Valve, the gaming company behind the popular Steam Deck, has expressed its intention to develop a sequel to the handheld gaming device. However, according to Valve’s Pierre-Loup Griffais, this may not happen until late 2025 or even later. The reason for the potential delay is Valve’s desire to see a significant leap in performance without compromising battery life.
Prioritizing a Fixed Performance Target
Valve has made it clear that it wants the Steam Deck to offer a fixed performance target for developers and consistent gameplay for customers. Changing the performance level is not a decision to be taken lightly, as it can impact the entire gaming ecosystem. Valve only intends to make changes when there is a significant increase in performance, and not at the cost of power efficiency and battery life. Griffais emphasized that he does not anticipate such a leap in performance to be possible within the next couple of years.
Valve’s Monitoring of Technological Innovations
Although there may be no immediate plans for a Steam Deck 2, Valve is closely monitoring advancements in architectures and fabrication processes. The company is interested in observing where technology is heading and how it can potentially benefit future iterations of the handheld gaming device.
Upon the release of the Steam Deck in February 2022, it was anticipated that the performance target would remain stable until 2024. However, Griffais’ comments suggest that the current performance target will remain for a couple of years beyond that. While the Steam Deck is still capable of playing the latest PC games, it may struggle with demanding and poorly optimized titles like The Last of Us Part I, Redfall, and Starfield.
Potential Improvements in a Steam Deck Sequel
Although Valve is not planning to change the performance floor in a potential Steam Deck refresh, there are other areas the company could focus on. Screen and battery life are identified as pain points by Griffais and fellow designer Lawrence Yang. A new screen, for example, could enhance perceived performance by improving the visuals, even without a new chip to enhance the frame rate. The Asus ROG Ally, which utilizes a variable refresh rate screen, has demonstrated how this can lead to a smoother gaming experience. Valve could also consider raising the ceiling of performance by introducing a turbo mode for plugged-in gameplay, similar to other handheld devices.
Valve has several options when it comes to improving the Steam Deck. It could work with AMD to shrink and optimize the existing chip, reducing power consumption. Another possibility is finding a better screen that offers enhanced visual quality. Alternatively, Valve might prioritize a larger battery to improve the device’s battery life. Finally, there is speculation that the mysterious projects codenamed Galileo and Sephiroth could be related to a SteamVR standalone headset. While there is also a theory floating around that Galileo could be a Steam living room PC that interacts with a headset, Griffais recently dismissed this idea.
Valve’s plans for a Steam Deck 2 may not come to fruition until late 2025 or beyond. The company is dedicated to maintaining a fixed performance target while seeking substantial improvements in performance without compromising battery life. While the current Steam Deck can handle the latest PC games, it may struggle with demanding titles. Valve has identified screen and battery life as potential areas for improvement in a future iteration of the handheld device. With Valve’s history of innovation, gamers can expect exciting possibilities for the future of the Steam Deck.
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