Valve's answer to Meta Quest could launch very soon — here's what we know about Valve Deckard

The best VR headsets are growing evermore popular, with the Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S leading the charge. But one company that jumped on this train early has been very quiet since 2019.

I’m of course talking about Valve, and after several leaks, we’ve got the clearest indicator yet that the company’s standalone headset may be coming sooner than we think. Code-named Valve Deckard, recent details suggest that production is underway and we could see a Fall 2025 launch.

Tariff dodging

The leak came from SadlyitsBradley on X, who claims that Valve “has been importing equipment to manufacture VR headset facial interfaces inside the US.” This equipment produced the same face gaskets that were found on the Valve Index headset.

Pair that with what else we’ve seen so far, like Valve’s VR headset patent application, and the leak last year of the codename Roy controllers for Deckard being prepped for mass production, you can see everything coming together nicely.

So why do all of this machine shifting in the first place? Well, the speculation from SadlyItsBradley (and something I agree with) comes down to self protection from US tariffs. It’s a big unknown, and while trade deals seem to be coming down the line between the USA and other countries, it’s all a bit up in the air how these will impact exports.

That’s why it makes sense to think one step ahead at the moment. Given the rumored bundle price for Valve Deckard of $1,200 (according to Gabe Follower), you don’t want that cost to soar with export taxes.

Steam Deckard?

So what will Deckard bring to the table that the Index didn’t? Well first of all, we’re expecting the usual suspects: Higher 1440p resolution (given the Quest 3S is a higher resolution than Index), faster 120Hz refresh rate and smaller, more ergonomic controllers. These seem to be confirmed in leaked renders and references in a SteamVR update.

But the most interesting part is its standalone capabilities, and the fact it’ll run SteamOS just like the Steam Deck. This could be significant as rumors are pointing towards Steam Deck games could be played in big-screen mode within the headset – vastly increasing the library of titles you could play on the Deckard.

Pair that with PC connectivity for a higher quality PCVR experience, and you’ve got something that (on paper) looks set to become the new best gaming VR headset you can buy. Given how much I loved Valve Index, I have faith this could be my next new piece of hardware (particularly for sim racing immersion), but we’ll just have to wait and see for later this year.

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