by theygamesValve may have already released “the best handheld around” as we coined it in our Steam Deck review, but the company is already hard at work putting together Steam Deck 2. This isn’t too surprising given how many people are clearly interested in the Deck. Time will tell, however, how much of an upgrade it will offer and whether it can stand up to more powerful competitors.
Most handheld enthusiasts likely already have a wishlist of features they’d like to see included in the company’s next system, and we reckon the Steam Deck 2 should be modular. That’s not to say Valve agrees, but it’d negate any need for multiple versions boasting different specs and traits.
Valve may be keeping the finer details of what it’s cooking up in its Washington offices under strict lock and key. However, we do have some ideas of what to expect from the Steam Deck 2 compared to its current generation portable powerhouse.
Here’s everything we know about Steam Deck 2:
Steam Deck 2 release date speculation
Given how young the inaugural Steam Deck is, we shouldn’t expect the Steam Deck 2 release date to come around anytime soon. However, this doesn’t mean that we couldn’t see refined versions of the existing Deck in the near future, similar to how Nintendo refreshed its Switch line-up with the OLED model.
Steam Deck 2 price speculation
Gabe Newell previously described hitting the $399 USD / £349 MSRP of Steam Deck’s base model as “painful”, so it’s possible that Steam Deck 2 could cost more, especially given that the price of materials needed to make PC components continues to rise. However, Valve may be able to offset the lower profit margins of entry-level Steam Deck 2 models by producing more high-spec variants.
Speaking with Edge magazine, Newell shared that the Deck’s “most popular SKU is the most expensive one”. He says that the company is reading this concentrated demand as customers saying, “we would like an even more expensive version of this, in terms of horsepower capabilities or whatever.” So, we could see a premium version of Steam Deck 2 surpassing the existing $649 USD / £569 GBP ceiling.
Steam Deck 2 specs rumours
There’s no official word or any substantial leaks surrounding Steam Deck 2 specs, but Valve has made some comments about what it would like to improve with future iterations of its handheld gaming PC.
In a recent interview, Valve says it wants Steam Deck 2 to feature better battery life and screen. Battery life could be much improved over the current Deck by increasing the battery capacity above 40Whr which would help to address one of the core complaints about it.
Meanwhile, an OLED or QD-OLED display would offer much greater colour accuracy over the current IPS LCD panel, while also allowing Valve to significantly reduce the borders surrounding the screen.
Steam Deck 2 performance rumours
Until we get closer to its launch date, there won’t be any official or leaked Steam Deck 2 performance benchmarks to pour over. As such, we hope at the very least to see Valve make improvements to battery life and gaming performance compared to the current deck. Either way, playing videogames on a Steam Deck 2 should require less guesswork, as more Steam games’ compatibility levels should be documented.