Valve announces Steam Deck, a hybrid console very similar to Nintendo Switch

The device page with details about it appeared on Steam. For now, you can only reserve the Deck for purchase to be notified when it goes on sale.

Information that Valve is working on such devices appeared on the network a month and a half before the official release. First, references to the console were found in the Steam database, and later the information was confirmed by media sources.

General device details

• The price of Steam Deck will start at $399. Regional prices are not known at the moment.
• Valve promises that all games from the Steam library will be available on Deck – just log into your account.
• The device will also be able to use the other functions that are tied to your account – for example, a list of friends, chat, shop, and cloud savings.
• Deck runs on a specially adapted version of SteamOS 3.0 and includes a Proton compatibility layer – at the expense of which “games are unlikely to need porting”.
• Windows and third-party software will be allowed to be installed on the PC.
• The system has been specially redesigned with an overlay and various menus for easy control on a small screen.

Specifications

• Three models will go on sale, identical in everything except the storage capacity: 64 GB (eMMC), 256 or 512 GB (NVMe SSD). In addition, each will have a microSD card slot.
• The device is equipped with an AMD APU, which uses the Zen 2 and RDNA 2 microarchitectures. The central processor operates at 2.4-3.5 GHz, while the graphics processor operates at 1.0-1.6 GHz.
• 16GB LPDDR5 RAM.
• The Deck will feature a 7-inch touchscreen display with a 1280×800 resolution, 400 nits brightness, and a 60Hz refresh rate.
• The computer is equipped with a USB-C port and 3.5 mm audio jack, also supports Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi connection.
• The approximate weight of the device is 669 grams, and the dimensions are 298 x 117 x 49 mm.
• Separately, a docking station with ports for peripheral devices and connection to TV, as well as the Internet via cable will go on sale. They promise to share details about her later.

Cost and purchase details

Prices for three Steam Deck models with different drives will differ by about $120:

• 64 GB – $ 399
• 256 GB – $ 529
• 512 GB – $ 649

In December 2021, sales will begin in the US, Canada, UK, and EU countries. Later, the list of regions is planned to be expanded, but Deck will not appear in other countries before 2022.

At the moment, Valve only proposes to reserve the console for residents of the countries of the “first wave” – ​​for this you need to make a special deposit of five dollars. To combat dealers, a special system is in place, which until July 17 will not allow users who did not buy anything on Steam in June 2021 to leave their own application.