Naturally, scalpers have reacted quickly, offering confirmed preorder purchases on eBay for up to $4,000, although Valve has prevented the block buying of pre-order machines by only allowing orders from long-term Steam user accounts, and limiting customers to one preorder each. The preorder system completely imploded over the weekend, as interested purchasers were hit with error messages for hours. Already, the Deck has caused something of a stir.
Is that something PC gamers actually want to do? And haven’t we already had our fingers burned by Valve’s other experiment with small form factor PCs – the ill-fated Steam Machines? The answers seem to be yes to the first question and a loud no to the second. It’s something PC gamers are going to be able to take on holiday (which they might not do with a gaming laptop), and they’ll be able to play in conjunction with their main PC – making progress on, say, Into the Breach while sitting in a cafe or on a train, then picking up on the big screen at home. It’s not the first handheld PC – there are plenty available from smaller, specialist manufacturers – but it’s the first by a company with the heft, hardware design skills and digital games platform of Valve. It is, in effect, a Nintendo Switch for nerds: a handheld console that provides access to thousands of Steam games, but also anything else the user wants.
Valve says to expect six to eight hours of battery life, but let’s see how it holds up with some of the more visually demanding titles.įull featured? … the forthcoming handheld is positioned as a capable productivity machine, as well as a games console. The two touchpads on the front are there to mimic mouse controls, but you can also plug a mouse in if you like, and the dock will allow an ethernet internet connection. It’ll even let you access rival digital stores, so you’re not locked into the Steam library. Valve is pushing Steam Deck as a fully capable handheld PC, with web browsing, streaming video and access to all your favourite productivity programs as well as games.
Through titles such as Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Monster Hunter, it has sold us all on the idea of playing epic console games on the small screen.īut the Switch is a tightly controlled walled garden, with limited online functionality – and it would never run Microsoft Office. The Switch has effectively cornered the handheld gaming market, with its clever combination of portable and home gaming possibilities, its library of excellent first-party games and its own digital store. But the real competitor Valve must be eyeing up is Nintendo’s Switch.
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