Valve's announces handheld gaming PC called Steam Deck, powered by an AMD APU and SteamOS

Valve recently released a new handheld gaming console that is set to take on Nintendo’s Switch. The Steam Deck is a compact gaming PC that comes with a 7-inch touchscreen display surrounded by controller buttons and analogue sticks. It is powered by an AMD CPU and GPU and runs on a custom version of Steam OS.

Steam Deck is priced at $399 (Roughly Rs 29,800) for the base model with 64GB eMMC internal storage. Additionally, there are 256GB and 512GB NVMe SSD storage models priced at $529 (Roughly Rs 39,500) and $649 (Roughly Rs 48,400), respectively.

The handheld console is only available in a black colour option. It will go on sale in the US, Canada, EU, and the UK starting this December, although there aren’t any details about global availability. Additionally, the 256GB model will be bundled with an exclusive Steam community profile. The 512GB variant comes with premium anti-glare etched glass, an exclusive carrying case, and an exclusive Steam community profile bundle.

The Steam Deck has several buttons, including ABXY buttons and a D-pad, and two thumbsticks on either side. You also get two Steam Controller-style trackpads beneath the thumbsticks. The handheld gaming PC also sports a 7-inch HD IPS LCD (1280x800 pixels) touchscreen for 720p gaming. You also get two shoulder triggers, four back buttons, built-in microphones, and a 6-axis gyroscope for motion controls.

The Steam Deck is powered by a 4-core, 8-thread AMD Zen2 CPU with a variable clock speed of 2.4 – 3.5GHz. The GPU uses AMD’s RDNA2 architecture with 8 compute units. The APU's power ranges from 4W to 15W.

All models also come with 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM. Valve says that the 40Wh battery onboard can deliver several hours of play in most games. Lighter 2D games will offer a maximum battery life of approximately 7 to 8 hours. However, battery life can go as low as two hours when playing 3D titles, while a 45W USB-C charger is added in the box.

Valve’s handheld gaming console runs on Valve's SteamOS 3.0. While the Steam Deck is primarily built on Arch Linux, Valve claims it can run all games. It features a custom Steam store where users can log in and directly access their Steam Library. Games can be purchased in the store, just like you would do on a PC. The console also supports Steam cloud saves allowing you to stop playing on the PC and continue where you left off on Steam Deck.

Connectivity options on the console include Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi 802.11ac. You also get a USB Type-C port for power, data transfer, and more. It supports 8K at 60Hz or 4K at 120Hz through the DisplayPort 1.4 Alt-mode. You can also use it to connect a USB dock to the console to connect a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and other accessories like a standard Linux PC. However, you can also install Windows on Steam Deck if required.