Valve has taken everyone by surprise, launching a new handheld gaming device called the Steam Deck. It aims to compete against the likes of the Nintendo Switch and grab a chunk of its market share. Considering the Switch Pro isn't coming anytime soon, we'd say Valve has a great chance.

The Steam Deck has created such a fuss in the gaming industry that even PC gamers are excited about it. This is because it's unlike any other handheld out there in the market. Here, we'll go in-depth about what the Steam Deck is and answer all your important questions.

What Is Valve's Steam Deck?

Valve Steam Deck
Image Credit: Valve

Valve's Steam Deck is a handheld gaming machine you can use to play any game on the Steam store. Yes, we're talking about full-blown PC games here and not a special port of the game. At first glance, it looks like a bigger, chunkier Nintendo Switch, but there's more to it than just the looks.

The Steam Deck features a 7-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels (yes, no 1080p!) for starters. Under the hood, it houses a custom AMD APU that brings the Zen 2 CPU architecture and the RDNA 2 GPU prowess together. It also packs 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and comes with NVMe SSD storage options.

The Steam Deck doesn't fail to impress on paper, but it's worth pointing out that the graphical horsepower maxes out at 1.6 TFlops (teraflops), which isn't much better than the 1 Tflops on the Nintendo Switch. Battery life isn't extraordinary either, as it can fluctuate anywhere between 2-8 hours depending on the game and your graphics settings, according to Valve.

Related: Teraflop vs. Terabyte: What's the Difference?

Speaking of games, you can play any game you already own on Steam out of the box. Thanks to cloud saves, you can seamlessly switch between your PC and the Steam deck without worrying about in-game progress. In addition, you can download and play games from other third-party stores like Origin or Epic Games too.

Is Valve Steam Deck a PC or a Console?

Valve Steam Deck next to laptop
Image Credit: Valve

We could easily call it a hybrid device, but the Steam Deck really isn't a gaming console. In fact, it's a portable computer that can run any PC app. The SteamOS that's natively running on the device is Linux-based, meaning you could pretty much access any program you can on a Linux machine.

The Steam Deck has trackpads to mimic the action of a mouse, but you can connect an external keyboard and mouse to it and operate it the traditional way too. You don't get anywhere close to this level of flexibility with a gaming console, especially when you look at something like the Nintendo Switch or the PS Vita.

While the Nintendo Switch lets you dock and play games on your TV, the Steam Deck takes this experience to a whole new level. With an optional dock that Valve plans to sell separately, you can connect it to an external display and use it as a desktop computer. It will also be compatible with third-party USB-C docking stations on the market.

Is the Steam Deck Upgradable Like a PC?

Valve Steam Deck docked multiplayer
Image Credit: Valve

Now that you know the Steam Deck is a handheld PC, the next question that probably pops into your mind is if the hardware is upgradable like a typical PC. Well, the answer is no. Since it's a portable device, Valve soldered most of the internal hardware like the RAM and SSD.

However, thanks to the microSD card expansion slot, you can increase the Steam Deck's total storage up to a maximum of 1TB. Don't forget that the external storage won't be nearly as fast as the internal drives.

Read More: The Fastest and Best microSD Cards

Can You Run Windows on Valve's Steam Deck?

Valve Steam Deck interface
Image Credit: Valve

As a gamer, when you think of Linux, the first thing that'd come to your mind is compatibility issues. The good news is that you can install Windows to play literally any PC game you want on your Steam Deck. This means if you have a Game Pass Ultimate subscription, you can essentially turn your Steam Deck into a handheld Xbox console.

Related: Xbox Game Pass vs. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate: Is It Worth Upgrading?

Windows isn't the only operating system you can install either. For instance, you could install Ubuntu or Chrome OS if you like to experiment with your Steam Deck. It's incredible how versatile such a compact machine is.

For those who don't want to mess around with Windows, Valve uses Proton, a compatibility layer that will allow Windows games to run on the Linux-based SteamOS. So, you should be able to play most games with no trouble.

What Is the Release Date of Valve's Steam Deck?

Gaming on Valve Steam Deck
Image Credit: Valve

Valve will start shipping the Steam Deck this holiday season, i.e., December 2021, but it won't be available globally. For the first phase of its release, Valve will limit availability to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and the European Union.

Reservations for the initial release began shortly after the announcement, and they sold out within an hour. The rest of the countries will need to wait longer as Valve plans a 2022 release with more details on the availability to follow soon.

How Much Does Valve's Steam Deck Cost?

Valve Steam Deck multiplayer
Image Credit: Valve

One of the most interesting aspects of the Steam Deck is its price, especially considering the hardware it packs. Valve is following an aggressive pricing strategy with the Stream Deck to compete against the Nintendo Switch.

Pricing starts at $399 and goes all the way up to $649, depending on the storage you need. The $399 base model comes with 64GB of eMMC storage, which may not be good enough for most people. To store AAA games, you'll need to settle for the 256GB or 512GB storage variant with faster NVMe drives that cost $529 and $649, respectively.

Valve's Steam Deck Has Huge Potential

Valve considers the Steam Deck as a completely new product category in the PC gaming space. Depending on how well it sells, the company hopes to get more game developers on board with the idea. We may even see third-party manufacturers release their own versions of the Steam Deck down the line since SteamOS is free.

For now, the Steam Deck is looking good enough to tempt anyone who waited for the Switch Pro and was left disappointed with the Switch OLED's announcement. If Valve can capitalize on Nintendo's mistakes, it has a successful product in its hands.

Image Credit: Valve