Hints of the Steam Deck 2 begin to emerge as a leak reveals a mysterious "Gainsborough" APU

Published Oct 1, 2026, 6:25 PM EDT Simon is a Computer Science BSc graduate who has been writing about technology since 2014, and using Windows machines since 3.1. After working for an indie game studio and acting as the family's go-to technician for all computer issues, he found his passion for writing and decided to use his skill set to write about all things tech. Since beginning his writing career, he has written for many different publications such as WorldStart, Listverse, and MakeTechEasier. However, after finding his home at MakeUseOf in February 2019, he would eventually move on to its sister site, XDA, to bring the latest and greatest in Windows, Linux, and DIY electronics. Sign in to your XDA account Summary AMD driver leak references 'Gainsborough' APU—strong hint a Steam Deck 2 is in the works. Codename nod to 'Aerith'—Gainsborough is her surname, implying a direct sequel APU for the Deck. Gainsborough likely N3P semi-custom chip for handhelds; Valve wants a generational leap—still unconfirmed. With the Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and the new Steam Controller now available to purchase or preorder, there's a weird hole in Valve's hardware releases: where on earth is the Steam Deck 2? While the company hasn't confirmed or denied its existence, a recent leak points to a good possibility that one is currently in the works. AMD's "Gainsborough" APU hints at a potential Steam Deck 2 release Nothing has been confirmed, though As reported on the YouTube channel Moore's Law is Dead, something interesting is happening with AMD APUs. Tucked away within the AMD drivers are references to something called "Gainsborough." While that's usually noteworthy in and of itself, mounting circumstantial evidence suggests "Gainsborough" will power the Steam Deck 2. For instance, there's the codename. The original Steam Deck's APU used the codename "Aerith" from the classic RPG Final Fantasy VII. "Gainsborough" is her surname, so a new APU that uses the second half of her full name is pretty likely. Next, Gainsborough seems to be equipped to handle TSMC's N3P node. This is one of the most efficient 3-nanometer variants available, and it would make complete sense if Gainsborough was destined to be used in handheld consoles—like the Steam Deck 2, for example. Finally, it seems AMD designed Gainsborough as a semi-custom chip, rather than something that gets shipped to laptop and handheld manufacturers for general use. Moore's Law is Dead spoke with some of their insiders in the AMD OED scene, and none of them had heard of Gainsborough, which strongly hints that the APU will find itself in a specific product. The timeline lines up with a Steam Deck 2 release Things are looking likely for a new console Alright, so how likely is it that this is evidence that the Steam Deck 2 is in production? Well, from what we can tell from outside of Valve's HQ, the chances of it working on a new Steam Deck are pretty high. Lawrence Yang of Valve confirmed two years ago that Valve was interested in making a Steam Deck 2, but it didn't want to simply release a console with marginally higher specs, as it would be unfair to its consumers: ​​​​​​​"So, we really do want to wait for a generational leap in compute without sacrificing battery life before we ship the real second generation of Steam Deck. But it is something that we're excited about and we're working on." Moore's Law is Dead speculated that a Steam Deck 2 based on this hardware would be akin to upgrading an Xbox One to an Xbox Series X or a PlayStation 5, which would likely be a strong enough reason to convince Valve to release a new handheld console. Alas, as is the norm with these leaks, nothing has been outright stated and should be taken with a grain of salt until confirmed otherwise.