There were already rumors about a handheld from Valve, now the device has been officially presented. The pocket console is to be called Steam Deck and will be delivered as early as December 2021. Steam Deck is available for pre-order now and comes in three different versions. The rumors were true: the Steam inventors Valve actually worked on a handheld in secret. A few months ago the name "Steam Pal" was found in the Steam client, which is why it was assumed that the console will have this or a similar name. Valve has apparently decided otherwise and calls the creation "Steam Deck". This should allow (more or less) the entire Steam library to be played on the go.

Steam Deck: Technical Specifications

The technical details were designed by Valve in collaboration with AMD. The console is Linux-based (more precisely: Steam OS 3.0) and equipped with Zen 2 and RDNA 2. On the CPU side, the custom APU relies on a 4c / 8T configuration that clocks between 2.4 and 3.5 GH. On the GPU side, there are eight RDNA-2 CUs between 1.0 and 1.6 GHz. The built-in LCD has a resolution of 1,280 x 800 pixels, is 7 inches in size, and offers 400 nits or 60 Hz refresh rate. The 40-watt-hour battery should allow two to eight hours of gameplay, according to Valve. In the audio area, Valve reports stereo with built-in DSP, a double microphone array, a 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack, and multi-channel audio via DisplayPort via USB-C, standard USB-C, or Bluetooth 5.0. The dimensions are 298 mm × 117 mm × 49 mm, the weight is 669 grams. A Switch OLED with Joy-Cons weighs 420 grams.

The Steam Deck should appear in three different variants, which should differ mainly in the memory. The cheapest model is equipped with an eMMC memory of 64 gigabytes and should cost $399. The second model has an NVMe SSD with 256 gigabytes and costs $529. The last model comes with an NVMe SSD with 512 gigabytes and a high-quality anti-reflective and etched glass for which Valve is calling out $649 for this variant. 

Steam Deck can be pre-ordered now and should reach its new owners in December 2021. Interested parties must pay a reservation fee, which is however deducted from the purchase price of the console. Each customer can pre-order a console, but is placed in a regional reservation queue.

Processor :
CPU: Zen 2 4c / 8t, 2.4 - 3.5 GHz (up to 448 GFlops FP32)
GPU:  8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.0 - 1.6 GHz (up to 1.6 TFlops FP32)
APU power: 4 - 15W
R.A.M. 16 GB LPDDR5 RAM (5500 MT / s)

Storage:
64 GB eMMC (PCIe Gen 2 × 1)
256 GB NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 × 4)
512 GB high-speed NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 × 4)

High-speed MicroSD card slot
Users can log into their Steam account with Steam Deck and have their entire library available. Analog sticks and trackpads are then available for playing. Valve apparently used the hybrid console from Nintendo a little on one detail: Like the Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck is to have a docking station, which must, however, be purchased separately. The Valve console also has a USB-C port.