Valve announces Steam Deck -

Via IGN today, Valve revealed the Steam Deck, the company’s first handheld gaming PC device.

The upcoming portable PC is scheduled for release in December with prices starting at $399 USD.

Hardware-wise, Steam Deck features an AMD APU made of a Zen 2 CPU with eight threads, 8 RDNA 2 CUs and a 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM.

The Steam Deck looks a lot like the Nintendo Switch. Though it doesn’t offer the equivalent of removable Joy-Cons like the Switch, it comes with lots of additional buttons and triggers and two pressure-sensitive trackpads built-in.

All models will have the same technical specifications except for the storage size. The basic model, with 64 GB, will cost $399. The 256 GB NVMe SSD and the 512 GB NVMe SSD models will cost $529 and $649 USD respectively. The more expensive model includes an anti-glare etched glass screen treatment.

Each model will also feature a 7″ touch-enabled display size, a display resolution of 1280x800px, and a Micro SD slot.

The device makes use of SteamOS 3.0 based on Linux with compatibility layer to also support Windows games and apps. That specific feature can allow people to run games purchased on Epic Games Store, uPlay, Origin, etc. People will basically have the freedom to install whatever they want.

An official dock that will be sold separately will come with USB ports, ethernet, HDMI 2.0, DP 1.4, and USB-C (for power delivery).

Check out the tech specs and photos.

Compute
Processor	AMD APU CPU: Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5GHz (up to 448 GFlops FP32) GPU: 8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.0-1.6GHz (up to 1.6 TFlops FP32) APU power: 4-15W
RAM	16 GB LPDDR5 RAM (5500 MT/s)
Storage	64 GB eMMC (PCIe Gen 2 x1) 256 GB NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4) 512 GB high-speed NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4) All models include high-speed microSD card slot
Controls and Input
Gamepad controls	A B X Y buttons D-pad L & R analog triggers L & R bumpers View & Menu buttons 4 x assignable grip buttons
Thumbstick	2 x full-size analog sticks with capacitive touch
Haptics	HD Haptics
Trackpads	2 x 32.5mm square trackpads with haptic feedback 55% better latency compared to Steam Controller Pressure-sensitivity for configurable click strength
Gyro	6-Axis IMU
Display
Resolution	1280 x 800px (16:10 aspect ratio)
Type	Optically bonded LCD for enhanced readability
Display size	7″ diagonal
Brightness	400 nits typical
Refresh rate	60Hz
Touch enabled	Yes
Sensors	Ambient light sensor
Connectivity
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0 (support for controllers, accessories and audio)
Wi-Fi	Dual-band Wi-Fi radio, 2.4GHz and 5GHz, 2 x 2 MIMO, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Audio
Channels	Stereo with embedded DSP for an immersive listening experience
Microphones	Dual microphone array
Headphone / mic jack	3.5mm stereo headphone / headset jack
Digital	Multichannel audio via DisplayPort over USB-C, standard USB-C, or Bluetooth 5.0
Power
Input	45W USB Type-C PD3.0 power supply
Battery	40Whr battery. 2 – 8 hours of gameplay
Expansion
microSD	UHS-I supports SD, SDXC and SDHC
External connectivity for controllers & displays	USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4 Alt-mode support; up to 8K @60Hz or 4K @120Hz, USB 3.2 Gen 2
Size and weight
Size	298mm x 117mm x 49mm
Weight	Approx. 669 grams
Software
Operating System	SteamOS 3.0 (Arch-based)
Desktop	KDE Plasma