A new leak claims that Valve may be returning to virtual reality this year with the oft-rumored “Deckard” VR headset. The tip comes from the leakster Gabe Follower, a Valve-focused rumor monger, who tweeted about the headset today.
According to them, the new headset should released by the end of 2025 with a bundle price of $1,200 / £950 / AU$1,900, a fairly steep price compared to offerings like the Meta Quest 3S, though fair less than Apple’s Vision Pro headset.
Here’s the kicker: Gabe Follower claims that even at that price the headset will be sold at a loss.
The price may be a sticking point, though adjusting for inflation is similar to the Valve Index headset from 2019. If that holds, Valve could be going for more of a niche high-end audience.
Valve only really competes with itself, but Samsung’s Project Moohan — an XR and AI headset collaboration with Google — is rumored to be half the price of the Vision Pro.
It’ll be interesting to see how these two projects go against one another, especially as they may fit different uses.
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Allegedly, this bundle will include “in-house” games or demos. “Valve want to give the user the best possible experience without cutting any costs.”
This new headset should run on SteamOS, the same as what powers the Steam Deck with virtual reality adaptions. “One of the core features is the ability to play flat-screen game that are already playable on Steam Deck, but in VR on a big screen without a PC,” they wrote.
In November, it was tipped that Valve was working on a variety of controller, including a revamped Steam Controller and a set of virtual reality controllers dubbed “Roy.”
The Roys are supposed to be wand type controllers that are basically a full gamepad in your hands.
Patents of the supposed headset were revealed in 2022, though as with most things Valve, the company won’t reveal anything until its next device is basically on your doorstep.