Valve Announces New PC-oriented Handheld, Steam Deck Scheduled To Launch This December

Since its inception, Valve’s in-house storefront Steam has and still continues to be the most prevalent PC purchase site for majority of the video game market on the platform. But that is not to say the company is pursuing more projects on other platforms. Just most recently, founder Gabe Newell in one statement hinted that console players could be learning more of how its titles will influence convention users by “the end of this year,” he stated.

However, Valve also attempted to work hardware out as well. In that, the firm a few years back shipped the Steam Machine which stood to be a PC console to attract a general audience unattached to PC gaming. But, the system did not perform as anticipated with the last remnant of its era being the discontinuation of the controller back in 2019. But, the same cannot be said for the Valve Index VR Headset later on.

With the release of the Half-Life: Alyx, units sold surged tremendously thanks to the exciting return to the beloved franchise. Now, Valve on Thursday unveiled the Steam Deck. The new machine is a handheld device that welcomes the PC platform with a new portable approach. While this is not the first of its kind in what it achieves, it is the first for Valve to implement first hand.

Portability meets power

We partnered with AMD to create Steam Deck’s custom APU, 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.

Your Steam Library, anywhere

Once you’ve logged into Steam Deck, your entire Steam Library shows up, just like any other PC. You’ll be able to find your collections and favorites – exactly where you left them.

Control with comfort

The Steam Deck was built for extended play sessions—whether you’re using thumbsticks or trackpads—with full-size controls positioned perfectly within your reach. The rear of the device is sculpted to comfortably fit a wide range of hand sizes.

It does not stop there as Valve also offers three iterations for consumers: $399 64GB, $529 256GB, and $649 512GB options. The first comes with a standard eMMC internal storage while the other two pre-order options are equipped with SSD storage drives. Additionally, each tier offers more incentives such as an exclusive carrying case, non-reflective tempered glass, and exclusive contents to the Steam platform.

Even more, there is also a dock that users can purchase for an additional price. “The official dock props up your Steam Deck while connecting to external displays, wired networking, USB peripherals, and power,” Valve writes. “You can also use a powered USB-C hub, if you’ve got one lying around,” the team adds.

Are you excited for Valve’s Steam Deck?

The Steam Deck is told to ship sometime in December 2021.

Source: Valve, Steam