Steam Deck is very similar to the Switch or a PlayStation Vita. There are two analog sticks, 4 action buttons and 4 shoulder buttons.
Valve Steam Deck: New start should scare the Nintendo Switch
Two handhelds in almost a week? While the Nintendo Switch OLED is currently being ridiculed, the Valve Steam Deck seems to hit a nerve. The anticipation seems at least a little bigger here. But can the next attempt succeed after almost all of Valve's attempts ended up in disaster?
Valve Steam Deck: AMD Zen2 with RDNA2 and a 7 inch LCD in HD +
The structure of the new Steam Deck is very similar to the Switch or a PlayStation Vita. There are two analog sticks, 4 action buttons and 4 shoulder buttons. On the back, however, there are another 4 freely configurable buttons. The arrangement is a little different. The D-Pad and the 4 input buttons are on the front at the same level as the analog sticks. 2 microphones arranged just above the display can be used for voice chats. The display measures 7 inches (just like the Switch OLED), but is a 16:10 format, has a similar resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels and uses LCD for display. The refresh rate is 60 Hertz.
Inside we find a specially adapted AMD APU. This is based on the AMD Zen2 architecture and, with RDNA2, also uses the latest GPU technology from the processor manufacturer. The clock rate is specified as 2.4 to 3.4 GHz. 4 physical cores can process up to 8 threads here. The power consumption of the graphics unit is between 4 and 15 watts, depending on the application. The basic model comes with 64 GB eMMC storage. Other models rely on very fast 256 or 512 GB NVMe memory. If you want, you can expand the space via microSD.
SteamOS 3.0 is used as the operating system. This is based on Arch Linux and has the Steam Store placed on top of it, so to speak. If you start the console, you can go directly to the Steam Store and access your library there. All games should be able to be downloaded and played. If you want, you can format the Valve Steam Deck completely and install Windows and use the handheld as a mobile PC. This also works with the pre-installed Arch Linux, which supports mouse and keyboard. Monitors with up to 4k with 120 Hertz or 8k with 60 Hertz can be connected to the console via USB-C.
Buy Valve Steam Deck: Pre-orders are open - release in December 2021
The Valve Steam Deck costs 419 euros in the basic configuration with 64 GB of internal storage . If you prefer more and faster storage, then you have to pay 549 euros for the version with 256 GB NVMe. With 512 GB it is already 679 euros. In the latter two models, special software supplements are also included. Among other things, a special Steam Play profile bundle or, in the case of the 512 version, a special stem design for the touch keyboard.
The new handheld console will be launched in December 2021, but there is no exact date for it. It remains to be seen whether the Valve Steam Deck will be a success. Previous attempts by the provider to gain a foothold on the console market went quite wrong. Devices such as the Steam Machine were discontinued after a short time. Let's see how things are going with the new handheld.
