Leaked 3D models hidden in a recent SteamVR update appear to show off a new VR motion controller, sparking renewed hope that Valve is gearing up to release its long-rumored ‘Deckard’ VR standalone headset.

As reported by tech analyst and YouTuber Brad ‘SadlyitsBradley’ Lynch, two newly discovered controllers have leaked in recent SteamVR drivers, which includes a new VR motion controller, code-named ‘Roy’, and a new gamepad, code-named ‘Ibex’.

Unlike standard VR motion controllers, which typically feature two action buttons per controller, the leaked Roy model reflects a decidedly more traditional gamepad-style button layout: a directional pad on the left controller, four action buttons on the right controller, start and select buttons, as well as bumper buttons above each controller’s trigger.

Images courtesy Brad Lynch

The layout would ostensibly allow for better out-of-the-box support for titles that use traditional gamepads, essentially positioning Deckard to capitalize on Steam’s massive catalogue of flatscreen games in addition to standard VR titles.

The image above shows off the resultant models when imported into Blender, the 3D computer graphics software tool suite. If you’re looking to grab the files themselves though, it appears Valve has now patched them out in its latest SteamVR software hotfix.

Lynch, who has covered many such Valve leaks in the past, maintains files also specified that every button on Roy “has capacitive touch likely to aid in hand skeleton creation.” Lynch also speculates some of the UI input will likely rely on Deckard’s supposed eye-tracking capabilities.

Meta’s Touch Pro controller | Image courtesy Meta

While many VR headset manufacturers have adopted layouts similar to Meta’s Touch controllers since their initial release in 2016 with the original Oculus Rift, Valve has a history of doing things differently.

Valve’s Index (aka ‘Knuckles’) controllers allow for ‘hands-off’ interactions thanks to the inclusion of a snug-fitting wrist strap, and also incorporate small touch pads on each controller for UI navigation, which can also emulate input for games created for the older HTC Vive wand controllers.

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Valve Deckard has been the source of speculation since data miners first found a string in a January 2021 Steam update that mentioned the alleged VR standalone. It’s rumored that Deckard may include PC VR wireless streaming capabilities, eye-tracking, as well as passthrough AR features, potentially putting it in competition with Meta Quest and/or Apple Vision Pro.

Additionally, a separate controller model surfaced in the leak, which seems to mirror the control scheme seen in Valve’s Steam Deck handheld, code-named Ibex. Below is a render model thumbnail leaked in SteamVR drivers, showing off Ibex’s prominent Deck-style dual touchpads.

Image courtesy Brad Lynch

Data miners are still hoping to see similar renders of Deckard itself, which for now seems to still be tightly under wraps, with Valve thus far making no public comment on its existence. Considering the company was so quick to redact the two controller models, it’s possible they’ll be treading lightly when it comes to further software-related leaks in the future.

Whether the controller leaks were intentional or not on the part of Valve, both software and supply chain leaks happen all the time though, the most notable of which was the leak of Valve Index six months before its official June 2019 debut, showing off the physical exterior of the PC VR headset in full.

We’ll be keeping our eyes on all things Valve in the coming months, as the inclusion of controller models in SteamVR software could point to another unpredictably sudden release—which would be all too typical of Valve.

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Scott Hayden
Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 4,000 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • Storymode Chronicles

    As always, the greatest interest I have in new Valve tech is the software they're cooking up to showcase it. Alyx was a defining moment in VR. Half-Life 2 cemented Steam as the industry standard for content delivery. Even Aperture Desk Job was a great, if modest, showcase for the Steam Deck.

    It's tempting given the bubbling rumors surrounding reinvigorated Half-Life 3 development to wonder whether that game may actually be the showcase for Deckard. In which case, there could actually be some interesting clues given those rumors coupled with these controller designs. One of the main things we keep hearing about Half-Life 3, aside from being designed with rogue-like and immersive sim elements, is that it will also be a return to standard 2D game design.

    In this light, adopting a VR controller design capable of playing standard 2D games also seems to revive hope that perhaps a major VR player will begin to really push standardizing the ability to play 2D games in VR through comprehensive conversion principles, such as we've seen the VR mod community fine tune since it's inception now culminating recently in the excellent UEVR.

    Imagining a gaming ecosystem where players can start playing a game in 2D and seamlessly move to both Steam Deck and Deckard is certainly very enticing. If that game is Half- Life 3 it's really just the icing on the cake at that point. If Valve really focused on integrating tools like UEVR and standardizing these approaches across engines and instilling these design principles in Steam partners, it could be a real game changer for VR adoption with the scarcity of quality AAA games playable in VR seeming to be one of the main limiting factors for adoption, despite early movement with games like Skyrim and Resident Evil.

    This is also one of the quiet failures of PSVR2. During development, there were plenty of rumblings that Sony would either encourage or even require that all or at least most games on the platform be playable in immersive VR, not just on a large 2D screen in VR, but fully immersed in the game world, as least as camera control. Personally, I know if they had followed through on this alone it would have changed my current gen VR purchase from a Quest 3 to a PSVR2. But, if those games could also be played on a PS Vita 2, or a PSP 2, they would likely have a gamer for life in me.

    As computing capabilities continue to merge with the basic requirements for generating an immersive environment, this almost seems like an inevitability. As with the Steam Deck now being able to play nearly every PC game in handheld form, we are also beginning to see the trickles of PCVR into Quest 3 games in the same way. Metro Awakening, Behemoth, and Alien: Rogue Incursion are all feature-identical across mobile, PC and console platforms.

    At some point in the relatively near future, the hardware that runs mobile VR platforms such as Quest 3 and reportedly Deckard will be capable of reproducing feature-identical PC games in the same manner that Steam Deck is today. Perhaps in the same way Steam Deck translated the Nintendo Switch's successes into a whole new market of successful handheld PC gaming devices, Deckard can do the same with Meta's Quest successes. Who knows, maybe Nintendo itself will even join the club with Switch 2 or 3, pulling off the ultimate trifecta of switching between handheld, TV, and VR.

    • Hussain X

      Let's also not forget Reshade 3D where you can play games in 3D on a giant curved screen. Very immersive compared to 2D gaming on a standard monitor. Maybe some official blessing from Valve for Reshade 3D or similar first party app, and then game studios just need to optimise the settings for it (very minimal effort required compared to VR mode). 3D gaming on a giant curved screen with borders around to give some grounding will also ease people into VR who otherwise might get motion sick going straight into things like UEVR. Then this will get more people going from 2D, to 3D, to VR and big game studios will also move this way.

    • Stephen Bard

      I often lament the intentionally primitive graphics of most standalone and PCVR VR games, given the impressive capabilities exemplified even on the Quest 3 with such examples as Red Matter 2, Asgard's Wrath 2 and Batman: Arkham Shadow. It would be amazing if there was an automated UEVR-type system to convert the many 2D games with beautiful graphics to immersive VR, reliably navigable with controllers. I am continually impressed with AI progress (particularly with video animation generation lately) and so nothing would surprise me now technically, however I suspect that the larger impediment would be the monetization of this whole process.