As we discussed earlier this week, Steam has been a hell of a year since its release. So it’s no surprise that Valve is looking to the future with its new handheld device, officially dubbed a “multi-generation product.” The company has now revealed a bit about what it wants to improve on the hardware game and where it wants to expand.
in a wide spectrum meet with edgesSteam Deck designers Laurence Young and Pierre-Loup Griffis talk about Steam Deck’s specific ambitions and goals. After almost a year in the wild, the deck is certainly impressed with its performance Large selection of games. However, the areas for improvement are clear: the screen is serviceable but far from the new Nintendo Switch OLED model. And the battery is not only drained quickly, but such as I attached it As noted in his reviewIt is one of the least repairable things Otherwise worthwhile device. We now know that the last two are top priorities for valves.
However, the company has not revealed much about its plans Screen optimizationI shared some thoughts on the battery, its interchangeability, and how future iterations of the product will address problem areas.
With a battery that quickly loses its juice and the nature of this energy source diminishes over time, the poor interchangeability is disappointing. Griffiths said edges For this reason Ability to extend batteryYou can’t actually get holes that look like a battery [inside the Deck] Being exactly the same size as the battery and keeping all the glue in place prevents it from moving too much.
Ratley battery concerns were apparently a developing problem. Griffis says: “We had some of our prototypes [the battery shifting around] And I’m telling you, it doesn’t feel good at all when you’re moving around and trying to use your deck.” Young added jokingly, “You don’t want a steam deck maraca and you don’t want to touch a battery of other important components and Push around.”
The decision to firmly mount the battery was therefore critical to getting the deck reliably functional, chargeable and safe. Yang revealed that Valve “changed its architecture [glue that holds the battery]That will allow for easy removal and repair down the line.
Valve has revealed, perhaps to the surprise and delight of some, that the new Steam console is also something the company is aiming for. that The original Steam console It was an exotic bird, but the high level of customization captured the attention of a dedicated, if small, fan base. We pick some that actually fell in love with it, but Steam Deck has always pretended to be A more flexible and dynamic game console is needed For computer games.
Continue reading: Steam Deck’s unconventional controls prove that gamepads are obsolete
But if you’re willing to drop cash on the screen to follow Valve’s owl-shaped console, I’m sorry to say it might be a while. “For now, let’s focus on the deck,” Yang said. “[A controller is] Certainly something we would love to work with a third party or explore on our own.”
