Steam Deck is the most powerful portable console in the world. Play the entire Steam library everywhere!

The famous American tech company Valve has introduced Steam Deck, the portable console capable of running the latest games with unprecedented graphic performance and fluidity. This console for hardware features and performance is more similar to a PC than the portable consoles already on the market. The feature that will surprise you the most is the ease with which you’ll be able to play the entire Steam library; you’ll have to log in with your account and press play!

The console boasts hardware characteristics similar to a desktop PC; it uses an AMD Zen2 processor with 4 Cores and 8 Threads, a base clock of 2.4GHz and maximum frequencies of 3.5GHz, and 16GB of LPDDR5 memory. Making the graphics experience as fulfilling as possible is delegated to an RDNA2 architecture GPU with frequencies up to 1.6GHz and 1.6 TF of computational capacity.

The screen is a 7-inch resistive with a maximum effective resolution of 1280×800 pixels, similar to 720p but with a 16:10 ratio. Completing the picture is a powerful stereo speaker system (there’s no shortage of options to plug in your headphones), a microphone, and a USB-C port. With these hardware features, the closest rival is the Xbox Series S; yes, you got it right, a living room console! Despite the hardware’s power, the battery guarantees significant autonomy of up to 8 hours.

One of the most critical elements is the proprietary operating system called SteamOS, based on a modified version of Linux that, thanks to the emulator “Valve Proton”, can also run games designed for Windows. Currently, some titles, even major ones, have problems with Proton. Still, the company has stated its goal is to achieve full compatibility with all (or almost all) of the games on its proprietary Steam platform.

Despite these youthful problems, the operating system is very responsive and has attractive graphics, although its true strength remains almost total control over customizing the gaming experience.

Valve Steam Deck presents itself as the best friend for gamers who always carry their favourite titles with them. The main target is gaming in FullHD at 60FPS of the best titles on the market without ever sacrificing comfort, given the low weight and shape of the console, specially designed to be comfortable even after hours of use. The perfect ergonomics of the device allow you to easily reach all the input systems without ever having to take your hands off, including the two trackpads that will enable you to play even titles designed exclusively for PC.

By purchasing a specific accessory called Dock, it will also be possible to connect it to the TV with an HDMI cable or via wireless and use external peripherals such as a mouse, keyboard and joypad. But the real strength of Steam Deck is the operating system that makes it an actual portable PC on which you can install apps and software, stream videos, transfer games to an external microSD media directly from Steam Deck and more.

Like your PC, the Steam Deck is an open platform on which you can install Windows and other game stores like the Epic Store or Xbox Game Pass. We don’t have any firm data on the gaming performance of third-party titles yet, but early testers have confirmed one thing: “Steam Deck can run just about anything you can run on a PC, and you can connect as many peripherals to it as you want.”

The price of Steam Deck depends on the memory size you choose: 419€ for the 64 GB version, 549€ for the 256 GB version and 679€ for the 512 GB version. Despite the manufacturer’s claim that there are no differences in frame rate or graphics quality between the three models, the most expensive versions of Steam Deck are equipped with faster NVMe SSD storage, while the cheapest is fitted with a 64 GB eMMC (embedded media card) storage solution.

All three versions allow you to expand the storage space with a MicroSD card. So the real difference between the three models is in the amount of data you can store and the speed of loading times.

Given its enormous computing power and display quality, if Valve fulfils all its promises, Steam Deck will become the new benchmark for mobile gaming. The only Achilles’ heel, which turns out to be at the same time one of its Its main strength is precisely its proprietary operating system. Game programmers must implement them to make them compatible with the “Valve Proton” library. Still, at the same time, it provides total control over the customization of the gaming experience, including graphics parameters (just as it does for PC).

If properly implemented, the Valve ecosystem will become the best choice for all those who love to play on the move without compromising the latest titles. What’s more, and this is not to be underestimated, the device can be transformed in a few steps into an authentic Windows PC, with all the advantages that come with it. What are you waiting for? Order your Steam Deck and become part of the revolution.