Valve says it’s still waiting for better chips to power Steam Deck 2
Valve’s recent announcement of new living room and VR hardware has sparked excitement among gamers, particularly those eagerly anticipating an upgraded version of the Steam Deck. This handheld gaming device, which has been a favorite since its release nearly four years ago, has left fans wondering when a Steam Deck 2 might hit the market. However, in a recent interview with IGN, Valve Software Engineer Pierre-Loup Griffais provided some clarity on the situation, indicating that the current state of portable gaming technology may not yet be ready for a significant upgrade.
Griffais emphasized that Valve is committed to ensuring that any potential Steam Deck 2 represents a substantial improvement over its predecessor. He stated, “The thing we’re making sure of is that it’s a worthwhile enough performance upgrade to make sense as a standalone product.” This means that Valve is not interested in releasing a new version that offers only marginal improvements, such as a 20% to 50% boost in performance without enhancements to battery life. Instead, the company is focusing on advancements in silicon technology and architectural improvements that would justify a new model. According to Griffais, while they have a clear vision for what the next Steam Deck could entail, the current landscape of System on a Chip (SoC) technology does not present any suitable options that would deliver a truly next-gen performance experience.
This careful approach reflects Valve’s dedication to quality and user satisfaction, ensuring that any new product meets the high expectations set by the original Steam Deck. As gamers await further developments, it’s clear that Valve is taking the time necessary to deliver a product that not only enhances performance but also enhances the overall gaming experience. For now, fans will have to remain patient as Valve continues to monitor advancements in portable gaming technology, hoping that the next iteration of the Steam Deck will be worth the wait.
Yesterday’s announcement of
new living room
and
VR hardware
from Valve obviously has many gamers clamoring for any news of a more powerful version of the nearly 4-year-old Steam Deck. In
a new interview with IGN
, though, Valve Software Engineer Pierre-Loup Griffais says that portable gaming silicon still hasn’t advanced enough to justify brand-new benchmark hardware.
“The thing we’re making sure of is that it’s a worthwhile enough performance upgrade [for a Steam Deck 2] to make sense as a standalone product,” Griffais told IGN. “We’re not interested in getting to a point where it’s 20 or 30 or even 50 percent more performance at the same battery life. We want something a little bit more demarcated than that.”
“So we’ve been working back from silicon advancements and architectural improvements, and I think we have a pretty good idea of what the next version of Steam Deck is going to be, but right now there’s no offerings in that landscape, in the SoC [System on a Chip] landscape, that we think would truly be a next-gen performance Steam Deck,” Griffais continued.
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