Valve on Steam Deck 2: "Incremental Upgrades for Handheld Consoles Are Unfair to Consumers"

The gaming industry has a strong appetite for sequels. Whether it's iconic titles like Half-Life 2, Left 4 Dead 2, or Portal 2, or the technology we use to play them, sequels often bring improvements. Gaming headsets, keyboards, and mice have all seen upgrades with each new release, thanks to advancements in tech—and now the same is happening in the growing world of handheld gaming PCs.

That said, aside from the Ayaneo 2, we haven’t yet seen a true next-gen gaming handheld PC. But some are on the horizon, like the MSI Claw 2, and perhaps more eagerly awaited, the Steam Deck 2. I recently spoke with two Steam Deck designers from Valve, who gave me a small update on their approach to the Steam Deck 2.

“We really want to wait for a generational leap in performance without sacrificing battery life before we release the true second generation of Steam Deck. But it’s something we’re excited about and are actively working on,” said Steam Deck designer Lawrence Yang. Yang also emphasized that the Steam Deck OLED isn’t the Steam Deck 2. “When we launched the OLED, we made it clear that it’s not a second-gen device. It’s more of what we wish we could have initially shipped for the Steam Deck [LCD], and I think that’s been proven,” Yang explained.

Looking ahead, AMD has announced the Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip, which is expected to boost gaming handheld performance by 2025. Similarly, Intel's Lunar Lake could be a strong competitor in the handheld market. Meanwhile, the next Nintendo Switch, rumored to feature an upgraded Nvidia chip, promises significant performance improvements over the original Switch. Regardless of which option Valve selects for the Steam Deck 2, it’s encouraging to hear that they’re focused on both performance gains and the crucial factor of battery life.