When can we expect a successor to Steam Deck? According to a Valve executive, it’s going to be quite a while. But his message also contains good things.
Handhelds have experienced a real console renaissance in recent years. Above all, the Nintendo Switch has done a lot of work here and is slowly awaiting its replacement with a successor. The undisputed number two on the handheld market is probably Valve’s Steam Deck – but what about a new generation?
Not too rosy, if you’re waiting for an update in the near future. Because Valve’s management itself has now once again rejected a release in the near future.
But that doesn’t mean that everything is bad. Because in the context of the statement it also becomes clear that Valve’s plans for the successor basically go in a good direction.
Valve manager: Not in the next few years
What happened? At the Tokyo Game Show, (CNBC) got Valve manager Pierre-Loup Griffais in front of the microphone. The is considered one of the leading minds behind the Steam Deck and has also commented on the status of a successor.
LIVE from the Tokyo Game Show – the power of PC gaming, in your hand. We spoke to one of the brainchilds of the Steam Deck, Valve’s Pierre-Loup Griffais on the challenges, as games get bigger. @willkoulouris @Valvesoftware @Plagman2 TGS2023 @CapcomUSA_ @Capcomasia @OnDeck pic. twitter.com/Adz34dMqf3
– CNBC’s Street Signs (@StreetSignsCNBC) September 21, 2023
Shortly after, he again emphasized his statements to (The Verge).
The happy news: A Steam Deck 2 is not expected to be released until a significant performance jump is noticeable in the console, without sacrificing efficiency or battery life.
Considering the already manageable battery life of the Steam deck, this sounds like a good decision. Here’s what Griffais thinks:
It’s important to us […] that the message to customers is simple: any deck can play the same games. Therefore, we don’t take a change in power level lightly and only want to do it if a significant increase is possible. We also don’t want the higher performance to come at the expense of energy efficiency and battery life.
The bitter pill: Griffais doesn’t expect it to happen anytime soon:
I don’t expect such a leap to be possible in the next few years, but we’re watching innovations in architectures and manufacturing processes closely to see where things are headed.
So it’s also not completely out of the question that new handheld hardware from Valve will appear sooner. Ultimately, it all depends on when and what new components AMD, Intel and Nvidia bring to the market in the coming time. And as always, when the time comes, you’ll find out on GlobalESportNews
Editor’s Opinion
Griffai’s statement makes it unsurprisingly clear to me that we shouldn’t expect a successor to Steam Deck in the coming year. And even for the year 2025, it is still written in the stars whether a revamped version of the handheld console will appear.
However, that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t expect any new variants of the Steam Deck at all in that time. I don’t think minor adjustments to keep the console fresh are out of the question.
Two things can be deduced from this for me: First, 2024 should be the undisputed year of the Switch 2 on the handheld market. And second, it’s now more than likely that Valve’s upcoming product will be a new pair of VR goggles.
What do you guys think? When do you expect Valve to release a successor to the Steam Deck? In your opinion, does the handheld even need an upgrade yet? Or would a release just be unfair to everyone who has only recently purchased the console. What new features should a Steam Deck 2 offer? Feel free to write it to me in the comments!
