Updated version of Steam Deck is "years away"

The original Steam Deck is nearing two years old, and if Valve has its way, that version will be around for the next several years. 

In a new interview with The Verge, developer Pierre-Loup Griffais talked about when a hypothetical Steam Deck 2 may arrive. He personally said not to expect it for "the next couple of years," in part because Valve wants to take its time on improving the handheld's performance without hindering its (currently 2-8 hour) battery life.

"Changing the performance level is not something we are taking lightly, and we only want to do so when there is a significant enough increase to be had," Griffais explained. "We also don’t want more performance to come at a significant cost to power efficiency and battery life."

He went on to say that Valve was aiming to have a stable performance target that would serve as a baseline over the next several years. 

In late 2022, Griffais and designer Greg Coomer touched on how future Steam Deck iterations could improve upon the original. Better optimization was a key talking point, as was possibly changing the handheld's size and shape and turning the device into a streaming machine. 

Everyone has hardware updates on the brain

With how well the Steam Deck has sold in the almost two years since it's release, a Steam Deck 2 is a no-brainer. And whenever it eventually releases, it'll make Valve a true hardware manufacturer similar to the Big Three of Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. 

Reports throughout 2023 have shown that both Microsoft and Nintendo already have their eyes on new hardware in the near future. Nintendo is reportedly preparing its successor to the Nintendo Switch for a late 2024 release. 

As for Microsoft, leaks from earlier this week show it looking at an all-digital Xbox Series X in 2024, and an updated Xbox Series S that'll (presumably) release around the same time. In the farther future, the next Xbox console will reportedly run "cloud hybrid games" when it releases in 2028.

Compared to the other two, Sony has been considerably more quiet about its future console endeavors. But around this time last year, reports claimed it was developing a slimmer PlayStation 5 console with a detachable disc drive that could be used for those who bought the all-digital version of the system.