Thursday, October 1, 2026
Technology

Steam Deck 2: Is AMD Gainsborough the chip Valve’s been waiting for?

The Steam Deck is four and a half years old, and handheld gamers are eagerly awaiting a Steam Deck 2 - but Valve has consistently said it needs a new chip with a "generational leap" in performance and efficiency before building the sequel. There's some reason to believe that chip has now broken cove...

Steam Deck 2: Is AMD Gainsborough the chip Valve’s been waiting for?
Image: The Verge
The Steam Deck LCD’s “Aerith” APU. | Photo by Fritzchens Fritz

The Steam Deck is four and a half years old, and handheld gamers are eagerly awaiting a Steam Deck 2 - but Valve has consistently said it needs a new chip with a "generational leap" in performance and efficiency before building the sequel.

There's some reason to believe that chip has now broken cover: AMD Gainsborough. But I'm a tad skeptical.

As leaker Moore's Law is Dead and IT Home report, the latest AMD drivers have leaked the codename for a previously unknown chip: an "AMD Gainsborough." The first Steam Deck chip was named "Aerith" after Final Fantasy VII's heartbreaking love interest, and Gainsborough is her last name. Plus, the chip …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Originally published at The Verge

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