Last week we covered Valve’s confirmation that there will eventually be a “Steam Deck 2”. The company slipped this into an online brochure introducing its console in four new Asian markets, where customers can now pre-order Steam Decks for the first time. But Valve was pretty vague at the time, saying the Steam Deck was “a multigenerational product line” that will one day come in “new versions.” Now, in a new issue of Weekly Famitsu magazine translated by VGC, Steam Deck designer Greg Coomer has confirmed that future iterations of the console will come with some drastic changes.
“Unless something major changes, there will be a next generation of Steam Deck products in the future,” Coomer said. “The theme, size and shape will change, and it could even become a streaming machine. Steam Deck development will continue.” Coomer later mentioned that this was because the Steam Deck is “an extension to the core Steam platform”, which has “many other uses besides this handheld device”. Developer Pierre-Loup Griffais expanded on Coomer’s statement by specifying that battery life and optimization were top of mind for future versions of the console.
Valve’s next games could include a new installment in the Half-Life series, at least, if Coomer has his way. (Image: Valve)
Another Famitsu-Coomer interview reveals that Valve, whose attention has understandably been focused on its hardware, has “a lot of games” in development. “Game development is very important to Valve. I don’t know the exact numbers, but the percentage of employees involved in game development is high. A lot of people are involved,” Coomer said.
The developer, whose face was one of many referenced in the design of Half-Life protagonist Gordon Freeman, confirmed that Valve “has more to say” about the beloved FPS franchise. While this doesn’t necessarily mean Half-Life 3 is the next title Valve releases, it does mean there could be more to Freeman’s story beyond Half-Life: Alyx. Coomer also mentioned that he “would like to do another Portal one day”.
It’s unknown if Valve is focusing exclusively on established franchises or adding some new ones. Before Alyx, Valve released a couple of short VR experiences to promote their Index Controllers. Before that, mainly focused on upcoming installments of some popular titles, such as Counter-Strike, Portal, and Left 4 Dead. Valve’s unique products, like Saliens, haven’t been particularly popular… but that doesn’t mean the company doesn’t have something new up its sleeve.
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