Steam Deck reaction: Competitor by trade

 

The Steam deck is another device in the 2021 tidal wave of handheld consoles. It's part mini-pc and part game console; something that makes this device much more than a console. Unlike a Switch or Playdate, the steam deck is targeting PC gamers on the move and those with an existing Steam library. Let's talk hardware, specs, and the sheer potential of the Steam Deck.  

 
 

 
 

Hardware 

Steam Deck is not a Nintendo Switch. Skip the cartoonish matte plastic, add well...plastic as far I can I tell and slap on some of the best on device-controls I've seen in a while. The steam deck is not a Switch knockoff but rather a Switch Lite Pro meaning no detachable joy-con objects. This also means that Steam was able to add thumb sticks, triggers, and grip buttons to the Steam Deck. There's also the odd inclusion of trackpads, one of each side, that steam claims will allow you to play games designed to mouse and keyboard on the steam deck.  

 
 

I also think it might be useful for traversing Windows or whatever other OS you decide to throw onto the Steam deck (more on that later). The last piece of hardware I want to mention is the gyro inside the steam deck. If you ever wanted to relive the experience of 3DS AR, you now can on the Steam deck. Steam hasn't said how games are expected to support this gyro but it's a nice alternative to automatic mouse movements to make sure you don't get nuked while playing with the steam deck.  

 
 

 
 

There's also an official dock that interfaces via the Steam Deck's USB-C port but Steam hasn't relayed any info about that dock other than that it looks like a basic PC dock with 3 USB-A ports, Ethernet, HDMI, and even DisplayPort. The overall design of the Steam Deck is very much that of serious gamers that would wish they didn't have to mess around with Nintendo. I do complain about the trigger's bot being on top because I'm so accustomed to Xbox, but the Steam deck is contoured the steam deck so that the grip buttons would not be useless. If they had gone with Xbox or Sony controller layout every time you reach for stick 1 or 2 the grip button would accidentally be pressed. The actual feel of the hardware is very apparent, and I think reviewers and gamers alike are going to enjoy the hardware experience.  

  

 
 

Specs 

Handheld hardware isn't that hard; the shell that you interact with that is. The main challenge with handheld PC's is getting performance up to speed (pun intended); until now intel Atom and Pentium were the only game in town. Wanted an ARM processor? Better home you and a custom ecosystem ready because Windows and Linux were and still are guaranteed to run into problems with ARM. Enter AMD. Steam Deck is powered by a 4-core Zen 2 APU with an 8-Core CU RDNA 2 graphics card in tow. It looks to be similar to an AMD Ryzen™ 5 or Ryzen 3 processor but could be a completely customized chip for the Steam Deck. As for storage we have 16GB of RAM and 3 skews of storage, 64GB of eMMC, 256GB SSD, and 512GB SSD.  

 
 

Image Credit: Windows Central

A quick note about that SSD and eMMC storage: technically it is user replaceable. IGN recently put out an article explaining this feature (or hesitancy of that feature): ign.com/articles/steam-deck-SSD-upgradeable-valve. The summary is that valve mentions that the SSD is socketed in 2230 m.2 modules but also state that it's meant for repairs not "user-replacement". Being user-replaceable means that you can upgrade your SSD if you wish but you will most likely void your warranty while doing so. I would wait until the YouTube tutorials start rolling in before trying. It's an alternative to the Nintendo's SD card slot for the Switch, which, the Steam Deck also happens to have (Micro-SD that is). At least Steam gives users the choice to void their warranty and either fix/upgrade something so important as the SSD; excellent job valve. 

 
 

Image Credit: Valve

The last spec to cover is the Screen. Coming in at 7-inches, 400 nits of brightness, and a 60Hz refresh rate this screen seems to be ok. The resolution is near 720p at 1280 x 800 with a 16:10 ratio. This doesn't make the Steam Deck's screen closer to Full HD, but it does make it better for productivity as 16:9 was always too wide for my taste. I also think there's a transition happening in the PC screen market with many laptops switching to 16:10. Steam might be getting ahead of the competition by securing screens in the 16:10 ratio before Nintendo or others.  

 
 

Image Credit: Windows Central

As for the output of these specs we can't really be sure until gamers get their hands on this device. However, the Steam Deck is aiming for 30-60 FPS gaming at near 720p; when docked or linked to a display it's unknown whether it will scale up to 1080p. I think the AMD chipset can handle most games at a reasonable framerate and with wobbly but ok battery life. Battery life is said to be estimated 5 Hours when run on a game like portal 2 at 30FPS. That doesn't bode well for the 40Whr battery that might struggle on heavier games such as Rocket league or Star Wars squadrons. The specs are a bargain for up to $649 and the potential of this device makes that deal even sweeter.  

 
 

 
 

Steam Deck's Potential 

 
 

The Steam Deck's biggest feature is its software. Specifically, Steam OS, the Linux distribution that you're not forced to use. Linux gaming is no longer a downside thanks to the proton compatibility tool integrated into SteamOS. and Steam Play. Steam OS also offers a GNOME desktop interface, standard on many Linux distros, that allows you to interact with Steam Deck like any Linux Box. If you decide to ditch Linux for Windows (there is the possibility for Dual boot) or any other OS, you want. This opens the Steam Deck to so many possibilities.  

Image Credit: Valve

 

At $529 for 256GB the Steam Deck might offer more graphics, CPU, and affordability than most all-in-ones, or mini-PC's. I see this as a complete package for even casual gamers. Buying the steam deck and then possibly upgrading the SSD would allow for someone to turn this into a workstation/console that they could take with them. I also expect third-party cases that include a screen and battery to increase portability and viability as a laptop/desktop. It's the equivalent of using an Xbox as a desktop; something I really wish Microsoft would allow.  

 
 

Steam Deck goes above and beyond to not lock their users into an ecosystem. Steam intentionally wants the Steam deck to be more than a handheld console. Steam needs Steam Deck to be more than a handheld. Being more than something means something more than the competition. Nintendo might have a problem on their hands.  

 
 

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