Steam Deck 2 in the works, but still years away
Valve confirms the new OLED version will remain the primary Deck system for at least two to three years.
Steam Deck 2 mockup, Source:VideoCardz/The Verge
The recently announced Steam Deck OLED will not be replaced for at least another two years. Valve is talking about the new device, which they don’t have a final name yet, but it’s commonly called Steam Deck 2. The company feels that the update to the platform will make sense once there is a generational leap in performance to justify the new product.
The Steam Deck won’t be available for another 2 to 3 years, confirmed Lawrence Yang (Valve Product Designer) to Bloomberg. The device referred to as ‘next-generation’ will deliver a power upgrade, but it is too early to discuss the specifics. Other engineers at Valve explained the reasoning why the company feels no pressure.
“I don’t know. It’ll be a while. I think it’ll be quite a while. We don’t have any kind of set date. I think we’re going to wait for the technology to present itself in a way that we find interesting and for the team to really want to make that leap. We’re very, very, very proud of this version of Steam Deck and this is it. This is the one that we’re the most happy with and we think customers will be too.
So we’re thinking about Steam Deck 2 at all times, but I think we’re so satisfied here that this is really the kind of high end of what we wanted to do.”
— Jay Shaw, Steam Deck designer
Valve has clarified that it holds a favorable position in comparison to competitors like ASUS. The company emphasizes its direct communication with game developers, ensuring that their systems offer an optimal gaming experience. In fact, the company has already listed 4000 games as “Deck Verified” ensuring full system compatibility. In contrast, ASUS and Lenovo rely on Microsoft for the Windows operating system and AMD for drivers to deliver a similar experience.
Moreover, Valve has said that they don’t want to copy annual device launches similar to Apple’s approach. Even though the current handheld market is similar to the early smartphone era, Valve has said that it doesn’t plan to release new Steam Deck versions as often. The company is committed to extending the lineup beyond the second iteration, according to interviews. The Steam Deck LCD and OLED are clearly just a beginning.
Source: IGN, Bloomberg, GamersNexus, Polygon
