It is now known that Valve is working on a Steam Deck 2 of sorts. The company released a Steam Deck Booklet designed to let new users learn more about the Steam Deck and Valve in general.
In the booklet, Valve reiterates that it will continue to support the current Steam Deck for years to come with software updates and even hardware support.
The booklet also mentions Valve’s dedication to an open platform and consumer-friendly practices. Specifically, practices such as right to repair and the ability to install whichever OS you want on the Steam Deck. This is certainly a breath of fresh air given that some major companies take measures to prevent users from even opening the devices they purchase.
But what about the Steam Deck 2?
Worry not, the Steam Deck 2 was indeed confirmed, though it might be named something different. Towards the end of the booklet Valve stated:
“Steam Deck represents the first in a new category of Steam handheld gaming PCs. In the future, Valve will follow up on this product with improvements and iterations to hardware and software, bringing new versions of Steam Deck to market.”
More info that should garner the interest of PC gamers was also confirmed in the booklet. Gamers looking to switch to Linux have been wondering if and when they can install Steam OS on their desktops. Valve had this to say:
“We’ll soon be shipping a general installer for SteamOS, enabling any PC to take advantage of all of its features.”
While we didn’t get a release date, instead having to deal with the “Soon ™” stand-in, it’s exciting to know that it is on the way and we shouldn’t have to wait too long to get it.
All in all, it’s an exciting look into the future of handheld PC gaming. As for Valve’s next iteration of the Steam Deck, and whether it gets the “2” or not, is something we’ll find out in due time. It will be interesting to see how a successor shapes up in terms of specs and features, especially now that other companies have plans to create similar handheld gaming PCs.
