Valve might have already launched “the most effective handheld round” as we coined it in our Steam Deck overview, however the firm is already arduous at work placing collectively Steam Deck 2. This isn’t too shocking given how many individuals are clearly within the Deck, with the quantity of reservations already pushing the anticipated availability of the machine all the way in which again to ‘after Q2’ of this yr. Time will inform, nonetheless, how a lot of an improve it can provide and whether or not it may stand as much as opponents just like the Ayaneo Subsequent.
Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve, nonchalantly confirmed the existence of Steam Deck 2 in an interview with Edge journal, saying that the discharge of the corporate’s handheld gaming PC would “assist body our considering for Deck 2.” Newell elaborated that the design of a brand new Deck would concern itself with capitalizing on “the capabilities that cell offers us, above and past what you’ll get in a conventional desk or laptop computer gaming atmosphere.”
Sadly, Valve is protecting the finer particulars of what it’s cooking up in its Washington workplaces underneath strict lock and key. Nonetheless, we do have some concepts of what to anticipate from the Steam Deck 2’s specs in comparison with the corporate’s present moveable powerhouse.
Right here’s every little thing we learn about Steam Deck 2:
Steam Deck 2 launch date
On condition that Valve simply launched the inaugural Steam Deck, we shouldn’t count on the Steam Deck 2 launch date to return round anytime quickly. Nonetheless, this doesn’t imply that we couldn’t see refined variations of the prevailing Deck within the close to future, just like how Nintendo refreshed its Swap line-up with the OLED mannequin.
Steam Deck 2 worth
Gabe Newell beforehand described hitting the $399 USD / £349 MSRP of Steam Deck’s base mannequin as “painful”, so it’s doable that Steam Deck 2 might price extra, particularly on condition that the worth of supplies wanted to make PC parts continues to rise. Nonetheless, Valve might be able to offset the decrease revenue margins of entry-level Steam Deck 2 fashions by producing extra high-spec variants.
Talking with Edge journal, Newell shared that the Deck’s “hottest SKU is the costliest one”. He says that the corporate is studying this concentrated demand as prospects saying, “we wish an much more costly model of this, by way of horsepower capabilities or no matter.” So, we might see a premium model of Steam Deck 2 surpassing the prevailing $649 USD / £569 GBP ceiling.
Steam Deck 2 specs
There’s no official phrase or any substantial leaks surrounding Steam Deck 2 specs, however we are able to make some educated guesses based mostly on the make-up of the prevailing Deck. Battery life may very well be a lot improved over the present Deck by growing the battery capability above 40Whr which might assist to deal with one of many core complaints about it.
An OLED or QD-OLED show would provide a lot larger color accuracy over the present IPS LCD panel, whereas additionally permitting Valve to considerably cut back the borders surrounding the display screen.
The present model of Valve’s handheld wields an RDNA 2 chip, however the Steam Deck 2 might come outfitted with a brand new AMD Ryzen APU. Dubbed “Little Phoenix”, it goals to be an “extremely low powered” model of the next-gen Phoenix level CPU, that includes 4 cores, eight threads, and 4 WorkGroup Processors.
Steam Deck 2 efficiency
Till we get nearer to its launch date, there received’t be any official or leaked Steam Deck 2 efficiency benchmarks to pour-over. As such, we hope on the very least to see Valve make enhancements to battery life and gaming efficiency in comparison with the present deck. Both means, enjoying videogames on a Steam Deck 2 ought to require much less guesswork, as extra Steam video games’ compatibility ranges must be documented.
