All information, prices and technology to the competitor of the Switch

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Valve has created a handheld gaming PC that has it all. We have all the information we need: How much the Steam Deck weighs, what it costs, how fast it is – and how to play with it.

The most powerful and comprehensive handheld gaming PC in the world: This is how Valve announces the Steam Deck. Many Data on the Steam Deck homepage indicate that this may be true. The handheld console should allow all games to be played on the Steam platform – both at home on the television and on the go. To do this, the manufacturer has created a platform that is more like a portable computer than a console. Various devices can be connected, apps and programs can be installed, Windows games and even Windows can be run. Steam Deck is based on a new version of SteamOS, a specially adapted Linux operating system, which can, however, also be uninstalled. Apparently, game streaming via other providers is even possible on the high-tech console.

Valve announces that it will ship the first devices in December 2021. But if you only reserve now, you will hardly receive your console before next summer. Since July 16, interested parties can use the Steam Deck on the Steam Deck website or in Reserve a shop on the Steam platform – Valve gave it its own category there. The manufacturer charges a fee of four euros for the reservation and only one console can be booked per account. The manufacturer deducts the money from the purchase price when the reservation is converted into an order. Anyone who withdraws from the reservation or does not buy in the end will receive a refund as a Steam credit. In the event of cancellations within 30 days, the operator will transfer the money back to the way it was received. Right: In the fight against scalpers, i.e. price speculators, Valve reserves the right not to convert reservations into orders. However, the goal is for everyone who is interested to get a console at the end of the day.

The company processes the reservations according to the date of receipt, that is, whoever came first can order first. Currently (September 1, 2021) it says on the order page: Those who reserve today can probably order after the second quarter of 2022. There is currently no other official distribution channel. Price speculators are likely to sell their consoles for exorbitant prices on shopping sites like Ebay once they have received them. Steam users can view their reservation and cancel it at any time. You will receive a message when you can order from the reservation. The system allows a certain period of time for this. Anyone who does not order within the deadline loses their entitlement. By the way, you can only order the configuration that you have reserved. The manufacturer only debits the purchase price once the purchase has been completed.

The Steam Deck comes in three configurations. The entry-level device has an eMMC hard drive with 64 gigabytes and costs 419 euros. Valve includes a carrying case. The middle variant includes a 256 Gibayte NVMe SSD. The hard drive is not only larger, it is also connected faster. Valve also packs a bundle of community benefits. The medium model costs 549 euros. The upper end of the product range costs 679 euros. For this you get the deck with a 512 gigabyte SSD; it should work even faster than that of the medium version. The top model also has anti-reflective and etched glass over the display. An exclusive carrier bag, a community package and a virtual keyboard complete the package. Otherwise the models are identical.

At 670 grams, the Steam Deck weighs more than the Switch console from Nintendo. This is not surprising, as there is more technology in it. In contrast to the Japanese model, an AMD APU works with a four-core processor (eight threads) inside, the architecture of which “Zen 2” can also be found in the Playstation 5. The CPU, clocked at 3.4 to 3.5 gigahertz, is supposed to manage up to 448 gigaflops (FP32). The eight graphics units are based on the RDNA-2 architecture and, according to Valve, achieve 1.6 teraflops (FP32) performance with their 512 cores. They master the latest features such as ray tracing and supply the seven-inch touch display with 720p resolution with images. All Steam Decks have 16 gigabytes of LPDDR5 RAM onboard, which manages up to 5,400 megatransfers per second via its four 32-bit channels – this corresponds to a clock rate of 5.4 gigahertz. A micro SD slot ensures that the memory never runs out. The internal memory, however, cannot be exchanged. Inside there is also a six-axis gyroscope and a 40-watt-hour battery, which should allow between two and six hours of gameplay. Two speakers and two microphones can be found on the sides of the deck.

The combined performance of the APU is around 2 teraflops and is on par with a Playstation 4. Testers report that the performance feels higher because the seven-inch display has a 720p resolution (1280 x 800 pixels). Valve proclaims the stipulation that 100 percent of the titles available in the Steam library should be playable at 30 or more frames per second. First tests certify the prototype, even with current AAA titles in medium and high quality levels, buttery smooth gaming fun. Valve developers say they couldn’t find a game in the library that the Steam Deck couldn’t handle.

On the sides of the deck, control pads and full-format analog sticks are emblazoned, which are supposed to offer “full fidelity” and have capacitive touch sensors. In this way, the deck also recognizes the pure touch – without having to move the stick. Testers report that the arrangement is unfamiliar at first. But if you use the Steam Deck, you can very quickly imagine no other. Under the sticks are two square trackpads with haptic feedback and configurable click strength. Valve writes that they have 55 percent better latency than the Steam controllers. Shoulder and handle buttons that can be freely assigned are located on the edges and below the deck. The manufacturer assures that all controls are designed for long gaming sessions. In addition, external controllers as well as a mouse and keyboard can be connected to the console. The display is touch-sensitive and therefore offers additional operating options.

External controllers such as Sony’s Playstation or Microsoft’s Xbox can be integrated via Bluetooth 5. Since the handheld console can also interpret audio formats using the wireless standard, speakers and headphones can also be connected to it. A regular 3.5 mm jack connection is also available for this. In addition, it offers dual-band WIFI with 2 × 2 MIMO – in short: really fast WLAN. The USB-C port supports the Displayport protocol 1.4 and can therefore transmit 4k resolution at 120 Hertz. Alternatively, 8k signals with 60 Hertz are also possible. The USB connection has category 3.2 Gen. 2, so it can transmit ten gigabits per second. The microSD port supports SD, SDXC and SDHC in the UHS-I range.

Valve sells a docking station with additional connections separately. It is connected via a USB-C cable and then offers broadband internet via a LAN connection, HDMI and display ports (1.4) and other USB sockets. The manufacturer has not yet revealed prices or a release date for the dock from the deck.

Valve developers speak of two to eight hours of battery life. They cite “Portal 2” as an example: the title could be played for four hours on one charge. Those who limit the output to 30 frames per second (FPS) can count on five to six hours. Observers do not think that this is too much when you consider that “Portal 2” dates from 2011, that is, ten years under its belt. In the end, tests have to show how long which games need to drain the battery.

The goal is to have all the games in the Steam library run on the Steam Deck. The console runs on SteamOS 3.0, a Linux derivative that Valve has been using for years. The platform operator has been expanding the Steam Play (now Proton) compatibility list ever stronger, so that currently around 7,500 titles officially support SteamOS. In addition to current hits such as “The Witcher 3 – Wild Hunt” and “Fallout New Vegas”, but also older AAA titles such as “GTA V”, “Dishonored”, “Sekiro” or “Hitman 2”. So far, however, one or the other anti-cheat software does not yet work with Proton, so some online games are left out.

The studios are working on the problem with Valve. In addition, the engineers have kept another solution open: The Steam Deck works like a mobile PC. From the corporate headquarters it is said that you can simply install Windows on it and then set up native Windows titles or other game platforms on it as normal. The developers say: Steam Deck can run any program that runs on a PC. This means that not only games, but also application software, for example, can be run on the console.

Due to the open approach that Valve is taking with the Steam Deck, game streaming should also be possible. It is very likely that Nvidia’s Geforce Now service is running, as it relies on Steam to supply games, among other things. According to observers, Stadia should also work. There is a confirmation from Microsoft. There they were impressed by Valve’s handheld and had already tried their own titles. “Age of Empires” and “Halo” should “feel good”, and the cloud gaming service xCloud also works properly, said Xbox boss Phil Spencer on Twitter.