Valve is already planning a Steam Deck 2

Now that the Steam Deck is slowly being shipped out and reaching people’s hands, Valve has announced that they’re already planning for the next iteration of the handheld console.

In an interview with Edge Magazine, as written up by GamesRadar, Valve co-founder Gabe Newell explained that as they plan out the second iteration of the Steam Deck, they’re listening closely to the Steam Deck’s growing community and what they’re asking for. 

Newell told Edge that users are asking for “‘an even more expensive version of this,’ in terms of horsepower capabilities or whatever,” which has taken Valve by surprise, as they were expecting the price to be a “critical factor” in the success of the handheld. 

With a price starting at just £349 there are definitely some concessions when it comes to performance, but nevertheless, Valve’s Steam Deck still manages to perform handily in a huge number of games, targeting a 30FPS floor at the Steam Deck’s 800p native resolution.

While more power is almost a given from the second iteration of the Steam Deck, that isn’t the only improvement Valve are looking at implementing. 

“One of the things [Steam Deck] represents is battery-capable, high-performance horsepower that eventually you could use in VR applications as well,” Newell explained. “You can take the PC and build something that is much more transportable. We’re not really there yet, but this is a stepping stone.”