It seems strange to me that people are already talking about and expecting a new Steam Deck release before many of us have even had the opportunity to play around with the current version, but yet here we are. After an endless onslaught from Valve fans about when the next console will be released, Valve designer Lawrence Yang decided to sit down with Rock Paper Shotgun to address fans’ requests.
In the interview, Lawrence Yang stated that it would be a good few years still before the company would even consider releasing another upgraded version of the Steam Deck and that fans holding out for the next iteration would be better off just purchasing the current model.
It’s no surprise that Valve would be holding off on a newer model as the current version supports over 8000 games that are rated either Playable or Verified by Valve’s official Compatibility program. And that list isn’t just indie games either, games like Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, and the Dead Space remake have all been praised for how well they run on the current hardware.
However, just because Valve isn’t planning the next big release anytime soon doesn’t mean that another, slightly improved version isn’t in the cards. Think of it as the Nintendo Lite if you will, but back in December, Lawrence Yang said during an interview that they’d like a Steam Deck 2.0 to address some of the battery life pain points users have brought to their attention.
Still, at the moment the team responsible for the Steam Deck is wholly focused on developing value-add features for the current model such as HDR support for compatible external monitors.
Have you gotten your hands on one of these bad boys yet? and if so, what’s you’re opinion on it? let us know in the comments.