Summary
Steam’s recent 2024 recap spells good news for future hardware from Valve, including theSteam Deck. Launched in 2022, theSteam Deckhas played a major role in popularizing the handheld gaming PC market, and if Valve’s messaging is anything to go by, a successor to the portable system seems likelier than ever.
While there are undoubtedly more powerful handheld gaming PCs on the market, like the Asus ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion GO, the Steam Deck is still widely reputed for its slick Linux-based user experience and wide compatibility with Steam games, allowing owners to take their existing libraries on the go. Still, many fans have voiced demand for a stronger Valve handheld, and in good news for them, the company confirmed some time ago that it’sworking on a Steam Deck successor. However, Valve does have a caveat for the Steam Deck 2.
Unlike some companies that revise their handhelds in smaller, more iterative ways at a relatively frequent pace, Valve is waiting for a generational leap in hardware capabilities for the Steam Deck 2. This has incited some worries abouthow long it could take for the Steam Deck 2 to release, which itself is contingent on whether Valve ends up finding the generational leap it’s looking for. Thankfully, the recently-publishedSteam Year in Review 2024suggests thatValve’s Steam Deck 2 plans are still on track.
Valve Provides Encouraging Update on Steam Deck and Other Future Hardware
The hardware section of the annual Steam platform recap listed out notable developments for the Steam Deck throughout the past year. Chief among these were the handheld’s expansion in availability to the Australian market, a total of 17,000 playable games, and thelaunch of the Steam Deck OLED Limited Edition Whitein November 2024. Interestingly, the section concludes by stating that the “future of hardware at Valve is bright,” and since the Steam Deck is the company’s best-selling hardware to date, it appears quite likely that development on the handheld’s successor is chugging along well.
As for a potential release window for the Steam Deck 2, Valve has confirmed nothing of the sort at the moment, so the upgraded handheld might still be a few years away. However, Valve may not be using the term “hardware” exclusively for the Steam Deck. For several years, the company has been heavily rumored to be developing a new VR headset codenamed Deckard, which will purportedly be positioned as a more premium, fully wireless alternative to the Valve Index. More recent reports indicate thatValve may finally release the Deckard VR headsetsometime this year for a whopping $1,200 price tag.
