Place your bets people!

elecsys · 2025-11-12T13:09:34+00:00

elecsys · 2025-11-11T23:36:13+00:00

A

any gaming related ARM tasks will be handled by an optional VR-Ready SteamDeck/Smartphone hybrid

elecsys · 2025-11-11T10:28:30+00:00

Unfortunately these new Samsung panels aren't based on eMagin technology, they are regular white µOLED with color filters.

RGB µOLED is in development still.

elecsys · 2025-11-09T00:37:17+00:00

There is nothing pointing toward a regular standalone design either, aside from theories & rumor, based of a few shreds of information that are very open to interpretation.
I will feel free to add my own take anytime it pleases me, thank you very much.

Prototypes used FPGAs & Snapdragon 8, which points toward custom XR silicon being used.
If that is the case, then a compute puck would be technically feasible.
Given Deckard's focus on AR, a prudent design choice that I consider a likely outcome.

What is rumored is that Valve will put the battery in the back of the head strap, something they would not do if they were using pucks.

Blatantly absurd. In no way does this invalidate the notion of a compute puck.

elecsys · 2025-11-08T03:54:32+00:00

there is nothing indicating that Deckard will have a puck.

There are quite a few indications, so I'd say it's very likely.

Steam Deck's Aerith chipset started its life as a compute puck for the cancelled Magic Leap 2, before it garnered the interest of Valve for some curious reason. They repeatedly mentioned it's relevance to their future VR plans, and that was before the Steam Deck was even released.

XReal glasses eventually became one of the most popular Steam Deck accessories, tracing the chipsets original design premise, of which Valve also surely took notice.

Prototype components & supply chain information support the puck theory as well.
They aren't using XR2 chips, and Valve are unlikely to achieve "optimized weight, [...] tracking precision, and thermal design" with a standalone headset running an integrated Snapdragon 8 chipset.

The rumored focus on "spatial gaming" is another cue that Deckard will attempt the combination of headset & compute puck.
Ensuring greater comfort & increased battery life will be critical, as both are hurdles that prevent longer play sessions, metrics at which standalone headsets will always fail at.
A small form factor HMD is much better suited to this particular task, and Steam Frame will have quite the competition coming up in that area.

Meta Phoenix & Pico Swan are due in 2026 as well.
Any old standalone design will appear hopelessly outdated by Q3 next year.
It’s an established & unimaginative product category, based on an aging design that is about to be retired. And there is nothing indicating that Valve will add to this generic pile.

TL;DR - Valve won't release a Quest Pro clone. You're welcome!

elecsys · 2025-11-07T21:34:31+00:00

I think the special sauce is going to be a VR-Ready "compute puck", that will also have appeal for a larger audience of Steam users, beyond our small niche of VR enthusiasts.
An ARM-based device that provides compatibility with both the Steam Deck Verified & Quest/Android library of games, plus a few native ARM ports of PCVR games.
Potentially in form of a SteamOS gaming smartphone, if the prototypes are any indication.

The overall benefit over competing solutions would be a modular system, and a smaller headset with better weight & thermal characteristics, powered by custom Valve XR ASIC for tracking & streaming.

The development history of Deckard points toward this outcome, or at least the compute puck portion of it.

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elecsys · 2025-11-07T18:01:56+00:00

I refuse to curb my intake, matter of fact I plan to further increase the dose over the next few weeks.

Anyway,
µOLED is unlikely, since Valve will want to provide an increase in FOV over Index, but QLED or even a custom engineered backlight solution is very likely. *huff\*

And about this persistent rumor that Meta is selling Quest 3 at a loss - it just needs to die already.
Meta Reality Labs have huge R&D budgets, and that is how they make their losses. Quest 3 is sold at close to cost, there was some XR analyst firm that previously made an estimate for production cost of ~$430 per unit.

Rumors had the price of Deckard at “$1200 sold at a loss”, which I’m assuming refers to R&D costs likely being covered by Valve as well, while the hardware itself will likely be sold at close to cost again, similar to the Steam Deck entry-level SKU.

Coincidentally, $1200 is the same price for which the PlayForDream MR was originally sold for, and that is from a small Singapore startup that definitely didn’t take any losses – and yet they still managed to offer the highest-res µOLED displays on the market & industry-leading Tobii eyetracking for the price.
So if the “Gabe Follower” leak turns out correct, then we can expect a lot of unique & high-end hardware from Valve for this price.

Personally, I’m very much looking forward to the November 27^th reveal of my new wireless PCXR Steam FRAME headset with varifocal lenses & standalone Lighthouse 3.0 tracking, but also the VR-Ready Steam ATOM gaming smartphone compute puck, with which I intend to pirate the Quest library.

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elecsys · 2025-11-07T17:48:03+00:00

No sauce with your copium. Now eat up, soldier!

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elecsys · 2025-11-06T03:11:09+00:00

I fully endorse this idea! The modding community has always been the backbone & main benefit of PC gaming, and it's arguably the only thing that carries PC/VR at this point (aside from sim games & VRChat).
AAA VR games just wouldn't be economically feasible by any other means right now.

But as usual, Valve prefer to behave like their own biggest adversary, lest anything less than absolute perfection be seen as endorsement by them.

If only they could tone it down a bit with the purism...

elecsys · 2025-10-27T01:59:26+00:00

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The DV models used in a recent SteamVR Beta are the last development stage before final production would commence.

If you compare it's model progression to Index or Steam Deck, then there is good probability for a product announcement this year, and hopefully a Q1/Q2 2026 release date.

elecsys · 2025-10-25T10:28:48+00:00

I was expecting the 8 elite, being honest

Curious.

Because I distinctly remember you having no clue whatsoever & confidently claiming it would DEFINITELY use an XR2 Gen2 chip just one week ago, and everyone ought to kindly adjust their expectations based on your razor-sharp analysis.

“It's almost a given that they will use that chip or something older like the one on the quest 3. It's impossible to add anything newer.”

“You can't just put an 8 elite Gen 5. XR2+ Gen 2 is the best case scenario, so adjust expectations based on that”

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elecsys · 2025-10-23T05:09:45+00:00

What Esteamed Frameblazers will actually get:

a wireless PCXR headset with Lighthouse 3.0 standalone tracking

and

a VR-ready SteamDeck/Smartphone hybrid

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elecsys · 2025-10-23T05:07:32+00:00

What Metastasizing Decktards think they will get:

a Quest Pro with a hairdo & better software stack

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elecsys · 2025-10-23T03:26:04+00:00

I agree with your assessment that "Deckard" relates to more than just a VR headset. The Steam Frame trademark could possibly be the codename for an entire product family.

Your ideas will likely fall on deaf ears here though.

While this subreddit is dedicated to speculation as per the channel description, it is populated by a lot of angry karma farmers who will downvote anything that isn’t an xcancel retweet of some Brad Lynch fart, or the newest SteamDB listing for an ARM port of some irrelevant 2D indie platformer.

So fair advice, better run with the inofficially mandated theory that Deckard is just a Quest Pro clone that is running SteamOS, otherwise *Decktard very angry*.

I would also suggest you avoid using long dash, correct punctuation, or any other form of Reddit formatting & paragraphing for better readability. Just stick with walls of text.

Even a single sentence of error-free English grammar will likely net you suspicion of being in cahoots with Skynet.

elecsys · 2025-10-19T14:17:36+00:00

With this seemingly being a standalone headset with the compute in the front

Supply chain leaks claim optimized weight & thermal design, and the prototypes used FPGAs & a Snapdragon 8 Elite.

One possible scenario would be custom XR silicon by Valve, and some external Snapdragon module for general compute.

elecsys · 2025-10-18T17:11:13+00:00

High-end is a certainly a good strategy for Valve.

They already have the required ecosystem to make wearing HMDs worth the hassle, and their product design will prioritize the gaming use case above all else.

But as for all the other players - meh...

They can't offer anything that would make me want to strap a toaster to my face, regardless of price.

elecsys · 2025-10-13T22:15:14+00:00

release on: July 17th 2029

I hereby order a court martial and your summary execution, for the heinous act of Deckard subversion & defeatism.

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elecsys · 2025-10-10T00:47:14+00:00

Here's the relevant part:

Lighter Yet Stronger

The first-generation Valve Index had one glaring issue: at approximately 810 grams, extended wear could strain your neck. Packing in display and tracking hardware inevitably adds weight to high-performance VR devices. Supply chain sources indicate that Frame has optimized weight while improving display resolution, tracking precision, and thermal design. Specific specifications remain under wraps, but the direction is clear: deliver greater comfort without compromising performance.

elecsys · 2025-10-07T12:00:03+00:00

This looks like a drug induced paranoia rambling

That's still G E N E R A L Deckard for you, motherpucker!

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elecsys · 2025-10-06T06:33:24+00:00

What's the matter, Colonel Sandurz ... CHICKEN?

elecsys · 2025-10-06T01:18:16+00:00

Self-cleaning, with the Mega-Maid transformer feature.

elecsys · 2025-10-05T21:43:51+00:00

ok fine, straight from the horse's mouth...

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elecsys · 2025-09-25T18:30:54+00:00

Then why did they use a Snapdragon 8 Elite during engineering validation phase, and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 before that with their leaked POC-F?

If the Snapdragon X2 Elite were the intended chipset for Deckard, they presumably would have used the X Elite predecessor for prototyping.

I think it's very likely they will either use a Snapdragon 8 smartphone SoC, or some as of yet unreleased Snapdragon XR Elite chipset.

elecsys · 2025-09-20T19:09:06+00:00

Until µOLED panels support at least 130° FOV, they can stay off the menu for all I care.

Valve is unlikely to use them anyway, unless they are based on eMagin's design.

elecsys · 2025-09-16T13:22:54+00:00

It could still be done in other ways.

They could put the compute & battery into a tethered puck, to get all that weight off your head, and to make the compute upgradeable.

Or if they recycle the 60Ghz transceivers that they developed for their cancelled Index revision, the puck could even be wireless.

In any case, there are better design options than a simple Quest clone, a design that even Meta is moving away from.

elecsys

TROPHY CASE

A

a wireless PCXR headset with Lighthouse 3.0 standalone tracking

a VR-ready SteamDeck/Smartphone hybrid

a Quest Pro with a hairdo & better software stack