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The Steam Deck is only just getting out of the gates, but Valve is already planning its successor and has confirmed the Steam Deck 2 will happen.
With the Steam Deck hardware reaching the first consumers over the weekend, the PC games giant has hinted the initial feedback is already informing its plans for the next-generation model.
In an interview with Edge magazine (via wccftech) Valve founder Gabe Newell said consumers are already seeking a higher-end version of the first mainstream handheld gaming PC. Newell said the company was surprised that the most expsensive models have proven to be the best sellers thus far.
He said: “We thought the entry price was going to be the critical factor [for Deck’s success] but it turns out that far and away the most popular SKU is the most expensive one. That’s an example of us being a little surprised by what our customers are telling us. They’re basically saying, ‘We would like an even more expensive version of this’, in terms of horsepower capabilities or whatever. You know, that’s why we always love to get something out there and ship it. Because we learn a lot from that, and it helps frame our thinking for Steam Deck 2.”
The sentiment was echoed by Valve designer Greg Coomer in an interview with Axios. He said the company could offer a rolling update model with “monolithic updates.” He added: “We don’t have a completely ironed-out plan for the cadence of the hardware updates.”
What might the Steam Deck 2 do to further boost the proposition? Well, Newell said, offering better support for virtual reality applications is on the agenda. He calls the current device a “stepping stone” towards an eventuality where high-end VR experiences could be portable using a Steam Deck.
He added: “One of the things Deck represents is battery-capable, high-performance horsepower that eventually you could use in VR applications as well. 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.”
In the meantime, there’s plenty of things for Valve to work on with the current model. Reports of joystick drift won’t be welcomed, although a fix has apparently been rolled out. Also, the company has only performed a compatibility check on around 1/50th of the games available on the Steam Store.
It is also dealing with reports Bungie is banning Destiny 2 players who are caught playing on a Steam Deck, while major titles like Fortnite are not playable on the device. Nevertheless, it’s an exciting time for PC gamers who can finally have ultimate flexibility when playing their faves.
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