Source is KeplerL2, who is generally considered a reliable source for insider hardware info, particularly on AMD GPU hardware and AMD SoC for consoles.
Previously I would have personally estimated Steam Deck 2 to release mid 2026-early 2027, but the recent info about an upcoming Steam Machine made me think that maybe I should push back that estimate.
Of course even if we assume this is reliable insider info, a lot can change in couple years, so things can definitely change.
The Steam Deck is the minimum standard spec that games aim for to get the verified tag. Move it higher and people will have to upgrade everything.
Arguably the switch 2 will be the big indie target going forward, but thankfully it’s performance being so close to the Deck’s should keep the Deck relevant.
IIRC the Switch 2 has weaker CPU in exchange for a more powerful GPU compared to the Steam Deck. Considering that console games specifically tend to be more GPU bottlenecked than by CPU, that makes the Switch 2 a bit more future proof since skilled devs will be able to deliver ports with a bit fewer compromises for a bit longer.
But it’s going to take a while before anybody will see the difference in most games, because neither of them will be pushed to their limits in (officially supported) games for a while. Most games that run on the Steam Deck are just running with adjusted graphics settings, not hardware specific tuning.