Virtual Reality

VR enthusiast Brad Lynch and his team of dataminers have found new evidence of a Valve-branded USB wireless dongle in the code of the latest SteamVR update. The Wi-Fi dongle would plug into a USB port on the PC and allow for smooth PC VR streaming without the need for a router or network configuration.

The device is even said to have been given its own vendor and product ID. Lynch sees this as an indication that the product is being finalized internally.

"Wouldn't be surprised if Deckard launched with this bundled in the box instead of a cable," writes Lynch.

It is not known whether it will be possible to use a cable for uncompressed image transmission on the headset as an alternative to the dongle.

Other standalone headsets will likely also work with Valve's USB dongle. Lynch and his team found evidence in the SteamVR code that Valve is working on Steam Link support for Pico headsets, HTC Vive Focus 3, and Vive Focus Vision. Currently, only Quest headsets are supported.

Steam Link is a VR app that was released in 2023, allowing for an easy connection between Meta Quest and SteamVR for PC VR streaming. Valve's USB wireless dongle and Steam Link are expected to be optimized for each other.

This would not be the first time that a VR headset manufacturer has offered a USB dongle for wireless PC VR streaming. In 2022, Meta released the VR Air Bridge wireless dongle for Meta Quest 2 in partnership with D-Link.

It is currently unclear whether Valve Deckard will only work in conjunction with a PC, or if it will also work as a standalone device. According to the latest rumors, the device will be released by the end of 2025 and will cost around $1,200.