific connections, Display and USB.

The USB 3.0  is needed by your computer’s device manager to detect your VR headset and the Display connection is necessary for engaging your video card.

One of the reasons why your Valve Index is not detected is because the headset’s USB cable is not connected correctly.

So let’s start with that:

• USB connection: One end of the headset cable is a USB connector, which must be plugged into the USB 3.0 port on your computer. Verify that the connection is tightly secured and that you’re using a 3.0 USB port.
• Display connection: One of the headset cable’s ends is a Display connector, which plugs into the DisplayPort of your graphics card. Verify that you’re plugging the cable into the DisplayPort of your GPU, not the built-in motherboard GPU.
• Power adapter: The third end of the headset cable is a power connector, which bonds with the power adapter and then goes into the outlet. Verify that the headset is working and powered on and then check whether it’s detected.

Another thing you can try is to simply unplug and reconnect the USB. Did you hear any sound? If yes, then your computer recognizes the device.

If not, try a different USB port, preferably on the back of your PC, directly into the motherboard.

Aim for the 3.0 USB port, which is typically colored in blue for easier recognition. 

2. Test via a Different Motherboard USB

A typical computer is equipped with more than one USB 3.0 port.

• You should have at least one of these ports on the front (connected to the chassis) and 2 or more on the back, directly from the motherboard.

If you’ve been using the USB on the front, make sure to try with the back one.

Test multiple USB 3.0 ports on your machine and check if your Valve Index will be detected.

Note: Closely inspect the USB connector of the Valve Index cable to check for potential issues!

3. Reinstall Your Graphics (GPU) Driver

In many cases, your computer or SteamVR may not recognize your Valve Index due to outdated graphics drivers, whether you use NVidia or AMD.  

So, what we recommend is to update your driver now, restart your PC, and check whether your Valve Index will get detected once you reconnect the USB.

To update your graphics driver, go to NVidia or AMD, select the specifications of your GPU, and download the .exe file.

Then run the installation, and go through the entire installation process.

Note: Your monitor/s will turn black for a few seconds during the GPU driver installation, which is normal, so don’t worry when it does happen.

4. Scan Your PC for Hardware Changes 

If the Valve Index is still not detected by the system, it’s probably a Windows-related bug, which you can resolve with a few simple clicks.

When you scan for hardware changes, your system will thoroughly inspect all connected hardware, including the USB ports and DisplayPort.

This can instantly resolve any potential bugs.

To scan for hardware changes, follow the steps below:

1. Click on the Start menu and type “Device Manager”.
2. Then, open the Device Manager as an administrator.
3. From the top bar, find the small icon under “View”.
4. Finally, click “Scan for Hardware Changes” and wait.

Whenever the scan is ready, your Valve Index should appear under the “Universal Serial Bus Controllers” in the Device Manager.

If you see it there, restart SteamVR and test the headset.

5. Stop the USB Selective Suspend Setting

If you’ve just connected your headset, and you see Valve Index error 108, it’s possible that you have used a USB port that is currently “sleeping”.

By default, the Windows system can suspend the motherboard USB ports automatically, especially if they were left unused for a long time.

Well, you can easily disable this option, which should immediately activate ALL USB ports on your machine, instantly allowing your Valve Index to get detected.

1. Open the Control Panel and go to Power Options.
2. Then, select “Choose when to turn off the display”.
3. Next, click on “Change advanced power settings”.
4. Expand “USB Settings” and “USB selective suspend setting”.
5. Configure the “Setting:” to “Disable” and click “Apply”.

We recommend rebooting the computer and reconnecting the USB cable of your Valve Index.

If that doesn’t work, now with the USB selective suspend disabled, try some different USB ports.

6. Reset All USB Devices from SteamVR

In many cases, your computer detects the Valve Index, but your SteamVR doesn’t, which leads to a software-related problem.

Luckily, there is a quick and easy way to reset the remembered connections of SteamVR and hopefully, get your Valve Index detected in a matter of minutes.

• To reset all USB devices from your SteamVR, go to Settings → Developer and ensure that the Developer Settings checkbox is checked.

Then, select Remove all SteamVR USB Devices. When ready, exit SteamVR, reconnect your Valve Index’s USB cable, and reopen SteamVR.

7. Update Microsoft C++ Redistributable

If your Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable is outdated, the required runtime libraries needed for SteamVR may be lacking on your Windows system.

This is one of the potential reasons why your Valve Index is not detected, and to resolve the problem you might need to update them.

To update Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable, follow this link and click on the link next to the X64 version for Windows.

Then, run the installer and reboot your Windows when asked to do so.

Note: The installation should not take more than 60 seconds!

8. Enable Beta Mode and Direct Mode

Sometimes the Valve Index headset may not be detected due to a fault with the GPU rendering and graphics output.

To bypass such an issue, you can enable Beta Mode and Direct Mode on your SteamVR, and check whether the annoying error 108 will disappear.

First, exit SteamVR and then follow the steps below:

• To enable Beta Mode, open Steam, right-click on SteamVR → Properties → Betas → Beta – SteamVR Beta Update.
• To enable Direct Mode, open SteamVR and go to Settings → More Options → Developer → Direct Mode →  Enabled.

That’s it. If this doesn’t work, continue reading…

9. Uninstall and Reinstall Your SteamVR

If your Valve Index headset is not detected, even after attempting all of the solutions so far, the entire issue could be coming from your SteamVR.

So, we recommend reinstalling it from your Steam Library and then removing temporary and configuration files from their directories.

#1 Uninstalling SteamVR App

To remove SteamVR from Steam, open the Steam launcher, go to your Library, right-click on SteamVR, and choose Manage → Uninstall.

#2 Removing SteamVR Config

Even when you uninstall the SteamVR, there are a lot of leftover files and configuration files that still carry outdated settings within them. 

Here are two directories to remove (SHIFT + DELETE):

• C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\SteamworksShared\_ CommonRedist\vcredist\2010
• C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\config\steamvr.vrsettings

Note: Those are the default directories unless you manually installed the Steam launcher into a different drive on your computer.

10. Reset your Valve Index to Default

Sometimes, the problem is down to your Valve Index headset. Sadly, the last thing left to do is to factory reset the headset.

The operation is simple, but note that any personalized settings will be reset to default, and it will be impossible to bring them back once the procedure is finished.

Here’s how to factory reset Valve Index to defaults:

1. Unplug the USB and Display cables from the PC.
2. Press and hold the System button on the headset.
3. While holding, reconnect both cables to the PC.
4. Release the button when you see the red LED light.
5. Finally, wait until the red light turns in green color.

If the reset doesn’t help either, your Valve Index headset USB cable is likely defective or the issue comes from the USB ports on your machine.

We recommend trying with a different PC.

Quick Tip: Get in touch with Valve Support for additional assistance!