hot in front, Valve published a job offer to “prototype, ship and support” a headset VR equipped with advanced tracking functions. But let’s not beat around the bush and get straight to the point! Here is what is indicated on the job description:
At Valve, we push the boundaries of virtual reality experiences. We are looking for versatile and autonomous software engineers who can help us take the next steps in VR, which now has millions of customers around the world.
The main objective of this position is to prototype, ship and support consumer gaming products by leveraging the various tracking technologies: HMD, controllers, passthrough, AI, eye and hand tracking.
the Valve Indexthe set VR for the company’s $999 PC, has been on the market for more than three years. It still offers best-in-class tracking and audio quality, but its resolution 1600×1440 per eye has been overtaken by lower priced helmets as the Meta Quest 2 and the PICO 4, and it does not support wireless play (althougha start-up is working on an adapter).
In May 2021, the CEO of Valve, Gabe Newell, talked about “making big investments in new helmets”. Three months later, the product designer Valve Greg Coomer was questioned by The Verge on the possibility of using the chip from the Steam Deck in a headset VR autonomous. He replied that she “would work well in that environment” and said it would be a good idea to implement it for the firm’s future projects.
In February this yearwhile the delivery of Steam Deck was beginning, Gabe Newell mentioned the VR in multiple media interviews. He told the magazine edge that the Steam Deck represented battery-operable power that could eventually be used in applications VR, specifying: “We are not there yet, but it is a springboard. In discussing Steam Deck technology with Eurogamer, he wondered why there couldn’t be this in a solution VR integrated wireless.
The first direct evidence of a specific new helmet was discovered late last year by the now very well-known YouTuber Brad Lynch (SadlyItsBradley) in the driver files code SteamVR. The discovered helmet is codenamed “Deckard”the surname of the protagonist of blade runner. Ars-Technica said his sources have confirmed the existence of the Deckard. A patent application from Valve made public four months ago may have revealed the strap design of the Deckardalthough he did not concretely show any technical details.
The new job posting indicates that Deckard could be equipped with head and joystick tracking systems, eyes (eye tracking) and hands (hand-tracking), a transparency function (pass-through) and another for environmental analysis (IA). the pass-through and understanding the environment could mean that it will also support mixed reality, but it could also be a simple evolution of the security system SteamVR Chaperone.
If the Deckard is soon delivered, it could attack the Meta Quest Pro of Meta… By the way, if the Meta Quest 2 interests you, know that you can always afford it at the Fnac, Darty or Amazon for €449.99.