Looks like the Switch finally has some serious competition. Here’s the latest Steam Deck news for release, pricing, features, tech specs.
Caption: Steam Deck will be available in 64, 256 and 512GB capacities, with a microSD expansion slot for additional storage. Image credit: Valve
On July 15th, Valve announced the Steam Deck which offers gamers an almighty powerful handheld PC gaming experience starting from a competitive £349.
Other models will be available at £459 and £569 with additional goodies such as exclusives for the Steam Deck and on the Steam Community. All current models are offered with a carrying case. In terms of dimensions, it measures 298x117x49mm and weighs 669 grams.
Powered by AMD’s Zen2 Processor and supported by 16GB of super fast DDR5 memory. Valve states it delivers “more than enough performance to run the latest AAA games in a very efficient power envelope”. Valve has opted for a 40Whr battery, so we can expect between 2 and 8 hours of playtime. Not unreasonable compared with the 3 to 9 hours of Nintendo’s new Switch OLED.
Charging and docking will be made available through a USB type C connector. Other console features include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, stereo speakers, a 3.5mm headphone jack and dual microphones. When docked the owner will be able to connect their Steam Deck to an external display via HDMI or DisplayPort, in addition to wired networking and a USB hub.
Steam Deck will be running SteamOS 3.0 based on Arch Linux, allowing owners to use their new console as a fully-fledged PC in when docked mode. The display is a 7 inch HD touch-screen with a resolution of 1200 by 800px and refresh rate of 60Hz- this means gamers on the go can access titles from their Steam Library playable in 720p and at 60FPS.
Release date for the Steam Deck is set for December 2021, although Valve has made reservations available for an additional fee. According to their website, the dock is set to be released at a later date.
Reservations for the console will begin on Friday, July 16th at 5pm GMT (10am PST) and right now is only available for customers in the US, Canada, UK and EU. Valve have limited orders to one per customer, with a “requirement that the reserver has made a purchase on Steam prior to June 2021” in order to combat scalpers and increase fairness.
Further information about the Steam Deck can be found on Valve’s website by following the link at https://store.steampowered.com/steamdeck.
Caption: Valve- Shut up and take my money! Image credit: u/Jay_Nitzel, reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace
Gaming fans on social media sites like Reddit are having their fun with memes and discussions surrounding the release.
What do you think about Valve’s new Steam Deck announcement? Let us know in the comments or tweet your opinions to us @AllMaverickNews.
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