The Steam Deck is conscionable implicit 7 months aged now, and Valve’s instrumentality has evolved considerably since our reappraisal criticized its compatibility issues and different problems. A big of updates person addressed everything from the instrumentality curve to the system’s refresh rate, and Valve has been palmy successful getting much and much units into the hands of fans. In that respect, the Steam Deck has been precise overmuch a success.

Still, fans person plentifulness of questions astir the device, including the presumption of the missing dock – concisely spotted astatine the caller Tokyo Game Show – and Valve’s plans for the adjacent iteration of the Steam Deck. To get immoderate penetration connected these topics and more, we caught up with Steam Deck UX decorator Lawrence Yang and concern improvement enforcement Erik Peterson astatine Tokyo Game Show, wherever we peppered them with questions astir artillery life, authoritative enactment for dual-booting Windows, the anticipation of a slimmer Steam Deck, and more.

Check retired our afloat interrogation below!

IGN: It's been astir 7 months since the Steam Deck was primitively released. I'm curious, what bash you cognize present that you didn't cognize backmost successful February?

Erik Peterson: I would accidental that 1 of the things that we've learned is conscionable the mode that radical usage it. We had immoderate ideas astir however we thought radical mightiness bask playing with it. At slightest successful my mind, I was thinking, "It's portable. People are going to beryllium playing it, of course, connected an airplane oregon connected a bid oregon a autobus oregon whatever." But, astatine slightest erstwhile we were playing it astatine location erstwhile we archetypal started getting our trial units, conscionable having the quality to play thing connected your couch, oregon astir the house, oregon whatever... getting distant from your PC that you've been spending each time connected during the pandemic and being capable to conscionable bask it successful your ain way.

In my case, I play it erstwhile my wife's possibly watching TV and I'm hanging retired connected the sofa with her and playing a game. Or possibly I enactment it down for a second, marque immoderate dinner, travel back, drawback it. I deliberation we're proceeding akin stories from users each implicit the world.

Lawrence Yang: I'm a dad, I person 2 young kids, and it utilized to beryllium that I'd person to guiltily fell successful my bureau and play games successful the dark. But present I tin really play a crippled and I perceive my lad crying, I tin tally implicit and alteration his diaper and past finish, and past play my crippled again portion they're watching Sesame Street oregon whatever. It's been great. I tin inactive person gaming successful my beingness arsenic a parent.

Erik Peterson: Another happening that I've noticed personally, and I've heard different radical online speech astir it, is conscionable exploring your Steam room successful a antithetic way: types of games you play; erstwhile you play them. For me, personally, it's benignant of enabled maine to spell backmost and research games that I'd intended to play oregon wanted to play for a agelong time, oregon successful a antithetic benignant that I mightiness not privation to play connected my desktop PC, and to truly dive into these and consciousness similar I'm giving them a caller try.

IGN: There's been a batch of treatment astir the delays for the Steam Deck Docking Station, and radical person been eagerly anticipating it. Valve has said that it's been a occupation with parts and that benignant of thing. I'm conscionable wondering, what benignant of challenges person you tally into successful processing the dock?

Lawrence Yang: A batch of the aforesaid proviso concatenation issues that we ran into with the [Steam Deck]. The Deck is really successful a overmuch amended spot now; we're capable to nutrient them astatine a overmuch faster clip. The dock is being manufactured astatine a antithetic place, it has antithetic components, and it has its ain proviso issues and constraints that we've had to woody with. We're overcoming them, and truthful we are going to hopefully denote thing soon. So ticker retired for that.

There's a batch of worldly that we wanted to bash to marque definite that it works with arsenic galore peripherals arsenic possible. What's large is immoderate enactment that we bash for the [Steam Deck dock] works connected each dock – truthful each USB dock is benefiting from each of the enactment that we bash connected SteamOS.

IGN: We're present successful Japan close now, and I'm curious, what has been the effect from Japanese gamers to the Steam Deck?

Erik Peterson: It's been incredibly positive. One of the archetypal things that we've been proceeding successful talking to radical getting successful their hands for the archetypal clip is conscionable however amazed by however airy it is. I deliberation a batch of radical possibly had a preconceived conception of it being this big, heavy, hard-to-handle thing, and they’ve truly responded positively successful presumption of however airy it is, however comfy it is, and the types of games that you play connected it. We've been watching radical footwear up assorted games connected the device, and you tin spot them being amazed that they tin play Elden Ring and different high-spec, AAA games connected it. That's been a truly pleasant astonishment and it’s resulted successful bully feedback.

Lawrence Yang: Ever since we opened the booth, 3 things ever popular up. One is, "It's a batch lighter and much comfy than I expected it would be." Another is, "I tin play a full batch of games connected here, and they really tally truly well. Way amended than I would expect." And the 3rd 1 is, "I privation one." That's been truly large to see.

IGN: What benignant of discussions person you had with Japanese developers? I presume that you're besides talking with them portion you’re here.

Erik Peterson: Oh, absolutely. We're perpetually talking to developers each implicit the world, but we've been spending clip this week talking to Japanese developers and telling them astir the device. Honestly, the absorption from Japanese publishers and developers has been immensely, immensely positive. They are truthful excited astir it, and we've been proceeding that from them from the opening due to the fact that we were sending them units. These are the aforesaid publishers and developers that are making definite that their games tally large connected Deck, and you tin spot galore of those teams present contiguous astatine TGS.

Lawrence Yang: Yeah, and you tin spot it successful the numbers too. Every month, we conscionable say, "Hey, present are the apical games connected Steam Deck," and there's ever a truly steadfast fig of them that are coming from those Japanese developers. Elden Ring oregon Final Fantasy oregon Monster Hunter are ever connected the list.

IGN: You've managed to support a beauteous dependable cadence of reasonably ambitious updates. What's that been similar connected your end?

Lawrence Yang: It's been good. It's thing that we knew we would privation to do. We knew erstwhile we shipped determination were things connected our wishlist of things that we wanted to decorativeness that weren't done yet. We knew that erstwhile we shipped, we'd support shipping updates. Not lone are we going done the diagnostic database of things we privation to adhd to Steam Deck, we're looking astatine the customers and doing things to assistance them person a amended acquisition arsenic well.

The squad is precise motivated to support shipping updates, and it's 1 of the benefits of Steam Deck and PC gaming. Valve is simply a institution that is ever moving connected things, iterating connected things, and improving things. The Steam Deck that folks got backmost successful March is precise antithetic from the Steam Deck radical are receiving today, and the Steam Deck that you ain six months from present volition beryllium adjacent better.

IGN: So galore radical are moving truly hard to get Windows installed connected this thing. Can we expect authoritative enactment for Windows dual-booting successful the adjacent term?

Lawrence Yang: Yeah. There's a clump of enactment we person to bash connected the SteamOS broadside to marque a wide installer for it. Right now, the mentation of SteamOS connected determination is made specifically for Steam Deck and tuned for it, truthful we person to bash further architecture enactment to marque it disposable and capable to beryllium installed connected immoderate arbitrary machine. With that installer volition travel the quality to dual-boot Windows disconnected of that.

IGN: For folks who are conscionable present getting a Steam Deck oregon possibly haven't picked up their Steam Deck successful a while, what would you accidental is the astir important betterment and/or update that you've made since its release?

Lawrence Yang: It's hard to know. We've done truthful much. The refresh complaint alteration was a truly large one, but adjacent worldly similar improving artillery life, updating the instrumentality curve...

Erik Peterson: Things similar the quality to store connected the store for games that are Great connected Deck oregon Verified, and the process of america verifying titles and truly making definite that we person a full ample catalog of titles players tin take from. That database is increasing each day, truthful if a lawsuit had looked six months ago, it would beryllium a antithetic database of games than it is now.

Lawrence Yang: Yeah. I deliberation we launched with 300 Steam Deck Verified games. Now we're astatine implicit 5,000 verified playable games, and that number's growing.

IGN: I cognize that, from my ain perspective, erstwhile I tried to plug it into a television, I was amazed that a batch of games truly struggled to beryllium capable to tally smoothly connected it. It was upscaling automatically to 4K and that benignant of thing. I'm conscionable wondering, what steps are you taking to heighten the connectivity to a tv screen?

Lawrence Yang: Yeah. That's immoderate of the bundle enactment that I alluded to, that's related to the dock work. A batch of the enactment that we're doing is to marque definite that we tin screen arsenic galore peripherals, displays, monitors and immoderate to marque definite that the happening you privation to hap volition really hap erstwhile you plug it successful and that it'll beryllium a bully experience. I don't cognize erstwhile the past clip you tried that was, but I deliberation we've really improved that already, truthful you mightiness privation to effort it again to spot however that goes.

IGN: I person you heard a batch of radical saying that they are not truly treating this arsenic a portable device, arsenic a happening that they tin spell retired with. Is that thing you would privation to change?

Lawrence Yang: Well, I deliberation we privation radical to usage it the mode that they privation to…my existent concern is I hardly instrumentality it anywhere. I brought it connected this travel due to the fact that I'm traveling, but different it is my couch-gaming machine. I've really reached the constituent wherever I don't crippled overmuch connected my PC anymore, connected my desktop computer, conscionable due to the fact that I'm determination each day. I don't privation to support sitting there.

Erik Peterson: Ultimately, radical are utilizing the instrumentality successful a clump of antithetic ways. Some radical are taking it portably each implicit the place, and immoderate radical are hanging retired connected their couch. I thin to usage it for flights a batch due to the fact that the hours conscionable perfectly melt distant erstwhile I'm playing Slay the Spire, and I conscionable jam connected determination for hours astatine a time. People are going to usage it successful antithetic ways, and we're listening to feedback. I deliberation it's large that radical are uncovering antithetic ways to usage it.

IGN: Obviously, this is simply a precise community-focused machine. Is determination 1 circumstantial mod oregon betterment that the assemblage has made that truly made you arsenic designers go, "Wow. That's awesome. That was immoderate truly unthinkable enactment by the community?”

Lawrence Yang: Well, one, the assemblage is amazing. They're doing each sorts of brainsick worldly – things we wouldn't imagine. There are YouTubers who are putting existent PC vigor sinks into the thing. It's crazy, and it's chill due to the fact that it's a PC and you should beryllium capable to bash what you privation with it, and we're truly chill with that.

As acold arsenic different mods, we've seen a batch of radical gathering plugins for it, and we're looking to spot however radical are utilizing those, and what radical are asking for and what they want. It's benignant of a good balance…adding much knobs and dials is chill for the radical that privation them, but if you person excessively galore knobs and dials, past you tin intimidate radical who truly don't privation to messiness with the Steam Deck.

We conscionable person to effort to find a mode to entreaty to some crowds and marque definite everyone tin person a bully experience.

Erik Peterson: The sky's the bounds connected the benignant of things you tin bash with it, but it's besides truly important to america that if you're not into that and you privation to conscionable person a instrumentality that you tin conscionable play games connected and person large time, and not person to interest astir updating your drivers oregon whatever, it does that. It should beryllium capable to bash both.

Lawrence Yang: Yeah. Actually, 1 of the reasons we're present astatine TGS and showing it to the folks successful Japan is this is simply a state that is not needfully known for PC gaming. It's really 1 of the fastest-growing PC gaming countries successful the world, but there's inactive a batch of radical who don't cognize overmuch astir it. I know, for me, erstwhile I privation to bargain a PC oregon bargain a caller gaming laptop, it tin beryllium a hassle due to the fact that you person to bash a batch of probe and effort to fig retired what you privation to do. With the Steam Deck, it's conscionable similar a one-stop shop: you tin conscionable bargain it, and it tin play each the games that you privation to play. That's a truly bully introduction constituent into PC gaming. We anticipation that volition beryllium the lawsuit for folks present successful Japan.

IGN: One of the concerns astir the Steam Deck going successful was, due to the fact that of the quality of it being a portable device, that it mightiness extremity up being somewhat underpowered erstwhile it came to the processor. Indeed, definite games person had frame-rate issues and things similar that and you person to enactment truly hard to optimize them. I'm wondering, has fears astir it being a small spot underpowered played retired from your perspective, and what steps tin you instrumentality to maximize its performance, ultimately?

Lawrence Yang: There are immoderate games that are not well-optimized for Steam Deck retired of the gate, and a batch of times it's conscionable a speedy tweak to hole it similar changing default settings oregon making definite the crippled tin see, "Oh, okay. I request a 1280 x 800 screen.” We've really seen a batch of developers looking for Steam Deck oregon looking for Steam Deck-like hardware and changing the default config for this. We're moving with developers to promote that benignant of thing.

Really, we conscionable privation customers to not person to interest astir immoderate of that and for things to enactment truly well. That's wherefore we person the Deck Verified program, and we effort to trial to marque definite things are good, springiness them the greenish tick people if it's a large acquisition connected Deck, truthful customers tin consciousness reassured earlier they marque a acquisition oregon a download connected the Steam Deck.

Erik Peterson: I would conscionable accidental that, certainly, I hold with what Lawrence said, but there's a batch of customers that we've heard from who were conscionable blown distant by the information that it tin tally those AAA games the mode that they tin and person it inactive beryllium a portable instrumentality that you tin instrumentality with you and play. It whitethorn beryllium conscionable a antithetic perspective, but it's benignant of mind-bending to me, actually, sometimes, that I tin conscionable play Elden Ring successful my hands connected the couch.

IGN: The Verified programme is absorbing due to the fact that determination are immoderate games that accidental they bash not enactment connected Steam Deck but really bash – for example, Legend of Heroes: Trails successful the Sky. Whereas different games say, "Verified for Steam Deck," but, actually, I would not accidental that it's needfully an astonishing experience. I'm wondering, what steps are you taking to refine the Verified program?

Lawrence Yang: Yeah. We're ever looking astatine feedback and we're ever iterating connected the project. For the former, for the unsupported case, we person a precise stringent barroom for what we designate arsenic an unsupported title. If a rubric plays and a cutscene is simply a achromatic screen, we telephone it unsupported adjacent if gameplay and everything other is good conscionable due to the fact that we don't person a mode of knowing if that cutscene is important to gameplay and it's not our telephone to make.

As a customer, I wouldn't privation to bargain a crippled and person it unfastened and there's a achromatic surface with audio. I'm like, "Why did I discarded my wealth connected this?" That's wherefore we're other stringent with calling games unsupported, but we've decidedly heard the feedback of unsupported games working, and that's wherefore we are continuing to effort to iterate and marque things clearer for customers truthful they cognize what to expect.

The second case, wherever it's Verified but it doesn't behave arsenic expected, a fewer months agone we introduced a built-in UI happening that goes, "Hey. This crippled is not Deck Verified. Do you hold with it?" If a batch of radical don't hold that it's really Verified, we spot that. We tin look astatine it and either retest it, oregon hole a bug, oregon scope retired to the developer and say, "Hey. Here's thing that we could enactment on." We're going to person to retest it truthful that it has an due rating.

Erik Peterson: We've besides had developers scope retired to america due to the fact that they person a crippled that’s listed arsenic “Playable” oregon “Unsupported,” and they say, "Hey. It's truly important to maine that my crippled is Verified, truthful what tin I bash to marque that happen?" We'll enactment with them and effort to assistance them to bash what they request to bash and to scope that criteria truthful that they get Verified.

IGN: I deliberation that 1 happening that besides stands retired to maine is determination are definite games that I was trying to play, like, for example, V Rising, and the games that are much traditionally PC-oriented, mouse-and-keyboard-oriented, person been a small spot of a conflict connected the Steam Deck. From your position arsenic a developer, however tin you amended that acquisition for gamers?

Lawrence Yang: A batch of it comes down to input design. If a crippled is built with a controller successful mind, oregon with keyboard and rodent but besides controller successful mind, a batch of times it'll beryllium large connected Deck. It'll conscionable work, and things volition enactment well. If it was built specifically with keyboard and rodent successful mind, a batch of times you harvester things and it'll beryllium playable, but it whitethorn not beryllium what you would telephone the champion experience. That's conscionable portion of however it is, and not each crippled is going to beryllium a large experience.

Erik Peterson: Yeah. Some games conscionable weren't designed with a controller successful mind, and that's okay. We deliberation that's fine; it's benignant of a plan prime from the developer, truthful not each crippled is going to enactment arsenic a Verified title.

Lawrence Yang: What's truly cool, though, is if a developer does look astatine that and say, "Oh, I tin get a greenish tick if one adhd controller enactment for my title," that's large not lone for Steam Deck but besides each Steam gamers due to the fact that present anyone tin plug a controller into their laptop oregon immoderate and play that crippled with a controller. It's conscionable making the crippled amended for everyone.

IGN: Of course, artillery life. Another blistery taxable with the Steam Deck. You've taken immoderate steps to amended it. There person been a batch of hacks and discussions astir what you tin bash connected that front, but are determination further steps that you arsenic developers tin instrumentality to proceed to heighten the artillery beingness of the Steam Deck?

Laurence Yang: We're ever looking for ways that we tin marque the artillery beingness amended from a bundle perspective. Part of that is providing controls for customers to beryllium capable to little the settings. I deliberation it's conscionable the mode things are. A AAA rubric similar Elden Ring…I don't deliberation that the designers were reasoning that it would ever beryllium played handheld, and it's benignant of astonishing that it tin adjacent beryllium played handheld. It's thing that we're inactive looking at. We're providing tools for customers, and we're going to support looking astatine some aboriginal bundle and hardware revisions arsenic well.

IGN: Yeah. When I'm playing the Steam Deck, also, I announcement that it runs a small blistery a batch of the time. Are you satisfied with the cooling solutions and the fans for the Steam Deck?

Lawrence Yang: I deliberation we're beauteous blessed with it. We've designed it truthful that each of the vigor is lone connected the backmost and coming retired astatine the top, truthful you should ne'er consciousness immoderate vigor wherever your hands are, and it should lone beryllium happening there. If it is happening here, delight fto america cognize due to the fact that that is not portion of the design. All of the thermal should beryllium coming retired here.

We did set the instrumentality curve to code immoderate sound issues that were reported, and we're inactive looking astatine that each the clip conscionable to marque definite that we're doing what we tin to marque definite it's a bully acquisition from some a thermal standpoint but besides from an audio standpoint.

IGN: What benignant of feedback person you heard connected the existent ergonomics? Some radical person said, "Really great," and different radical person said, "Ooh, it's precise bulky," particularly compared to a instrumentality similar the Nintendo Switch.

Lawrence Yang: Yeah. We designed it with ergonomics successful mind. There is simply a crushed we didn't spell with a level design. We truly wanted determination to beryllium thing that your hands could grip and clasp onto for a truly agelong play session. We've by and ample heard precise affirmative things astir the ergonomics, but we’ve besides heard, "It looks large and dense and uncomfortable” and “The controls look similar they're successful a weird place." We've heard each of that.

But past we've besides heard the, "When I picked it up, though it really works. The thumbsticks are truly casual to get to. It feels truly bully successful my hands. It's not arsenic dense arsenic I thought. The value organisation is done truly well." We anticipation that that continues to beryllium the case, and, arsenic always, we're inactive listening to feedback if radical person different opinions.

Erik Peterson: Yeah. The lone happening I'd adhd is that each facet of hardware plan is trade-offs. You're ever making a trade-off astir however you privation to plan something. One of the things astir the Steam Deck is it is simply a small spot bigger, and that enables america to person a bigger screen. Having a bigger surface is something... We tin marque it overmuch smaller, we tin marque it the size of a watch, but you wouldn't beryllium capable to really play immoderate games connected it and person a affirmative experience. Because it's a spot bigger and it has a bigger screen, for me, personally, I've noticed that it's enabled different people of games to beryllium played connected it that conscionable wouldn't beryllium a bully acquisition if the surface were adjacent a small spot smaller due to the fact that it would conscionable beryllium excessively hard to spot everything.

For me, it's a overmuch much comfy acquisition playing games connected it. I personally truly admit the existent size of the Deck, and it's thing that I truly enjoy. Like everyone else, erstwhile I archetypal saw it, I was like, "Ooh. I don't cognize if that's going to beryllium comfortable." You get it successful your hands, and it's similar those fears conscionable perfectly melt distant due to the fact that it is comfortable.

IGN: Do you foresee a aboriginal wherever we tin merchandise a slimmer Steam Deck?

Lawrence Yang: Maybe, but arsenic Erik said, there's trade-offs. A slimmer Steam Deck would astir apt mean little artillery life, truthful we would conscionable person to measurement each of those and marque definite that we tin bash what we tin to mitigate it.

IGN: I'm wondering, what are immoderate of the trends that you're monitoring successful presumption of mobile GPUs, dedicated handheld, that benignant of happening that tin heighten the Steam Deck going forward?

Lawrence Yang: We're truly excited that there's a batch of maturation successful the space. We saw a batch of existing handheld PCs earlier Steam Deck, and determination proceed to beryllium much now. But with Steam Deck it seems similar the abstraction has been truly reinvigorated and radical are looking astatine it arsenic a viable category, which is truly breathtaking for us. We deliberation that the much choices the customers have, the better. Not lone are we excited to spot this is becoming a class of its own, we're besides excited to bring SteamOS to different manufacturers that mightiness privation to enactment it connected their handheld gaming PC. That's benignant of my instrumentality connected it.

From a exertion standpoint, we're keeping way of what the newest APUs are coming out, the latest advances successful memory, storage, display, battery… each the parts. When we marque different iteration, we privation to marque definite that it's utilizing the champion tech that we tin get into it.

IGN: Looking backmost connected the past 7 months of the Steam Deck, has it been everything that you hoped for?

Lawrence Yang: Totally. I privation we could marque much of them, faster. I deliberation that's the hardest thing, is that radical person been waiting for truthful long. We're gladsome that they're inactive excited to get it, but we privation they didn't person to hold this long. We're gladsome that we're yet surmounting a batch of our accumulation issues, which is really what's letting america vessel into these caller regions. We person capable banal present wherever we're getting truly adjacent to being capable to conscionable everyone's reservations, and past we're going to beryllium shipping to each these different regions arsenic well.

IGN: Has it reinvigorated Valve's existent crippled development?

Erik Peterson: We're ever moving connected games. We person thing caller to denote today, but we're a crippled developer successful summation to moving connected Steam, and we're ever moving connected things.

Interview transcript was edited for clarity and flow.

Kat Bailey is simply a Senior News Editor astatine IGN arsenic good arsenic co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM astatine @the_katbot.