Hold your breath, Steam Deck fans! Valve isn't dropping any hints about a Steam Deck 2, even with exciting new hardware on the horizon. They've just unveiled a wave of new products, including the Steam Machine, a living room console; the Steam Frame, a VR headset; and a refreshed Steam Controller.
But what about the handheld gaming device that captured our hearts?
Valve is keeping mum. As Pierre-Loup Griffais, a Valve software engineer, put it, the Steam Deck isn't the focus of today's announcements. He did, however, mention how the learnings from the Steam Deck have influenced the development of their new products.
Interestingly, Valve isn't even confirming if the new drift-resistant TMR joysticks, found in the Steam Controller and Steam Frame's wands, will make their way into a future Steam Deck. Steve Cardinali, a Valve hardware engineer, stated that they are always looking for ways to improve the Steam Deck. But here's where it gets controversial... he also mentioned that there are no current plans to offer the TMR joysticks as a drop-in module for the original Deck.
Want to know more?
Valve is holding a subscriber-exclusive AMA (Ask Me Anything) session on November 12th at 3 PM ET.
While Valve has confirmed that sequels are in the cards, they're not rushing. Since 2022, Griffais has consistently emphasized that Valve wants to see a significant leap in performance and efficiency before launching the next generation. As Lawrence Yang of Valve reiterated in 2024, they're waiting for a generational leap in computing without sacrificing battery life.
And this is the part most people miss... The question now is whether Valve will find that leap in performance and efficiency from x86 architecture. Initially, Valve considered using the Steam Deck's chip for their standalone VR headset. However, they've announced the Steam Frame with an Arm processor instead, using emulation to play some Windows games locally on the headset. Griffais believes Arm has “a lot of potential” for future handhelds.
Valve also mentioned that the Frame has a lower performance target than the Steam Deck, which is nearly four years old. This would mean a more potent Arm chip would be needed for a future handheld. Qualcomm, for example, is working on Arm chips for handhelds.
It's also possible that Valve has already found its next Steam Deck chip in AMD's future roadmaps, just like they did with the original Steam Deck, and is simply waiting for its arrival.
So, while the future is bright with possibilities, don't hold your breath for an Arm-based Steam Deck 2 just yet.
What do you think? Are you excited about the potential of an Arm-based Steam Deck? Or are you hoping for an x86 upgrade? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
