Valve’s upcoming ‘Roy’ controllers for the Deckard headset have been spotted in SteamVR’s driver files, giving us a sneak peek at their features and design.
Earlier this month, a Discord group dedicated to SteamVR datamining, led by XR enthusiast Brad Lynch, first uncovered mentions of Valve’s ‘Roy’ controllers in the code. This discovery hinted that these controllers would come equipped with bumpers and a D-pad, allowing them to function like a traditional gamepad for flatscreen gaming.
Recently, that same group unearthed 3D models of the Roy controllers, confirming their earlier findings. These models revealed that in addition to the bumpers and D-pad, the controllers also feature thumbsticks, buttons, index and grip triggers, and system buttons.
The name “Roy” appears to nod to the antagonist from Blade Runner, which aligns with the codename for Valve’s new headset, Deckard, named after the film’s protagonist.
Brad Lynch recently shared a Twitter update showing the progress of these controllers from prototype stage to the brink of mass production. Initially, Valve considered a design with rings, akin to the early Oculus Quest controllers, as reflected in a 2022 patent, but seems to have settled on a ringless design for the finalized model.
These hints suggest Valve is gearing up to unveil their next headset, more than half a decade after the Index. But what type of device will the Deckard turn out to be? Judging by the Roy controller design, along with a 2022 job posting from Valve, it seems the headset might use computer vision tracking via its onboard cameras. This could potentially lower the overall cost and eliminate the need for base stations.
Moreover, the inclusion of a D-pad and bumpers implies a significant emphasis on playing standard Steam games on a virtual display. Last year, Valve also indicated that the Deckard would aim to wirelessly stream content from your PC, enhancing usability—a claim supported by previous datamined information.
The big question remains: will Deckard target enthusiast gamers like the Index, or aim for a more budget-friendly price point to rival Meta’s Quest series? While Valve’s existing Steam Link app allows Quest users to enjoy SteamVR wirelessly for free, hinting at a high-end focus, the success of their Steam Deck hints they might be willing to offer a more competitively priced product, should they choose to.
For now, we’ll keep an ear to the ground, paying close attention to any future insights the SteamVR datamining community might dig up about Valve’s intriguing plans.
