With a press release in the official blog, the US Valve, which developed and controls Steam, a well-known digital video game distribution platform, has announced the release date of Steam Deck, its first portable gaming PC. In short, his first consul. Which will be marketed from February 28, initially exclusively for those who had placed the pre-order: these people will receive an invitation to complete the purchase at 19 Italian on 25 February.
Steam Deck is possible reserve and purchase only through the Valve websiteand by making the reservation today, the availability is after the so-called Q2 of 2022, therefore after June of this year.
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What is Steam Deck
Announced in July 2021, Valve’s portable console wants to bring the idea of hybridization, introduced by Nintendo with the Switch, to the world of gaming on the PC, but with an important difference, because Steam Deck is in effect a computer disguised as a console. A machine designed in collaboration with AMD to have powerful hardware, ideal for video games.
The look it doesn’t differ much from that of a Switch, but Steam Deck is bigger and heavier with its 298x117x49 mm for 669 grams; in addition, the controllers are not removable and buttons, triggers, levers and trackpads are incorporated into the body. The screen is 7 inches, exactly as it is on a Switch OLED.
Steam Deck will come pre-installed with Steam OS, the Linux-based operating system, optimized to run Steam natively. The Steam Deck ecosystem will be open, thus allowing those who want to uninstall Steam OS and install Windows. This means, for example, that who has signed up for an Xbox Game Pass subscription (things?) you can use it on Steam Deck exactly as it would from any pc, or play games from the Epic Games Store catalog. In addition, Valve has guaranteed that for the debut almost the entire library of titles of the Steam platform will be compatible with the Steam Deck.
Steam Deck can be used even by inserting it into a base, a dock like the one supplied with the Switch, which will allow you to connect it to a monitor; the accessory is not included with the purchase of the console and must be purchased separately.
What models and how much they cost
Steam Deck is marketed in 3 different hardware features:
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the model with internal memory from 64 Gb eMMCincluding case, costs 419 euros;
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the model with internal memory from 256 Gb Ssd NVMecase and bundle of the exclusive Steam community profile, is marketed for 549 euros;
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the top model, with 512 GB of Ssdcase, premium quality anti-glare etched glass, Steam community exclusive profile bundle and exclusive virtual keyboard theme, costs 679 euros.
The most important difference of the hardware, in addition to the storage memory capacity, concerns the NVMe technology in the two high-end models, which allows you to quickly transfer data to the drivewhich results in faster execution of video games.
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Expectations and criticalities
The idea of having a portable computer / console is very tempting, even more so when you consider the open system which allows Steam Deck to access not only video games on the Steam platform, but also subscription services such as Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass.
The unknown weight of the machine remains, why 669 grams is a lot for a portable gaming device; to get an idea, the Nintendo Switch weighs 398 grams with the controllers connected.
In the next weeks we will try the console thoroughlyso that we can give our evaluations on this aspect, as well as obviously on performance.