It has also claimed that Valve plans on producing between 400,000 and 600,000 units of its new VR headset every year, which would put it in the same ballpark as Apple’s Vision Pro headset in terms of units manufactured.

Valve leakers Tyler McVicker and Brad Lynch have also corroborated that two Deckard VR headsets, dubbed the DV1 and DV2, may be in production due to their representation in the SteamVR files. The DV label signifies that the product has entered the final stages of internal development before it gets released to consumers in the form of a PV model. Due to this, they believe there is a high chance of an announcement by Valve coming between this month and the next.

Keeping to its traditions, Valve has been quite coy about announcing its follow-up to the Index VR headset. However, the company has hinted at its development in the past. Back in 2022, for instance, a job listing had popped up with Valve looking for someone to take on the role of Software Engineer – Computer Vision.

“We are looking for versatile, self-directed software engineers in computer vision who can help us achieve the next steps in VR with millions of customers worldwide,” wrote the company in the job listing. “The main scope of this position is to prototype, ship, and support consumer gaming products leveraging visual-inertial tracking (HMD and controllers), camera passthrough, environment understanding, eye tracking, and hand tracking.”

Earlier this year, the company had also written about the future being bright for PC gaming, especially when it comes to the handheld markets through products like the Steam Deck, and VR gaming through SteamVR.

“The future of hardware at Valve is bright. Steam Deck, SteamOS and SteamVR are delivering tons of value to players and devs, built on top of a decade of investments into UI, Linux compatibility, input support, custom silicon, motion tracking, displays, battery efficiency, and more,” wrote Valve.

“Every developer making PC games benefits from these investments, and players can now enjoy their PC games in so many new contexts. Hardware teams at Valve are delighted to see Steam in the living room, the airport, the backyard, and wherever else customers want to bring their library of PC games.”

The launch of the Valve Index eventually also saw the company releasing a brand new VR title taking place in the Half-Life universe – Half-Life: Alyx. While working with any VR headset that worked with Windows, the critically acclaimed title would also serve as a strong demonstration of the Index’s features, like its ability to keep track of players’ fingers.

“Embodiment is one of VR’s biggest strengths, allowing for unrivalled expressive roleplay as you step inside a virtual body and experience the world through it,” wrote studio head Glenn Brace in the post. “One of our core goals with Reach was to push embodiment further than ever before through a responsive full-body avatar that gives you a true sense of presence in the world in a way that’s only possible in VR. Whether you’re reaching for a ledge, dangling above a perilous drop, or dodging an enemy attack, your actions feel natural and fully grounded in the world.”

In the post, Brace also emphasises how important traversal is as a core gameplay pillar of Reach. Rather than simply being a way for players to get from one point to another, traversal is an important part of gameplay that takes advantage of Reach’s full-body awareness of the player. This allows for players to pull realistic-looking parkour moves as they explore the game’s underground world.

When it comes to some of the other aspects of gameplay, Brace noted that player agency is “right at the heart of the game.” This comes from giving players plenty of freedom in how they take on the various combat encounters of the game. Each tool and weapon, for instance, has multiple functions that can adapt to the player’s situation, from combat, to traversal, and even puzzle solving.

As for the PS VR2 version of Reach, Brace has noted that the Sense controllers part of Sony’s VR headset allow for haptic feedback and adaptive triggers to offer more immersive gameplay. This, according to Brace, will let the player “feel the weight, and resistance of objects and surfaces” throughout their time with the game. The game will also make use of the PlayStation VR2’s 4K capabilities to offer high-resolution textures and smooth gameplay.

Reach is coming to PC VR (via Steam), Meta Quest 3 and PlayStation VR2 on October 16. Announcing this, nDreams Elevation had released a trailer back in August that also showcased the game’s pre-order bonuses, which include a Traditional Ferran Outfit, an Ornate Bow, a Ferran Guard Shield, Traditional Gauntlets, and an Ornate Drone.

The studio had also released another trailer during PC Gaming Show – Tokyo Direct last week where it showcased the world of the game. The trailer gave us a look at the underground vistas offered up by Reach’s setting of the city of Ferra, as well as some of the enemies that players will get to face. The story in the title will revolve around the protagonist falling into the depths while looking for an important Power Core.

A lot of the storyline in Reach will revolve around the underground city of Ferra. The city was created by artificial beings that were created by humans at some point in the past, and as the narrator notes, these beings inherited the brilliance as well as the flaws of humanity. “Vanity gave way to envy,” notes the narrator. “Envy to war. And our once great city turned to ruin.”

Along with showcasing the various underground vistas throughout the city of Ferra, the trailer also shows off some of the different enemies that players will have to face throughout their adventure. These enemies can range from typical melee soldiers all the way up to larger beings capable of using heavy weaponry. The trailer then caps things off by showcasing some of the parkour and action-based gameplay of Reach.

Reach is coming to PC VR (via Steam), Meta Quest 3 and PlayStation VR2 on October 16. The release date was announced with a trailer from last month, which also gave us a look at some gameplay, as well as the story setup for the game that results in the protagonist getting stuck in the underground city of Ferra.

The overarching plot of Reach will have the protagonist – a reluctant adventurer that is trying to get her hands on a “Power Core” that humanity depends on – falling deep into the ruins of Ferra where she will have to face off against long-dormant artificial beings in her bid to survive.

There is a big emphasis on traversal in Reach, with nDreams Elevation noting that the VR game will make use of full-body awareness to make sure that players feel immersed. Gameplay will involve fast-paced parkour, as well as other styles of traversal like rock climbing, using ziplines, and even a grappling hook. There are also other tools at the player’s disposal, like arrows that, when shot into a wall, can act as footholds to then allow the scaling of said wall.

When it comes to combat, the primary weapon at the player’s disposal is a bow that can fire a range of different kinds of arrows. Aside from elemental effects, these arrows also often have other uses, like being able to deal incredible damage when hitting weak spots, or even just setting fire to things. Aside from the bow itself, the player will also be able to make use of guns and a shield.

Guns can also seemingly be stolen off enemy soldiers, and can then be used as a quick distraction when you throw them away after finishing up their ammo. The shield is also set to be a powerful tool, allowing the player to block quite a bit of damage from a given direction.

Legacy of Shadow returns to the iconic City but as a new thief, Magpie. Growing up on the streets and stealing to make a living, she discovers a strange artifact that connects to the past. Based on the trailer, it could be Garrett from the original trilogy.

As for the gameplay, it features the usual tenets of Thief – sneaking on rooftops and through alleys to sticking to the shadows. You can pickpocket guards and utilize multiple arrow types, and there are numerous paths to explore for each heist.

Naturally, VR makes it all the more immersive. Stay tuned for more details and announcements for Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow in the coming months.