The end of Steam Deck.

Summary

In this video, Jimmy Champagne from Deck Ready discusses the longevity of the Steam Deck, noting its impressive performance with PS4-era games. He addresses rumors of the Steam Deck's obsolescence by 2025, highlighting that while next-gen games pose a challenge, the device remains competitive. Jimmy also speculates on the potential for a Steam Deck 2, considering custom AMD chips and the impact of 'Valve time' on development. He concludes that a 2025 release for an upgraded model could align well with the market, especially considering the expected release of the Nintendo Switch 2.

Takeaways

• 📈 The Steam Deck has been successful, remaining competitive for over 2.5 years.
• 🎮 It performs well with PS4 generation games, offering similar settings and performance to consoles.
• 🔄 Sony and Microsoft's slow transition from PS4/Xbox One has inadvertently supported the Steam Deck's longevity.
• 🚀 The Steam Deck benefits from not needing to match the next-gen exclusive games' performance.
• 📉 However, next-gen only games like Final Fantasy 16 and Space Marine 2 do not run well on the Steam Deck.
• 🛠️ Valve is likely working on a custom chip with AMD for the Steam Deck 2, similar to their initial collaboration.
• 🔒 Valve's development pace, known as 'Valve Time', and the small Steam Deck team size could affect the release timeline.
• 💾 The full release of Steam OS 3.0 has been delayed, potentially affecting the development of new hardware.
• 🆕 The Steam Deck OLED was a significant update, indicating the team's capability to work on hardware improvements.
• 🤔 There's speculation about the potential use of a chip similar to the PS5 Pro for the Steam Deck 2.
• 📅 The end of 2025 could be an optimal time for the Steam Deck 2 release, aligning with industry trends and avoiding alienating early adopters.

Q & A

What is the main topic of Jimmy Champagne's video?

The main topic of Jimmy Champagne's video is addressing the question of whether 2025 might be the end of the Steam Deck's relevance.

What is Jimmy Champagne's goal regarding his YouTube channel?

Jimmy Champagne's goal is to reach 100K subscribers and get a silver play button for his channel.

How old is the Steam Deck as of the video?

The Steam Deck is around 2 and a half years old at the time of the video.

What games does Jimmy mention as running well on the Steam Deck?

Jimmy mentions games like God of War, Ghost of Tsushima, and Death Stranding running well on the Steam Deck.

What is the impact of Sony and Microsoft's strategy on the Steam Deck?

Sony and Microsoft's strategy of not moving on from the PS4 and Xbox One generation has unintentionally helped the Steam Deck remain competitive.

What challenges does the Steam Deck face with newer 'next-gen only' games?

Newer 'next-gen only' games like Final Fantasy 16 and Space Marine 2 do not run well on the Steam Deck, even at the lowest settings.

What did Valve say about the Steam Deck 2 in their interview with The Verge?

Valve indicated that the Steam Deck 2 is a couple of years out as of the end of 2023, suggesting it won't be released in 2024 or likely in 2025.

What improvements did the Steam Deck OLED have over the original Steam Deck?

The Steam Deck OLED had improvements in performance, battery life, button quality, trackpads, internal layout, and screen quality.

What is Valve's approach to chip development for the Steam Deck?

Valve works with AMD to develop a custom chip for the Steam Deck, which allows them to access features not available on desktop PCs.

What is 'Valve Time' as mentioned in the video?

'Valve Time' refers to Valve's history of delays and not adhering to strict release schedules, which affects the timeline of their products like the Steam Deck.

Why does Jimmy Champagne think 2025 might be a good time for the release of the Steam Deck 2?

Jimmy thinks 2025 would be a good time for the Steam Deck 2 because it aligns with the mid-generation refresh cycle and allows for more powerful chips to be used.