Valve remains to be engaged on a Steam Deck 2 handheld gaming PC, however do not anticipate to see a launch window revealed for it but. With the corporate additionally centered on new gadgets just like the Steam Machine, Steam Body, and the Could 4 launch of the Steam Controller, a Steam Deck successor will solely be out when Valve is assured that it’s a significant improve in comparison with the unique gadget.
“We’re laborious at work on it,” Valve programmer Pierre-Loup Griffais mentioned to IGN. “When you have a look at our {hardware} initiatives over time, you’ll be able to draw a straight line from the unique Steam Controller and Steam Machine to Steam Deck, to all the things that we’re saying and transport this yr. And we anticipate Steam Deck 2 will probably be plenty of the identical, the place plenty of what we’re doing right here will probably be learnings that construct as much as it.”
Griffais added that Valve shouldn’t be keen on “getting to some extent the place it is 20 or 30 and even 50% extra efficiency on the identical battery life” and that the corporate has a “fairly good thought” of what the subsequent Steam Deck will probably be. After its preliminary launch in 2022, Valve adopted up the Steam Deck with an OLED mannequin in November 2023, and the gadget has impressed the manufacturing of a number of different cell gaming PCs from large names within the tech house, like Asus and Lenovo.
Lately, getting certainly one of these gadgets has confirmed to be more difficult and costly. As a result of rising reminiscence and storage prices pushed by elevated demand from AI and data-center corporations, producers have needed to enhance the costs of their models. AyaNeo suspended preorders and early-bird gross sales of its upcoming Subsequent 2 handheld within the wake of quickly escalating costs for very important parts, and Valve delayed its Steam Machine launch to 2026. Pricing for the compact gaming PC has not but been introduced.
In the meantime, evaluations for the brand new $100 Steam Controller are off to a constructive begin, and should you’re questioning if it is value its excessive price ticket, you’ll be able to try GameSpot’s video review to see what makes it stand out from different peripherals in the marketplace.