- Valve’s next VR headset is expected to arrive this week, possibly on November 12.
- The device is known as the Steam Frame, formerly the Valve Deckard.
- It could be released alongside some impressive new first-party games.
Here we go again. Valve’s upcoming Steam Frame headset, also called Deckard in leaks, is once again rumored to be announced very soon. Tomorrow, November 12, in fact.
That’s according to SadlyItsBradley (a reliable source for XR-related leaks), who shared on his Discord (via r/ValveDeckard) that the Valve headset could be shown “this week. More specifically on Wednesday,” according to “some sources.”
Now, before we delve further into this leak, I’ll give the usual warning to “take rumors with a pinch of salt,” and that’s doubly true here.
While it seems like there’s smoke, there’s a fire situation (there are so many Steam Frame leaks that it seems almost guaranteed we’ll see it eventually), this isn’t the first time a Deckard debut has been expected. A couple of months ago, you may have seen the internet abuzz with speculation after several VR influencers shared details of their attendance at an event with Valve in Seattle.
That said, something feels a little different about this release date teaser. No less important is that Valve abandoned the technology this time last year: with the Steam Deck OLED in 2023, which launched on November 16.
It’s also right before the Christmas season, which is, again, a common release date for gaming tech in hopes of it being the number one gift on everyone’s list for Santa.
It’s on my list for sure, and I’m personally leaning toward a release soon, but as excited as I am for Deckard to finally break the cover, I’m not holding my breath: I’ve been burned too many times already this year with XR release date leaks.
When Steam Frame makes its debut, what can we expect from it?
As we’ve discussed in previous stories, the device is expected to be a standalone VR headset like the Meta Quest 3, but it could also be used to play PC games, either tethered for intensive PC VR titles and/or running less intensive games locally as a portable Steam Deck.
It’s also been suggested that there could be two models, like the Steam Deck, one more affordable and the other offering improved specs at a higher cost (think more storage, possibly an OLED display).
Speaking of cost, multiple leaks have pegged the price starting at $1,200 (around £900/AU$1,850). That’s almost directly between the Meta Quest 3 and the new Samsung Galaxy XR headphones and it certainly isn’t cheap.
However, given the recent leak, SadlyItsBradley added that Valve will “need a week or two to explain the device,” this could suggest that the high cost is setting up a complex PC gaming device with more utility than people would expect.
Although this could also be a tease of other Valve announcements related to the controllers and games expected to be released alongside Frame, although when it comes to Valve’s software, it’s hard to separate real leaks from pipe dreams (I’ve seen too many people making fun of it). Half life 3 believe it is 2025).
We’ll have to wait and see what Valve has up its sleeve. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait long.
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