The Steam Deck is a handheld PC with built-in controls for gaming created by Valve. Just imagine a Nintendo Switch with standard PC hardware running standard PC games.

Is it a PC or Console!

The Steam Deck is just a PC. It uses PC hardware and runs standard PC operating systems like Linux and Windows, we’ll get to the software in a moment.

Valve’s Pierre-Loup Griffais revealed hardware specifications to IGN. Each and every Steam Deck uses the AMD Zen 2 CPU and RDNA 2 GPU, and they all come with 16GB of RAM. And it has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth too.

The Steam Deck is a portable device with built-in controls—whether you prefer touchpads or joysticks, the Steam Deck has it all. It is equipped with a seven-inch screen. The resolution is 1280×800 with a 16:10 aspect ratio. It also has ambient light sensors to automatically adjust brightness, just like any modern mobile device.

Valve revealed that you’ll get between two to eight hours of battery life depending on your usage. You can also connect it to your Monitor or TV to play your games via USB-C. So yeah, it is just a PC that can fit on your hand.

What Operating System can you run on Steam Deck?

Though the Steam Deck is pre-installed with a new version of SteamOS, Valve’s gaming operating system based on Linux. Valve is calling it SteamOS 3. But as you already know, this is a PC and you can wish to install Windows 10 (or Windows 11) or any another PC operating system for this device.

What Games Can the Steam Deck Play?

As you already know that it runs Steam OS by default, the Steam Deck will run Steam games that support Linux. But Valve is also working on a “Steam Play” feature which will let you play Windows games on Linux. It will use a modified version of the open-source Wine software, named Proton and emulate Windows games directly on Linux.

How Much Will the Steam Deck Cost?

Steam Deck comes with a different storage: 64GB, 256GB, or 512GB. The base model for the 64GB model costs $399, the 256GB will cost $529 and for the 512GB model you have to spend $649.

Valve Steam Deck specs

		Notes
Price	$399; $529; $649	Same processor/RAM, different storage
CPU/GPU	AMD Zen 2 + RDNA 2 APU	4-core, 8-thread with 8 RDNA 2 compute units for GPU. CPU: 2.4 to 3.5GHz; GPU: 1.0 to 1.6GHz
GPU Compute	1TF to 1.6TF
RAM	16GB LPDDR5
Screen	7″ 1280×800 LCD Display	512GB model to include anti-glare etched glass
Battery	40-watt hour	7-8 hours for 2D games/web browsing
Connectivity	Bluetooth, USB Type-C, 3.5mm headphone jack
Storage	64GB; 256GB; 512GB	256GB and 512GB models will use faster NVMe SSD storage. 64GB will use eMMC.
Expansion	Micro SD Card slot
OS	SteamOS
Max Power Draw	20W (including display)
Other	Built-in microphone, ambient light sensor

Steam Deck release Date

According to Valve, The Steam Deck will be released in December 2021. But if you want to own it earlier than others, Valve is also using a queue-based system starting on Friday, July 16. you will be able to reserve a spot in the queue too.