Valve’s engineer Pierre Loup‑Griffais told IGN that the Steam Deck 2 is closer to launch than last time, but a true performance leap is still missing. He noted that emerging mobile CPUs show promise, yet their power envelopes keep the handheld from reaching the efficiency needed for extended play.

The comment follows Valve’s recent Steam Machine launch, during which the company faced criticism for pricing and supply woes. Griffais warned that many new chips are low‑end laptop parts repurposed for handhelds, creating a trade‑off between power and battery life that Valve wants to avoid.

Griffais added that Valve plans to use off‑the‑shelf silicon instead of a new semi‑custom AMD design, aiming for mainstream CPUs that balance performance and efficiency. He said the next‑gen deck will be discussed in coming years, suggesting a cautious approach amid the DRAM crisis.

With no exact launch window, the Steam Deck 2 will likely wait until supply chains normalize and more power‑efficient CPUs hit the market. For now, Valve signals progress while keeping the promise of a handheld that delivers true gaming performance without sacrificing battery life.