Recent discoveries within the SteamOS code hint at new Valve hardware in development, potentially the Steam Deck 2 or a console-like system. Codenamed "Fremont," this new device could offer significant performance improvements over the current Steam Deck.
Amidst rumors of SteamOS officially coming to Windows handhelds and the sighting of a potential Steam Controller 2, the "Fremont" discovery adds fuel to the fire. Evidence suggests that Fremont utilizes the AMD Lilac platform, possibly linked to the Ryzen 5 8540U APU, featuring Zen 4 CPU cores and RDNA 3 graphics.
While AMD has moved on to Zen 5 and RDNA 3.5, the AMD Lilac platform reportedly achieves GPU OpenCL scores comparable to the Radeon RX 6600S, promising a substantial performance boost. However, it's unclear whether Valve will use an off-the-shelf APU or a custom design.
References to HDMI CEC support suggest Fremont might be a desktop device, reminiscent of the Steam Machine initiative. However, it could also be the long-rumored Steam Deck 2, potentially featuring a higher-performance docked mode similar to the Nintendo Switch.
More details about Fremont and Valve's plans are expected to surface in the future.
