Well today is the big day. Valve has now formally revealed the Steam Deck, a portable handheld gaming console powered by a new version of their Linux-based SteamOS operating system.
"We think Steam Deck gives people another way to play the games they love on a high-performance device at a great price," says Valve founder Gabe Newell. "As a gamer, this is a product I've always wanted. And as a game developer, it's the mobile device I've always wanted for our partners."
Since it's based on Linux, we now know a big reason why Valve has been investing in Linux gaming with the likes of Steam Play Proton. It will play your Linux native titles, with support boosted by Proton. Not only that, Valve said "we're vastly improving Proton's game compatibility and support for anti-cheat solutions by working directly with the vendors". This is pretty amazing, as anti-cheat was the big missing piece. In their FAQ, they make it clear that they are working directly with BattlEye and EAC to get support for Proton.
Anti-cheat support is coming too! That's huge!
The new SteamOS has been optimized for handheld and touchscreen gaming, while it will also have a desktop mode for those who want it. SteamOS 3.0 is also being based upon Arch Linux, with the desktop mode being powered by KDE Plasma.
We also know why Valve has been heavily investing in AMD GPU drivers for Linux too now then. It's a custom APU they partnered with AMD on for Zen 2 + RDNA 2.
Quick specs:
- Powerful, custom APU developed with AMD
- Optimized for hand-held gaming
- Full-sized controls
- 7" touchscreen
- WiFi and Bluetooth ready
- USB-C port for accessories
- microSD slot for storage expansion
- 3 different storage options available
The Steam Deck will also have a dock, much like you see with the Nintendo Switch with more ports to play with like USB, wired networking and enabling external displays. More tech info can be seen here.
It's an open system too, since it's basically a PC in your hands. Valve said "you can install third party software and operating systems".
Valve also did a session with IGN where they answered some questions. IGN also has hands-on video to give a better look at the device.
Steam Deck starts at $399, with increased storage options available for $529 and $649. The two higher models have bigger storage space, plus the two higher models actually use an NVMe drive for faster loading time and the top end has an anti-glare screen too.
Reservations open July 16th at 10 AM PDT; shipping is slated to start in December 2021. Currently it's limited to United States, Canada, European Union, and the United Kingdom with more regions becoming available in 2022.
For developers, Valve put up a video overview:
Direct Link
See more on the Steam Deck website and the Steam Deck store page.
Is this the holy grail of Linux gaming? Could be.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
BeedrillSwarm Jul 15, 2021
The price increases for more storage are steep. 64 GB really isn't much for a Steam library; I think the base model mostly exists to get the headline price point, and they're only expecting to break even/make a small profit with the middle 256 GB tier at $529. Then the 512 GB gets pushed all the way up to $649 to make the first price bump not look so outrageous. SSDs access chips in parallel, though, so the bigger ones will be faster as well as bigger.
They're getting people to pay a small (£4) deposit with their preorders to combat bots.
Wishlisted.
But seriously speaking this device has the potential. It's up to Valve's marketing strategy how things work out. I hope this effort will be successful
Mohandevir Jul 15, 2021
Last edited by Mohandevir on 15 July 2021 at 6:04 pm UTC
Quoting: CatKillerSo it is Van Gogh - Zen 2 and RDNA 2 - and it does have 16 GB RAM. It's not quite as big as I was hoping for, but I guess it couldn't hit the right performance target for 1080p.
It has a 1280 x 800px display (16:10). See:
https://www.steamdeck.com/en/tech
But, of course, there's still the dock.
Last edited by 1xok on 15 July 2021 at 6:10 pm UTC
Quoting: MohandevirWill we be able to download SteamOS 3.0 somewhere?
Why wouldn't they make this public?
And the ability to dock it, use it on the go with regular desktop environment and apps is just the icing on the cake. I can clearly see myself taking this one instead of a hefty laptop for some daily tasks.
Actually it is one of the very few devices I may preorder. Way to go Valve!
Quoting: kuhpunktQuoting: MohandevirWill we be able to download SteamOS 3.0 somewhere?
Why wouldn't they make this public?
There should be quite a bit of Vave IP in there. But if it benefits them or doesn't hurt them, they will certainly publish.
Mohandevir Jul 15, 2021
Quoting: kuhpunktQuoting: MohandevirWill we be able to download SteamOS 3.0 somewhere?
Why wouldn't they make this public?
I dont't know, seriously. But since it seems specialized for the Steam Deck hardware... Will it support Nvidia drivers? Are we going to be left on our own to make it compatible with our hardware? SteamOS included quite everything any new PC of that time needed. What is it going to be like for the "other hardware" support?
Don't get me wrong... I'm just asking. I really hope it will be the same as previous SteamOS versions.
Last edited by Mohandevir on 15 July 2021 at 6:26 pm UTC
Quoting: 1xokI know. That's why I said that I was glad that it's 16:10. In the last article I was hoping that they'd go for 8 inches and 1920×1200.Quoting: CatKillerSo it is Van Gogh - Zen 2 and RDNA 2 - and it does have 16 GB RAM. It's not quite as big as I was hoping for, but I guess it couldn't hit the right performance target for 1080p.
It has a 1280 x 800px display (16:10).
Quoting: MohandevirQuoting: kuhpunktQuoting: MohandevirWill we be able to download SteamOS 3.0 somewhere?
Why wouldn't they make this public?
I dont't know, seriously. But since it seems specialized for the Steam Deck hardware... Will it support Nvidia drivers? Are we going to be left on our own to make it compatible with our hardware? SteamOS included quite everything any new PC of that time needed. What is it going to be like for the "other hardware" support?
Don't get me wrong... I'm just asking. I really hope it will be the same as previous SteamOS versions.
I mean, they are also directly working with nvidia to make DLSS compatible with Proton and all that stuff.
They also said that they hope that other vendors will join the market and produce their own handheld PCs and I'm sure that some of them would want to use nvidia instead of AMD.
Last edited by kuhpunkt on 15 July 2021 at 6:44 pm UTC
Quoting: kuhpunktQuoting: RaabenProton generally works well, but they must have some big updates (other than that anticheat news) and faith to be marketing it as taking your entire library on the go. I know I can put up with some minor work or glitches when using it but the general public who just want handheld Steam? And the games that still flat out don't work? Will be interesting to see what happens.
Really hoping this works out for the best as it could be a nice win for compatibility.
They said they are working directly with Anti-Cheat devs to make everything work with Proton and that they have a lot of stuff that's not in the Public Proton yet.
Yes, that's what I meant. It's going to be interesting to see what happens in the next few months now.
Arehandoro Jul 15, 2021
wvstolzing Jul 15, 2021
Quoting: CatKillerI've just had a horrible thought: am I going to be compelled to say, "I use Arch, btw," everywhere I go?
You might have to start saying, "I use Arch, on the way."
And with a full os included, it's hard to pass up.
QuoteSteamOS 3.0 is also being based upon Arch LinuxSo my vision was correct after all
About the situation with anticheat, since It's a kernel problem I think Valve will either use some custom kernel with SteamOS 3.0 and / or they'll have some kind of "hardware id" where EAC / Battlenet can consult (and possibly block) if it's detected the utilization of any cheater software.
Mohandevir Jul 15, 2021
Quoting: kuhpunktQuoting: MohandevirQuoting: kuhpunktQuoting: MohandevirWill we be able to download SteamOS 3.0 somewhere?
Why wouldn't they make this public?
I dont't know, seriously. But since it seems specialized for the Steam Deck hardware... Will it support Nvidia drivers? Are we going to be left on our own to make it compatible with our hardware? SteamOS included quite everything any new PC of that time needed. What is it going to be like for the "other hardware" support?
Don't get me wrong... I'm just asking. I really hope it will be the same as previous SteamOS versions.
I mean, they are also directly working with nvidia to make DLSS compatible with DLSS and all that stuff.
They also said that they hope that other vendors will join the market and produce their own handheld PCs and I'm sure that some of them would want to use nvidia instead of AMD.
Probably, but it could become a model where every hardware vendor will support it's own hardware and where DIY are left on their own. I mean, where there is no "centralized initiative"... Maybe ChimeraOS will have a say to cover that gap?
I'm probably just overthinking it. Just wondering what the SteamOS landscape may look like and what to expect... Probably, nothing really worrying, in fact.
Last edited by Mohandevir on 15 July 2021 at 6:50 pm UTC
RickAndTired Jul 15, 2021
"Our goal is for every game to work by the time we ship Steam Deck"
Sounds crazy, hope it happens
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