Valve is entering the handheld market with the Steam Deck, a handheld PC that can play your entire PC library on the go.
- READ MORE: The Best VR games of 2021
After months of speculation about the SteamPal, a Valve-produced Switch-esque PC, Valve’s offering seems fairly comprehensive.
Technically, it’s no slouch. It has a 7-inch touch screen, trackpads, gyro controls, a choice of 64, 256 or 512GB storage (with expandable memory via an SD card slot) and a 7-8 hour battery life.
Introducing Steam Deck: powerful, portable PC gaming starting at $399. Designed by Valve, powered by Steam. Shipping December 2021.
Learn more at https://t.co/ZOTx3KUCVK and reserve yours tomorrow. #SteamDeck pic.twitter.com/jcgbaKfT9c
— Steam (@Steam) July 15, 2021
Valve has partnered with AMD to create a custom Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) for the Steam Deck that will be optimised for handheld gaming. The plan is this handheld machine will run the latest in AAA games, while sustaining battery life.
Right now, you can pay for a reservation on the Steam Deck page from tomorrow, and Valve claim you’ll be invited to complete your purchase in December this year. UK prices have since been revealed as follows:
64GB model for £349 includes:
- 64GB eMMC internal storage
- Carrying case
256GB model for £459 includes:
- 256GB NVMe SSD internal storage
- Faster storage
- Carrying case
- Exclusive Steam Community profile bundle
512GB model for £569 includes:
- 512GB NVMe SSD internal storage
- Fastest storage
- Premium anti-glare etched glass
- Exclusive carrying case
- Exclusive Steam Community profile bundle
- Exclusive virtual keyboard theme
To complete the Switch comparison, there will be a dock.
Valve claims: “the official dock props up your Steam Deck while connecting to external displays, wired networking, USB peripherals, and power. You can also use a powered USB-C hub, if you’ve got one lying around.”
The dock will be sold separately.
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