Recently, Valve Corporation announced the Steam Deck. The Steam Deck is a portable gaming computer that’s easy to pick up and play like other gaming devices similar to the Nintendo Switch. The company promises that the devices will start shipping out in December 2021 for those that reserved the device first.
Models
Consumers have the choice between three different models when reserving the Steam Deck. The first model that comes in at $400 comes with 64GB of eMMC internal storage and a carrying case.
For those looking to spend a bit more, you can purchase the 256 NVMe SSD model for $529. This model features faster storage, a carrying case, and an exclusive bundle of items you can use to decorate your Steam Community profile. The big spenders can pay $649 to bump up that storage to 512GB and receive an anti-glare etched screen.
Specs
Other than storage and different screens, each model of the Steam Deck has the same specifications. Valve made sure that the Steam Deck was powerful enough to run most, if not all, of the popular games people are playing today.
To power the graphics, Valve decided to go with a custom APU developed by AMD. This APU uses technology similar to what the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X use, assuring that the Steam Deck can get a lot of performance for a small amount of power.
For controls, players have the option of using thumbsticks or trackpads to get the precise amount of control they are looking for. The Steam Deck even has gyro support, allowing you to tilt the device to look around in your favorite shooter.
Software
When you boot up the Steam Deck for the first time, all you have to do is log in to your Steam Account, and then you’re good to go. Valve Corporation assured consumers that this experience would be seamless through their use of a custom version of Linux.
With this version of Linux, you can instantly download and play any of your games without having to tinker on the backend. Consumers even have the choice of downloading different programs and game launchers that are supported on Linux.
Hardcore users can even install Windows on their Steam Deck, but Valve recommends that Steam Deck owners stick with the pre-installed version of Linux to keep compatibility in sync.