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

 

[Xzi]

It's impressive I will give it that. But from my research you need to buy the $500 model as the 64gb model doesn't seem worth it.

Every model has an m.2 SSD slot, though we don't know how manageable it'll be yet. And every model has a microSD card slot, so that's another cheap storage solution. But yeah I went with the 256 GB model just to avoid the hassle of installing an SSD myself, and with a 512 GB mSD that should be plenty enough space for me. Mostly gonna put indies and older stuff/emulation on it, though early on I'll definitely put it through its paces with more demanding stuff.

 

[Goku1992A]

Every model has an m.2 SSD slot, though we don't know how manageable it'll be yet. And every model has a microSD card slot, so that's another cheap storage solution. But yeah I went with the 256 GB model just to avoid the hassle of installing an SSD myself, and with a 512 GB mSD that should be plenty enough space for me. Mostly gonna put indies and older stuff/emulation on it.

Maybe you can translate the specs because that part I'm highly confused about on this device how strong is this? Like if you put it on a tier scale of like a NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060 6GB GDDR6.

Like is this like a PS4 in your hands ? I couldn't really understand the specs because it seems to me they are going to optimize the steam games to play on the device but for regular PC games that are cracked they go off a systems requirement list which is why I was confused on that part.

 

[Xzi]

Maybe you can translate the specs because that part I'm highly confused about on this device how strong is this? Like if you put it on a tier scale of like a NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060 6GB GDDR6.

Like is this like a PS4 in your hands ? I couldn't really understand the specs because it seems to me they are going to optimize the steam games to play on the device but for regular PC games that are cracked they go off a systems requirement list which is why I was confused on that part.

Sure, no problem. In terms of TFlops, it is basically the power of a PS4, maybe slightly stronger. The APU itself is a great value, but the real jaw-dropper here is 16GB of DDR5 5500 RAM. My freaking desktop only has DDR4 3200. Valve is taking a pretty decent loss on each unit sold here, save maybe the top tier option.

 

[Noctosphere]

Sure, no problem. In terms of TFlops, it is basically the power of a PS4, maybe slightly stronger. The APU itself is a great value, but the real jaw-dropper here is 16GB of DDR5 5500 RAM. My freaking desktop only has DDR4 3200. Valve is taking a pretty decent loss on each unit sold here, save maybe the top tier option.

I don't have a ps4 but i know the quality of nvidia gpus
Can you tell me what would be the equivalent of steam deck's gpu among nvidia gpus please?
Thanks

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Also, is it compatible with ray tracing?
Thanks again

 

[Goku1992A]

Sure, no problem. In terms of TFlops, it is basically the power of a PS4, maybe slightly stronger. The APU itself is a great value, but the real jaw-dropper here is 16GB of DDR5 5500 RAM. My freaking desktop only has DDR4 3200. Valve is taking a pretty decent loss on each unit sold here, save maybe the top tier option.

Understood it's a VERY impressive device the only issue with me I just bought a G15 that has a NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060 6GB GDDR6. That's my 5 year investment since I opted out of buying the Series-X. I also have my old G3 I decided not to sell it because I wouldn't get the money that I invested into it.
But the handheld is very impressive it's kinda nice to see handhelds coming back in style who knows Maybe Sony may return with a handheld if the market is doing well.

 

[Xzi]

I don't have a ps4 but i know the quality of nvidia gpus
Can you tell me what would be the equivalent of steam deck's gpu among nvidia gpus please?
Thanks

Somewhere between a GTX 1050 and GTX 1060, hard to nail down exactly.

Also, is it compatible with ray tracing?
Thanks again

Would be a significant performance hit, probably end up putting you in the 10 - 20 FPS range depending on game. Not compatible with Nvidia ray-tracing obviously as it's an AMD APU.

 

[mattyxarope]

Somewhere between a GTX 1050 and GTX 1060, hard to nail down exactly.


Would be a significant performance hit, probably end up putting you in the 10 - 20 FPS range depending on game. Not compatible with Nvidia ray-tracing obviously as it's an AMD APU.

God I wish DLSS was open source and the Steam Deck had it

 

[Goku1992A]

@Xzi

For future games they have to optimize them on steam like how they would do a PS5/Series-X. My G3 had a GTX 1050 but it couldn't play Biomutant or RE8 but it could play 90% of the games on min settings but I paid $600 for my G3 2 years ago so it was a good price since it played most "last gen" PS4/XB1 games along with all my emulators fine. The only issue when it ran into certain titles I just bought the G15.

IMO 32GB ram is overkill the most you will use is 8gb per game. Unless you want to be super fancy on Ultra Settings

 

[Xzi]

Understood it's a VERY impressive device the only issue with me I just bought a G15 that has a NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060 6GB GDDR6. That's my 5 year investment since I opted out of buying the Series-X.

Yeah I just got a PS5 some months back. If Steam Deck was releasing right now there's no chance I'd buy it, but January/February of next year I'm pretty sure I can do.

For future games they have to optimize them on steam like how they would do a PS5/Series-X.

Not gonna be much optimization necessary considering that PS5/XSX also run on AMD APUs, lol. That's how you know Steam Deck's performance should stay pretty consistent throughout next gen.

IMO 32GB ram is overkill the most you will use is 8gb per game. Unless you want to be super fancy on Ultra Settings

Oh for sure, 16GB is just the right amount for a gaming PC right now, and by comparison, Switch has freaking 4GB. Speed of the RAM is more important than amount after a certain threshold.

 

[Deleted member 512337]

got a 64 gig one. Im getting a ssd to put into it.

 

[Xzi]

got a 64 gig one. Im getting a ssd to put into it.

Just remember it's a 2230 m.2 SSD. They're tiny little things. For whatever reason, they're REALLY cheap at 128GB (about $20), but they quickly get expensive at higher capacities (512GB is like $200).

 

[Deleted member 512337]

Just remember it's a 2230 m.2 SSD. They're tiny little things. For whatever reason, they're REALLY cheap at 128GB (about $20), but they quickly get expensive at higher capacities (512GB is like $200).

I have a spare 512 gig sd card for my hacked switch, but the SD reader on the mobo went kaput so im gonna use that to hold me over/

 

[mattyxarope]

Just remember it's a 2230 m.2 SSD. They're tiny little things. For whatever reason, they're REALLY cheap at 128GB (about $20), but they quickly get expensive at higher capacities (512GB is like $200).

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0855SVCJ2/

This is shuckable, $229 for 1tb

 

[Xzi]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0855SVCJ2/

This is shuckable, $229 for 1tb

Good call, didn't think there'd be many external SSDs available in that form factor.

 

[Goku1992A]

@Xzi
Is this something that you are going to be playing daily? My thing is I have a Vita, 3DS, and a Switch but I barely play them

 

[Xzi]

@Xzi
Is this something that you are going to be playing daily? My thing is I have a Vita, 3DS, and a Switch but I barely play them

I'm thinking I'll be using it for streaming TV shows and movies as much as anything else, also for tinkering with and familiarizing myself with different Linux distros. I'm gonna get a dock and have it sit right next to my PC and switch, with it connected to one of my bigger displays most of the time.

 

[Goku1992A]

I'm thinking I'll be using it for streaming TV shows and movies as much as anything else, also for tinkering with and familiarizing myself with different Linux distros. I'm gonna get a dock and have it sit right next to my PC and switch, with it connected to one of my bigger displays most of the time.

How stable is Linux? Mainly the top OS are Mac OS and Windows

 

[Xzi]

How stable is Linux? Mainly the top OS are Mac OS and Windows

It differs from distro to distro. Android is Linux-based, so there's that. I don't have a ton of knowledge on the subject, but I do know Valve switched from Debian to Arch Linux for SteamOS 3.0, and I've heard only positive things about that switch from the Linux community.

 

[Kioku]

It differs from distro to distro. Android is Linux-based, so there's that. I don't have a ton of knowledge on the subject, but I do know Valve switched from Debian to Arch Linux for SteamOS 3.0, and I've heard only positive things about that switch from the Linux community.

The only thing I've noticed is that the Arch community has a sense of elitism about them. I can understand the "bleeding edge" mantra. I just don't think it's explicitly better than Debian (or any other flavor for that matter). I say this as I hold tight to Manjaro. Still, I'm excited about this switch. I'd like to install Gnome instead of KDE though.

 

[Rahkeesh]

Re: SD cards, the entire 8th gen of consoles was built around hard drives, and leans heavily into the CPU for decompression. Hardware Unboxed ran some benchmarks and could barely tell the difference between vastly different SSD speeds in terms of loading times because decompression was the bottleneck in most AAA PC games. A half-decent SD card should have much faster access than any hard drive here so I'm not sure it will be a major stumbling block among all the other graphics compromises you will already be making, at least for 8th gen. This device doesn't really have the GPU for 9th gen exclusives so I'm not sure how viable any of those are going to be anyway.

That said I'm guessing that the 64gb option is really only viable for steam OS, windows itself get bloated, and you probably want anything online-centric filled with player skins on your SSD since they can hardly preload those.