It’s all hands on Deck as the launch date draws near for another handhold gaming console.
Okay so let’s get the worst of it out of the way, the Steam Deck is currently unavailable for reservation in South Africa; currently, it’s available for reservation in the UK, US, Canada, and the European Union.
The initial shipping will be taking place in December 2021 but that’s not to say that everyone will be getting theirs this year still, that will all depend on availability and there’s already sightings of “expected order availability” pushing into Q2 2022 (which indicates the second quarter of 2022, ranging between 1st of April to 30th of June) and even a brief glance at a possible Q3 shipment for later orders.
Out of interest sake, the reservation fee is $5 (about R73) of which this fee will go towards the device cost, otherwise, it will be refunded if you change your mind and decide to cancel.
As one can expect, when servers were first opened there was an overwhelming avalanche of customers eager to get their reservations in which caused a few complications such as timeouts and errors (even a couple of PC Gamer staff members who have had their Steam account for years already got error messages saying that their Steam accounts have been created too recently).
However, if you’re putting your orders in now then you can rest assured that it will be smooth sailing as Valve made sure to troubleshoot all relevant issues.
The Gaming Side Of Things
The primary focus of this magnificent handheld device is obviously gaming, although this is turning out to literally be a handheld computer that could run Windows just fine, but let’s stick to the important matters.
For starters, the Steam Deck is a smidge bigger than the Nintendo Switch.
There’s an all-new version of SteamOS designed specifically for an optimal gameplay experience along with a compatibility layer call Proton which is being worked on for improvements, including for anti-cheat software solutions. It seems that you’ll be able to install other storefronts such as Epic Store and Xbox Game Pass, although we’re not entirely sure just how smoothly these will run just yet.
I will admit that I’m a little disappointed with what I’ve seen regarding the battery life. One would think that with this nifty gadget and all that it comes with along with the vast technological availabilities, that they would at least make it last a bit longer than the estimated 2 – 8 hours “depending on what you’re doing”.
Apparently, if you limit Portal 2 to 30fps you can maybe get about 5 – 6 hours’ worth of game time out of it.
As for what you can actually play on the Steam Deck?
Well, you can pretty much play anything. Valve is being kind enough to review the entire…entire…Steam library for us. Yes, they are going through each and every Steam game out there and marking it off with the relevant details regarding how well it will run on your device. This is being noted as Deck Verified and will include four categories (each with its own symbol to mark every game accordingly), namely:
- Verified: Full system support, no compatibility issues, runs smoothly, uses Decks standard resolution.
- Playable: The game is playable but might require a few tweaks for optimal performance.
- Unsupported: Self-explanatory. This file will not run well, if at all.
- Unknown: Again, self-explanatory. Valve is yet to review the game.
You will be able to view a more detailed overview of each game and its running performance on the store page.
There will also be a “Great on Deck” tab where Valve will store the prioritized, well-running “Verified” games. The review process that Valve is schlepping through will of course be an ongoing process even after launch.
Steamworks Quick Tips – Introducing Steam Deck Verified
Although it’s not official, it’s very likely that the Steam Deck is one and the same as the previously rumoured SteamPal from a while back.
You also have the convenience of immediately being able to log into your Steam account just like logging on with any other PC, your entire library will be available at any point wherever you go. Considering that this is a Steam Deck, you will need a Steam account to enjoy this experience.
Steam Deck Specifications
*The specs for each version remain the same throughout, it’s just the storage that differs.
- Processor
- CPU: AMD Zen 2, 4-core/8-thread, 2.4 – 3.5GHz
- GPU: AMD RDNA 2, 8 CUs, 1 – 1.6GHz
- RAM
16GB LPDDR5 @ 5500 MT/s 32-bit quad-channel
- Storage
- 64GB eMMC (PCIe Gen 2 x1)
- 256GB NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4)
- 512GB NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4)
- Resolution
- 1280 x 800 (16:10 aspect ratio)
- 7” (diagonal) display
- 60Hz Refresh rate
- Touch enabled
- Ambient light sensor
- Optically bonded IPS LCD for enhanced readability
- Audio
- Stereo sound, immerse yourself with embedded DSP.
- Dual mic
- 3.5mm jack
- Bluetooth 5.0, standard USB-C or multichannel audio via DisplayPort over USB-C
- Power/Battery
- 45W USB Type-C PD3.0 power supply
- 40Whr battery (2 – 8 hours’ gameplay)
- Size/Weight
- 298mm X 117mm X 49mm
- ± 669g
- Software
- SteamOS 3.0 Arch-based
- KDE Plasma
- Expansion
- UHS-I supports SD, SDXC and SDHC
- USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4 Alt-mode support, up to 8K @60Hz or 4K @120Hz, USB 3.2 Gen 2
- Controls/Input
- HD Haptic
- 2 x Full-size analog sticks
- 6-Axis IMU gyro
- 2 x 32.5mm trackpads with haptic feedback
- Pressure sensitivity for configurable click strength
Dock Specifications
- Expansion
- 1 x USB-A 3.1 Port
- 2 x USB-A 2.0 Ports
- Ethernet networking
- External connections: DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0
- Power
- USB-C Power Delivery
- 6” USB-C captive cable with low profile 90° connector
- Size/Weight
- 117mm X 29mm X 50.5mm
- ± 120g
What Was Valve Hiding? – Steam Deck Teardown Reaction
Cost of the Steam Deck
You can expect to be paying a small fortune, but considering what you’ll be getting in this literal portable computer it really isn’t that bad. There are currently three versions of the Steam Deck available. The average cost for each and what it includes is as follows:
- Tier One: $399 (R5 824)
Includes: 64GB eMMC internal storage. Carrying Case.
- Tier Two: $529 (R7 722)
Includes: 256GB NVMe SSD internal storage. Faster Storage. Carrying Case. Exclusive Steam Community profile bundle.
- Tier Three: $649 (R9 473)
Includes: 512GB NVMe SSD internal storage. Fastest storage of the three versions. Premium anti-glare etched glass. Exclusive carrying case. Exclusive Steam Community profile bundle. Exclusive virtual keyboard theme.
Steam Deck: First Hands-On With Valve’s Handheld Gaming PC
I can honestly say that this is a handheld device which I would vouch for (so far anyway) and I’ll certainly be looking into getting one.