Steam Deck 2: My Wishlist for Valve's Next Handheld Wizardry (Keep it Weird!)
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
IGN South Africa sparked a discussion on what we want from the Steam Deck 2, and my main takeaway is: more power, same charm. Let's hope Valve listens and doesn't try to fix what isn't broken.
Right, so the Steam Deck's been kicking around since 2022, and fair dinkum, it's made handheld PC gaming a proper thing. But, as IGN South Africa rightly points out (cheers to them for the initial spark!), it's about time we started dreaming about the Steam Deck 2. And while the obvious answer is just "stick a bigger engine in it, mate," it's a tad more nuanced than that, isn't it?
**First, the Price. Keep it Real.** Valve's had a… *colorful* history with hardware. Remember the Steam Machine? A bloody expensive flop, that was. The Steam Deck got it right by being surprisingly affordable. But these days, everyone and their dog are releasing handhelds that cost more than my first car (I’m looking at you, MSI Claw 8 AI+). IGN reckons Valve can afford to subsidize the cost a bit, seeing as it's basically a portal straight to their Steam store. I reckon they're spot on. But let's be realistic, everything's gone up in price, so expect a *slight* bump. Just keep it reasonable, eh?
**800p Forever!** Now, I know what you're thinking: "More pixels! Make it shiny!" But IGN makes a solid case for sticking with the 800p display. I felt this myself going from the Steam Deck to the Legion Go. The Go's screen is gorgeous, but you spend half your time tweaking settings to get games running smoothly. The Steam Deck? It just *works*. The lower resolution means games run better out of the box. So, Valve, resist the urge to chase numbers. A more powerful chip with the same display is the way to go. Trust me (and IGN).
**Those Silly Little Trackpads... Keep 'Em!** Ever since the Steam Controller, Valve's been obsessed with these haptic trackpads. I personally use them to fiddle and stim (ADHD gamer, reporting for duty!). But according to IGN, they're actually useful for games like *Civilization* that weren't designed for controllers. Plus, the Steam community's controller configs are legendary, and more input options are always a good thing. No one else is doing this, so it keeps the Steam Deck special.
**Gimme Another Hole! (USB-C, That Is)** This is a personal plea. Whenever I have to re-benchmark the Steam Deck, it's a bloody nightmare. Installing SteamOS from a USB drive is a pain because it *refuses* to work through a USB hub. According to IGN that's probably because the Steam Deck only has one port! So, Steam Deck 2, please, for the love of all that is holy, give us another USB-C port. Make docks less of a hassle, and let me plug in all my gizmos at once. Is that too much to ask?
Ultimately, IGN reckons the original Steam Deck was pretty much perfect. And while I wouldn't go *that* far (nothing's perfect, mate), I mostly just want a spec bump and some quality-of-life improvements. Valve will probably come up with all sorts of fancy new features, but let's hope they don't mess with the magic that made the Steam Deck such a roaring success.
Tags: Steam Deck, Handheld Gaming, Valve, Gaming Hardware, PC Gaming
Original article: IGN South Africa