Valve has announced a game console. It is portable, called Steam Deck and allows you to run PC games.
The new device is essentially a portable gaming computer built on an unnamed AMD solution based on the Zen2 modification (here – 4 cores with a power of 2.4 to 3.5 GHz) and RDNA2 graphics (the same GPU is used in the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series). Plus 16 GB of RAM.
The Valve team on the device’s website will assure that the console will be able to launch “the latest high-budget games.” It is assumed that the Steam Deck will be able to run not only games, but also programs that are not distributed through Steam.
The operating system of the novelty — the new version of SteamOS — is built on Linux. At the same time, developers will not need to port their games to it. The device will be able to play most Windows games freely thanks to Proton technology (according to Wikipedia, it “allows software developed for Windows to run on Linux-based operating systems“).
The novelty will have a 7-inch screen, a pair of sticks, a crosspiece, four standard action keys (ABXY), four triggers, four keys on the back of the case, a pair of trackpads for cursor control, a gyroscope, a pair of microphones with speakers and even a microSD card slot. The device will be charged via USB Type-C.
The battery capacity was about 10000 mA/h. It is noted that this amount of charge will last for several hours of any game. However, if we are not talking about resource-intensive programs, then the Steam Deck will be enough even for 7-8 hours.
Valve calls a separate important “feature” of the device the ability to connect the console to a large screen, keyboard and mouse. “Use the Steam Deck as a PC. After all, this is the PC,” the device’s website says. In this case, the console screen itself can be used as a second monitor.
The dimensions of the console are 298 mm (width) by 117 mm (length) by 49 mm (height), and the weight is about 669 grams. For comparison, the dimensions of the Nintendo are 239 mm by 102 mm by 13.9 mm, and the weight is 297 grams. Roughly speaking, the Steam Deck is noticeably larger and heavier than a fairly large Nintendo gadget.
The novelty will be sold in three trim levels: for $ 399, $ 599 and $ 649. The main difference between them is the amount of internal memory. The cheapest version will have only 64 GB of internal memory, the most expensive — 512 GB.
Steam Deck delivery will begin in December 2021 in the USA, Canada, the European Union and the UK. In 2022, the list of regions should be replenished. While the console can be pre-ordered.