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

 

[Seriel]

Runs SteamOS 3.0, supposedly its now based on Arch Linux for some reason.
Game support thus relies on Linux and Proton support.

It is also not locked down and you can install Windows if you feel like it.

 

[Prans]

As I mentioned in my review for the AYA NEO, the more competition, the better for us consumers! Looking forward to how this turns out!

 

[Valwinz]

The Switch Killer no reason to get a OLED switch

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

$400 for the base model is a super decent price, I'm certainly going to attempt to reserve one of those myself. Will make a good comparison to the GPD Win 3

Hopefully the RDNA 2 CUs in the APU are actually decent and not like the Vega CUs in current APUs which are total ass.

 

[bodefuceta]

The cheapest model looks great for it's price, I would be tempted to buy it as a computer. They're definitely overcharging for storage though, I hope one can add SSDs to it.

 

[Veho]

I love the competitive pricing. Not having to pay a Windows license is probably part of it.
Is it just me or does the design remind you of the Sega Game Gear?

 

[1B51004]

really, the handheld is only going to be as good as the games it runs, so this can either be a huge success or a massive flop depending on how it can handle the steam library
minecraft java and tf2 handheld is... tempting to be honest. lets hope that its at least good.

 

[Viri]

Looks neat, I might pick one up. I can install Windows, put Gamepass on it, and play some handheld Morrowind!

 

[Jiehfeng]

This is amazing, I so hope to get one somehow!

Also this is probably great news in terms of competition. Maybe it'll help Nintendo try to make more powerful hardware in the future.

 

[Justinde75]

I personally love these handheld pc consoles, and this one having an official dock only makes it better. I was always a bit unsure of investing alot of money into a no name device, but if its by valve it should be backed alot better and shouldnt be abandoned that easily. Can't wait to see how it performs!

 

[Prans]

I personally love these handheld pc consoles, and this one having an official dock only makes it better. I was always a bit unsure of investing alot of money into a no name device, but if its by valve it should be backed alot better and shouldnt be abandoned that easily. Can't wait to see how it performs!

I wouldn't rule out Valve not losing interest in its own hardware but at least for a beginning it shouldn't fare too bad.

 

[Jiehfeng]

I wouldn't rule out Valve not losing interest in its own hardware but at least for a beginning it shouldn't fare too bad.

I have a feeling it will sell well with this pricing.

But just in case whoever is interested should probably get one soon. I remember the Nvidia Shield Portable...

 

[Justinde75]

I wouldn't rule out Valve not losing interest in its own hardware but at least for a beginning it shouldn't fare too bad.

Even if valve loses interest in it over time there is a higher chance that community made updates or stuff gets released for a valve product rather than stuff from gpd for example

 

[Deleted member 560282]

I love the competitive pricing. Not having to pay a Windows license is probably part of it.
Is it just me or does the design remind you of the Sega Game Gear?

I knew this reminded me of something-

 

[diggeloid]

This thing looks GREAT, the price is GREAT, and I'm HYPED!!!!

But, I will never trust Valve when they claim something is "ergonomic" after they released that monstrosity that was the Steam controller.

 

[Justinde75]

I knew this reminded me of something-

Thats the mini version of it, the buttons are alot smaller on the real one

 

[Reploid]

Consoles are officially destroyed.

 

[Deleted member 194275]

If they live up to this promise, it will be a truly console experience...

(I know that we already can make it work like that ourselves, but "make the setup yourself" is most anti-console phrase ever)

 

[matpower]

Now that's a real Switch killer, holy fuck. Great pricing, big company backing it up and I can vouch Steam on Linux has never been better than now, pretty much everything works painlessly.

Weird choice to go with Arch-based but given you'll need a recent Mesa stack for day-1 compatibility, it makes sense overall.