Rumours have surfaced that the highly anticipated Steam Deck 2 is pushed as far back as 2028, indicating a longer wait time for the next generation of Valve’s handheld gaming consoles, possibly due to additional efforts in product engineering.
Why the delay?
As Valve has clearly addressed, they plan to make a generational leap in performance and efficiency with the new generation of the Steam Deck, and speculations have surfaced that this is responsible for pushing back the release date, with a possible longer R&D timeline from the developers. While 2028 may seem to be far away, this would ensure a better device instead of a minor spec bump.
While R&D might be a concern, the global shortage of NAND and RAM might also have an impact on the timeline more than we think. As they will struggle to manufacture products, taking a more lenient timeline would ensure that they have enough time before the supply chain is back to normal.
2022 saw Valve drop the Steam Deck, which may not have been a global sensation, but it showed promise that future generations would actually make portable gaming a more enjoyable experience. It goes without saying that they were limited by the technology, and therefore, 2028 should bring significant improvements to the console.
What to expect
With CPUs getting more efficient, by the time the Steam Deck 2 is ready, we might see it ship with the latest processors that are not only fast but are efficient enough to make the portable gaming experience worth it.
As things stand, these rumours are based on the current market situation, and unless Valve confirms it, it is better to take them with a pinch of salt. As of now, the rumours look believable coming from the trusted sources, and given the global supply chain situation, it will be anything but surprising if this actually comes to fruition.
