Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing

Steam Deck 2 features are already being teased

Monica J. White
By

Steam Deck has only just launched, but Valve is already looking to the future and teasing its successor, the Steam Deck 2.

Gabe Newell, the co-founder of Valve, has teased in an interview that the next-gen Steam Deck will be much more powerful and may offer virtual reality (VR) capabilities. Does that mean it’s better to wait for Steam Deck 2 rather than to buy the new handheld right now?

Two players use Steam Decks to play Stardew Valley.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Steam Deck is Valve’s handheld gaming PC. Offering access to a robust Steam library, it allows for gaming on the go in a way no other console has been able to replicate, mainly due to the large number of titles that the Steam Deck can play. From its inception, it has garnered a lot of interest, and pre-orders have started shipping to customers today.

Related

Newell talked about the Steam Deck, as well as Valve’s plans for the future, in an interview with Edge Magazine. Although it’s obviously far too soon to talk about any concrete details, Newell makes it clear that Valve plans to make a Steam Deck 2, and that it intends for the handheld to be much more powerful than this first version we’re getting today.

Recommended Videos

“The first step is to let you play the great games that exist today. The second iterations are going to be more about what are the capabilities that mobile gives us, above and beyond what you would get in a traditional desktop or laptop gaming environment?” said Newell.

He then went on to mention VR applications specifically as something that could be possible in a future version of the Steam Deck. If the company truly does intend to keep upping the specifications of this portable gaming PC, VR could definitely be possible in the future. VR is typically very resource-heavy, but many people deem it to be, at the very least, a big part of the future of gaming. Providing access to VR on the go without needing a beefy gaming PC to support it could give the Steam Deck a major edge over its competitors.

A man uses a virtual reality headset with controllers.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

It seems that these VR-related musings could have been, to some extent, prompted by the surprising success of the Steam Deck’s pre-orders. When the Steam Deck was initially up for reservation, customers could reserve one of three variants, each at a different price point.

The base Steam Deck comes with just 64GB of storage on an eMMC SSD and costs $330. The midtier handheld is priced at $530, ups the storage to 256GB, and switches out the eMMC for an NVMe SSD. Lastly, the top-tier Steam Deck costs $650, comes with 512GB of NVMe SSD storage, and is equipped with premium antiglare etched glass. Although there is a large price gap between the low-end Steam Deck and the high-end option, it seems that gamers gravitated toward the expensive model.

According to the interview, most of the pre-orders were for the $650 Steam Deck, and it seems that Valve did not expect that to be the case. The difference in pre-order numbers could stem from a number of reasons. The 64GB version offers very little storage, which for many gamers may not be enough, and the gap between the midtier and top-tier units is not near as big, while the $650 Steam Deck has a lot to offer.

The Steam Deck can be connected to controllers.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

On top of that, pre-orders often go to gaming enthusiasts who may value quality over the price. It’s possible that when the Steam Deck enters the mainstream market and is out of its pre-order phase, customers may be more interested in the base version. It’s hard to speculate right now.

In any case, it seems that the sales figures for the brand-new Steam Deck were so encouraging that Valve has huge plans for Steam Deck 2. With possible VR capabilities, the second iteration of the handheld may offer unprecedented performance. This could encourage undecided users to just wait out the first generation and buy Steam Deck 2, whenever it comes out.

Is it worth waiting for Steam Deck 2 instead of buying right away? That depends entirely on how badly you want to try out the current version. Steam Deck 2 is nothing but a whisper in the wind right now, with no determined release date or specifications, which means it could be a very long wait.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Monica J. White
Monica J. White
Computing Writer
Monica is a UK-based freelance writer and self-proclaimed geek. A firm believer in the "PC building is just like expensive…
I use Steam every day, and I couldn’t live without these 6 hidden features
Desktop mode on the Steam Deck.

There are only two apps that automatically open when I turn on my PC: Microsoft Teams and Steam. Steam, for many, is just a gateway to play games on PC, but it's a piece of software dense with features that go beyond tracking playtime and achievements.

I wanted to highlight some of the Steam features that I get the most mileage out of. Keep in mind that there are a ton of options in Steam, and this list barely scratches everything that the platform has to offer. These are just the features I think you should be taking advantage of because they make Steam much more than just a launcher for your games.
File transfer

Read more
Don’t worry; Armored Core VI is ‘fully supported’ on Steam Deck
A boss fight in Armored Core 6.

Following a hands-on preview of Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, we had a chance to talk to the game's director, Masaru Yamamura, and producer Yasunori Ogura who wanted to assure players that the game would be "fully supported" on Valve's Steam Deck.

"Obviously seeing how well Elden Ring performed on the Steam Deck, we were very happy, and we wanted to at least create that as a baseline going forward for this handheld," Ogura tells Digital Trends. "So it is fully supported for Steam Deck ... we just want to reassure players that it will be fully supported."

Read more
Vision Pro 2: everything we expect from the future of Apple’s headsets
The Apple Vision Pro reveals the wearer's eyes on a front-facing display.

Apple’s Vision Pro headset has just made a huge splash in the tech world, but Apple is already planning to follow it up with two new models that could take the headset to new heights -- and put it into the hands of more people. That includes a second-generation Apple Vision Pro, as well as a pared-back headset with a lower price.

What exactly should we expect from these devices? What kind of features will they offer, and when will they launch? If you’re seeking the answers to all those questions and more, you’re in the right place, as our rumor roundup will guide you through everything you need to know. Let’s get started.
Vision Pro 2: price and release date

Read more