Valve Is Considering Next Steam Deck, Targeting 4K Resolution

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Valve previously said that it hopes Steam Deck will inspire other manufacturers to follow, yet the company has its own long-term plans for the device line-up. The creators of the handheld PC say there are already some thoughts for the next Deck with the idea to offer a full 4K resolution in just a few years.

During a recent interview with Rock Paper Shotgun, Valve designers Greg Coomer and Lawrence Yang touched upon the subject of the future for the Deck and its followers on the market. Regardless of the fact that the Deck will arrive only this December, the company has already begun to think out plans for Steam Deck 2.

“We’re already looking ahead to the future because we believe this is a product line that will have a long life, so of course we’re thinking about what would we build next, and we’re starting to make plans in those directions,” Greg Coomer said. However, in his words, there is not a design for Steam Deck 2 yet, despite Valve already having conversations about where should it go next for the following iteration of the device.

The designers confirmed that “achieving 4K and having a display that runs at that resolution wasn’t really a design target” for Steam Deck, and Valve is “actually really happy with where this is right now.” Greg Coomer believes the creators have found “a sweet spot around this screen size and the readability you can achieve on it.”

From the technological standpoint, it’s actually possible to achieve that level of performance even today, yet it’s all a question of balance, Lawrence Yang said. “What would that device actually look like? How long could it run those games? How hot would it get?”

As it turns out, Valve always wanted to create something like Steam Deck, even way back in the early 2010s. However, the current version of the device could be very difficult to achieve even a couple of years ago. As such, Valve optimistically looks into the future and what the technologies can bring to the players next.

The company earlier said that this type of device should become an actual category with multiple versions (and different names) to choose from. There could be various permutations and combinations to this — some could focus on screen size, others could focus on improved battery life, and so on.