Steam Deck 2? This leak suggests Valve is working on new hardware

Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

An breathtaking portion of rumors conscionable dropped, and it mightiness person thing to do pinch nan Steam Deck — aliases it could beryllium thing other entirely. We’re talking astir a mysterious caller instrumentality made by Valve that has conscionable received power certification from nan South Korea National Radio Research Agency. Code-named “RC-V1V-1030,” nan merchandise is referred to arsenic a “low-power wireless device.” What’s Valve up to now?

The problem is that it could beryllium astir anything. Aside from a Steam Deck 2, aliases possibly moreover conscionable a refresh to nan existing console, Valve has expressed liking successful making a caller virtual reality (VR) gaming headset to travel up connected nan Valve Index. Even an updated Steam Controller fits nan description. The only point to beryllium learned from nan certification is that nan instrumentality uses 5GHz Wi-Fi, which could use to each 3 of those imaginable products.

Valve’s Steam Deck is still reasonably new, but exertion tends to property quickly. Many companies sewage america utilized to yearly aliases biyearly merchandise cycles. Does that mean this mysterious instrumentality could so beryllium nan adjacent loop of Steam Deck? Some mightiness opportunity that it’s excessively early for nan handheld to person all-new hardware, but a somewhat much powerful type is not retired of nan question. Valve could release, for instance, a Steam Deck pinch an improved surface to lucifer nan caller title from Lenovo, Ayaneo, and Asus.

A constituent successful that favour is that Valve started selling refurbished Steam Decks recently, suggesting nan institution is moving done immoderate backlog of returns.

A Steam Controller 2 would make a batch of sense, fixed that nan first 1 was released successful 2015 and has since been discontinued. However, an other scoop from Phoronix (also shared by The Verge) tells america that Valve has been making sneaky changes to nan codification of its Van Gogh APU.  A caller merchandise family sanction was added, dubbed “Sephiroth,” followed by a merchandise called “Galileo.” That makes nan Steam Controller sound implausible. While it would beryllium wireless and low-power, it wouldn’t person a Van Gogh APU inside.

A VR headset, however, would person its ain spot — and Valve has made it clear that it believes nan existent APU recovered wrong nan Steam Deck would do good successful a standalone gaming VR headset. The mobility is whether nan APU would beryllium powerful capable to grip VR titles. The spot does good capable wrong nan Steam Deck, but handling VR is simply a full different ballgame. Now, if Valve was to merchandise a headset that useful arsenic a standalone, but tin besides beryllium connected to a gaming PC, that could work.

It’s excessively early to opportunity pinch immoderate certainty what this merchandise is going to be, but it very good mightiness make it to market, fixed nan certification. My money’s connected a Steam Deck refresh that’s still not a full caller console — deliberation Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch OLED. We’ll support you posted if location are immoderate caller developments.

Editors' Recommendations

• After 4 months pinch nan ROG Ally, I’m going backmost to my Steam Deck
• The Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch had a baby, and it’s Lenovo’s Legion Go
• Refurbished Steam Decks are now charismatic — here’s really to bargain one
• A awesome Asus ROG Ally challenger could beryllium successful nan works
• Don’t worry; Armored Core VI is ‘fully supported’ connected Steam Deck

Monica is simply a UK-based freelance writer and self-proclaimed geek. A patient believer successful nan "PC building is conscionable for illustration expensive…