With the original handheld arriving back in 2022, there's been a lot of speculation surrounding whether or when Valve could tease the Steam Deck 2. Well, the latest update doesn't inspire much confidence, with an industry leaker suggesting that we might not see the follow-up to the Steam Deck until 2028 at the earliest, or later still if the ongoing RAM shortages persist.
This new leak is courtesy of KeplerL2, one of the more reliable online tipsters. The leaker posted on the NeoGAF forums that Valve was targeting a 2028 launch for the Steam Deck 2, but "the whole RAM/NAND situation" could push it further back. However, in the same post, KeplerL2 also highlighted that, unlike the original, he isn't expecting the next Valve handheld to pack a semi-custom processor, so if it is delayed, it could benefit from utilizing the latest chip at the time of its release.
In fairness, Valve has been keen to set expectations surrounding the possibility of the Steam Deck 2 over the last couple of years. Back in 2023, lead designer Lawrence Yang said in an interview that "a true next-gen Deck with a significant bump in horsepower wouldn't be for a few years." There's a chance Valve will have more competition to deal with when the Steam Deck 2 does arrive, though, given that we've also seen multiple reports pointing to a new PlayStation handheld arriving in either 2027 or 2028, as well as a potential Xbox alternative.
If the RAM shortages do push Valve to delay the Steam Deck 2 further, it won't be the only gaming brand forced into dealing with the consequences. In just the last couple of months alone, we've seen the likes of Ayaneo, Retroid, and others discontinue or delay devices due to the lack of availability of RAM and the increased cost of acquiring memory. It's also led to stock issues with the original Steam Deck, which suggests that Valve is still looking for a way to address the problem.
It's worth noting that while KeplerL2 is one of the more reliable tipsters surrounding future gaming hardware, we've not had any confirmation from Valve detailing a Steam Deck 2 delay. Right now, it seems that the gaming company is more interested in restocking the original Steam Deck and the impending launch of the Steam Machine, but we'll be keeping a close eye out for any updates going forward.