Steam Deck 2

[Citizen Cook]

Valve designer Lawrence Yang once said in an interview with Bloomberg that “a ‘next-generation’ power upgrade but won’t be available for at least two or three years.”

This was said at the time of the Stem Deck OLED launch in November 2023.

Yang also said that while “we’re thinking about Steam Deck 2 at all times“, a big leap in tech will need to present itself before major strides are made.

I don’t know what is going on over at AMD, but is a next gen power upgrade on the horizon?

I love my Deck, but it’s really struggling to run a number of recent AAA games.

‘Nobody Wants To Die’ is listed unsupported on Deck, but I’ve found that with XeSS and low settings i can get a stable 30fps, but it does look rough. Too rough for me.

Uncharted 4 is listed as ‘Supported’ but and visually looks fine, but struggling to hold 30fps in certain areas, which i again find unacceptable.

I could go on and on with examples. Maybe if devs implemented FSR3 Frame generation across the broad we would be ok for a while yet, but they just aren’t doing that.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

The next Deck v2 would have a better processor that could do more and with what is being released now, those might be considered in the v2.

[Jamebonds1]

Steam Deck isn't worth it. There are better gaming portable other than Steam Decks.

[Citizen Cook]

Originally posted by cSg|mc-Hotsauce:

The next Deck v2 would have a better processor that could do more and with what is being released now, those might be considered in the v2.

:cool_seagull:

So from what i understand, the ROG Ally X is an incremental upgrade. Same APU, but a bigger battery and more RAM.
I think Valve are thinking bigger. They want a brand new CPU/GPU combo.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

Originally posted by Citizen Cook:

Originally posted by cSg|mc-Hotsauce:

The next Deck v2 would have a better processor that could do more and with what is being released now, those might be considered in the v2.

So from what i understand, the ROG Ally X is an incremental upgrade. Same APU, but a bigger battery and more RAM.
I think Valve are thinking bigger. They want a brand new CPU/GPU combo.

Yeah. This is why the OLED wasn't the v2 people thought it was going to be.

Valve is cooking with processors that may be launching this year/early next year. These have definite performance increases and lower TDP.

The battery is going to have to be a big one. I feel "heavy" is going to be an issue with reviewers.

More ports have to happen as well.

[Citizen Cook]

Originally posted by Jamebonds1:

Steam Deck isn't worth it. There are better gaming portable other than Steam Decks.

I can’t stand Windows on a handheld/console environment. 🤢

Until Microsoft create a true Xbox UI (which apparently they are working on) i’ll be staying with SteamOS.

[Jamebonds1]

Originally posted by Citizen Cook:

Originally posted by Jamebonds1:

Steam Deck isn't worth it. There are better gaming portable other than Steam Decks.

I can’t stand Windows on a handheld/console environment. 🤢

Until Microsoft create a true Xbox UI (which apparently they are working on) i’ll be staying with SteamOS.

It is not like Windows on some handheld from other companies are that bad.

[Citizen Cook]

Originally posted by Jamebonds1:

Originally posted by Citizen Cook:

I can’t stand Windows on a handheld/console environment. 🤢

Until Microsoft create a true Xbox UI (which apparently they are working on) i’ll be staying with SteamOS.

It is not like Windows on some handheld from other companies are that bad.

Oh, it is. It’s disgusting. I’m not being hyperbolic, it really is a terrible user experience. Phil Spencer even agreed and said they need to do something about it.

[Revelene]

You want it to be awhile for a 2nd one because the tech we have available right now would just be a slight upgrade. I'm sure AMD is working on something, but these things take time. The more time, the better. However, by the time that happens, games will require more, making these mobile chipsets always playing catch up. If you haven't noticed, hardware components are getting bigger, which is not good for the sake of mobile gaming.

If you are trying to play every major AAA game release, then IMO you are using the Deck wrong and will just disappoint yourself. Just like every other device out there, it has specs. Those specs are not good enough for most of the newer games coming out.

Do you have an actual gaming computer? If not, you should. The Steam Deck is perfect with a good spec'd PC, making in home streaming a delight.

[Jamebonds1]

Originally posted by Citizen Cook:

Originally posted by Jamebonds1:

It is not like Windows on some handheld from other companies are that bad.

Oh, it is. It’s disgusting. I’m not being hyperbolic, it really is a terrible user experience. Phil Spencer even agreed and said they need to do something about it.

I'm not talking about Steam Deck handdheld.

[Haruspex]

A new Ryzen APU with RDNA 3.5 graphics recently dropped, and it's putting up some very impressive numbers so far. People are saying it might completely eliminate the need for a dedicated GPU in the low-mid range entirely.

Personally, I don't think Valve will go with the blind moar powah approach for a Steam Deck 2. They're going to play it smart, and they're going to wait for enough of a performance upgrade to make it worth it while still keeping the overall TDP around 15 watts.

I expect maybe 2026 we'll see a Steam Deck 2 with a new AMD APU at an extremely efficient 3nm process with RDNA 4 built in.

[tyl0413]

No need, I've yet to throw anything at it that it can't run at 60 FPS even at higher settings, but some emulators would benefit from extra power and a bigger battery/better efficiency is always welcome too. I think if they wanna stick to the console like release cycle releasing a new version earlier than in 4 years would be a waste.

[Electric Cupcake]

As long as they keep the proper controls and don't put the left analog stick upside down like that Asus ripoff.

Xbox layout is an abomination.

Before the Steam Deck was announced, I was looking at the GPD Win3. Then the fools ruined the controls with the Win4.

A physical slide out keyboard would be nice for the Steam Deck, but there's never any excuse for lopsided analog sticks.

[Citizen Cook]

Originally posted by Revelene:

If you are trying to play every major AAA game release, then IMO you are using the Deck wrong.

Excuse me? I seem to remember Valve proudly telling us that we would be able to enjoy AAA experiences on Deck. I guess that came with an unsaid caveat saying that it would only be for the first couple of years of the current console generation.

I thought with the resolution decrease and the settings turned to low I would be able to get here. Apparently not. Or maybe it’s developers not targeting the Deck correctly the way they do home consoles. What’s the point of a fixed hardware target is developers aren’t going to code to it?

[AmaiAmai]

Originally posted by Citizen Cook:

Originally posted by Revelene:

If you are trying to play every major AAA game release, then IMO you are using the Deck wrong.

Excuse me? I seem to remember Valve proudly telling us that we would be able to enjoy AAA experiences on Deck. I guess that came with an unsaid caveat saying that it would only be for the first couple of years of the current console generation.

I thought with the resolution decrease and the settings turned to low I would be able to get here. Apparently not. Or maybe it’s developers not targeting the Deck correctly the way they do home consoles. What’s the point of a fixed hardware target is developers aren’t going to code to it?

Just like with DLSS, same question: why do you expect developers, that aren't benefiting from your purchase, to add support and waste dev time on a feature that doesn't benefit them?

The person selling you the hardware, that promises the feature will be used or said hardware will be used in whatever way they claim, is the one ultimately responsible for making that a reality.

Not people that aren't on that company's payroll.

[PopinFRESH]

Originally posted by Citizen Cook:

Originally posted by Revelene:

If you are trying to play every major AAA game release, then IMO you are using the Deck wrong.

Excuse me? I seem to remember Valve proudly telling us that we would be able to enjoy AAA experiences on Deck. I guess that came with an unsaid caveat saying that it would only be for the first couple of years of the current console generation.

I thought with the resolution decrease and the settings turned to low I would be able to get here. Apparently not. Or maybe it’s developers not targeting the Deck correctly the way they do home consoles. What’s the point of a fixed hardware target is developers aren’t going to code to it?

....Obviously tech doesn't last forever and things aren't going to play the "latest" AAA games forever. The Steam Deck still plays AAA titles and just like on a typical desktop; it is up to the developers to optimize their games and target performance levels for their minimum requirements that would make sense on Steam Deck.

Also, you are misconstruing what Lawrence Yang said and quoting/misquoting things without context. He specifically said, to paraphrase, while they are always thinking about a next generation Steam Deck they aren't going to look at developing such a device until there is a compelling enough jump in both CPU & GPU compute, efficiency, and features; which he didn't think would happen for at least 3 years or more. He wasn't making any suggestion that a new Steam Deck would be launching in that timeframe; just that they wouldn't look at starting actual development until there was a compelling advancement.

IMO neither of AMDs upcoming APUs (Strix Point and Strix Halo) are a substantial enough of a jump over the Van Gogh APU in the Steam Deck. They both are set to use a "half-step" of the RDNA3 architecture with some back-ported features from RDNA4. The low power (LP) versions of those APUs which is what would be used for hand helds like the Steam Deck are not going to make a significant difference in playing more resource intensive AAA titles now or in the near future.

The Strix Halo LP is slated to be similar, or slightly less, performance-per-watt to that of a the mobile RTX 3050. The Strix Point APUs are slated for later this year and the Strix Halo APUs aren't expected until after Q1'25.

Another thing to point out is that they still appear to be working in-tandem on the hybrid next-gen Index VR headset which likely will be targeting a custom APU based one of those APU designs. I'd not expect an actual 2nd generation of Steam Deck until at least late 2026 - 2028.