Linux Valve may be announcing a PC game console and VR headset combo soon

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

New mystery Valve hardware device certified in South Korea

Could it be a new Deck, a controller or maybe a VR headset?

www.pcgamer.com

Is Valve Building A Consolized PC To Power Its VR Headset?

Rather than a fully standalone headset, is Valve building a consolized living room PC capable of powering wireless VR?

www.uploadvr.com

Dunno if this info goes here or in Alternatives to Mac Hardware, but I'm sure the mods will make that call.

Anyway, there's been some juicy info lately of something big coming from Valve, bigger than the Steam Deck. Valve for a while has been working on something codenamed "Deckard," and we recently had some new patents and datamines from the SteamOS's kernel that sheds some new info on what Deckard is

Youtuber SadlyItsBradley has been assisting with the Linux kernel datamines to find this info and it's pretty detailed, so I'm gonna post the videos and give some bullet points of the findings and what we believe Valve's new hardware will be:

VR Download: Unity Developer Backlash, Is Valve Building A Console PC For Wireless VR?

VR Download is our weekly hardware, technology, and industry trends show streamed live from virtual reality.0:00 - Intro4:36 - Quest v57 updatehttps://www.up...

www.youtube.com

Valve is going to be announcing new hardware soon as they just got radio certification in Korea, just like they did with the Valve Index and Steam Deck. When the Deck got certified in South Korea it got announced shortly after. What this is we don't know but we have some ideas. Valve for a long time has been working on a successor to the aging Valve Index PCVR headset, this new headset being wireless and not requiring base stations like the Index, so you can just pick it up and get into VR immediately, and without a cable getting in the way. Just one problem: How do you get PCVR in a standalone VR headset, as PCVR runs on x86 not like the Meta Quest or Apple Vision Pro or Bytedance Pico as those are all ARM. That's the thing, you don't, because the headset isn't standalone. Valve knows they can't make a standalone PCVR headset, so they're gonna do the next best thing: Instead of just one headset, it's a headset and console combo, both of which can be used on their own. According to the patents and Linux kernel datamines, we believe that the Valve Deckard is not a standalone VR headset, but instead of a wireless VR headset that can be paired with a gaming PC or a new game console running on an AMD hardware config similarly to the Steam Deck but designed for use in PCVR, similarly to the failed Steam Machine concept that was too early to market.

• In the kernel datamines was a AMD processor codenamed Galileo. The Steam Deck's Ryzen APU is called the Van Gogh. Galileo may be the name of this revision to the Deck's APU for use in PCVR
• The Deckard is a console and wireless VR headset combo, but both can be used on their own. You can buy the console like PC to use on it's own as an easy entry into PC gaming, or if you already got a gaming PC you can buy just the headset.
  
• The headset is fully wireless, using a dongle that provides low latency wireless PCVR. The headset uses inside out tracking like every other HMD on the market now so you can just take it out of the box, plug in the dongle, and start playing.
  
• The controllers for the Deckard headset follow the Index Controller design with finger tracking but with reworked buttons and a Quest like tracking ring due to the lack of base stations
  
• Just like the Steam Deck the Steam Machine (which is what I will be calling the console box from now on) runs on SteamOS but since it's a fully open PC you can choose to install a different Linux OS or Windows if you desire.
• It is unknown if the Steam Machine will bring back the Steam Controller for a generation 2 but Valve has mentioned recently they wish to introduce a successor to the Steam Controller, addressing the problems people had with it like the lack of a second thumbstick.

If this is coming soon, I might just say screw the Apple Vision Pro and get that headset instead because I AM SICK OF ZUCKERBURG! I've had nothing but issues connecting my Quest 2 to my PC due to Meta's horrible software, but I never could get an Index due to my place being too small to support the base stations. But a wireless VR headset from Valve I would buy in a heartbeat. Hell I'd probably even sell my PC for the console box too as I've been using my main PC less and less and using my Steam Deck instead because of how much of a better device it is.

 

[fathergll]

I still have my eyes potentially on an Apple Vision Pro but the concept is very interesting on paper but obviously will have to see how this thing shakes out.

With that said I 100% agree with you that Meta products are horrible. I am actively rooting for everyone but them.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

I still have my eyes potentially on an Apple Vision Pro but the concept is very interesting on paper but obviously will have to see how this thing shakes out.

With that said I 100% agree with you that Meta products are horrible. I am actively rooting for everyone but them.

The design of the Deckard reminds me of the original plans for the Apple Vision it looks like, where the headset is wireless that's connected to a dedicated compute box

 

[Huntn]

I still have my eyes potentially on an Apple Vision Pro but the concept is very interesting on paper but obviously will have to see how this thing shakes out.

With that said I 100% agree with you that Meta products are horrible. I am actively rooting for everyone but them.

Is that Apple VR? If so, what game will it play?

 

[Huntn]

New mystery Valve hardware device certified in South Korea

Could it be a new Deck, a controller or maybe a VR headset?

www.pcgamer.com

Is Valve Building A Consolized PC To Power Its VR Headset?

Rather than a fully standalone headset, is Valve building a consolized living room PC capable of powering wireless VR?

www.uploadvr.com

Dunno if this info goes here or in Alternatives to Mac Hardware, but I'm sure the mods will make that call.

Anyway, there's been some juicy info lately of something big coming from Valve, bigger than the Steam Deck. Valve for a while has been working on something codenamed "Deckard," and we recently had some new patents and datamines from the SteamOS's kernel that sheds some new info on what Deckard is

Youtuber SadlyItsBradley has been assisting with the Linux kernel datamines to find this info and it's pretty detailed, so I'm gonna post the videos and give some bullet points of the findings and what we believe Valve's new hardware will be:

VR Download: Unity Developer Backlash, Is Valve Building A Console PC For Wireless VR?

VR Download is our weekly hardware, technology, and industry trends show streamed live from virtual reality.0:00 - Intro4:36 - Quest v57 updatehttps://www.up...

www.youtube.com

Valve is going to be announcing new hardware soon as they just got radio certification in Korea, just like they did with the Valve Index and Steam Deck. When the Deck got certified in South Korea it got announced shortly after. What this is we don't know but we have some ideas. Valve for a long time has been working on a successor to the aging Valve Index PCVR headset, this new headset being wireless and not requiring base stations like the Index, so you can just pick it up and get into VR immediately, and without a cable getting in the way. Just one problem: How do you get PCVR in a standalone VR headset, as PCVR runs on x86 not like the Meta Quest or Apple Vision Pro or Bytedance Pico as those are all ARM. That's the thing, you don't, because the headset isn't standalone. Valve knows they can't make a standalone PCVR headset, so they're gonna do the next best thing: Instead of just one headset, it's a headset and console combo, both of which can be used on their own. According to the patents and Linux kernel datamines, we believe that the Valve Deckard is not a standalone VR headset, but instead of a wireless VR headset that can be paired with a gaming PC or a new game console running on an AMD hardware config similarly to the Steam Deck but designed for use in PCVR, similarly to the failed Steam Machine concept that was too early to market.

• In the kernel datamines was a AMD processor codenamed Galileo. The Steam Deck's Ryzen APU is called the Van Gogh. Galileo may be the name of this revision to the Deck's APU for use in PCVR
• The Deckard is a console and wireless VR headset combo, but both can be used on their own. You can buy the console like PC to use on it's own as an easy entry into PC gaming, or if you already got a gaming PC you can buy just the headset.
  
• The headset is fully wireless, using a dongle that provides low latency wireless PCVR. The headset uses inside out tracking like every other HMD on the market now so you can just take it out of the box, plug in the dongle, and start playing.
  
• The controllers for the Deckard headset follow the Index Controller design with finger tracking but with reworked buttons and a Quest like tracking ring due to the lack of base stations
  
• Just like the Steam Deck the Steam Machine (which is what I will be calling the console box from now on) runs on SteamOS but since it's a fully open PC you can choose to install a different Linux OS or Windows if you desire.
• It is unknown if the Steam Machine will bring back the Steam Controller for a generation 2 but Valve has mentioned recently they wish to introduce a successor to the Steam Controller, addressing the problems people had with it like the lack of a second thumbstick.

If this is coming soon, I might just say screw the Apple Vision Pro and get that headset instead because I AM SICK OF ZUCKERBURG! I've had nothing but issues connecting my Quest 2 to my PC due to Meta's horrible software, but I never could get an Index due to my place being too small to support the base stations. But a wireless VR headset from Valve I would buy in a heartbeat. Hell I'd probably even sell my PC for the console box too as I've been using my main PC less and less and using my Steam Deck instead because of how much of a better device it is.

What resolution I wonder? One of the draw backs of the Occulus Rift was it’s resolution.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

What resolution I wonder? One of the draw backs of the Occulus Rift was it’s resolution.

Probably similar to Quest 3's resolution. It's not gonna be something high end like the Pimax or Vision Pro since this headset is most likely gonna be under $400. The console and headset combo will need to be at max $600 otherwise it's dead. There needs to be a reason to buy Deckard and Galileo over a PS5 and PSVR2 combo at $1050 other than it being a PC, and a much lower price would be that reason.

 

[MRMSFC]

Interesting to see, given that Steam Machines (or GabeCubes as I’ve seen them called) flopped hard.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

Interesting to see, given that Steam Machines (or GabeCubes as I’ve seen them called) flopped hard.

There's many reasons the Steam Machines failed

• They weren't made by Valve. They were made by PC OEMs using over the counter parts and sold for profit which meant they costed as much as gaming laptops for worse performance.
• The original version of SteamOS was awful. It was slow and clunky and was just a glorified Big Picture Mode (which at the time was also slow and clunky) with a barebones desktop mode. SteamOS 1 and 2 ran on Debian which caused it's own problems as it meant software updates were a lot slower.
• Steam Proton did not exist yet, so game compatibility was a nightmare. Valve was pushing developers to make native Linux ports of games, and there was a good turnout, but ultimately wasn't enough.
• Because of the above two reasons, a lot of Steam Machines did not use SteamOS but just came preloaded with Windows 8. Do I even need to explain this one?
• The original Steam Controller that was bundled with Steam Machines and the Steam Link had it's fans and a healthy userbase who to this day still actively use it. But the controller was still a far departure from what people were used to and most people did not want to give it a chance, choosing instead to just stay with Xbox gamepads.

But with the failure of Steam Machines it was a great teaching experience to Valve on how to do hardware releases. They knew what worked and what didn't work, and what needed to be done to create a console like Linux gaming PC. What they learned created their big smash hit the Steam Deck, a device I use daily and have started using more than my main rig because of how good and convenient it is. So Galileo can succeed where the original Steam Machines failed by doing the following:

• The hardware architecture is already there with the Steam Deck, as from what we've seen from the Linux Kernel datamines they're using a similar chipset to the Deck but with a much beefier GPU to be able to drive more demanding games and virtual reality, hence why Galileo's AMD APU is codenamed Sephiroth (which if you know your Final Fantasy 7 references, you know)
• SteamOS 3 is a farcry from the original versions of SteamOS. Much better software, better UI, a change of kernel moving from Debian to Arch making things light and fast. Not to mention we live in the age of Steam Proton, where virtually any PC game works on Linux out of the box removing the compatibility issue.
• Valve is making this Steam Machine, not an OEM. So they control it's pricing and can sell it at a loss, just like they do with the Steam Deck. They can price it in the same price range as the major game consoles and that will catch the attention of not just average consumers and gamers, but Meta's customers, as now there's another alternative to the Quest that provides more high end VR applications and more importantly none of Zuckerburg's grease.
• But more than that, is the fact this box is a trojan horse. It's main purpose is not to be a gaming PC in a console form factor. It can function like that should you so choose, but it's main purpose is to be used as a computing box for PCVR for the main show the wireless VR headset the Deckard, as well as another trap to get people to try out Linux gaming just like Deck. It's design kinda follows the Apple Vision's original design plan which was a dedicated computer box that was paired with a wireless HMD, before Apple scrapped that and opted for standalone. But unlike the Apple Vision this isn't gonna be mobile, this is staying in one room, so a box would work in this instance and provide an easy access and low barrier to entry into PCVR. Honestly feels like the G3 iMac somewhat, as that was designed to be a low barrier to entry to the internet, only this is a low barrier to entry for quality VR

This box and headset providing another low barrier into PC gaming by offering an affordable console themed alternative, as well as solving two of the biggest problems VR has: the cable, and lack of high fidelity experiences. Now the question is, how powerful will it be? How much will it cost? Will it come with a second generation Steam Controller? What's the specs on the headset? Will there be a pack in title just like the Valve Index had with Half Life Alyx or the Steam Deck with Aperture Desk Job?

We'll just have to wait and see.

 

[MRMSFC]

There's many reasons the Steam Machines failed

• They weren't made by Valve. They were made by PC OEMs using over the counter parts and sold for profit which meant they costed as much as gaming laptops for worse performance.
• The original version of SteamOS was awful. It was slow and clunky and was just a glorified Big Picture Mode (which at the time was also slow and clunky) with a barebones desktop mode. SteamOS 1 and 2 ran on Debian which caused it's own problems as it meant software updates were a lot slower.
• Steam Proton did not exist yet, so game compatibility was a nightmare. Valve was pushing developers to make native Linux ports of games, and there was a good turnout, but ultimately wasn't enough.
• Because of the above two reasons, a lot of Steam Machines did not use SteamOS but just came preloaded with Windows 8. Do I even need to explain this one?
• The original Steam Controller that was bundled with Steam Machines and the Steam Link had it's fans and a healthy userbase who to this day still actively use it. But the controller was still a far departure from what people were used to and most people did not want to give it a chance, choosing instead to just stay with Xbox gamepads.

But with the failure of Steam Machines it was a great teaching experience to Valve on how to do hardware releases. They knew what worked and what didn't work, and what needed to be done to create a console like Linux gaming PC. What they learned created their big smash hit the Steam Deck, a device I use daily and have started using more than my main rig because of how good and convenient it is. So Galileo can succeed where the original Steam Machines failed by doing the following:

• The hardware architecture is already there with the Steam Deck, as from what we've seen from the Linux Kernel datamines they're using a similar chipset to the Deck but with a much beefier GPU to be able to drive more demanding games and virtual reality, hence why Galileo's AMD APU is codenamed Sephiroth (which if you know your Final Fantasy 7 references, you know)
• SteamOS 3 is a farcry from the original versions of SteamOS. Much better software, better UI, a change of kernel moving from Debian to Arch making things light and fast. Not to mention we live in the age of Steam Proton, where virtually any PC game works on Linux out of the box removing the compatibility issue.
• Valve is making this Steam Machine, not an OEM. So they control it's pricing and can sell it at a loss, just like they do with the Steam Deck. They can price it in the same price range as the major game consoles and that will catch the attention of not just average consumers and gamers, but Meta's customers, as now there's another alternative to the Quest that provides more high end VR applications and more importantly none of Zuckerburg's grease.
• But more than that, is the fact this box is a trojan horse. It's main purpose is not to be a gaming PC in a console form factor. It can function like that should you so choose, but it's main purpose is to be used as a computing box for PCVR for the main show the wireless VR headset the Deckard, as well as another trap to get people to try out Linux gaming just like Deck. It's design kinda follows the Apple Vision's original design plan which was a dedicated computer box that was paired with a wireless HMD, before Apple scrapped that and opted for standalone. But unlike the Apple Vision this isn't gonna be mobile, this is staying in one room, so a box would work in this instance and provide an easy access and low barrier to entry into PCVR. Honestly feels like the G3 iMac somewhat, as that was designed to be a low barrier to entry to the internet, only this is a low barrier to entry for quality VR

This box and headset providing another low barrier into PC gaming by offering an affordable console themed alternative, as well as solving two of the biggest problems VR has: the cable, and lack of high fidelity experiences. Now the question is, how powerful will it be? How much will it cost? Will it come with a second generation Steam Controller? What's the specs on the headset? Will there be a pack in title just like the Valve Index had with Half Life Alyx or the Steam Deck with Aperture Desk Job?

We'll just have to wait and see.

All good points, it’s certainly going to be interesting. Especially if it does have its own processor as rumored. I’m looking forward to calling it the “GabeStation 2” in any case.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

Update:

After three years, SteamVR 2.0 is finally here in public beta.

Valve suddenly releases SteamVR 2.0 in beta — as headset rumors swirl

Building to something big in VR?

www.theverge.com

Valve preps SteamVR overhaul as excitement grows for rumoured headset

You never know with Valve. But it looks like it's getting ready for something.

www.pcgamer.com

SteamVR 2.0 completely overhauls the interface and adds numerous new features to bring it in line with modern Steam.

This looks familiar, kinda like a spatial computing interface 🤔

Well with SteamVR 2.0 finally here as well as the recent government approvals for new hardware Valve got, Deckard's announcement is nigh. Sometime in October or November it's looking like the headset is finally getting announced.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

More evidence of Galileo just popped up

https://twitter.com/x/status/1707254474681500033