DecaGear
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| DecaGear | |
|---|---|
| |
| Basic Info | |
| VR/AR | Virtual Reality |
| Type | Head-mounted display |
| Subtype | PC VR |
| Platform | SteamVR |
| Creator | Deca (Megadodo Simulation Games) |
| Developer | Deca |
| Manufacturer | Deca |
| Announcement Date | October 2020 (company blog dated October 10)[1] |
| Release Date | Release unconfirmed; see delays and status |
| Price | US$449 (2020 preorder offer)[2] |
| Website | https://www.deca.net/ (historical project site) |
| Versions | DecaGear 1 |
| Requires | VR-ready PC (announced)[1] |
| Predecessor | None |
| Successor | Not established |
| System | |
| Operating System | Not specified |
| Chipset | Onboard tracking hardware; final chipset unconfirmed[3] |
| CPU | Onboard application processor planned[4] |
| GPU | Host PC rendering[1] |
| Storage | |
| Storage | Not specified |
| Memory | Not specified |
| SD Card Slot | Not verified |
| Display | |
| Display | Dual LCD (announced)[4] |
| Subpixel Layout | RGB (announced)[4] |
| Peak Brightness | Not specified |
| Resolution | 2160 × 2160 per eye (4.6MP; announced)[5] |
| Pixel Density | 1058 PPI (advertised)[2] |
| Refresh Rate | 90Hz (announced)[6] |
| Persistence | Not verified |
| Image | |
| Field of View | 114° (2020 interview; axis unspecified)[7] |
| Horizontal FoV | Not established |
| Vertical FoV | Not established |
| Average Pixel Density | Not established |
| Peak Pixel Density | Not established |
| Foveated Rendering | No (2020 interview)[7] |
| Optics | |
| Optics | Custom lenses (prototype design)[6] |
| Ocularity | Binocular[5] |
| IPD Range | Approximately 62-72mm (2020 interview)[7] |
| Adjustable Diopter | Not verified |
| Passthrough | Not verified |
| Tracking | |
| Tracking | 6DoF inside-out, four cameras (announced)[5] |
| Tracking Frequency | Not specified |
| Base Stations | None required (announced)[2] |
| Eye Tracking | Pupil movement; no dedicated eye tracking (2020 interview)[7] |
| Face Tracking | FaceFlow, 52 blendshapes (announced)[1] |
| Hand Tracking | Controller finger sensing; bare-hand capture unverified[3] |
| Body Tracking | DecaMove hip orientation; not full-body capture[8] |
| Rotational Tracking | Yes (announced 6DoF)[5] |
| Positional Tracking | Yes (announced 6DoF)[5] |
| Update Rate | Not specified |
| Tracking Volume | 225° coverage (advertised)[2] |
| Play Space | Roomscale (announced)[2] |
| Latency | Not verified |
| Audio | |
| Audio | Integrated speakers (prototype)[6] |
| Microphone | Two planned (2020 interview)[7] |
| 3.5mm Audio Jack | Headphone jack planned; size unspecified[7] |
| Camera | Four tracking cameras[5]; two IR face cameras (announced)[2] |
| Connectivity | |
| Connectivity | DisplayPort, USB 3; optional wireless mode (announced)[7] |
| Ports | DisplayPort, USB 3 (announced)[7] |
| Wired Video | DisplayPort (announced)[7] |
| Wireless Video | DecaAir option (announced)[2] |
| WiFi | Wi-Fi 5/6 streaming planned[1] |
| Bluetooth | Radio included in proposed bill of materials[4] |
| Power | Optional DecaAir battery[2] |
| Battery Capacity | See DecaAir (announced)[2] |
| Battery Life | See DecaAir estimate[2] |
| Charge Time | Not specified |
| Device | |
| Dimensions | Not specified |
| Weight | Not established |
| Material | Prototype: printed and injection-molded parts[9] |
| Headstrap | Rear DecaAir attachment (planned)[2] |
| Haptics | DecaMove haptic engine described in development update[6] |
| Color | Black/white (project illustration) |
| Sensors | IMU and camera hardware in proposed design[4] |
| Input | Two controllers; DecaMove (announced package)[3] |
| Compliance | Certification not verified |
The DecaGear (also known as DecaGear 1) is a PC VR head-mounted display project announced by Deca (Megadodo Simulation Games) in October 2020. It was designed for multiplayer games, with facial expression capture, finger-sensing controllers and hip-directed locomotion.[1]
Its original shipping target was May 2021.[2] Later company schedules moved production to 2022.[10] A June 2022 report described an inactive website and unanswered inquiries.[11] The sources establish an announced headset and prototype development, but do not confirm a commercial release or a formal cancellation.
The specifications below describe announced designs, not independently measured production hardware.
History and development
Contemporary coverage identified Deca as Singapore-based.[5] In an October interview, founder Or Kuntzman described a Bangkok team that had begun with a VR game, later called the DecaSpace framework, before moving into headset development. He said Megadodo was founded in early 2018 and had 20 full-time employees, funded by himself and another investor.[9]
The October announcement listed US$459.[1] The contemporary product page offered the first batch at US$449 with a US$10 reservation.[2] Those are historical offers rather than verified retail prices.
Valve told UploadVR on October 26 that it had provided technical help with SteamVR integration and had not worked on the headset's design. Its spokesperson had yet to try the headset. That statement verified contact over integration; it did not validate the finished hardware or its production price.[3]
Announced design
Kuntzman linked the design to social interaction: expressions for avatars, controllers that sense grip and fingers, and a separate indication of where the hips face. The accompanying Deca SDK was intended to expose the special inputs to developers. DecaSpace was proposed as a framework connecting games, rather than a separate set of social worlds.[1]
Display technology (announced)
The advertised display resolution matched the HP Reverb G2 on paper.[5] MRTV interviewer Sebastian's October 30 summary gave a 114° field of view and approximately 62-72mm IPD adjustment.[7] The field-of-view figure does not establish both horizontal and vertical angles. In February 2021, Kuntzman said the team was testing a second lens iteration.[6]
Deca's November 2020 proposed bill of materials included the displays and an onboard application processor.[4] Headset-side tracking computation was separate from PC game rendering.[3]
Tracking and controllers (announced)
Deca claimed sub-millimeter jitter in most environments.[2] This was a vendor claim, without independent measured results in the cited material.
The original controller concept combined a thumbstick, two action buttons, a menu button and an upward tracking ring with a retaining strap, grip-pressure sensing and five-finger capacitive sensing. Opening the hand was intended to release virtual objects while the strap retained the controller.[3]
On September 24, 2021, Deca showed a revised controller design without the earlier rings. It retained straps and face buttons and changed the menu-button arrangement. UploadVR could not establish the new tracking mechanism or whether the original finger and pressure sensors remained. The two versions should therefore not be treated as one finalized specification.[12]
In the February development update, Kuntzman said most tracking work concerned tuning the company's own implementation, including keeping controllers tracked near the waist. He described finger, grip-pressure and DecaMove rotation data passing through SteamVR, while facial tracking still needed SDK integration.[6]
Face tracking (FaceFlow)
FaceFlow was announced as supporting 52 facial blendshapes based on the Facial Action Coding System.[1] Two global-shutter infrared cameras were proposed: inside for pupils, eyelids, brows, forehead and upper nose; outside for mouth, lips, cheeks, tongue and lower nose.[2]
The interview summary distinguished pupil movement from dedicated eye tracking and reported no foveated rendering in that design.[7]
DecaMove hip tracker
DecaMove was part of the proposed headset package.[3] It also became a separate accessory, supplying a hip-based direction for smooth locomotion while head and hand direction could vary independently. It was an orientation input rather than full-body motion capture.[8]
UploadVR's June 2021 hands-on used a supplied Blogger Edition for several months. The reviewer described a belt clip, USB-C charging, a PC dongle and DecaHub setup. Support varied by game and headset, with about 30 titles on the contemporary compatibility list; connection and recalibration problems also occurred. That hands-on demonstrates a DecaMove unit, not a tested DecaGear headset.[8]
The company also described using DecaMove rotation for lower-body inverse kinematics and exposing its haptics and button through the SDK. Those proposed integrations should not be read as universal game support.[6]
DecaAir wireless accessory
The advertised US$49 DecaAir was a rear-mounted 7000mAh battery pack, with up to six hours of play claimed.[2] The PC would still render the game and stream it over Wi-Fi 5 or 6.[1] This was a planned mode, without independently measured streaming latency.
Physical design
In October 2020, Kuntzman described in-house printed prototypes, with some infrared-transparent parts made by injection molding. He said the team was entering quality assurance and expected a small number of prototypes by the end of that year. These were development statements, not confirmation of a completed production run.[9]
The 2020 interview also described headband speakers, two microphones, a headphone jack and magnetic face padding.[7] A final headset weight, dimensions and certification status are not established by the cited development material.
Announced pricing
The advertised base package combined the headset, two controllers and DecaMove.[3] TweakTown's November 2020 report of Deca's bill of materials gave a component range of US$202-343, excluding assembly and logistics, with prices dependent on volume and supplier restrictions.[4] A component estimate does not establish the cost of delivering a retail product.
The proposed US$449 price was below the contemporary US$999 Valve Index kit.[3] It exceeded Quest 2's US$299-399 launch range.[13]
Delays and status
On February 2, 2021, Kuntzman said May delivery was unlikely because of component shortages and supplier lead times; no replacement date was yet certain.[6] The archived September product page then named Q4 2021.[14]
The November 2021 pivot announcement explicitly said development was continuing. It estimated a viable headset price near US$700 and attributed the problem to components, financing and competition with subsidized hardware. Its new schedule proposed Blogger Edition units in Q2 2022, a limited DecaGear run in Q4 2022 and production by other device makers. It also proposed later DecaBrick software and hardware work. These dates were plans, not shipment records.[10]
On June 6, 2022, MIXED reported that the site was offline, that Megadodo had not answered inquiries, and that the outcome for preorders was unclear. The report described the project as probably dead, rather than reporting an official cancellation. No confirmed release or formal cancellation is established in this article's source review; silence and a failed website do not settle either question.[11]
Comparison with contemporary headsets
This comparison uses historical announcement or launch figures. Field-of-view figures lack a common verified measurement method and should not be treated as a measured comparison.
| Feature | DecaGear (announced) | Meta Quest 2 | HP Reverb G2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | US$449 preorder offer[2] | US$299-399 at launch[13] | US$599 announced[15] |
| Resolution | 2160×2160/eye[5] | 1832×1920/eye[16] | 2160×2160/eye[17] |
| FOV | 114° claimed, axis unspecified[7] | Not specified in cited launch announcement[16] | 114° advertised[15] |
| Face Tracking | 52 blendshapes proposed[1] | Not listed in cited launch feature set[16] | Not listed in cited product feature set[17] |
| Hip Tracker | DecaMove included in proposal[3] | Not listed in cited launch package[16] | Not listed in cited package[17] |
| Wireless | US$49 DecaAir proposal[2] | Native standalone wireless play; PC Link described separately[16] | Cabled PC design[17] |
| Status | Release unconfirmed[11] | Released October 13, 2020[18] | Released; Japanese sales subsequently ended[17] |
Announced features and evidence limits
Contemporary reporting distinguished the advertised feature set from proof of mass production at the advertised price.[5] FaceFlow demonstrations and accounts of prototype construction were evidence of development.[9] The later controller redesign showed that specifications could still change.[12] These records do not establish a retail headset's optical quality, latency or tracking accuracy.
Technical specifications summary (announced)
| Specification | Details (Announced) |
|---|---|
| Display | LCD, 2160 × 2160 per eye[4] |
| PPI | 1058 pixels per inch[2] |
| Refresh Rate | 90Hz[6] |
| FOV | 114° claim, axis unspecified[7] |
| Tracking | 6DoF inside-out (4 cameras)[5] |
| Face Tracking | FaceFlow (52 blendshapes)[1] |
| Controllers | Original: finger and pressure sensing; revised design not fully specified[3][12] |
| Hip Tracker | DecaMove included in proposed package[3] |
| Wireless | DecaAir addon (US$49)[2] |
| Price | US$449 preorder offer[2] |
| Status | Announced/prototype development; commercial release unconfirmed[9][11] |
See also
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Or Kuntzman (2020-10-10). "DecaGear 1: VR needs to be built around multiplayer experiences". Deca. https://web.archive.org/web/20201101000649/https://www.deca.net/dr_vr_headset_built_especially_for_social_experiences_and_multiplayer_gaming/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 "The multiplayer VR headset | DecaGear 1". Deca. https://web.archive.org/web/20201027005856/https://www.deca.net/decagear/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 David Heaney (2020-10-26). "Valve Confirms $450 DecaGear 4K SteamVR Headset Is Real". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/decagear-steamvr-headset/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Kevin Carbotte (2020-11-11). "Deca can actually make a profit on DecaGear 1, components cost $200". TweakTown. https://www.tweaktown.com/news/76183/deca-can-actually-make-profit-on-decagear-1-components-cost-200/index.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 Ben Lang (2020-10-23). "DecaGear PC VR Headset Promises Face & Hip-tracking, 4.6MP Per-eye, and 2021 Launch". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/decagear-vr-headset-megadodo-simulation-games/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 Or Kuntzman (2021-02-02). "DecaGear 1: Development update January 2021". Deca. https://web.archive.org/web/20210212195737/https://www.deca.net/decagear-1-development-update-january-2021/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 7.11 7.12 7.13 Sebastian (MRTV; daydreamdist) (2020-10-30). "DecaGear Interview Summary". Reddit (MRTV interviewer post). https://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/jl6d5e/decagear_interview_summary/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Jamie Feltham (2021-06-02). "Early DecaMove Review - A Little Device That Goes A Long Way For VR Locomotion". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/decamove-review/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Ben Lang (2020-10-26). "DecaGear CEO Shares Details on Company Background, Future Plans". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/decagear-background-roadmap-or-kuntzman/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Or Kuntzman (November 2021). "Shortage, Meta, Financials, It’s Time to Pivot". Deca. https://web.archive.org/web/20211112192858/https://www.deca.net/news/shortage-meta-financials-its-time-to-pivot/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Tomislav Bezmalinovic (2022-06-06). "High-end VR headset Decagear: website offline, project dead?". MIXED. https://mixed-news.com/en/high-end-vr-headset-decagear-website-offline-project-dead/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Jamie Feltham (2021-09-24). "Redesigned DecaGear Controllers Revealed". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/redesigned-decagear-controllers/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Lucas Matney (2020-09-16). "Review: Facebook’s Oculus Quest 2 is outstanding". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2020/09/16/review-facebooks-oculus-quest-2-is-outstanding/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ "DecaGear - Welcome to the future of VR". Deca. https://web.archive.org/web/20210916012548/https://www.deca.net/decagear/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 "HP, Valve, and Microsoft Removing Distance Barriers with Next-Gen Virtual Reality Headset". HP. 2020-05-28. https://www.hp.com/us-en/newsroom/press-releases/2020/hp-valve-microsoft-next-gen-virtual-reality-headset.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 "Introducing Oculus Quest 2, the Next Generation of All-in-One VR". Meta Newsroom. 2020-09-16. https://about.fb.com/news/2020/09/introducing-oculus-quest-2-the-next-generation-of-all-in-one-vr/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 "HP Reverb G2 VR Headset". HP Japan. https://jp.ext.hp.com/immersive/reverb_g2/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ "Oculus Quest 2 Is Now Available". Meta Newsroom. 2020-10-13. https://about.fb.com/news/2020/10/oculus-quest-2-is-now-available/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.