Valve is getting into the handheld gaming business – some of the latest AMD architecture power Steam Deck for top-notch AAA gaming action.
Valve has taken Linux seriously for years now, and it looks like the Steam Deck is the company’s next big move. The company just announced the upcoming Steam Deck handheld gaming PC.
We think Steam Deck gives people another way to play the games they love on a high-performance device at a great price.
Gabe Newell, Valve founder
The device will sport a stunning SteamOS 3.0 operating system based on Arch Linux distribution and will fully use of the ever-expanding support for Linux gaming provided via Proton. For those unfamiliar, Proton is a compatibility layer that allows Windows games to run on Linux-based operating systems.
The SteamOS 3.0 has been optimized for handheld and touchscreen gaming, while it will also have a desktop mode for those who want it.
Steam Deck Specs
Hardware-wise, the Steam Deck uses AMD’s Zen 2 CPU architecture up to 3.5 GHz boost and 8 GPU cores based on RDNA 2 GPU architecture. This means that the processor component is similar to AMD Ryzen 3000-series processors on desktop, while the GPU component matches the Radeon RX 6000-series graphics architecture.
Steam Deck, a handheld gaming console, is a 7-inch touchscreen device with 16GB of LPDDR5 memory and 64GB of eMMC storage. Another variation of the device will offer 256GB of NVMe SSD or 512 GB NVMe SSD. In addition, the console also supports a high-speed micro SD card slot.
Controls include standard buttons and trackpads with haptic feedback, but Steam Deck can do a lot more than just play games. It’s a portable PC, which you can plug into a monitor or a TV and install apps and software.
In addition, you can use it to watch streaming videos and even install other game stores on it.
The Steam Deck will allow users to run pretty much whatever they want. So even if you’re going to wipe the whole device and replace the preinstalled SteamOS with another OS, it will be possible.
The device will also have a dock with more ports like USB, wired networking, and enabling external displays.
Price & Availability
Steam Deck is available to reserve now in select regions and will begin shipping in December 2021. On the other hand, getting the new device may prove difficult due to Valve’s measures to deter resellers.
Pricing for the Steam Deck starts at $400 for a model with 64GB of eMMC memory, with prices increasing for NVMe models and extra features. The dock, however, will be sold separately.
