The Virtual Reality headset market might not be in the best shape but Valve still insists on developing a newer headset to replace the Valve Index, which came out in 2019.
Valve’s VR headset has faced stiff competition from the likes of Oculus and HTC Vive in a struggling market. But, while it'd be easy to assume for Valve to give up on the VR industry after the success of the Steam Deck, this isn't the case. Valve has been quietly continuing its efforts in making a new VR headset. According to Greg Coomer, a product designer at Valve, the company is not giving up on the VR market.
In an interview with the Korean website, This is Game, Coomer states that Valve is developing a new VR headset. However, he cannot reveal the specifics of the upcoming VR device.
Interestingly, there are rumors that Valve’s Half-Life: Alyx is coming to PS VR2, which might have something to do with Valve's ongoing interest in the VR market.
With that said, it's clear Valve is taking hardware development seriously. Last year, the company introduced the Steam Deck, which became a huge hit among gamers looking for a portable gaming option. The Steam Deck is now part of Valve's long-term plans with a successor already in the pipeline.
The Steam Deck’s success is partly due to the device launching with a lower price tag compared to other handheld PCs on the market. However, Valve’s Index is priced at $1,000 and faces strong competition from other headsets that are available for a lower price.
Recently, Sony released the PlayStation VR2 headset at half the price of a Valve Index. The PS VR2 has received glowing reviews from gamers for being a feature-packed device.
Meta also released the Meta Quest 2 for just $299. The budget-friendly device has received positive reviews and Meta has shipped over 10 million headsets since its release.
It will be interesting to see how Valve competes with lower-priced options that are currently available in the market. Sony’s offering is already being considered a premium option and a higher-priced device may struggle in a market that is the in midst of a recession.
Hopefully, Valve will use the success of the Steam Deck as a springboard for its new VR headset. A reasonably priced and feature-packed device may perform really well in the VR niche.
