The Steam Deck is an incredibly innovative handheld gaming console. Valve learned all the right lessons from the Nintendo Switch and created a powerful handheld with no shortage of software compatibility.
Because the Steam Deck is compatible with many AAA releases, fans have been craving a second, more powerful version of the Deck for upcoming games. However, Valve believes the next Steam Deck will not come with significant hardware improvements.
As such, many fans are worried about the longevity of the Steam Deck. And it looks like game developers have similar concerns. In a recent survey from GDC, developers were asked about the viability of Steam Deck as a long-term gaming platform.
Surprisingly, nearly 50% of respondents were unsure about the Steam Deck’s longevity.
As seen above, less than 20% believe the Steam Deck will not be viable long-term, while 36% believe in Valve’s latest handheld.
One reason for the skepticism could be Steam Deck’s hardware capabilities. While the Steam Deck packs impressive performance featuring an AMD RDNA 2-based GPU, games development will soon shift focus to target the current-gen consoles primarily.
Recent releases like Need for Speed Unbound can prove challenging for Steam Deck’s 4-core Zen 2 CPU. On the other hand, Steam Deck can handle demanding games like Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered and emulate consoles like the Xbox 360.
With current-generation games becoming more popular in 2023 and beyond, Valve’s portable console could become outdated faster than anybody expects. Games like Dead Space Remake are built from the ground up to support the impressive PS5 and Xbox Series consoles and might push the Steam Deck to its limits.
Other survey questions indicate developers believe the Steam Deck is good but not revolutionary. This is not surprising since the Steam Deck has likely been inspired by the Nintendo Switch, although it improves significantly upon Nintendo’s ideas in many ways.
However, many developers are still optimistic about the Steam Deck. With the excellent variety of indie games and the extensive library of over 7100 playable or verified games, Steam Deck owners will have no shortage of games for a long while.
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[Senior News Reporter]
Avinash is currently pursuing a Business degree in Australia. For more than 5 years, he has been working as a gaming journalist, utilizing his writing skills and love for gaming to report on the latest updates in the industry. Avinash loves to play action games like Devil May Cry and has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as IGN, GamesRadar, GameRant, Dualshockers, CBR, and Gamespot.
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