We all have heard it and most of us are anxious to get our hands on the new handheld gaming console which will soon be launched by Valve. Yes, we are talking about the Steam Deck and will directly compete with Nintendo’s handheld market presence.
But Valve’s Steam Deck is going to be much more than a simple handheld gaming device as you can play any game in your Steam Library using the device. What Valve is aiming for is to be the Nintendo Switch of PC gaming, and based on rumors the device appears plenty fit to deliver on that promise.
If we have to explain how the Steam Deck is going to be then we simply have to say that it is a portable PC. It can be plugged into a monitor or a TV, we can install apps and software on it, use it to watch streaming video, and much more. We can even install other game stores on it, according to Valve.
Steam Deck User Interface
The OS for the console is going to be the new SteamOS 3 and will serve as a replacement for Steam Big Picture mode. And thanks to a new leak from the screenshots provided by Pavel Djundik, creator of SteamDB we now have an idea as to how the new OS will look on a big screen. According to Djundik, SteamOS 3 has leaked, and some users have started installing the operating system on other portable Pcs.
Check out the tweet below:
Steam Deck Specifications
The Steam Deck comes with an amazing piece of hardware and the specifications have been revealed by Valve alongside the console itself. One of the most important things to note first for the PC gamers is that the Steam Deck runs on an AMD APU, and the interesting part is that the chip is built around two key AMD architectures: Zen 2 and RDNA 2.
The Zen 2 architecture is the same one found within AMD Ryzen 3000 processors, and within the Steam Deck resides four Zen 2 cores, capable of eight threads, ready and waiting for your portable gaming needs.
Below are the complete specifications of the device:
Steam Deck specs
| Steam Deck | |
| CPU | AMD Zen 2 |
| Core count | 4-core/8-thread |
| CPU clock speed | 2.4–3.5GHz |
| GPU | AMD RDNA 2 |
| GPU Compute Units | 8 |
| GPU clock speed | 1–1.6GHz |
| RAM | 16GB LPDDR5 @ 5,500MT/s 32-bit quad-channel |
| Storage | 64GB eMMC / 256GB NVMe SSD / 512GB NVMe SSD |
| Display | 7-inch LCD touchscreen |
| Resolution | 1280 x 800 |
| Refresh rate | 60Hz |
| Audio | Stereo speakers, 3.5mm jack, dual mics, USB Type-C/Bluetooth |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB Type-C with DisplayPort 1.4 support |
| Battery | 40Whr |
| Size | 11.7 x 4.6 x 1.8-inch (298 x 117 x 49mm) |
| Weight | Approximately 1.47 lbs (669 grams) |
| Price | $399 (64GB) / $529 (256GB) / $649 (512GB) |
Pricing
As announced by Valve, the pricing of the console completely depends on what version you are looking for as there are three different versions based on storage size. The Steam Deck costs:
- $399 for the 64GB version
- $529 for the 256GB version
- $649 for the 512GB version
The most expensive version will feature a faster NVMe SSD storage, on the other hand, the cheaper is listed with a 64GB eMMC (embedded multi-media card) storage solution. All three versions will let you increase storage space with a MicroSD card.
Availability
According to reports, Valve is planning to start the shipment of the Steam Deck in December 2021. but, there is no guarantee that the product will be delivered to your doorstep this year itself even for those who have previously reserved the device as part of pre-orders.
The site for Steam Deck is now showing “expected order availability” in Q2 of 2022 for each version of the Deck across both the UK and US.
