According to new reports, Valve could be releasing a standalone SteamVR headset. The rumours claim the launch will take place sometime in the next year.
Bits of information
There are bits of information circulating the world wide web that Valve is now working on a brand-new VR headset. According to hints discovered from Valve’s SteamVR code, the next big hardware of the company is going to be a standalone SteamVR headset. Unlike Valve’s premium PC VR headset “Deckard”, this one is going to be a wireless VR headset capable of operating without a dedicated PC.
Deckard
YouTuber Brad Lynch was the first person to discover the codes in the company’s SteamVR code. According to him, the ongoing project is referred to in the notes as “Deckard” and appears to be a wireless VR headset. He then cross-referenced the notes with Valve’s latest patent applications and strongly argued in favour of his claim. Ars Technica, another reputed YouTuber has also backed up his claim stating that the information provided by Lynch is consistent with the matters at the company, and cited sources familiar with the updates from the company.
Wireless
According to the reports, the purported VR headset will feature a cutting-edge built-in processor that will eliminate the requirement for a tethered cable. Numerous code strings also indicate a potential inside-out tracking. This inclusion of inside-out tracking could imply that, unlike Valve Index, the rumoured SteamVR headset will no longer need external base stations.
Steam Deck
From the end of Valve, nothing has been confirmed so far regarding the standalone VR headset. However, the possibility of such VR hardware has surfaced in a particularly interesting time, as Valve recently announced the launch of the Steam Deck, a brand-new handheld gaming device. Steam Deck, as per the company’s press release, will feature a 7-inch 1280×800 full touch-screen display, AMD Zen 2 CPU, AMD Radeon DNA GPU with expandable 16 GB RAM, and a built-in gamepad. The high-end configuration ensures player’s access to Valve’s AAA PC games library on the go. The company also reported that Steam Deck will available for purchase towards the end of 2021.
VR support
The newly announced gaming device, Steam Deck, is not yet optimised for VR gaming per se. However, Valve’s in-house developer Pierre-Loup Griffais told in an interview that VR support for Steam Deck is not completely out of question. Rather, it is only last week when he learned that VR developers at various companies such as CloudHead Games have started dabbling in with the technology and exploring new facets of the hardware. It is even rumoured that one developer has already been able to access SteamVR home and get it up and running on Steam Deck.
Potential
This, however, does not guarantee that the gaming device will be capable of running more complex apps and games anytime soon. That being said, the outcomes indeed indicate potential, as there is no more feasible way in sight than a dedicated standalone VR headset to achieve VR support for the newly-launched gaming device.
