Steam Deck is the New Console From Valve
There have long been rumors on the web that Valve is working on its own console. Now we have finally received an official announcement of the device called Steam Deck.
- Valve has unveiled its portable console;
- Steam Deck will enable us to run games from our Steam library and any other applications available on PC;
- It resembles Nintendo Switch in design. It will also have a docking option.
A console from Valve has been rumored on the web for quite some time. Officially we did not receive any announcement of the said hardware. Now everything has changed because Gabe Newell's company suddenly presented Steam Deck, a portable console reminiscent of Nintendo Switch. However, the creators themselves call it a portable PC with a built-in controller. It turned out that most of the earlier leaks were true.
Valve's device will essentially be a portable platform designed primarily to run games from Steam. We just need to log in to our account and the console will enable us to play any game from our library. It will also enable us to use all other features of the service, which we know from the PC version. However, we will not have to limit ourselves only to Valve's website. Deck will also enable us to run any app from outside the platform. We can therefore install EA Play, Ubisoft Connect, and any other program or game available on PC.
To provide a suitable environment for playing various Steam titles, the console's creators had to fit in a sufficiently powerful controller. Deck looks like the Switch but has more elements enabling control. In addition to the standard buttons, triggers, bumpers, and sticks we can also see two touchpads. The screen is also a touch panel.
On the other hand, comfortable gameplay in all games available on Steam is to be provided the APU developed by AMD. It consists of a quad-core Zen 2 processor and graphics chip based on RDNA architecture. The console will also be equipped with 16 GB of RAM. Deck also boasts a 7-inch display with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels. The operating system that the console will use, in turn, will be SteamOS 3.0 based on Arch Linux. However, nothing stands in the way of removing the default OS and installing the familiar Windows.
We also already know that Steam Deck will have a docking option. Unlike the Switch, it won't enable us to detach the controllers like Joy-Cons. The docking station itself will also not be sold with the console. However, it can be used in a different way than the solution used by Switch. Steam Deck can be used as a small PC, which we can then connect to a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and the rest of the hardware we need. It is a portable console that can also be used for work or a standard gameplay in front of a larger screen.
Valve also revealed the price of the hardware. Steam Deck will be sold in three variants that will differ in the amount and type of memory. We can choose between versions with 64GB eMMC ($399), 256GB NVMe SSD ($529) and 512GB NVMe SSD ($649). The latter variants of the console will also have other extras that are not related to its specs.
Steam Deck will reach its recipients in December, this year. You can already place preorders for the console.
