While rumours have been going around of Valve working on a new virtual reality headset that would serve as the successor to the Valve Index, a new report indicates that this VR headset, internally dubbed “Deckard”, has now entered production. According to UploadVR, a group calling itself XR Research Institute has claimed that Valve has started the production run of the Deckard headset, which is reportedly set for launch later this year.
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.
