What’s next for the Steam Deck?

destructoid.com:

The Steam Deck has managed to make quite a splash since it launched in 2022. According to analysts at Omdia, the handheld is expected to surpass 3 million units sold this year. You won’t have much trouble figuring out why the portable gaming PC has been so popular. Running the Linux-based SteamOS, the Deck gives you instant access to your Steam library while you’re on the go. It’s not just for games, however, and when you switch to desktop mode, you have a fully-fledged PC in your hands.

One of the biggest selling points of the Deck is its customizability, both on the software and hardware level. Don’t like SteamOS? Just swap it out for Windows. Feel like you need more internal storage? The SSD can be easily replaced. More adventurous Deck owners have even changed larger components, such as the screen.

In the grand scheme of things, the Deck is relatively young, as it’s barely a year old. Despite this, so much has changed since the world got its hands on it. Consumer expectations have heightened, and in response games are rapidly growing more complex, demanding increasingly more from the systems they are played on. This has begun to place hard limits on what can be played enjoyably on Valve’s handheld.

Additionally, the portable gaming device faces more competitors than ever. Of course, plenty of handheld PCs have been on the market before the Deck’s launch. However, Valve has managed to catch lightning in a bottle with the Deck thanks to its user-friendliness, reasonable price point, and easy customizability.

Others have taken note, leading to more portables entering the market, and they feature specs that make them quite tempting for anyone looking for a handheld gaming device. So where does this leave the Deck,