Valve Steam Deck 2: Leaked AMD 'Aerith Plus' APU sparks Deck successor speculation, though questions linger

Rumors regarding a potential successor to the Steam Deck have popped up on the interwebs quite a few times in the past year or so, despite there being no concrete evidence to back up such claims. However, there is no doubt that a Steam Deck 2, or whatever Valve names it, is in development, and the company has stated that it will bring a 'generational leap' in performance, without sacrificing efficiency.

A recently leaked shipping manifest, brought to light by a series of tweets by @Olrak29_, has revealed that AMD is preparing a new APU with the codename 'Aerith Plus' with interesting specifications. According to the data, the Aerith Plus APU will boast a boost clock of 3.8 GHz, accompanied by a 1.8 GHz iGPU and a 20 watt TDP. For those unaware, 'Aerith' is the codename that the Steam Deck's APU boasts, and the aforementioned 'Plus' variant seemingly indicates that a spec bump is on the way - or is it? 

Pierre-Loup Griffais, who previously shot down the Ryzen Z2-powered Steam Deck rumors, has once again poured cold water on the leak, dousing the flames of speculation. His post on BlueSky simple states "Not happening", without providing any further details. Since Valve has clearly stated that the next Steam Deck will boast serious performance improvements, it can be foreseen that AMD will come up with an entirely new APU instead of an updated 'Plus' variant of an existing one.

Of course, it is also quite possible that the 'Aerith Plus' APU is actually intended to power the rumored Deckard VR headset, which is expected to arrive sometime toward the end of this year with an eye-watering price tag that will likely be north of $1000. As with all leaks and rumors, be sure to accept this information with a healthy dose of doubt. As stated previously, we are yet to witness any major leaks for the Steam Deck 2, and needless to say, speculations will continue to swirl for now.

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