10 improvements I would like to see in Steam Deck 2

I love Valve’s Steam deck. It’s fun to use, it’s versatile, and it’s an almost perfect system for gaming on the go or just lounging around the house. However, nearly perfect obviously isn’t really perfect. It’s a great first draft, but for Steam Deck 2, Valve could make some improvements.

Valve hasn’t announced or even hinted at a potential Steam Deck successor, but these are a few changes and improvements we’d like to see in a new handheld.

The Steam Deck 2 requires an OLED display

OLED screens are all the rage these days; Even Nintendo released a Switch OLED version last year. It’s easy to see why: OLED screens produce deeper blacks, better contrast ratios, and just tend to produce better images overall. They are also more suitable when playing games or watching movies in the dark as black scenes look really Black. The Steam Deck’s LCD does not appear Poorly – in fact, it looks quite good – but it’s no secret that the screen has issues, such as fading. B. Light bleeding.

Higher refresh rate options would be great too

While not every game requires a high refresh rate, it’s common for users to tweak these settings, whether they want to drop it down to 40Hz to conserve battery, or bump it up to 90Hz or even 144Hz for the smoothest possible gameplay want. It would be nice if the Steam Deck 2 supported a wider range of refresh rates, and for lower powered games it wouldn’t be too detrimental to battery life.

The Steam Deck 2 should have better battery life

One of the biggest criticisms of the Steam Deck is the poor battery life. when i play GTA V, for example, I get anywhere from two hours to two and a half hours of gameplay. The more intense the game, the shorter the battery life.

Don’t get me wrong, two hours is a lot of playtime, but I see myself getting battery scared on a plane or on a long car ride. Either through a bigger battery or a more efficient chipset, there are a number of ways to achieve this goal and it would be great to see Valve getting closer to either one.

More USB or USB-C ports would be a plus

Given that the Steam Deck can be used in much the same way as a laptop, I’d appreciate the company even including it one additional USB-C port. Imagine if it were one above and the bottom! You can charge your device while plugging something else into the other USB-C port. You can purchase third-party docks that give you more ports (or even the official, more expensive dock), but the extra port offers a lot more versatility than just trying to get the most out of the single USB-C port.

Better haptics would improve the overall experience in Steam Deck 2

The tactile feel on the Steam deck, to put it bluntly, just isn’t very good. In fact, you only feel them when scrolling in the touchpads, which only seems to tell the user when they sense input. It’s not the worst experience, but it can feel strange playing games on the Steam deck when I’m used to the same games vibrating a controller when playing them on my PC. Since the games already support them, by the end of Steam Deck 2, Valve would only have to produce them more.

With the Steam Deck, all you get is the M.2 storage slot you get. You can upgrade your internal storage, but you need to buy an M.2 2230 SSD, and Replace the ones already in your Steam deck. It can be a cumbersome replacement, while an additional M.2 slot in the Steam Deck 2 would simplify this process. You could have your regular boot M.2 with games on it, and then another M.2 for faster access without having to mess with microSD cards. Most people find SD cards fast enough, but a different SSD would increase loading speeds.

eGPU support means more performance

If you really want to go all out, an eGPU could enhance the Steam Deck’s capabilities. It’s a small niche requirement, but any USB-C port with Thunderbolt 3 can theoretically support an eGPU. It’s also technically possible to modify the M.2 2230 slot in the Steam Deck to support an eGPU, but that’s more of a hardware mod than something you can just plug into the Steam Deck. People have done it and booted Windows from an SD card… but yeah, that’s probably not for the faint of heart. Valve can streamline this process for those who wish.

More color options work for the Switch

Colors are fun, and they can also be a form of expression. While it’s easy for Valve to produce each SKU in one color, some other colorful options would be great, especially given the popularity of device skins from places like Dbrand. I would have liked fun colors, just like the Nintendo Switch, and hopefully Valve will introduce more colors in the future.

Who doesn’t want a neon-colored Steam Deck 2 that’s annoying to look at? Make it happen, Valve.

Mobile data support would make playing online on the Steam Deck 2 a breeze

There won’t always be a place for it, but for people who can get unlimited mobile data plans, the LTE or 5G support in the Steam Deck 2 could be a godsend. Not only can you download games on the go, but it could be super easy to play with friends in multiplayer titles.

And… it would be nice if it were easy to buy a Steam Deck 2

Consider the Steam Deck’s current availability – it’s actually quite limited! You can get it in the US or Europe, but it’s unattainable in many Asian and African markets without importing it. You can pre-order it now at least in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, but it’s not available yet.

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The Steam Deck is already a great device to play your PC games away from your actual PC. It has already changed the way many people play PC games. It’s likely that Valve will release a Steam Deck 2, but there’s no word yet on when that will happen (although we’ll keep you posted if that’s the case!). Either way, even just one or two of these suggestions could massively improve the entire experience.

What would you change about the Steam Deck? Let us know in the comments below.