The Nintendo Switch (OLED model) wasn't the "Pro" upgrade many expected it to be with 4K support and new internals but before its announcement, other handhelds aimed to take the role of the "Switch Pro". The AYA NEO and GPD Win 3 are among those devices shooting for that nickname since they are able to run recent AAA PC games on the go, given that they are handheld gaming PCs. Their efforts and popularity, although niche, enticed companies like Lenovo and Tencent to make similar concepts or patents; indicating that these indie companies might have more serious competition in the future.

It seems like this will indeed be the case and these handheld gaming PC manufacturers will need to brace themselves as Valve is itself entering this market with a Valve-branded handheld gaming PC. This news was actually reported back in May and today we have the official confirmation. In a Steam post today, Valve revealed the Steam Deck, an AMD-based handheld gaming PC that is expected to begin shipping in December 2021 in select regions.

The software giant partnered with AMD to create a custom APU for the handheld that is said to be "optimized for handheld gaming". "It is a Zen 2 + RDNA 2 powerhouse, delivering more than enough performance to run the latest AAA games in a very efficient power envelope," reads the announcement.

It will run on SteamOS 3.0 (Arch-based) and there will be several models of the Steam Deck, which differ on the storage capacity, with the base model starting at $399. However, every model will include a microSD slot for additional storage capacity. For more details about the models available and their price, refer to the image below:

You can find additional specs details in the images below (click/tap to enlarge):

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And just like the AYA NEO and GPD Win 3, the Steam Deck will also have a dock which will be sold separately. This accessory will provide ports for external displays, wired networking, USB peripherals, and power. More details about the dock's pricing will be announced at a later date but you can find some specs details in the thumbnail below:

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Valve says that the Steam Deck will start shipping this December to the United States, Canada, the European Union and the United Kingdom, with more regions coming in 2022. However, to be able to purchase one, you will need to book a paid reservation which will let you pre-order when the time comes. This reservation fee will also count towards the Steam Deck purchase price.

"The main reason for reservations is to ensure an orderly and fair ordering process for customers when Steam Deck inventory becomes available," writes Valve in the announcement FAQ. "The additional fee gives us a clearer signal of intent to purchase, which gives us better data to balance supply chain, inventory, and regional distribution leading up to launch."

Reservations for the Steam Deck will open Friday July 16th, 10am PDT. For more details about the new handheld gaming PC, head to the source link and official Steam Deck website linked below.

Are you interested in getting one?

SOURCE
Steam Deck Official Website

 

[limpbiz411]

so when is that official retroarch release for steam? this would be amazing on that instead installing win10

 

[Xzi]

so when is that official retroarch release for steam? this would be amazing on that instead installing win10

I don't know when the official release is, but you can download it now just by opting in on the Steam store page. I think there's also a standalone release of RetroArch for Linux.

 

[chaoskagami]

Maybe I'm wrong, but isn't it inadvisable to install Steam games to SD cards due to low read/write speeds?

Sure, but most games work best on SSD nowadays. Running them off a microSD isn't that much slower than running off rotational media in the grand scheme of things. They're both slow media with five second loading screens. Game consoles like the Switch have been running games off microSDs for years. It's really not much different. Plus, microSDs are cheap.

What a terrible forgettable name though...
And that's before you realise "steam deck" sound like some "As Seen On TV" sauna room equipment or something for the laundry...
If you're one of the first 100 callers, you'll get not only your amazing steam deck, but also this awesome steam foot massager, absolutely free! Call now!

You should probably go read Neuromancer someday. "Deck" is a perfectly appropriate and memorable name if you get the reference.

 

[r5xscn]

It's probably gonna be DOA in japan too, so sales wise they can forget those numbers, if anyone is counting and you can certainly rule out the kids market that Nintendo owns.

It is not available to order in Japan.

 

[limpbiz411]

I don't know when the official release is, but you can download it now just by opting in on the Steam store page. I think there's also a standalone release of RetroArch for Linux.

hey thanks. I didn't know that. This steam deck is gonna be an emulation beast.

 

[Goku1992A]

I’m probably the black sheep but I’m not that impressed. It’s a cool device don’t get me wrong but we have so many duplicates doing the same thing. Nothing is wrong with the price but I feel the audience will not be into this. Only a very few people will pick this up.

I mean they have to realize you are going against remote play and game pass and etc..etc..

 

[Xzi]

I mean they have to realize you are going against remote play and game pass and etc..etc..

They're not competing with any of this lol, it all works on Steam Deck.

 

[Kioku]

I’m probably the black sheep but I’m not that impressed. It’s a cool device don’t get me wrong but we have so many duplicates doing the same thing. Nothing is wrong with the price but I feel the audience will not be into this. Only a very few people will pick this up.

I mean they have to realize you are going against remote play and game pass and etc..etc..

The target audience doesn't want remote play. Game Pass can be solved by installing Windows, which isn't hard. This is the first competitively priced device of this type that actually has promise. Aya, GPD, etc are so expensive for what they offer. Granted, those are touted almost purely as PCs with added benefits and have the I/O that you can only get on the Steamdeck through a dock.

 

[TheCasualties]

Just saw this on my steam.. I hope this thing kicks ass. Track pads and sticks! It's what I've been hoping for with a Steam Controller 2 for the last 5 years.

I haven't read enough to actually preorder one, but I'm going to be hopeful. Might drunk order one sometime soon though.

TBH, I'm just so excited for the controller scheme.. Please release a new steam controller like this!

Remote play is obviously not wanted but if it can play most current games at 30fps, with and option to cloud play or steam share, I'd be happy. Basically a switch for PC

AND THE QUAD BACK PADDLES LOOK AMAZING ... Dang I'm probably gonna order one. It says they all come with a micro SD slot, so the mid level is prob what I'll go for.

Edit: well, I just "ordered" the mid tier. Drunk money spending! We'll see what the 5 dollars turns into.

 

[DarknessPlay3r]

Just saw this on my steam.. I hope this thing kicks ass. Track pads and sticks! It's what I've been hoping for with a Steam Controller 2 for the last 5 years.

I haven't read enough to actually preorder one, but I'm going to be hopeful. Might drunk order one sometime soon though.

TBH, I'm just so excited for the controller scheme.. Please release a new steam controller like this!

Remote play is obviously not wanted but if it can play most current games at 30fps, with and option to cloud play or steam share, I'd be happy. Basically a switch for PC

AND THE QUAD BACK PADDLES LOOK AMAZING ... Dang I'm probably gonna order one. It says they all come with a micro SD slot, so the mid level is prob what I'll go for.

Edit: well, I just "ordered" the mid tier. Drunk money spending! We'll see what the 5 dollars turns into.

Given that 5 dollars is refundable (to your steam wallet if after 90 days) at any time before you actually commit to purchasing even I jumped on getting one.

Given it's telling me Q2 2022 that turns into like this time next year, so I got a whole year to ponder and see if in fact I can make use of something like this.

 

[TheCasualties]

Given that 5 dollars is refundable (to your steam wallet if after 90 days) at any time before you actually commit to purchasing even I jumped on getting one.

Given it's telling me Q2 2022 that turns into like this time next year, so I got a whole year to ponder and see if in fact I can make use of something like this.

I'm slightly interested in the 512gb version, but the only real bonus is the "anti-glare etched glass". That can probably be solved with a screen protector. At least, I hope so. Doesn't seem worth an extra $100.

Otherwise, We can stick a 1TB microSD. So who cares what size SSD this thing has?

 

[mattyxarope]

The Aya was running a Vega GPU.

That's not the only differentiating factor, for better or worse. I'd still say taper expectations and be realistic considering the hardware and TDP.

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Control, for instance, can run on much weaker hardware than what Steam Deck has on offer, so with the right graphics settings 60 FPS should be achievable.

Of course, that's the beauty of pc.

But maybe I'm in the minority and I'd rather play at 30fps with medium/high settings than at 60fps with all low settings. You can "LowSpecGamer" any game and make it run 60fps, but some may look like shit.

Also the footage of control that they show in the IGN interview didn't look 60fps to me.

Additionally: @Prans you might want to update the specs on the post because the website updated to reflect the fact that all three have m.2 slots (though they recommend not changing the sd). Makes me even happier with the 64gb model I preordered.

 

[Xzi]

But maybe I'm in the minority and I'd rather play at 30fps with medium/high settings than at 60fps with all low settings.

Depends on the game for me, but yeah generally when using it as a portable I'll settle for a locked 30 FPS so as to improve battery life.

Also the footage of control that they show in the IGN interview didn't look 60fps to me.

Who knows what settings/clock speeds they were using for that. All we know for sure is GabeN said it plays Portal 2 at 60 FPS with medium-ish settings no problem. So not exactly the newest AAA game out there, but the fact that there's still wiggle room on the low end of settings is an encouraging sign.

 

[TheCasualties]

Whoa it has a swappable m.2 slot? Gah i can't wait for more info.

Portal 2 at 60fps better be the bare minimum.. a switch could pull that off no problem.

To be honest though.. i mostly want it for that amazing control setup. 4 back paddles and track pads. I hope it can be used as a controller for PCs too.

 

[mattyxarope]

GabeN said it plays Portal 2 at 60 FPS with medium-ish settings no problem. So not exactly the newest AAA game out there, but the fact that there's still wiggle room on the low end of settings is an encouraging sign.

For reference, the nvidia shield tv has a portal port. I'd be flabbergasted if portal didn't run at 60fps at 800p max settings.

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Whoa it has a swappable m.2 slot? Gah i can't wait for more info.

Yes, even the base model according to the notes. It's probably not going to be simple to change though.

However this does open it up to the possibility of using a m.2 to pcie adapter that could use an egpu. But that's a crazy mod.

 

[Xzi]

For reference, the nvidia shield tv has a portal port. I'd be flabbergasted if portal didn't run at 60fps at 800p max settings.

Well Shield TV is more powerful than Switch in itself, as it's not under-clocked. But yeah I misheard, he didn't say what settings it was using at all, so it may well have been maxed.

 

[tech3475]

Whoa it has a swappable m.2 slot? Gah i can't wait for more info.

Portal 2 at 60fps better be the bare minimum.. a switch could pull that off no problem.

To be honest though.. i mostly want it for that amazing control setup. 4 back paddles and track pads. I hope it can be used as a controller for PCs too.

I’m annoyed I missed that about the SSD, makes the low end model more tempting, although officially it isn’t user serviceable so we’d have to see how easy it is to replace.

That said, looking around for 2230 M.2 cards they don’t seem to be that common, aimed more at OEMs right now or search engines hate form factor.

Dell sell them with 256GB on Amazon for £90 and 512gb for £133 on their site with places like ebay having what look like ones taken from machines, so they are relatively cheap.

 

[ertaboy356b]

Not available in my country. Hope it becomes available in Asia next year.

 

[Xzi]

Oh wow, so it is confirmed now that all three SKUs have a 2230 m.2 slot. Kinda makes me regret going for the 256 GB, but as mentioned above, SSDs in that form factor are pretty pricey anyway, and Valve is still advising against users tinkering with it. Good thing about not getting to order mine until Q1 2022 is that there will be plenty of tear-downs and full reviews available for reference by then.

 

[tech3475]

Oh wow, so it is confirmed now that all three SKUs have a 2230 m.2 slot. Kinda makes me regret going for the 256 GB, but as mentioned above, SSDs in that form factor are pretty pricey anyway, and Valve is still advising against users tinkering with it. Good thing about not getting to order mine until Q1 2022 is that there will be plenty of tear-downs and full reviews available for reference by then.

If they had made it user serviceable, I think they could have eliminated the 256GB option or just sell the base model.

If it makes you feel better, I have similar feeling over the 512GB model.