Valve VR patent stirs up fresh hopes about rumored standalone Deckard headset

The high-powered, high-priced Valve index was the most recent virtual reality headset from Valve. The company is rumored to be working on a headset called "Deckard." There is a recent patent application that could reveal Deckard's identity.

Patents are not product roadmaps. The language used within applications is so broad that it is hard to resist close reading.

The images are telling a story. They give you enough freedom to tell a story of your own about the perfect headset. It might be possible. Below, you can judge for yourself.

The images are not the rough draft of a Deckard headset. In the majority of the patent, users can tighten and loosen the device's head strap for optimum fit. If you felt like a bit of speculation, you might compare this focus on fit to complaints that the Index was notably bulky, but prioritize comfort, it's not surprising for a virtual reality headset.

A bounty hunter is running down a replicant in the latest round of data-mined leaks about Deckard.

Lynch pulled out a number of Deckard-coded development tools in a recent video, suggesting that Valve is working on a new headset. With the recent launch of the steam deck proving that Valve can still surprise, delight and frustrate with its hardware efforts, perhaps Deckard is getting closer. This is the time to watch.