The Valve Steam Deck is ready for pre-order today, with the SteamOS device coming end of the year 2021 for select regions.
Gabe Newell revealed the Valve Steam Deck this Thursday, creating an entirely new hardware space. The device works as a portable PC, with power between the Xbox One X and Xbox Series X. It will also allow players to enjoy their PC games on the go.
New Valve device threatens on Switch hardware space
The Steam Deck came as a surprise to everyone, but a pleasant one at that. It is a challenge into the handheld device space that the Nintendo Switch holds with a stranglehold. So far, the device is a powerhouse that can run the latest AAA titles.
On the hardware side, the device will run an AMD Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5GHz, with up 448 GFlops FP32. This CPU pairs with 8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.0-1.6GHz GPU, which puts the overall power of the device near a Base PS4. Even then, that can be deceiving.
As the device powers only a 720p 1280 x 800 screen on handheld, it should be almost as powerful as an Xbox Series X on 4K 60fps. The device will also have a separate dock, which will allow it to work with most monitors.
- CPU: AMD Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5GHz (up to 448 GFlops FP32)
- GPU: 8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.0-1.6GHz (up to 1.6 TFlops FP32)
- RAM: 16 GB DDR5
- Storage: 64GB, 256GB, 512GB versions; expandable with MicroSD cards
- Display: 7″ diagonal, 1280×800 (16:10), 60Hz LCD touchscreen
- Audio: Stereo speakers, 3.5mm stereo jack, dual mics, multichannel USB-C/Bluetooth output
- Wireless connectivity: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- Wired connectivity: USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4 Alt-mode support; up to 8K @60Hz or 4K @120Hz, USB 3.2 Gen 2
- Battery: 40Whr, up to 8 hours of gameplay
- Size: 11.7″ x 4.6″ x 1.8″
Valve has three price points for the Steam Deck
The Valve Steam Deck starts its price at $399 for the 64GB eMMC version. The 256GB version goes for $529, but will jump to an M.2 NVMe SSD. The most expensive option is at 512GB for $649, with all devices expandable via MicroSD.
“I want to pick this up and say, ‘Oh, it all works, it’s all fast’,” said Valve boss Gabe Newell. “And then price point was secondary, and painful. But that was pretty clearly a critical aspect to it. The first thing was the performance and the experience, [that] was the biggest and most fundamental constraint that was driving us.”
Reservations will open up today, with each Steam account only able to buy one device per account. The Valve Steam Deck also has anti-scalping measures in place, with the device available only in select areas like USA, Canada, UK, and the EU.
Featured image courtesy of ContraNetwork/Youtube Screenshot