The release of the Steam Deck was always a risk for Valve, but it’s a risk that has paid off. The 1-year-old handheld device has been a roaring success that’s moved from strength to strength. Over the past year, more games have been awarded the verified status on the console, and the impressive hardware has been used to the best of the communities ability. Of course, now that it’s been a year, buyers are likely wondering about a next-gen variant — perhaps a Steam Deck 2.
No next-gen Steam Deck “For a few years”
In a recent interview with Designer Lawrence Yang and Engineer Pierre-Loup Griffais via Rock Paper Shotgun, a number of pertinent questions were posed. The pair spoke about the success of the console, the often surprising usage, and what lies in wait.
As to the question of seeing a next-gen Steam Deck, it’s going to be a while. By the sounds of it, we haven’t even seen the limits of what the first console can do. The duo keep expectations at bay: “a true next-gen Deck with a significant bump in horsepower wouldn’t be for a few years.” I guess they want to make sure we get something truly groundbreaking with the next one. One thing is for certain, knowing Valve’s track record, we’re never going to see a Steam Deck 3.
The current handheld is far from a dust collector, though. The pair note that “of the people who’ve purchased a Steam Deck, 42% of them end up spending the majority of their Steam gaming time on Steam Deck.” This is a remarkable figure and just proves that the availability of the games on the Steam Deck is adequate. Not only that, but the smoothness with which they run has apparently been satisfactory for adopters.
Screenshot via Valve
On the subject of game compatibility, the range has been wildly impressive. For many, the main concern was that their library wouldn’t run on the relatively small platform. Surprisingly, this isn’t the case. We see many titles, including new ones, running well within the constraints of the console. They rightfully boast that it’s “true that the prettied-up likes of Atomic Heart and the Dead Space remake can run on the Steam Deck with the right settings, and even the famously demanding Cyberpunk 2077 recently won Verified status.”
