Valve has announced Steam Deck, a new handheld gaming PC that docks and is ready to compete with the Nintendo Switch.
The long-rumored handheld Steam Deck is launching sometime in December of this year, and the dock will reportedly be sold separately from the main Steam Deck handheld.
Pre-orders for the Steam Deck are going live tomorrow, July 16, at 10 AM Pacific / 1 PM Eastern, via its official website. There are three main tiers for the hardware:
$399 – 64GB
- 64GB eMMC internal storage
- Carrying case
$529 – 256GB
- 256GB NVMe SSD internal storage
- Faster storage
- Carrying case
- Exclusive Steam Community profile bundle
$649 – 512GB
- 512GB NVMe SSD internal storage
- Fastest storage
- Premium anti-glare etched glass
- Exclusive carrying case
- Exclusive Steam Community profile bundle
- Exclusive virtual keyboard theme
Here’s a rundown on the new hardware:
Portability meets power
We partnered with AMD to create Steam Deck’s custom APU, optimized for handheld gaming. It is a Zen 2 + RDNA 2 powerhouse, delivering more than enough performance to run the latest AAA games in a very efficient power envelope.
Your Steam Library, anywhere
Once you’ve logged into Steam Deck, your entire Steam Library shows up, just like any other PC. You’ll be able to find your collections and favorites – exactly where you left them.
Control with comfort
The Steam Deck was built for extended play sessions—whether you’re using thumbsticks or trackpads—with full-size controls positioned perfectly within your reach. The rear of the device is sculpted to comfortably fit a wide range of hand sizes.
There’s a dock, too.
The official dock props up your Steam Deck while connecting to external displays, wired networking, USB peripherals, and power. You can also use a powered USB-C hub, if you’ve got one lying around.
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
- Thumbsticks – 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
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