Valve Develops Essential XR Components, Indicating ‘Deckard’ Standalone May Enter Production

Valve’s elusive standalone XR headset, known internally as ‘Deckard’, has been sparking intrigue since whispers of its existence emerged back in 2021. Now, fresh insights from tech analyst and VR insider Brad Lynch, famously recognized as ‘SadlyItsBradley’, indicate that Valve might actually be revving up to start production on this long-anticipated gadget.

While details about Deckard remain sparse, the buzz suggests it will be a standalone device capable of wirelessly streaming PC VR games. This places it in direct competition with heavy-hitters like the Meta Quest and Apple Vision Pro. Lynch, who is known for unearthing XR industry secrets, reports that Valve has begun importing “equipment to manufacture VR headset facial interfaces within the USA.”

“The gear is sourced from Teleray Group, the same outfit that created gaskets for Valve Index and HP G2 Omnicept,” Lynch mentioned in a post on X. Considering the Valve Index has been around for nearly six years, it’s unlikely that Valve is working on facial interfaces for an older piece of hardware. This seems to point more convincingly towards their upcoming piece of kit in the XR world.

The reason behind why Valve is moving production of key headset components to the US is not entirely clear. Some speculate it might be a strategic maneuver to avoid the heightened tariffs on Chinese goods imposed during the Trump administration. Lynch notes that Valve is repurposing a US-based facility that was originally used for producing their Lighthouse 2.0 base stations, a space that has been empty since they cleared out the production line almost two years back.

“Perhaps they decided to utilize this facility to produce new components, hence saving on tariffs, or possibly for prototyping new HMD gasket designs close to or at Valve headquarters. But I doubt the latter,” Lynch muses, suggesting that Valve likely already has small-scale R&D capabilities in-house.

Rumors about Deckard have been swirling for nearly four years, resulting in a plethora of leaks and speculative reports. However, these latest revelations hint that Valve is perhaps genuinely on the brink of full-scale production, suggesting the official reveal might not be too far off.

In a significant development in November 2024, there was a leak of 3D models during a SteamVR update. These depicted a fresh VR motion controller, dubbed ‘Roy’. This controller diverges from the typical VR controller layout by incorporating a traditional gamepad-style button setup, which might indicate that Deckard will offer a seamless input experience similar to that of the Steam Deck.

Earlier this year, in February, another well-known leaker and skilled data miner, ‘Gabe Follower’, disclosed that Valve plans to launch Deckard by the end of 2025, with a price tag of $1,200. However, Gabe Follower asserts that the headset will be sold at a loss. He further speculates that Deckard will run on an adapted version of SteamOS, comparable to the operating system used in Steam Deck but tailored for VR.