Valve deckard VR headset described as ‘quite amazing’ but there’s still no word on its launch

• Lynx founder described Valve Deckard as “quite amazing”
• They didn’t share any specific details, but said they share Valve’s suppliers
• Other leaks have teased an impressive but pricey Quest 3 rival

While Google makes a fuss about Android XR, Meta continues its Meta Quest 3 supremacy, and Apple apparently leaks its Vision Pro affordability plans to Bono, Valve has been quietly working away in the background on its next headset – and it’s already being described as “quite amazing.”

That’s according to Stan Larroque – the founder of Lynx which created the inventive Lynx R1 headset I demoed back in 2023 – who said on social media that “The design of Valve next HMD is quite amazing!”

He didn’t elaborate on what makes Deckard particularly neat, saying that he’d be “pissed” if someone leaked details about Lynx’s next XR device, but he did at least hint at why he knows the Valve device.

In a follow-up post, he said, “The HMD-making world is so small, we all share the same suppliers for some components.”

Valve’s VR headset 2.0

While leaks should be taken with a pinch of salt, if Valve is sharing design details with suppliers and sourcing parts for Deckard, this does suggest the device could be nearing (or already in) production, and that an official reveal could be approaching.

This is supported by claims from April that Valve has been receiving VR headset parts and machinery to potentially start producing some kind of headset in the US – likely to dodge some of the ongoing tariffs imposed on imports. Again, a sign that Deckard is almost ready to drop.

When it does, other leaks have given us some details Larroque wasn’t keen to reveal.

For example, a Valve Deckard proof of concept was a standalone design (rather than tethered) and reportedly offered 2K LCD panels for its display setup, and was powered by a SnapDragon 8 Gen 3 – the same chipset as the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (via Upload VR).

This chipset would be newer than the Snapdragon XR 2 Gen 2 in other modern headsets like the Meta Quest 3, though it isn’t a dedicated XR chipset, so it feels likely that a different processor will feature in the final Deckard design (maybe an XR2 Gen 3).

The headset also looks to rely on controllers (codenamed Roy), which closely resemble the Meta Quest 3’s handsets (via UploadVR).

Just expect it to be pricey. One rumored bundle for the new Valve Deckard VR headset will supposedly cost $1,200, which includes some games as well as two controllers.

Hopefully, Valve won’t be keeping us in the dark about Deckard for much longer – perhaps it’s waiting for the Android XR hype surrounding Google I/O to die down before stealing the spotlight – but we’ll have to wait and see.

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