With Steam Deck OLED a reality, thoughts inevitably turn to the possibility of Steam Deck 2. So what does Valve have to say about a fully-fledged follow-up to its portable console?
IGN spoke with Steam Deck designer Jay Shaw to find out, asking how far off a potential Steam Deck 2 would be. Here’s Shaw’s response:
“I don't know. It'll be a while. I think it'll be quite a while. We don't have any kind of set date. I think we're going to wait for the technology to present itself in a way that we find interesting and for the team to really want to make that leap. We're very, very, very proud of this version of Steam Deck and this is it. This is the one that we're the most happy with and we think customers will be too.
“So we're thinking about Steam Deck 2 at all times, but I think we're so satisfied here that this is really the kind of high end of what we wanted to do.”
Shaw’s comments suggest Steam Deck 2 is likely, but is at least a few years away (check out IGN's interview with Valve on Steam Deck OLED for more). And they echo comments previously made by Valve when asked about the possibility of Steam Deck 2. Last year Valve said it was already thinking about Steam Deck 2, and then in September said not to expect Steam Deck 2 for at least a couple of years.
With a release date set for November 16, the Steam Deck OLED features an enhanced OLED display, better audio, and a handful of quality-of-life improvements. It also has a boost in battery life, with Valve claiming an estimated 30% to 50% improvement over the launch version.
Steam Deck OLED model is available in two storage configurations: 512GB and 1TB, which cost $549 and $649 respectively. And just like its predecessor, Steam Deck OLED includes a microSD card slot. Pre-orders open next week.
In the meantime, here's our comparisons piece stacking up the Steam Deck OLED with the original model and Nintendo Switch OLED. And if you want to know our thoughts on the Steam Deck OLED, check out IGN's full review.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
