Valve Clarifies Future of Steam Deck Amid AMD’s Chip Advancements: “No Plans for Steam Deck 2”

AMD has introduced the Ryzen Z2 processor series recently, designed to energize a new generation of gaming handhelds. While initial statements from the company suggested that a Z2-enhanced Steam Deck was in the pipeline, a Valve developer has stepped in to clarify that no such device is currently under development.

The situation escalated when VideoCardz.com released a series of slides detailing the features of the Z2 lineup. One set of slides underscored the “explosive growth” in the portable gaming sector, showcasing devices like the Lenovo Legion Go, Asus Rog Ally, and indeed, Valve’s Steam Deck. A quick glance might lead one to think that AMD was hinting that the Z2 would fundamentally empower the next versions of these devices.

“There is and will be no Z2 Steam Deck,” Valve engineer Pierre-Loup Griffais promptly clarified on Bluesky. “I believe the slide was intended to indicate that the series is aimed at products like that, not suggesting anything specific.”

A misinterpreted slide seems to be a reasonable explanation for the confusion, but AMD has strangely remained vague about the entire matter. According to The Verge, AMD initially suggested to reporters in a briefing that there could be a Z2 Steam Deck, and when asked for clarification, stated that the slide was “designed to highlight our current handheld design wins.” As noted by The Verge, “that’s not a denial.”

The Z2 series is set to deliver significant performance improvements in whichever handhelds it ends up powering, yet it remains uncertain whether these enhancements will translate to a true generational leap. Valve has indicated that it plans to create a Steam Deck 2, but it will require a “next-generation” power upgrade before that becomes a reality.

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