Is Valve Index 2 coming after all? The latest rumours suggest it is
Well-known VR leaker Brad Lynch claims that Valve is working on new VR controllers that are well on their way to production.
Brad Lynch and his team of dataminers have found references to new VR controllers codenamed Roy in the SteamVR code.
According to the findings, the devices will have at least a DPAD, bumpers, grip buttons, triggers, ABXY buttons and a system button. The VR leaker is confident that this information is correct, based on datamining and sources who wished not to be named. In the same context, the team found references to an unreleased OpenXR extension for Roy, suggesting that these are indeed VR controllers.
Codename for Steam Controller 2 is "Ibex"
Separate product from Deckard's "Roy" controller(s)
AdAdBoth are being tooled for a mass production goal in their factories right now. That's why I know they're in later stages of productization
- Brad Lynch (@SadlyItsBradley) November 19, 2024
Roy is not to be confused with a new Steam controller codenamed Ibex, which is also in a later stage of productization, Lynch claims, and both are currently being tooled for a mass production goal in their factories.
Deckard could be a Steam Deck for your face
The codename Roy is apparently a reference to the antagonist Roy Batty from Ridley Scott's Blade Runner (1982). There have been rumors for years about a successor to the Valve Index codenamed Deckard. This codename is also a reference to Blade Runner and its protagonist Rick Deckard. The codename Roy is a strong indication that VR controllers are being developed in parallel with a new VR headset.
The fact that the Roy controllers are rumored to have a DPAD and bumpers like the Steam Deck suggests that they are also intended to be used as a gamepad for flat games in addition to virtual reality. Lynch speculates that a key feature of the new VR headset could be the ability to play the entire Steam library on a large virtual screen. Valve Index's VR controllers do not have a DPAD or bumpers (see article image).
Valve's only VR headset was released five and a half years ago. Could it be that the company will finally announce a successor next year?
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