If, like me, you're desperately waiting for an update on the Steam Deck 2, then we've got good news. Ahead of the launch of the new Steam Controller, Valve has officially commented on its plans for the second-generation handheld. While we still don't have the real scoop, like pricing information or a release window, the latest comments at least confirm that Valve hasn't forgotten about us handheld gamers.
When asked about the Steam Deck 2 in an interview with IGN, Valve's Pierre-Loup Griffais told the outlet, "We're hard at work on it." He then continues, "And obviously every step of the way, if you look at our hardware projects over the years, you can draw a straight line from the original Steam Controller and Steam Machine to Steam Deck, to everything that we're announcing and shipping this year. And we expect Steam Deck 2 will be a lot of the same where a lot of what we're doing here will be learnings that build up to it."
That quote doesn't give much away outside of the fact that Valve wants the Steam Deck 2 to be a continuation of its hardware ethos, and it might be inspired by the new hardware the brand has coming out this year. The big difference with the next launch is that there's now a whole market of Steam Deck alternatives to contend with, including the likes of the Lenovo Legion Go 2 and the ROG Xbox Ally X.
These new comments are on the back of a recent suggestion from industry tipster KeplerL2, pointing to a 2028 launch for the Steam Deck 2. As disappointing as it would be to have to wait another two years or more for a new model, that timeline does track with Griffais' previous comments from a 2025 interview, referring to Valve waiting until it can offer "a next-gen performance Steam Deck" rather than "20 or 30 or even 50% more performance at the same battery life."
In terms of what we'd like to see from the Steam Deck 2, the two big talking points are performance and battery life. While the original and OLED models are still great for indie games, they are starting to struggle a little with new triple-A games, as I found out playing Oblivion Remastered. Not only that, but a lot of other picks from our guide to the best handheld consoles offer better battery life, so Valve has a bit of catching up to do in that department.