Depending on who you ask, the Valve Index is still one of, if not the greatest, VR headset ever made. For many gamers, it was the first virtual reality device that was worth buying, which gave them performance and visual fidelity worthy of their high-end gaming PCs. Not only that, but it was from Valve – y’know, the company that brought us Half-Life, Team Fortress 2, and a little startup platform you might have heard of called Steam.
After the dust had settled from the launch of the Valve Index and its Half Life: Alyx pairing, Valve’s first headset earned a spot among the best VR headsets, and in 2025, it looks as though we’re finally getting a follow-up. Codenamed Valve Deckard, the new headset is rumoured to launch at some point in 2025 or early 2026, and although there’s been no official confirmation on it, there have been plenty of leaks and a whole lot of signs pointing to its upcoming arrival. I’ve collected together all the details we know so far and put them on this page to help fuel your research and excitement.
Of course, Valve’s hardware is famously hit or miss. While the Steam Deck is industry-leading and arguably kickstarted the whole handheld gaming PC craze we see today, we probably don’t need to mention the Steam controller, nor the original Steam box that was said to be the console market killer. Luckily, Gabe Newell’s company struck gold when it made its VR headset, and even if its price has always been a barrier to entry, the Valve Index is still hallowed in the VR hall of fame.
What is Valve “Deckard” and what do we know about it?
Even if we don’t have confirmation that a new Valve headset is coming, speculation that Valve was making one actually started way back in 2021. Gabe Newell, Valve’s CEO, said at a panel talk that the company was making big investments in new headsets. While that’s hardly a confirmation that it’s been working on a new device since then, it showed that Valve has VR plans beyond the original Index.
More recently, speculation and rumours from Gabe Follower on Twitter (who has a notable track record of releasing Valve’s plans ahead of time) say that Deckard will be a new standalone VR headset that will run on a refined version of SteamOS. That means it’ll be able to be used without the addition of a gaming PC, and that it’ll run on the same operating system as Valve’s Steam Deck and Steam Deck OLED.
The purported bonus of running on this OS isn’t just that it puts Valve’s SteamVR library front and center, but that non-VR games that already run on a Steam Deck will be playable on Valve Deckard for even more portable, play-on-the-go versatility.
Several people have confirmed that Valve is aiming to release new standalone, wireless VR headset (codename Deckard) by the end of 2025. The current price for the full bundle is set to be $1200. Including some “in-house” games (or demos) that are already done. Valve want to give… pic.twitter.com/alHzQuwNvcFebruary 26, 2025
Even though the device is titled to be a standalone headset, it’s also possible that the Valve Deckard stays true to its roots and has either HDMI or DisplayPort connectivity for those who want a more powerful, visually lossless VR experience.
According to leaked schematics, Deckard will be paired with controllers that are codenamed “Roy” and look fairly similar to standard VR controllers we’ve seen already. It looks as though, like Meta Quest 3, Valve has ditched the tracking rings on these ones, though.
In April of 2025, SadlyItsBradley, one of the most well-known sources of VR leaks on the internet, came out with news that Valve has apparently been importing equipment to manufacture HMDs (head-mounted displays) and facial interfaces in the US. The “insider” posted shipping manifests and images attesting to this report, which can be seen below.
Valve has been importing equipment to manufacture VR headset facial interfaces inside the USAThe equipment is being provided by Teleray Group who also manufactured the gaskets for the Valve Index and HP G2 Omnicept pic.twitter.com/7iukcZhKz5April 9, 2025
This led a lot of press to believe that Valve Deckard might not be so far off its rumored 2025 timeline, and that it would seem the headset is being manufactured, at least in part, in the US.
According to a more recent set of reports in May, which again, should be taken with a pinch of salt, the founder of Lynx, a French startup in the XR space, has some knowledge of Valve Deckard. Stan Larroque said on Twitter, “The design of Valve next HMD is quite amazing!
“I would be equally pissed if Lynx nextgen ID got leaked so I won’t share more. I’m just excited for good new XR HMDs. The HMD-making world is so small, we all share the same suppliers for some components.”
Larroque later claimed that Deckard won’t launch until 2026, but this is the first bit of speculation that points to a launch date outside of 2025.
When will Valve Deckard’s release date be?
According to most insiders on Twitter, as well as unconfirmed speculation, Valve Deckard is scheduled to launch before the end of 2025, but as we still don’t have official confirmation that the headset even exists, it might be a while before we hear more about its official release date.
A launch before the end of 2025 would certainly make sense within the current market. Meta’s Quest 3 and Quest 3S devices launched in October of 2023 and 2024, and right now, we have speculation that a headset from Asus that uses Meta’s OS could launch at some point this year. Also waiting in the wings is Samsung and Google‘s take on the Apple Vision Pro. We don’t have a launch date for that one either, but it’s been in the works for a long time now.
How much will Valve Deckard cost?
While we don’t have an official price, we do have a few rumours from Gabe Follower that point to the new headset being bundled with its controllers and a few “in-house” games or demos, and that the entire bundle could cost $1,200. This is the most concrete detail we have on pricing thus far, but it’s also still unconfirmed and should absolutely be taken with a dose of scepticism.
What we do know is that the VR market has shifted dramatically since the Valve Index arrived.
Back then, PC headsets were the name of the game, but they were a luxury item that cost at least $1,000. Thankfully, the hardware has come a long way since, because you don’t need silly room tracking modules, or even wires, if you don’t want them.
Now, we have headsets like PSVR 2, which beats the Valve Index in a lot of its specs and features, and costs under $500. Taking up a bigger chunk of the market, though, are standalone devices, and since it’s rumoured that Valve Deckard will fit into this niche, its prices could point to a more reasonable (and affordable) device than last time.
The Meta Quest 3, the Meta Quest 3S, and the Pico 4 Ultra are what a new Valve headset will need to compete with in the standalone market. The most affordable of those options is the Quest 3S 128GB model, which only costs $299. I’d wager the Deckard headset will cost more than these devices since it’s likely targeting a higher-end gaming market, but I hope it won’t drift as high as the Apple Vision Pro, which costs a ludicrous $3,500.
Perhaps most appropriate for comparison is the HTC Vive Focus Vision, a PC-tilted but still standalone VR device. It’s designed for visually lossless VR gaming on PC, so it’s a natural competitor to whatever Valve is cooking up. That headset costs $999 – which aligns it closer to the original Valve Index.
I’d personally like to think that Valve has learned from the affordability of its Steam Deck and Steam Deck OLED, so I’d hope the Valve Index undercuts HTC. My personal hopes for a price for Valve Deckard would be around the $700 mark, but it entirely depends upon the chipset used, because if it can offer substantially more power than a Quest 3 or Pico 4 Ultra, it’ll be worth the extra money versus one of the best gaming handhelds.
What games will Valve Deckard be able to play?
If Valve Deckard is set to run on a refined version of SteamOS, it’d stand to reason that every game on Steam that’s VR compatible will be playable on the new headset. If it can also link to a PC, it’ll likely be able to either stream gameplay through something like Steamlink from your gaming PC, or it’ll hook up to your graphics card with a wire for a pure, lossless experience.
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of VR games already on Steam, so I don’t think Deckard will be short of titles to play.
The big question is whether or not we’ll get a first-party game release, like we did with Half-Life: Alyx. Could it be a classic Valve secret, could it be a VR port of Deadlock? We’ll need to wait and see, but so far, rumors have been pretty quiet about anything to do with new software.
Upgrading your PC for Valve Deckard’s arrival? Take a look at the best RAM for gaming, the best CPU for gaming, and the best graphics cards.
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