More Steam Decks are probably on the way.
A number of Valve developers were recently interviewed by Weekly Famitsu to celebrate the launch of Steam Deck reservations in Asia, and one question that was asked by the magazine was whether users should expect any more Steam Decks in the event that the initial effort turns out to be successful. The answer to that seems to be a solid “yes,” if one of Valve’s long-term designers is to be believed.
“Unless something major changes, there will be a next generation of Steam Deck products in the future,” Greg Coomer stated, going on to suggest that the Steam Deck 2 could surface with some pretty big design changes, including some that would make it a “streaming machine,” according to translations provided by VGC.
The theme, size and shape will change, and it might even become a streaming machine. Development of the Steam Deck will continue.
One reason is that it is an extension of our core Steam platform. The Steam Deck is another PC in another form, but Steam has many other uses besides this handheld device, such as on TV or on the desktop, and we will continue to work to satisfy our customers as much as possible.
Steam Deck 2 owners can probably look forward to better battery life as well, according to further comments provided by Coomer:
We have already made improvements [to battery life] between the time of launch and now, he explained. For example, we’ve made it possible to play refresh rates at 40 Hz, and we’re working hard to give users more control over how long their battery lasts.
We’re also constantly optimising the operating system to reduce battery consumption when playing games that are not too demanding. This will improve the battery life. In any case, battery issues are at the top of our list of future improvements.
Valve recently published a Steam Deck booklet that also alludes to future iterations of Steam Deck hardware.
“Steam Deck represents the first in a new category of Steam handheld gaming PCs,” a portion of the booklet reads. “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.”
Source: Weekly Famitsu