The future of the Steam Deck, which has achieved great success in the portable game console market, is a matter of curiosity. Valve developer Pierre-Loup Griffais recently clarified the release conditions for the second-generation model, the Steam Deck 2. Griffais emphasized that the company focuses on one key criterion for launching a new device: a significant performance leap. In other words, the Steam Deck 2 won’t see the light of day unless the performance increase is substantial.
How Long Should We Wait for a Steam Deck 2 Performance Increase?
According to Pierre-Loup Griffais, the Valve team prioritizes maximizing the performance and user experience of the current Steam Deck model. The developer believes that releasing a new model for a minor performance improvement or minor feature additions wouldn’t make sense for either players or the company. A major breakthrough is needed for the device to run a new class of games or offer a significantly better experience with the existing library. Therefore, the current technology will have to wait until it reaches a sufficient level.
Griffais implied that current APU technologies (chips that combine the processor and graphics unit) don’t yet allow for a significant enough leap forward while maintaining the balance between power consumption and performance. Therefore, a truly significant performance boost for the Steam Deck 2 will require waiting for technological maturity. Valve’s developer made it clear that this wait could be several years. The company aims to prevent users from shelling out for mere minor improvements.
While pure performance is the primary focus, Valve also plans to improve other key components in the upcoming model. Griffais confirmed that they intend to offer better battery life and a higher-quality display in the next iteration. These improvements will increase user satisfaction with the new model, but the single-most important criterion for its release will remain the increased performance.
So, what are your thoughts on the significant performance boost expected from the Steam Deck 2? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
