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I'm already dreaming about the Steam Deck 2, and the upgrade at the top of my wishlist is a sleeker, lighter form factor

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Please Valve, make a handheld that's not as fatiguing to hold.

Steam Deck with Switch controller

I've not touched my Steam Deck in months. Were it not for my other half commandeering it as a dedicated visual novel machine and chewing through Higurashi's hundreds of thousands of words, the Valve handheld would have been getting dusty.

It's not that I'm averse to gaming handhelds—I won't tell you how many hours I've put into getting humbled by Dungeon Encounters on the original Nintendo Switch. So why have I fallen out with the Steam Deck? Especially when my colleagues are enjoying their best cozy gaming, Tiny Bookshop life with the handheld? Well, it all comes down to my biggest ask for the Steam Deck's successor: Please Valve, make the Steam Deck 2 just a little more comfortable for my teeny tiny raccoon hands.

Now, I know what you may be thinking—'sounds like a skill issue,' 'shouldn't have skipped arm day,' 'get outta here you weird baby-handed freak,' and so on. But when it comes to gaming handhelds, the original Steam Deck stands out as an especially beefy boy. It's not just the bulky shape but, at 1.48 lbs (or 673 grams), the weight of it too.

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The Nintendo Switch 2 and Steam Deck next to each other An Ayaneo Flip DS running a game while sat on a desk.

(Image credit: Future)

To be clear, I very much doubt Valve is eyeing anything like a clamshell design for its next handheld (and if the Steam Deck 2 does come with two screens and a hinge, I will eat both my hat and then the console itself). What we do know is that whatever form it takes, it will still be some time before we hear anything concrete about the Steam Deck's successor.

For one thing, Lawrence Yang said last year, "[It's] not really fair to your customers to come out with something so soon that's only incrementally better." Valve is likely still waiting for the "generational leap in compute without sacrificing battery life" that would then justify a fully fledged follow-up handheld. In the meantime, leave a girl to her dreams of a slightly sleeker, hopefully less hefty handheld in the near-ish future.

Legion Go S SteamOS edition
Best handheld PC 2025

👉Check out our full guide👈

1. Best overall:
Lenovo Legion Go S SteamOS ed.

2. Best budget:
Steam Deck

3. Best Windows:
MSI Claw 8 AI+

4. Best big screen:
Lenovo Legion Go

5. Best compact:
Ayaneo Flip DS

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