Valve shuts down all Steam Deck 2 rumors once more
- Speculation about a Steam Deck 2 arose during CES 2025, fueled by reports of AMD's new Ryzen Z2 processors.
- Pierre-Loup Griffais from Valve denied these rumors, clarifying that the company aims for significant advancements before launching a new handheld.
- Valve continues to support the Steam Deck brand, emphasizing quality improvements over simple updates.
In the context of the ongoing Consumer Electronics Show (CES) on January 6, 2025, speculation surrounding a potential Steam Deck 2 began circulating as the event unfolded. Many news outlets reported that AMD had stealthily announced a new generation of processors, specifically the Ryzen Z2, which were supposedly intended for the next iteration of the popular Steam Deck gaming handheld. This rumor gained traction due to a presentation slide that featured images of existing devices like the Steam Deck and highlighted the growing OEM designs in the handheld gaming market, leading prominent leaker VideoCardz to state that AMD had confirmed the Ryzen Z2 for upcoming devices from companies like ASUS, Lenovo, and Valve. However, the situation took a different turn when Valve's Pierre-Loup Griffais quickly refuted these claims through his Bluesky account. He emphasized that while a second-generation Steam Deck is indeed in development, the company is not ready to launch a device until a significant generational leap in computing power can be achieved without sacrificing battery life, countering the notion of merely releasing incremental improvements. Additionally, Valve's Lawrence Yang had previously stated to Eurogamer that the company was excited about the future of the Steam Deck but would wait for the right advancements before making any announcements or releases. This further clarifies Valve's commitment to the Steam Deck brand and user experience, as the gaming industry eagerly anticipates new innovations within the handheld console space.