Valve VR Patent Hints At Key Design Particulars For Its Wi-fi Deckard Headset

Over the previous yr, a lot of the thrill surrounding Valve, the corporate behind Steam, has involved the Steam Deck. Nonetheless, regardless of the hype-filled launch of its handheld sport console, it appears that evidently Valve hasn’t forgotten about its different gaming gadget endeavor: digital actuality (VR). The truth is, it seems as if the corporate’s dive into transportable gaming expertise with the Steam Deck could also be an indicator of what’s to come back from Valve within the VR area.

Valve is already planning a Steam Deck 2, and, throughout an interview about this future gadget, Gabe Newell, the co-founder and president of Valve, stated that some sort of VR functionality could make its strategy to the Steam Deck. Past the Steam Deck itself, the expertise powering the hand held console would possibly allow Valve to supply a wi-fi VR headset akin to Meta’s Oculus Quest 2. Again in August of final yr, Greg Coomer, a product designer at Valve, answered a question about whether or not the Steam Deck’s customized APU would possibly seem in a standalone VR headset by saying, “We’re not able to say something about it, however it might run effectively in that surroundings, with the TDP needed… it’s very related to us and our future plans.”

Quick ahead to this week, and the US Patent & Trademark Workplace made public a design patent software filed by Valve in December. The patent software depicts a head-mounted show (HMD) or VR headset, although the patent seems to be for an adjustable strap with included audio system, quite than a full VR headset. The patent software consists of many detailed photos depicting the interior workings of the strap’s two adjustable knobs, in addition to the articulating headphones.

Nonetheless, the photographs and descriptions appear to level to a attainable wi-fi headset. The general design depicted within the photos seems fairly much like Valve’s present wired VR headset, the Valve Index. Nonetheless, the place the Index is open within the again, the design depicted within the patent software features a rear housing. With reference to this extra element, one of many descriptions reads, “The harness could couple to a rear housing disposed in the back of the HMD. The rear housing could accommodate numerous computing parts of the HMD.” One other part of the doc (PDF) says that attainable parts may embody each a battery and processors.

This info could level to a standalone wi-fi VR headset from Valve, however a wi-fi VR headset doesn’t essentially need to function impartial of a desktop PC. An prolonged actuality (XR) {hardware} analyst by the identify of Brad Lynch discovered a preliminary setting for SteamVR that will create a Wi-Fi hotspot, presumably so a VR headset may hook up with a gaming PC in a wi-fi method. The PC would drive the HMD in such a configuration for higher efficiency than a cell chip may handle. A wi-fi VR headset with an built-in APU may doubtlessly have the choice of working independently or connecting to a PC by way of Wi-Fi for improved efficiency and graphical constancy.

This similar analyst beforehand discovered proof in SteamVR software program that Valve’s subsequent era VR headset is presently codenamed “Deckard.” Deckard is the final identify of the protagonist within the sci-fi novel, later tailored right into a film, Blade Runner. The identify additionally consists of “Deck,” doubtlessly indicating that the headset will certainly be powered by the Steam Deck’s customized APU.

Prime picture courtesy of Valve