The Nintendo Switch (OLED model) wasn't the "Pro" upgrade many expected it to be with 4K support and new internals but before its announcement, other handhelds aimed to take the role of the "Switch Pro". The AYA NEO and GPD Win 3 are among those devices shooting for that nickname since they are able to run recent AAA PC games on the go, given that they are handheld gaming PCs. Their efforts and popularity, although niche, enticed companies like Lenovo and Tencent to make similar concepts or patents; indicating that these indie companies might have more serious competition in the future.

It seems like this will indeed be the case and these handheld gaming PC manufacturers will need to brace themselves as Valve is itself entering this market with a Valve-branded handheld gaming PC. This news was actually reported back in May and today we have the official confirmation. In a Steam post today, Valve revealed the Steam Deck, an AMD-based handheld gaming PC that is expected to begin shipping in December 2021 in select regions.

The software giant partnered with AMD to create a custom APU for the handheld that is said to be "optimized for handheld gaming". "It is a Zen 2 + RDNA 2 powerhouse, delivering more than enough performance to run the latest AAA games in a very efficient power envelope," reads the announcement.

It will run on SteamOS 3.0 (Arch-based) and there will be several models of the Steam Deck, which differ on the storage capacity, with the base model starting at $399. However, every model will include a microSD slot for additional storage capacity. For more details about the models available and their price, refer to the image below:

You can find additional specs details in the images below (click/tap to enlarge):

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And just like the AYA NEO and GPD Win 3, the Steam Deck will also have a dock which will be sold separately. This accessory will provide ports for external displays, wired networking, USB peripherals, and power. More details about the dock's pricing will be announced at a later date but you can find some specs details in the thumbnail below:

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Valve says that the Steam Deck will start shipping this December to the United States, Canada, the European Union and the United Kingdom, with more regions coming in 2022. However, to be able to purchase one, you will need to book a paid reservation which will let you pre-order when the time comes. This reservation fee will also count towards the Steam Deck purchase price.

"The main reason for reservations is to ensure an orderly and fair ordering process for customers when Steam Deck inventory becomes available," writes Valve in the announcement FAQ. "The additional fee gives us a clearer signal of intent to purchase, which gives us better data to balance supply chain, inventory, and regional distribution leading up to launch."

Reservations for the Steam Deck will open Friday July 16th, 10am PDT. For more details about the new handheld gaming PC, head to the source link and official Steam Deck website linked below.

Are you interested in getting one?

SOURCE
Steam Deck Official Website

 

[DbGt]

really?
It's Q2 Here in Canada

Yep, I know in NA its already Q2, but Europe its still Q1. The pools are different

Just took this screenshot

 

[Noctosphere]

Yep, I know in NA its already Q2, but Europe its still Q1. The pools are different

Just took this screenshot

okok, so it means the pool for Q1 at NA is already sold out?
Is that what you mean?

 

[HideoKojima]

Is it strong enough to run Yuzu?

 

[DbGt]

okok, so it means the pool for Q1 at NA is already sold out?
Is that what you mean?

I mean that the pools are regional, and yes also the NA Q1 stock is sold out.

The steam deck reservation page says this in their FAQ:

Is the reservation queue regional?
Yes, the reservation queue and expected order availability times are specific to each region.

 

[Noctosphere]

I mean that the pools are regional, and yes also the NA Q1 stock is sold out.

The steam deck reservation page stays this in their FAQ:

Alright thanks
I already knew it was regional, I just wondered if Canada actually started at Q2 instead of Q1

 

[mattyxarope]

Is it strong enough to run Yuzu?

Aya Neo and Win GPD 3 are both capable of running some games, so yes.

 

[Xzi]

I've had my doubts regarding support and proton... but fuck it, preorder the 512GB model a minute ago.

It's at about 80% compatibility with Steam's whole catalog right now, not bad at all. And they're pushing to have anti-cheats working on Linux by launch day, so that will bump the number up considerably.

 

[windmill]

now i can experience bot hordes in tf2 while on the go

 

[linkchidori]

If thing manages to eat up the Nintendo market, i could totally see the company easily moving to another kind of gaming device where it doesnt have a competitor.

 

[Xzi]

If thing manages to eat up the Nintendo market, i could totally see the company easily moving to another kind of gaming device where it doesnt have a competitor.

Valve is trying to encourage other manufacturers to make their own "portable gaming PCs," but realistically they are one of the only companies that can afford to/is willing to take a loss on each unit sold. So they might just end up alone in this space anyway.

 

[mattyxarope]

Valve is trying to encourage other manufacturers to make their own "portable gaming PCs," but realistically they are one of the only companies that can afford to/is willing to take a loss on each unit sold. So they might just end up alone in this space anyway.

Microsoft will join this market, it's just a matter of time. They're the perfect company to do it. No better way to push Game pass than that...

 

[linkchidori]

Valve is trying to encourage other manufacturers to make their own "portable gaming PCs," but realistically they are one of the only companies that can afford to/is willing to take a loss on each unit sold. So they might just end up alone in this space anyway.

This is something that in kinda concerned about. I hope this can move enough units to justify the loss.

 

[Paolosworld]

My bricked DS might finally be surrendered

is there emulator potential in steam os?

 

[Noctosphere]

My bricked DS might finally be surrendered

is there emulator potential in steam os?

It's basicly a portable PC
it do is stated in the FAQ, any third party software CAN be installed on it

 

[Paolosworld]

It's basicly a portable PC
it do is stated in the FAQ, any third party software CAN be installed on it

so steam does nintendo better than nintendo confirmed?

 

[Noctosphere]

so steam does nintendo better than nintendo confirmed?

it should even run perfectly Yuzu and Ryujinx

 

[DerpDingus]

Besides the massive brick size and weight of this device, I have a feeling this will be the ultimate emulation device. I preordered this over the garbage OLED switch ( already have one) for any games under PS1 - Ill stick with my vita

 

[pedro702]

Am i the only one seeing a huge issue here? switch already has storage issues and switch games are bare bones and compressed so that they are minimum in size, this thing runs pc games, pc games are not compressed and have loads of modes and settings to tweak so are people expecting to uninstall 100+gb games on this? will they keep installing and deleting games all the time? because sd cards are extremely expensive even the ones at 512gb and they cant hold that many pc games at all.

So for me this will be a huge damn issue, and if you decide you want to play another game and need to install 150gb from a random network when away from home you will be disappointed on the time you will take or before battery runs out, i mean i see most people will only keep like 1 or 2 games installed or just waste a crap ton of money on sd cards to carry around.

 

[xatzimi]

You know what I'd really like to use this for is to play visual novels away from my desk. Unfortunately I don't own them on Steam (it's a terrible service for VNs, please buy direct from the publisher), so I wonder if they'll even run from an executable

 

[Crazystato]

Im keen for one of these. That 1280 x 800 panel though...