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It’s a matter of once we’ll see the Steam Deck 2, not if we’ll see it. Valve has talked publicly a number of occasions about its plans for a next-gen Steam Deck, which shouldn’t come as a shock provided that the unique is definitely the very best handheld gaming PC you should purchase.
Although the Steam Deck 2 continues to be a number of years off, Valve has been dropping hints in regards to the handheld for some time. Here’s the whole lot we all know in regards to the Steam Deck 2 proper now, from the doable launch date to particulars on specs and efficiency.
Steam Deck 2: launch date hypothesis
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It’s going to be a number of years earlier than we see the Steam Deck 2. In an interview with CNBC and The Verge, Valve’s Pierre-Loup Griffais mentioned, “… changing the performance level is not something we are taking lightly, and we only want to do so when there is a significant enough increase to be had. We also don’t want more performance to come at a significant cost to power efficiency and battery life. I don’t anticipate such a leap to be possible in the next couple of years.”
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Griffais mentioned this within the context of efficiency targets. He added that the corporate desires to make sure that the gameplay expertise is constant throughout gadgets. In different phrases, Valve doesn’t wish to transfer the efficiency goalposts for builders and gamers for no purpose. There would should be a chip that’s considerably extra highly effective than what is offered at the moment for a Steam Deck 2 to come back out, Griffais mentioned.
Adding on to that, Valve’s Lawrence Yang advised Rock Paper Shotgun that “a true next-gen Deck with a significant bump in horsepower wouldn’t be for a few years.”
It’s clear Valve is considering the way forward for the Steam Deck. We not too long ago noticed the Steam Deck OLED improve, as an example, and these interviews present that the corporate is on the lookout for a extra highly effective chip to energy a possible Steam Deck 2.
At this level, I’d guess {that a} Steam Deck 2 would arrive in 2026. That’s only a guess, so don’t learn into that date an excessive amount of. That’s far sufficient out that Valve would have entry to a mature system-on-a-chip (SoC) that’s way more highly effective than what we’ve at the moment, and it strains up with the “few more years” declare we’ve heard from Griffais and Yang.
Steam Deck 2: pricing
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I doubt the Steam Deck 2 will value $400 like the unique. Valve’s Gabe Newall described hitting $400 for the unique Steam Deck as “painful” in an interview with IGN. Given what we’ve seen from opponents just like the ROG Ally and Legion Go, the value bracket for a handheld gaming PC is way larger — usually between $600 and $800.
Valve discovered this lesson, too. In talking to Edge journal, Newall mentioned: “We thought the entry price was going to be the critical factor [for the Steam Deck’s success], but it turns out that far and away the most popular SKU is the most expensive one. That’s an example of us being a little surprised by what our customers are telling us … it helps frame our thinking for Steam Deck 2.”
We noticed Valve’s pivot on pricing in motion with the discharge of the Steam Deck OLED. Instead of a stripped-down funds model, Valve settled on a 512GB mannequin for $550 and a 1TB mannequin for $650. It maintained the $400 worth level with an older LCD model, however for the brand new OLED fashions, Valve moved the minimal worth up.
I believe Valve will do one thing related with the Steam Deck 2. It will seemingly transfer one of many OLED fashions down to keep up that $400 worth level whereas promoting the brand new variations between $500 and $700.
Right now, nonetheless, that’s simply hypothesis. Pricing situations might change in a number of years when the Steam Deck 2 is extra prone to present up, so we’ll simply have to attend till Valve has extra to share.
Steam Deck 2: specs
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At this level, it’s onerous to say what the specs of the Steam Deck 2 shall be. There’s a great probability Valve itself doesn’t know but. Rumors level to an up to date Steam Deck utilizing one other {custom} APU from AMD, just like the unique model. Online hypothesis says this chip will use AMD’s RDNA 4 graphics structure — an as of but unreleased GPU structure that can energy next-gen AMD desktop GPUs — and the Zen 4 CPU structure.
This is, nicely, hypothesis, and largely constructed on the again of a imprecise put up on the Chiphell boards. Previously, a variety of the main focus was on Valve’s Sephiroth APU, which is a follow-up to the Aerith APU featured within the unique Steam Deck. The Sephiroth APU turned out to be the chip contained in the Steam Deck OLED. It makes use of a extra environment friendly manufacturing course of and comes with further goodies like Wi-Fi 6E, nevertheless it’s not a generational leap.
We’ll seemingly have a good suggestion of what the APU will appear to be previous to the Steam Deck 2’s launch. Valve doesn’t manufacture a variety of chips, in spite of everything, and the devoted miners digging by way of Linux updates and driver commits will seemingly discover one thing when Valve is nearing the launch of the Steam Deck 2.
For my half, I believe Valve will keep on with AMD for a next-gen Steam Deck, as AMD has a strong basis for semi-custom chips in gaming gadgets — simply take a look at the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. However, Intel has not too long ago began constructing its personal chips for gadgets just like the MSI Claw, and rumor has it that Nvidia is eyeing the market, as nicely. Valve might go along with a unique chip relying on what’s out there when the Steam Deck 2 will get nearer.
Steam Deck 2: efficiency
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Without any stable specs to go on, it’s a idiot’s errand attempting to try to nail down how the Steam Deck 2 will carry out. I’m assured in saying it will likely be considerably sooner than the unique Steam Deck. That’s as a result of Valve has gone on the document saying that’s a goal for Steam Deck 2.
The Steam Deck 2 shall be a lot sooner, however peak efficiency seemingly isn’t the first concern. The Steam Deck doesn’t have the battery lifetime of a Nintendo Switch, nevertheless it’s leagues forward of one thing just like the Asus ROG Ally, in order that and energy effeiciency are clearly a spotlight for Valve.
Assuming Valve goes with an APU that makes use of the RDNA 4 graphics structure and Zen 4 CPU structure, there could be a giant enhance to ray tracing. AMD’s RDNA 2 structure, which is within the present Steam Deck, is notoriously weak in relation to hardware-accelerated ray tracing. Even then, the Steam Deck nonetheless helps some mild ray tracing in video games like Doom Eternal. A next-gen model would seemingly have far better ray tracing prowess.
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The extra thrilling developments will seemingly occur on the software program entrance, nonetheless. As steady because the Steam Deck is at the moment, the software program continues to be very a lot a piece in progress with translation layers like DXVK. By the time the Steam Deck 2 rolls round, I believe a big improvement shall be simply how far working Windows video games on Linux has progressed.
In addition, we’ve some thrilling performance-boosting options now that weren’t out there to the unique Steam Deck. AMD’s FSR 3 involves thoughts, and it has enormous implications for a tool just like the Steam Deck with its body era capabilities. A tool-level body interpolation function could possibly be a sport changer for the Steam Deck 2.
Steam Deck 2: show
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We noticed with the Steam Deck OLED simply how vital the show is for a handheld gaming PC. Valve will seemingly focus a variety of consideration on the display for a next-gen Steam Deck, nevertheless it’s nonetheless not clear how the ultimate product will look.
The aforementioned Chiphell rumor says that Valve will go along with a 900p OLED show with a refresh charge of 90Hz. That’s similar to what the Steam Deck OLED has, although with a minor bump to decision. I’d hope that Valve is a bit more formidable with the show on a next-gen Steam Deck.
What might that appear to be? Well, it should most definitely be OLED. The display on the Steam Deck OLED is really a transformative part, and I can’t think about Valve will ditch the tech for its next-gen model. We’ll seemingly see a bump in decision and refresh charge as nicely, relying on what the machine is able to.
It’s that final bit that’s most vital. With each the Steam Deck and Steam Deck OLED, Valve proved that it desires to match the show to the capabilities of the machine. I don’t suspect some absurd decision or refresh charge like we see on the Lenovo Legion Go.
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