Oliver Cragg / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Steam Deck designers Lawrence Yang and Pierre-Loup Griffais joined an interview to reveal what’s in store for the portable gaming PC.
- The designers have confirmed plans for a next-gen Steam Deck, but a “Pro” model is unlikely for now.
- The two also say that the Steam Deck may never be “stable” like a traditional console, that Valve wants to make another Steam controller, and more.
It’s hard to believe, but it’s been almost 11 months since the Steam Deck was released. Although the impressive handheld gaming pc is not that old yet, many have wondered if the system would have a next generation sequel. We now have the answer to that and a few more questions.
Steam Deck designers Lawrence Yang and Pierre-Loup Griffais participated in an interview with The edge. During the interview, the designers confirmed that there will be a Steam Deck 2, describing the handheld as a “multi-generational product”.
This isn’t actually the first time Valve has released a Steam Deck successor. In September, members of Valve spoke to Weekly Famitsu magazine. During the interview, designer Greg Coomer unexpectedly revealed, “there will be a next generation of Steam Deck products in the future.”
Something that comes as a surprise, though, is that Griffais spoke briefly about the chances of Valve making a Steam Deck Pro.
Right now the fact is that all Steam Decks can play the same games and we have one goal for users to understand what level of performance they can expect when you’re playing and for developers to understand what to focus on. much valuable in having that one specification. I think we will choose to keep the one performance level a bit longer and only look at changing the performance level when there is a significant gain to be made.
Based on the quote, it seems that the company has no plans to develop a “Pro” model for now. At the same time, Griffais didn’t necessarily close the door on the idea either.
As for the current Steam Deck, Yang and Griffais explained what to expect in the future. One revelation was that the Steam Deck may never be “stable”. “I don’t think you should expect that,” Graffais said. “Stable in terms of a great experience for people? Yes absolutely. But I think we will always push updates as long as people are playing.”
Another revelation is that Valve is looking at hardware tweaks. An example of one of the tweaks Valve has made is tweaking the fan. Valve is also reportedly making it easier to replace the battery. And in the future, the company wants to improve the feel of the Steam and Quick Access button.
On the software side, Griffais says they’re working on fixing the Bluetooth audio lag, adding an audio mixer, and potentially allowing users to share per-game power profiles.
It was revealed outside of the Steam Deck that Valve wants to make a Steam Controller 2.
I think it’s likely we’ll explore that because it’s something we wanted as well. Right now we’re focusing on the Deck, so it’s kind of like the microconsole question: it’s definitely something we’d like to work with a third party or explore ourselves.
In an industry filled with companies that prefer to keep all their cards close to their chest, Valve’s openness about Steam Deck is a breath of fresh air. But what do you think of the future of Steam Deck that Valve envisions? Let us know in the comments below.