Valve has been known to be working on a new virtual reality headset for at least four years now, as a follow-up to the mildly successful Valve Index, which launched in 2019. In 2021, we first learned that it was codenamed Deckard, and now, reports state that this new device is potentially very close to its release. According to Upload VR, Valve's Deckard headset has entered mass production, intending to ship up to 400,000–600,000 units annually.
The news comes Chinese analyst firm, XR Research Institute, which claims that the next-gen headset is actually launching this year, with production lines already filled. Upload VR reports that the Steam Deck has sold around 5 million units so far, while Meta's popular Quest 2 VR headset shipped 20 million units. This could be a sign that Valve has grand designs for its next hardware release to land well with customers, with the supply to match it.
