Valve’s ‘Roy’ Controller Models for Deckard Unveiled in SteamVR Data

Recently, some intriguing details about Valve Deckard’s ‘Roy’ controllers have come to light, discovered within SteamVR driver files, showcasing both their design and various inputs.

Earlier this month, members of Brad Lynch’s Discord group, avid enthusiasts of XR and keen SteamVR dataminers, stumbled upon code references pointing to Valve’s ‘Roy’ controllers. This code revealed that these controllers are set to feature bumpers and a D-pad, transforming them into handy gamepads suited for flatscreen gaming.

Fast forward to now, and the same diligent group has uncovered 3D models of the Roy controllers. These models confirm their design and reveal additional details including thumbsticks, buttons, index triggers, grip triggers, and system buttons, all of which are integral to the setup.

A curious detail is that Roy likely nods to the villain from Blade Runner, aligning with the apparent headset codename ‘Deckard’, which pays homage to the movie’s hero.

Diving into Brad Lynch’s Twitter, you find a fascinating progression of Valve Deckard’s Roy controllers transitioning from prototype stages to more mature production-ready designs.

The most recent model iterations exhibit a sleek, ringless design. However, the dataminers had also unearthed earlier ringed iterations reminiscent of the original Oculus Quest controllers, which first surfaced in a Valve patent back in 2022.

These discoveries imply that Valve’s new headset might be on the horizon, potentially closing in on six years since the Index debuted. But what could Deckard’s headset represent?

Looking at the Roy controller’s design and a 2022 job listing from Valve, it seems plausible that the headset will employ computer vision tracking via onboard cameras. This approach could significantly reduce costs by eliminating the need for base stations. The existence of bumpers and a D-pad also signals that Valve might be emphasizing flatscreen Steam games played on a virtual display. Additionally, last November, Valve teased that the headset might zero in on cable-free streaming of Steam content straight from PCs, a theory that previous datamining teased as well.

Now, the big question: will Deckard cater to high-end enthusiasts, akin to the Index, or will it battle for dominance in the affordable sector against Meta’s Quest series? Particularly in a time when Valve’s Steam Link app can turn Quests into seamless wireless SteamVR headsets for free, the first scenario might look more feasible. Yet, the Steam Deck reveals that Valve isn’t adverse to offering subsidized hardware if they fancy it.

A tweet from Brad Lynch even shows a visual comparison between various controllers, including Valve Index, Valve Roy, and Meta Quest 3.

Rest assured, we’ll be closely monitoring the SteamVR datamining community over the coming months, eager for any more whispers of what Valve might be crafting next.