Long awaited portable gaming computer Steam deck, announced by Valve last May, has finally made it to store shelves. It's time to talk in detail about what kind of device it is, in which countries it can be purchased, and what are its fundamental differences from game consoles like the Nintendo Switch.
Steam Deck design and features
The device looks rather modest and unsightly, however, representatives of Valve note that the main priority during the development of the mini-PC was the creation of a gadget, designed for long gaming sessions with convenient controls, which in terms of functionality would be in no way inferior to the classic “keyboard-mouse” bundle for PC gamers.
The mini PC has high-quality sticks that are equipped with capacitive touch sensors. According to the developers, this will allow the device to "provide an unprecedented level of accuracy and comfort." At the same time, the controllers themselves are "tightly" attached to the Steam Deck, and it is impossible to disconnect them from the screen.
Since some titles are frankly inconvenient to play with a gamepad, the device is also equipped with two touchpadscapable of mimicking the functions of a computer mouse. According to Valve, these touchpads are improved versions of those previously used in the Steam Controller, which ceased production in 2018. This means that the touchpads of the new device are equipped with at least excellent tactile feedback.
Valve's portable gaming computer is equipped with 7" LCD touch screen with gyro control. With it, aiming in shooters becomes much more convenient - for this you can physically move the device, significantly increasing the accuracy of shots.
Steam Deck can be translated into Standby modeby pressing the power button. This feature allows you to pause the game, and then return to it at any convenient time. Since we are talking about a portable device with obvious hardware limitations, you should not rely on the functionality of the new Xbox, where you can pause three or four titles and switch between them. In a pocket PC from Valve only one running application is paused.
Among other features of the device, it is worth mentioning the option to increase the internal memory of the device using microSD cards. The laptop also has 2 stereo speakers and microphones, and its estimated battery life is in the region of 2-8 hours - the more demanding the title is on the hardware, the faster it will consume battery power.
Thus, Steam Deck is, in fact, a computer with an additional gamepad. And this means that on it, unlike standard game consoles, you can run programs and PC applications, surf the Internet, watch videos on various streaming services, and engage in work projects (for example, in text or graphic editors). Moreover, no one prevents the owners of the new gadget from Valve from running games purchased on third-party digital platforms.
Since the Steam Deck is Valve's flagship product in the pocket gadget market, it has all necessary functionality is available Steam: from the store itself, chat and notifications to community sections. Installed on board the device SteamOS - a new OS, sharpened for the features of a pocket PC. If desired, it can be replaced with a more familiar Windows.
Steam Deck release date
The first stage of sales of the device began with February 25, some of the users who booked the gadget received emails allowing them to make a purchase. At the same time, you must pay for the goods within three days, otherwise the right to purchase will pass to the next person who made the reservation.
Steam Deck Price
The revolutionary gaming PC is currently available in three trim levels:
- Base variant with 64 GB eMMC drive and standard case (399 dollars);
- An advanced version with a faster 256 GB NVMe SSD drive, a case, and special bonuses for a Steam Community account (529 dollars);
- Exclusive variant with 512GB NVMe SSD, special case, anti-reflective glass, additional Steam account bonuses, and the unique DEX-85 virtual keyboard (pictured below). This model will cost 649 dollars.
Is it possible to buy Steam Deck in Russia
At the moment, it is not known when sales of the device will begin on the territory of the Russian Federation. It is quite likely that this could happen in the third quarter of 2022, when buyers from the countries of the “first wave” who managed to place pre-orders last year will receive their devices.
In which countries is the Steam Deck sold?
From the beginning of sales, only users living in USA, Canada, England, and some European Union countries. It is expected that the device will begin shipping to other regions towards the end of this year.
How to buy a Steam Deck
To purchase a device, you must go to its official site, log into your Steam account and book it. Of course, this option is only available to residents of the countries listed in the previous paragraph. Pre-ordering will cost customers $5, which will later be deducted from the total cost of Steam Deck. After that, it remains only to wait for an email and within 72 hours to pay for the purchase of the device.
Steam Deck Specifications
The new compact gadget from Gabe Newell's company has the following characteristics:
- Dimensions: 29.8x11.7x4.9 cm
- Weight: 670 g
- CPU: AMD Zen 2 4 cores/8 threads, 2.4-3.5 GHz
- GPU: 8 RDNA, 2 CUs, 1.0-1.6 GHz
- RAM: 16GB LPDDR5
- Storage: 64 GB (eMMC) / 256 or 512 GB (NVMe SSD), plus microSD card slot
- Screen resolution: 1200x800 (16:10)
- Screen Size: Diagonal 7”
- Screen brightness: 400 nits
- Refresh rate: 60 Hz
- Touch screen
- Connections: Bluetooth 5.0, dual-band Wi-Fi 2.4/5Hz
- Sound: stereo speakers, two built-in microphones, 3.5 mm headphone jack
- Power: 45W USB Type-C
- Offline mode: 2-8 hours of play
- OS: SteamOS 3.0
What games does Steam Deck support?
You can play a large number of titles from Steam's vast library on the mini PC, from popular indie titles like Dead Cells to big-budget blockbusters like DMC5, Control and Ghostrunner. Not without, of course, and without the classics in the face the third Witcher and Dark Souls III, as well as relatively new Psychonauts 2, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Death Stranding.
How long does the battery hold
The Steam Deck claims a minimum of 2 hours of battery life, and maximum - 8 hours. The test results of the first owners of the device show the following:
- Watching 4K video drains the battery in about 3 hours;
- Image broadcast (Remote Play function) drains the battery in 6 hours;
- Continuously playing Dead Cells at maximum settings drains the battery in 6 hours;
- Playing DMC5 on high settings consumes 2 hours of Steam Deck power.
Reviews and reviews about Steam Deck
At the moment, you can find quite a few Steam Deck reviews on the net, which highlight the main advantages and disadvantages of the device. Among the advantages, many note revolutionary design for efficient heat dissipation. Even before the start of sales, experts doubted that Valve engineers would be able to solve the problem of a possible overheating of the Steam Deck, but, fortunately, their doubts were not justified.
Most users are also satisfied device performance in most games and response time. Steam Deck owners note high speed downloads from microSD cards, which most often differs slightly compared to SSD.
The main disadvantage of a portable computer from Valve, many call Insufficient battery life. Despite the fact that the characteristics of the device indicate a solid eight hours, it is almost impossible to achieve these indicators.