Valve has announced the arrival of the Steam Deck, the company's new handheld console. Powered by Steam, the company's ultra-popular digital distribution service for PC games, the device will begin shipping in December 2021. Steam gamers can reserve a preorder of the console starting this Friday, July 16 at 10 am PST via the online Steam Store (it costs $5 to reserve a spot in line - which goes toward the purchase price).
Basically, the Steam Deck is a portable gaming PC designed to feel like a Switch. The device will allow users to access their full Steam games library just as if they were accessing it on a computer. This means the full array of both indie gems and AAA goliaths should run smoothly in a handheld setting. So essentially, the Steam Deck will launch with the biggest console library in gaming history, boasting everything from classic PC games to modern major studio games.
Three versions of the console will be made available at launch. The base model features 65GB of eMMc storage and runs $399. A second-tier option runs $529 for 256GB of NVMe solid-state drive storage and an "exclusive Steam Community profile bundle." The high-end model boats 512GB of NVMe SSD storage, the community bundle, and an "exclusive virtual keyboard theme," all of which will set hardcore gamers back $649. All versions come with a carrying case and have a microSD slot so gamers can boost the console's storage further.
The 7-inch optically bonded LCD touch screen features 1280 x 800 pixel resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate, and the 40-watt-hour battery is said to offer two to eight hours of gameplay. The Steam Deck has both a headphone jack and supports Bluetooth audio, and there is also a built-in microphone for multiplayer gaming. For the specs obsessed, the Steam Deck will feature a custom APU that Valve developed with AMD, which the company calls "a Zen 2 + RDNA 2 powerhouse." A full rundown of the tech specs can be found on the Steam Deck website.
The button layout features both left and right thumbsticks and trackpads, a left-side D-pad, four main-right side control buttons (A B X Y), two shoulder bumper buttons on each side, plus four back-side grip buttons.
Valve also notes that like the Nintendo Switch, the Steam Deck will eventually have a dock that will charge the console and allow it to connect to external screens, wired screens, and USB peripherals. But unlike the Switch, the Steam Deck dock will be sold separately and no other details have been announced as to when it will be available. The Steam Deck will start shipping in December.