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We recently told you that according to reports, Valve will launch a portable console to play PC games. If this information gets you excited, you should know that Valve has already revealed this device. Its name is Steam Deck and it will go on sale this year.
Through its page, Valve gave us our first look at the Steam Deck. According to the company, it is a portable console that can be connected to a TV or monitor through a dock that will be sold separately.
Steam Deck will feature powerful hardware powered by a custom APU in collaboration with AMD. This processor will have a micro-architecture with Zen 2 and RDNA 2 to deliver «more than enough» power to efficiently run the latest AAA games.
As you can imagine, the Steam Deck is a console that will have full compatibility with Steam. This means that if you purchase it, you will have the opportunity to use it to log into your Steam account and download almost any game from your library, as you would on any other computer. Keep in mind that thanks to Steam’s cloud save, you’ll be able to pick up your adventures where you left off.
This is the Steam platform
Steam Deck is designed to be a portable console and therefore needs to have everything you need at your fingertips. That’s why it will have the buttons you’d expect from a standard control (2 sticks, directional crosshairs, 4 front buttons, 2 bumpers and 2 triggers) with additional details to deliver a more complete experience.
What we mean is that Steam Deck has a 7-inch capacitive touch screen so you can navigate the user interface without issues. It also has two trackpads for PC games that aren’t really intended to be played on a portable console. Finally, it has 4 paddles and a gyroscope so you have plenty of customization options.
steam compatibility
According to Valve, Steam Deck will be compatible with all Steam features. This means that you will be able to use the chat; view your notifications; Using remote operation, visit the store; Browse the community and take advantage of cloud savings.
“Once you log into Steam Deck, your entire Steam library will be displayed, just like on any other computer. You will be able to find your collections and favourites, exactly where you left them,” Valve confirms.
Now, does this mean that Steam Deck is compatible with the entire Steam library? Practically yes. What happens is that Valve ensures that when you run SteamOS 3.0 and use Proton, most games should work without the developers doing anything else. However, Steam’s library is quite extensive and there could be a game that needs extra work to run on Steam Deck, even though it seems challenging.
Steam Deck Technical Specifications
As mentioned earlier, Steam Deck features powerful hardware made with AMD technology, but what else does it offer? After that we leave you all its technical specifications:
- Processor – AMD APU
- CPU – Zen 2 with 4 cores and 8 threads at 2.4-3.5 GHz (up to 448 GFlops FP32)
- GPU – 8 RDNA 2 Cus, 1-1.6 GHz (hasta 1.6 TFlops FP32)
- RAM – 16 GB LPDDR5 RAM
- Storage (varies by version) – 64GB eMMC (PCIe Gen 2 x1) | 256 GB NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4) | 526GB High Speed Solid State Drive (PCIe Gen 3 x4)
- MicroSD Input – Available on all models (UHS-I supports SD, SDXC and SDHC cards
- Screen – 7-inch LCD touch screen with optical lamination; 1280 x 800 pixels at 60 Hz
- Screen brightness – 400 nits (typical)
- Bluetooth – Bluetooth 5.0 (support for controls, accessories, and audio)
- Wi-Fi – Dual band wifi radio (2.4GHz and 5GHz)
- Software – SteamOS 3.0 (Arc-based)
How much will Steam Deck cost?
This all sounds very nice, but how much would I have to shell out to get a Steam Deck? There will be different packages for the console.
The cheapest version of Steam Deck will be offered for $399 and will include 64GB of eMCC internal storage, as well as a carrying case. A $529 version will also be offered that includes a 256GB NVMe SSD to give you more and faster storage space. The last purchase option will have a 512GB NVMe SSD hard drive; Excellent anti-reflective screen and exclusive looking virtual keyboard. This version will cost $649.
Notably, Steam Deck will go on sale sometime in December 2021. Originally, the Valve console could only be purchased in the US, Canada, the EU, and the UK. Steam Deck is expected to reach more markets in 2022.
What do you think of Steam Deck? Would you like to have this valve controller?
Follow this link to see our Steam Deck coverage.