Valve Announces Steam Deck, a Switch Clone for PC Gamers

Earlier this spring, rumors began swirling that Valve was working by itself tackle the Switch for PC players, and right this moment, Valve has returned to show these rumors into actuality with its official announcement for the Steam Deck.

While the Steam Deck shares a lot of its design with Nintendo’s hybrid handheld console, inside this factor is a PC by means of and thru that includes a customized APU from AMD based mostly on AMD’s Zen 2 and RDNA 2 architectures.

The Steam Deck is slated to begin at $400 for the bottom config which comes with 64GB of eMMC storage, whereas the mid-tier config tacks on a quicker 256GB NVMe SSD and a few extras like a carrying case and an unique Steam Community profile bundle for $530, earlier than finally topping out at $650 for a system that includes a 512GB NVMe SSD, an anti-glare etched glass display screen, an “exclusive carrying case,” and another digital swag.

Elsewhere, the remainder of the Steam Deck’s specs embody a 7-inch 1280 x 800 16:10 LCD show, 16GB of DDR5 RAM, a built-in microSD card slot, 3.5mm audio jack, and a USB 3.0 Type C port for charging, video out, and knowledge switch. Notably, whereas the Steam Deck and the Switch share the identical fundamental design, measuring in at 11.7 x 4.6 x 1.9 inches in comparison with 9.4 x 4 x 1.12 inches for the usual Switch, the Steam Deck is considerably longer and thicker than Nintendo’s moveable. Weighing in at round a pound and a half, the Steam Deck isn’t almost as mild as a Nintendo Switch (0.66 kilos) both.

Another necessary distinction is that whereas the Steam Deck includes a bunch of built-in controls like twin analog sticks, two touchpads, and an assortment of triggers and buttons, these controls aren’t removable in any means.

However, what the Steam Deck lacks in portability, it ought to make up for in efficiency, as Valve claims the Steam Deck ought to have full entry to your whole library of Steam video games, although clearly, you may need to tweak your settings if you wish to play one thing like Cyberpunk 2077. That mentioned, as a result of the Steam Deck is anticipated to perform like some other gaming PC, you may also sidestep the Steam Deck’s efficiency limits by streaming video games out of your laptop computer or desktop over wifi and even 4G/5G to the Steam Deck. It’s additionally necessary to notice that the Steam Deck will run an up to date model of Valve’s Linux-based SteamOS as an alternative of Windows, with Proton to assist compatibility so sport devs don’t must create customized ports for the Steam Deck.

Just just like the Switch, Valve is making a dock for the Steam Deck so you’ll be able to join it to your TV or monitor, although it gained’t come bundled without cost and as an alternative might be accessible as an non-obligatory accent. But for many who don’t need to shell out for a particular dock, Valve additionally says the Steam Deck ought to be suitable with normal USB-C docks, so that you’re not locked into Valve’s accent.

Also, as a result of we’re within the midst of a world chip crunch, Valve is introducing a brand new reservation system that it says is designed to “ensure an orderly and fair ordering process.” So initially, prospects might be requested to pay a small reservation $5 charge (that can go in the direction of the ultimate value of the Steam Deck), after which Valve will alert prospects when programs can be found for supply, which is when prospects might want to shell out for the complete value of the system.

Reservations are scheduled to open tomorrow, June 16, at 1PM ET/10AM PT. To shield towards unauthorized resellers (aka scalpers), Valve says that anybody who has not bought one thing on Steam previous to June 2021 should wait an additional 48 hours to make a reservation.

Now that we’ve bought the fundamentals out of the best way, as somebody who loves all kinds of gaming handhelds (I’ve owned each nearly each Gameboy, a number of DSes, a Game Gear, PSP, Vita, and even the Sega Nomad), I’ve bought some ideas on this factor.

The first is that it’s barely disappointing to see Valve go for a 1280 x 800 show, which is principally the identical because the 720p decision Nintendo makes use of on the Switch (and the OLED Switch). I hoped that through the use of extra highly effective guts, Valve might assist 1080p in handheld mode, however evidently simply wasn’t meant to be. However, Valve does say the Steam Deck is able to outputting video at as much as 4K/120Hz when linked to an exterior show.

Also, after wanting on the numerous configs, I might personally keep away from the bottom mannequin and its 64GB of eMMC storage. That’s the kind of storage that sometimes will get used on price range tablets and laptops to chop prices, and whereas it is likely to be high-quality for taking part in informal video games, for individuals used to the type of efficiency gaming PCs ship, I really feel like paying $130 to improve to a 256GB NVMe SSD makes much more sense.

And whereas the inclusion of twin touchpads may appear awkward, I feel it’s a necessity for making conventional mouse-and-keyboard-based PC video games playable on a handheld. Steam’s configurable controller choices have come a great distance within the time since Valve launched the Steam Controller, and whereas it is likely to be considerably awkward at first, these touchpads may find yourself being a number of the most necessary parts on the Steam Deck.

Finally, whereas the Steam Deck was designed primarily to play video games, I’ll have an interest to see the way it handles conventional productiveness duties, as a result of, for these keen to hook up their very own USB-C dock, the Steam Deck might make for an attention-grabbing various to a standard laptop computer for frequent vacationers.

Still, after a lot of large tech corporations like Dell and Lenovo have teased idea units designed to PC-based alternate options to the Nintendo Switch, it’s good to see that not less than one may truly go on sale for actual.