Mid cycle refreshes usually also mean a smaller system due to the node shrink. Examples are the Switch Lite, PS4 Slim, Xbox One S, and now the new PS5 and the new Xbox Series X.

With the existing refresh, Valve now has 2 different Screens, motherboards/CPUs, HSFs, Batteries, and other components. I believe Valve should have gone all-in on the 6nm board and created the Steam Deck Slim. If they kept the same size bezels as the OLED with a 7" screen, that alone could slim the Deck by .4" and decrease the height by .2".

Let’s face it, the size of the Deck is one of the most consistent complaints, and this “Steam Deck Companion” could have been that device.

The downsides:

• Most original parts would no longer be manufactured.
• New molds for a smaller device would need to be made. These new molds would be the most expensive part of this device.
• Likely a new mid frame and battery would need to be ordered as well adding a few new parts to the mix.

The pros:

• Smaller, ~8% overall.
  • Not as drastic as the ~25% decrease in size of the Switch Lite.
  • Of course, other decisions could have been made to make it even smaller. There is additional space under the speakers that can shrink before compromises need to be made.
• Lighter.
• Expanding the possible market to people with smaller hands (Linus, my wife, and other immerging markets).
  • The controls would feel the same as they remain in the same places, but the Deck would extend into the palm less making it easier to hold with smaller hands.
• Improves the Steam Deck ecosystem.
• No need to maintain the APU on two separate nodes, and can save costs by using the same thumb sticks and trackpads on both devices.

I think it is a bit late now as the motherboard’s shape is the same as the original Deck. However, I think the ecosystem would be more complete with 256/512 Steam Deck Companions along with the 512/1024 Steam Deck OLEDs.

I made a mock image to compare the size. I also added a version with a 6.6" screen that would enable the device to be made ~16% smaller: https://imgur.com/a/L50p8Zz

Note: The curvature at the palms should also be adjusted, but I am not a good enough artist to accurately do that, but the image should paint a good enough picture.

Thoughts?