Valve is reportedly working on a wireless VR headset because everything is better without wires

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Hold onto your wallets, because Valve might be bringing out a standalone VR headset to go *ahem* head-to-head with the Oculus Quest. YouTuber Brad Lynch dove into the SteamVR code, and found references to a device called “Deckard”, which matched up with some recent patent applications made by Valve.

That sleuthing was further backed up by Ars Technica, who talked to a few sources who confirmed much of what Lynch had figured out. Yes, Valve has a second VR headset in development.

It’s going to feature a built-in processor, so it won’t need to be tethered to a PC to work. And yes, they are working on inside-out tracking so it won’t need external devices to track your movement.

The sources Ars spoke to said that Valve had multiple VR headsets in concept stages before the Index was released. Those concepts diverged, becoming the tethered Index that’s for sale now, and a standalone headset with inbuilt processing, essentially Valve’s version of an Oculus Quest or Pico Neo.

At the time, Valve was having difficulty getting the inside-out tracking working, which is possibly why the standalone headset isn’t ready for market yet.

Now, before you go getting all excited, all of this means that Valve is working on a second headset at its headquarters. That doesn’t necessarily mean that it will make it to market, and Valve has a long history of killing projects in their prototype stages.

The only real difference here is that both the Valve Index and a “Half-Life VR” title were hinted at before their release, so we remain hopeful that a standalone VR headset is possible.

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Editors’ Recommendations:

• Valve says the Steam Deck will be fully compatible with Windows 11 when it releases
• Apple’s AR/VR headset will probably require users to have an iPhone or Mac
• Sony is finally shedding some more light on its next-gen PlayStation VR headset
• The Steam Deck is now in the hands of developers and things are looking good

Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.