Valve's New Hardware Will Keep The Steam Deck Alive

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With Valve announcing a bunch of new hardware, it's completely understandable to be a little disappointed that there was almost no news about the next Steam Deck. There were interviews posted about it, detailing why Valve is waiting and that they have an idea of what they want to do for the next-generation Steam Deck, but the tech needs to catch up. Still, that won't stop the current Deck from feeling dated, especially as more games are released that can't run well on it, but that's why Valve's new hardware is even more important.

Valve announced three new pieces of hardware: The Steam Frame, Steam Machine, and Steam Controller. The Steam Frame is a new VR headset, while the Steam Machine is an all-in-one PC that has been designed to look and feel like a game console that can be easily plugged into a TV. Then, we have the brand new controller, modeled right after the Deck's gamepad setup. They are all fantastic pieces of tech and will be a big reason why the Steam Deck stays relevant despite the aging hardware.

The Home PC Ecosystem Begins

Imagine a world where you buy a game once and can play it wherever you want. Whether you want to take it in the palm of your hand, sit down at a desk or TV, or even go into VR and play that way, this is what Valve is creating. It's something that Microsoft has started moving towards, combining PC and consoles into one perfect machine to use for all your gaming needs, and Valve beat them to the punch. Now, with the Steam Machine and Steam Frame, we can just buy a game once and play it however we want to.

This is something I have actually dreamed about for a long time, and it feels amazing to see it happening. No longer will I have to buy a game on PC and on PS5 to play it on my TV. Now, buying it once on my Steam account gives me access to it on the Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and Steam Deck. And with the Steam Controller, this means I can play really any game comfortably, including point-and-click games, thanks to the dual trackpads.

And of course, progress completely carries over. Thanks to Steam Cloud saves, we can just keep on playing right where we left off, as long as the game supports it. And we get full access to all of the Steam client features, like Steam Input, Steam Workshop, Guides, and so much more.

This also pushes us into the PC gaming ecosystem in general, which has a significantly better library of games that are ultimately cheaper. Of course, we have games on Steam, which still have games that were released over 20 years ago. We also have emulation, DRM-free games, mods, and so much more, all at our fingertips wherever we are. There are even reports that you can install games on a MicroSD card and use that card in both the Steam Machine and the Steam Deck, so you don't have to keep redownloading games.

And with the Steam Machine also running SteamOS, we should be able to install other storefronts, like the Heroic Games Launcher for Epic Games and GOG, or manually install launchers like BattleNet and Itch.io. This further expands all the options we have for games, and it's also quite crazy that we can play PlayStation and Xbox games on one console-style PC.

So How Does This Affect The Steam Deck?

With this in mind, there is no doubt about what Valve's ambition is right now, and they have made it clear how important the Deck is in it. On each piece of hardware's respective store pages, the Deck shows up to some degree to show it can be involved in some way with each new piece of hardware. It even shows up on the Steam Frame's page, dictating that some games can be played on both the Frame and the Deck.

Still, this doesn't change how powerful the Deck is and what games are actually playable on the hardware. Returnal won't magically be playable on the Deck with this kind of announcement, yet these announcements will keep the Deck as part of the conversation and increase its longevity for two specific reasons.

The Steam Deck Is Always Being Shown

First, it will stay a part of the conversation. With each store page showing the Steam Deck, as well as including it in pictures containing the whole lineup of new devices, the Deck will still be included as part of the larger picture, despite it being almost 4 years old. Every page has the Deck on it to some degree, detailing how it can be used with it. The Steam Frame page mentions you can stream games from the Deck, the Steam Machine page says you can stream to the Deck, and the Steam Controller page mentions it's compatible with the Deck.

Even though the hardware is older, the Deck is still being shown off front and center with the new hardware. That alone keeps it part of the conversation. Now, it's obvious that the Deck still has some relevance to help you utilize the new hardware to its fullest, and that's big.

The PC Gaming Ecosystem

However, the second aspect is probably the most important: It completes the ecosystem Valve wants to create. As I mentioned above, Valve wants to give you the best gaming experience that is connected to each other, giving a way to play any game the way you want to. Whether you want to sit down on the couch and play on a TV or put on some glasses to see the screen in front of you, you can take your library and play the games the way you want to, without needing to purchase multiple copies.

This extends to the Steam Deck. Since it uses the Steam and the PC ecosystem all the same, you can use your purchased games on either of those to take your games with you and use your cloud saves to continue your progress. It's also quite easy to do. Just go ahead and save your game, close it, and then start it up on the machine. You should be all good to go from there!

The Deck is being situated to complete the entire ecosystem, allowing you to take your PC games wherever you go. This is something we have already been able to do, but it will be further emphasized just how meaningful the games can be. The Nintendo Switch has shown us how easy it is to dock and play games on the TV, and then just pick it back up and play in handheld without losing any progress. It isn't as straightforward with a Deck and Steam Machine, but it can still give a similar effect as we only need to purchase games once and saves go over the cloud. And with it going over any PC, we could just log in later on when we have WiFi and download the save to continue the game.

While this can also be done with other handheld PCs, the Steam Deck and Steam Machine will both be using SteamOS, which means a more unified UI, feel, and functionality. If you learn how to install GOG games on the Deck, you can just re-do the process on the Steam Machine and get the same result. There's no learning two different OS or trying to learn Windows and Linux. All you have to do is learn SteamOS and you are good to go.

Ultimately, Valve's new hardware announcements are fantastic, and their goal with them is clear as day. They want to create an ecosystem where we can game the way we want, all within the same world and not have to continually change the environment just to play games the way you want to. This is the future, and something I think the bigger gaming companies have been striving for. Xbox/Microsoft is teasing doing this a lot, while Sony has dabbled in it before with the PS Vita (and is rumored to be working on a new handheld). Nintendo has somewhat already done it with the Switch, creating one device that can be a console or a handheld, but it comes with limitations.

Valve's new hardware is the first to really bring a full PC gaming ecosystem to the home in a consumer-friendly way, and the Deck is a necessary part of it. It's clear as day from how the hardware is announced to the functionality that the Steam Client brings to enhance the experience no matter how we choose to play. The Steam Deck may not be getting more powerful just yet, but it's not going anywhere either.

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