I'm just thinking out loud here.
Steam Deck 2 is a long way away, and I think that's great. Giving developers a specific hardware target is crucial, and having consumers feel like they need to immediately upgrade is bad.
However, I think there is room for an advanced SD that's not necessarily "new" but just an external improvement over the existing model at a higher price tier for those looking for a premium experience.
Also I'm going to be nitpicking here, don't take that the wrong way, I love the SD but it does have some weak points.
So then Steam Deck LE would be identical to the current one with the exception of:
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The screen. Wow this is probably the greatest weakness of the SD. A larger display with smaller bezels and better color accuracy would go a long way to improving the experience.
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Hall Effect joysticks. Again, nitpicking here but it'd be nice to see a premium version with these included.
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1TB SSD. I originally bought the 64GB version thinking I would just use an SD card no problem. But the ridiculous amount of shader cache, the various Proton versions (~1GB each) and some other software like EmuDeck and Heroic, as well as the annoyance of moving things back and forth had me upgrading quickly to a 1TB, which immediately ended all of those concerns.
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Different color ways. I'm partial to white but a transparent purple version would be nice to see also.
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At least 1 more USB-C port... so we can do things like video out while charging.
What else would you like to see added?
+1 for new screen. The bezel is really bad. The current resolution just doesn't show enough detail on some games (Rocket League for example looks awful on the deck to the point where you're playing with a handicap)
Controller input latency (using the newer "xbox wireless controller" connected via Bluetooth) needs to be improved
Ergonomics could be improved. After a few hours, the neck starts to feel it. So I find myself compensating by holding it up higher. Not sure how they could improve the neck issues without a detachable screen or something. Hand/wrist discomfort could definitely be improved.
Bluetooth isn't capable of acceptable controller performance. It's not better on Windows.
The resolution is a deliberate choice. A higher resolution screen isn't worth the trade off.
Well these controllers ship with bluetooth connectivity, so it stands to reason that they should work towards their intended purpose.
I'm able to play most games with noticeable yet acceptable input lag, but not for competitive/online games. It feels like it's close, and efforts toward optimization could get it there.
On the other hand the 2.4ghz dongle doesn't work out of the box so that would be a nice addition.
You're saying a higher res screen would cause issues with battery life and performance in the current deck, but we're talking next gen.
Edit: I misread the post. The screen upgrade can only work in next gen and your point stands.
It's not playable with Bluetooth on any platform. Input lag is not mild. It's every bit as completely unplayable on Windows.
Talking about a handheld and neck issues kind of go hand in hand. It's been an issue since the first handheld. I'm afraid Valve won't be able to patch anatomy.
Resolution doesn't bother me, personally. If they put a higher one in, I'd probably run it at 720p regardless.
Ergonomics takes me back to my last point: you can use something like the NREAL AR glasses. But you can't use those and charge at the time time without a goofy dongle.
Other than that, I'm not sure there's a lot they can do about it