It’s beginning to look a lot like Valve’s got some new hardware hidden up its sleeve — if you can call the floods of rumours about its next VR headset ‘hidden’. Known as the ‘Deckard’ in leaks, but in reality called the ‘Steam Frame’, a fresh set of leaks from multiple insiders reckon the device will be revealed as soon as this week.
And, you might be tired of hearing it, but the talk of the town isn’t actually the headset itself (though we don’t doubt it’ll live up to the expectations), but rather the software coming with it. We’re of course talking about the mythical Half-Life 3, which could finally get its start as a VR title, following in the footsteps of Half-Life: Alyx.
In the right Frame of mind
The reveal might even happen today, according to Moore’s Law is Dead (another reliable source), at 10h30 Pacific Time — or rather, 20h30 SAST. Another leaker, SadlyItsBradley, also believes the Steam Frame will become official today, adding the news that Valve “will need a week or two to explain the device”, whatever that means.
Further solidifying the rumours that the Steam Frame reveal is imminent, Valve last dropped some new hardware in the form of the Steam Deck OLED in November 2023, right in time for the holidays. Add in the reports of the headset entering mass production in early October. That might seem too late for a November reveal, but its niche nature and rumoured price likely mean Valve doesn’t have to worry about filling the whole warehouse too fast.
While the Steam Frame seems like a slam dunk, Half-Life 3… isn’t. Gabe Newell sneezing three times in quick succession could get people excited about the return of Gordon Freeman, so take the following news with a grain of salt. Xbox Era co-founder Shpeshal Nick teased an announcement so big that “GTA 6 could actually have it’s (sic) thunder stolen on the hype scale.” Whether that’ll actually come to pass remains to be seen.
As for the price, all signs point to a starting price of around $1,200, which would put the device over the R20k mark locally. We wouldn’t put it past Valve to release a cutting-edge device that’s actually worth the high price. Fortunately, we won’t be left guessing for much longer.
