After whispers began swirling about a new Steam console in development, fueled by a report from GamingOnLinux, Valve developer Pierre-Loup Griffais set the record straight on BlueSky. Griffais addressed the rumors by explaining that the buzz around Mesa Vulkan’s work on AMD’s RDNA 4 architecture was nothing new for Valve. In fact, it’s part of their ongoing software updates since AMD’s Vega days. While Valve is certainly exploring software for upcoming GPU architectures, it doesn’t translate to a resurrection of the Steam Machine venture anytime soon.
So, does this dash hopes for a fresh Steam Console? For now, it seems so. But let’s dive into Valve’s excursions into console-like territory and examine what the future could hold for both a potential Steam Machine revival and the eagerly anticipated Steam Deck 2.
### Valve’s Hardware Ambitions
Reports suggested a new Steam console might be on the cards due to preliminary work on AMD’s RDNA 4, but that was always a long shot. New consoles—including the Steam Deck—often feature custom hardware derived from existing architectures, meaning by the time they hit the shelves, the technology is typically a generation behind the cutting edge due to necessary preparation and development time.
When the Steam Deck came out in 2022, it sported AMD’s RDNA 2 architecture, which was first unveiled in November 2020. This put a good year and a half between the release of its GPU architecture and the Deck’s launch, and even longer for its Zen 2 CPU tech. As AMD looks ahead with RDNA 4 for desktops, adapting that for a handheld console wouldn’t happen without extensive efforts.
Currently, the best integrated GPUs utilize RDNA 3 and 3.5 architectures, but advances in battery-powered performance have been modest. Handheld consoles face strict power and battery limitations, and the Ryzen AI HX 300 Series APUs with RDNA 3.5 are only just becoming available.
Significantly, Valve isn’t prioritizing a new Steam Console right now, especially as the Steam Deck 2 is reportedly two or three years away. Valve is waiting for a significant hardware breakthrough, suggesting that while an RDNA 4 iGPU may feature in the future Steam Deck 2, it’s not imminent. It would be a stretch for Valve to release three distinct SteamOS platforms in under seven years.
Though RDNA 4 is promising, we need more information—performance, power use, cost—before it can be considered viable for handheld PCs.
### Looking Into the Crystal Ball
Venturing into speculative territory, let’s explore what Valve’s known plans could mean for the handheld console market.
Crucially, towards the end of last year, credible leaks showed new designs for a Steam Controller and next-gen VR controllers from Valve. Updating the Steam Controller might suggest a revival of the Steam Link or Steam Machines, or it could simply be about making the Steam Deck’s handheld and docked modes more seamless, leveraging the extensive capabilities of Steam Input like touch-sensitive gyro features.
So, could a Steam Console be totally impossible? Perhaps not. Once Steam OS 3 is more widely available, it could lead to its adoption in mini PCs, laptops, and handhelds by other manufacturers. A larger device would also allow Valve to fully explore features like real-time ray tracing, which are quite limited on the current Deck hardware.
For a significant leap in handheld performance, we need more than RDNA 4 for improved ray tracing. It requires a GPU architecture that delivers strong RT outcomes at compact TDP levels, like 25W for some current handhelds or 15W for the Steam Deck. Considering that discrete RDNA 4 mobile GPUs are projected to need 80-175W, AMD hasn’t hit that target yet.
However, there are pathways. RDNA 4 is built on TSMC’s N4 process node, which isn’t new. Valve’s older Van Gogh APU used the now-aged N7 node. Transitioning to N5 or N4 could offer substantial benefits, but as N3 and N2 nodes become available, they might spare size and cost—a future solution for handheld devices.
Yet, is a full-fledged Steam Console even necessary? Dock a Steam Deck and you’ve already got a more formidable console than the Nintendo Switch, and if Nintendo has moved away from traditional consoles, Valve might see hybrid-handhelds as the strategic sweet spot, steering clear of direct competition with top-tier consoles and gaming PCs.
