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Valve's new SteamDeck - arriving Dec 2021

RuneSR2
Grand Champion

Play all your PC Steam games using a handheld device, thus Valve made a mini-PC - more info here:

 

https://www.steamdeck.com/en/?snr=1_4_4__118

 

Image_from_iOS.0.jpg

steam-deck-prices.jpg

Steam_Deck_case.jpg

   

Hardware:

 

https://www.steamdeck.com/en/hardware

 

https://www.steamdeck.com/en/tech

 

So 1280x800 in 60 fps:

 

AMD APU
CPU: Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5GHz (up to 448 GFlops FP32)
GPU: 8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.0-1.6GHz (up to 1.6 TFlops FP32)
APU power: 4-15W

 

I noted the 1.6 TFlops - the RTX 3090 has 36 TFlops, for what it's worth, lol. 

 

Personally I have no interest in such devices - but of course interesting to see new stuff. I found this image amusing:

 

Unavngivet.png

 

- even on a big screen, Disco Elysium has so many small details I have to look very closely - the last thing I'd want is to play that game on a screen looking slightly like an oversized phone, lol. 

Oculus Rift CV1, Valve Index & PSVR2, Asus Strix OC RTX™ 3090, i9-10900K (5.3Ghz), 32GB 3200MHz, 16TB SSD
"Ask not what VR can do for you, but what you can do for VR"

23 REPLIES 23

Ryanality
Community Manager
Community Manager

@RuneSR2 wrote:

- even on a big screen, Disco Elysium has so many small details I have to look very closely - the last thing I'd want is to play that game on a screen looking slightly like an oversized phone, lol. 


I wonder how long until we get the accessory we all deserve! 

Oculus_RyanS_0-1626453749347.jpeg

 

Help others find great discussions and answers by adding kudos and marking solutions to your questions.

nalex66
MVP
MVP

I thought the Steam Deck looked compelling enough that I put in a reservation for the 512 GB version--and managed to get into the queue in the first minute! (If only I'd had such success with queuing for an RTX 3080!) I previously wouldn't have been interested in a handheld gaming device, but owning a Quest has opened my eyes to the joys of portable gaming. I'm not sure whether I'll end up buying it, but there's no risk in making a reservation (the $5 reservation fee will be refunded into my Steam Wallet if I decide not to buy).

 

I've read claims that its chipset is comparable to the performance of a PS4. You can also install Windows on it, which would be necessary if one was going to attempt to use it for VR via Link.

 

I was a bit concerned with how good the gaming experience would be on a small screen, especially for the types of PC games I enjoy (FPS and XCOM-style strategy), but I do watch Let's Play videos of these types of games on small screens without a problem, so I think it'll be fine. I'll probably have to wear my reading glasses to play, but such are the trials and tribulations of getting old.

DK2, CV1, Go, Quest, Quest 2, Quest 3.


Try my game: Cyclops Island Demo

We might need something stronger for Disco Elysium and Terraria, lol

 

smart-handsome-biologist-looking-microscope-modern-biotechnology-smart-handsome-nice-biologist-closing-one-eye-121654832.jpg

 

I do think $ 650 is rather high for the 512GB model, also taking the hardware into account. Sure the size may be convenient, but wouldn't a nice laptop like this one be more interesting? - It's not much more expensive, and the screen is bigger:

 

https://www.amazon.com/MSI-Modern-A10RAS-884-Professional-i5-10210U/dp/B085B39HYD/

 

Really interesting if the SteamDeck will be a succes. I do like my Steam controllers, especially for their ability to work as a mouse. I could be overlooking some important details, we'll see 🙂

Also I may be biased - I'm really not much into 2D gaming, and so far I have not seen anything about the SteamDeck that truly caught my interest. 

Oculus Rift CV1, Valve Index & PSVR2, Asus Strix OC RTX™ 3090, i9-10900K (5.3Ghz), 32GB 3200MHz, 16TB SSD
"Ask not what VR can do for you, but what you can do for VR"

The original PS4 had 1.84 TFLOPS, so 1.6 is indeed close (since TFLOPS are all we have for comparisons at the moment). Maybe I have been too negative - and if you wish to play 2D Steam games on a small screen, Valve probably did a good job making that happen. 

But compared from the massive brute force in the latest Series 30, the hardware in the SteamDeck is very far from that - of course Valve is well aware of that. I don't consider SteamDeck anything close to high-end, but it could be a nice way to play PC games when you're not close to the rig (vacations/travelling). 

Oculus Rift CV1, Valve Index & PSVR2, Asus Strix OC RTX™ 3090, i9-10900K (5.3Ghz), 32GB 3200MHz, 16TB SSD
"Ask not what VR can do for you, but what you can do for VR"

What makes this more compelling than a laptop is the increased portability, the gaming-focused form factor, and the frictionless ease of getting straight into the game. A gaming laptop tends to be bulky, you need to set up on a table and have somewhere to use the mouse, etc. You'll end up lugging around a heavy laptop bag, and you'll spend several minutes getting it out and set up before you can fire up your game. This looks like something that would be easier to carry around, is more self-contained, and with literally one button press you can fire it up and resume a paused game, making it much more convenient to jump into a quick play session. I could see myself taking this to work to play at lunch time, like I do now with my Quest.

 

That sort of convenience is something I didn't know I cared about until I got my Quest. I'm much more likely to do some gaming when I can quickly jump right in; with my PC, I typically spend quite a while longer getting things going, and thus don't bother unless I've got at least an hour to dedicate to a play session.

 

Anyway, I'm not entirely sold yet, but I've got the rest of the year to consider the purchase while I wait for more info and reviews prior to release.

DK2, CV1, Go, Quest, Quest 2, Quest 3.


Try my game: Cyclops Island Demo

kojack
MVP
MVP

As expected of Valve, they won't let Australians order it.

We still don't have the Index, apparently it might be launching here in august, the price difference between US and Aus orders is more than the cost of a Quest 2. (It's going to cost us $1900au. The Quest 2 64GB is $479au)

 

From IGN's interview with Valve:


IGN: Can I play VR off of it?

Pierre-Loup Griffais: I mean, it has all the connectivity. You would need [a lot] to do that, but that's not really what we're optimizing the performance for.

IGN: So you can try it, but your mileage may vary.

Pierre-Loup Griffais: Yeah.


It's certainly interesting. I'm mainly interested in it for my students (could be an interesting platform to dev for).

I'm still more interested in the Dragonbox Pyra (hopefully mine won't take too much longer to build). But I'm not really a mobile gamer. I don't play phone games, I have a switch but it's only for my nieces, I don't use it myself.

Author: Oculus Monitor,  Auto Oculus Touch,  Forum Dark Mode, Phantom Touch Remover,  X-Plane Fixer
Hardware: Threadripper 1950x, MSI Gaming Trio 2080TI, Asrock X399 Taich
Headsets: Wrap 1200VR, DK1, DK2, CV1, Rift-S, GearVR, Go, Quest, Quest 2, Reverb G2

kojack
MVP
MVP

Not to be confused with the latest Elgato Stream Deck that was announced on the same day as the Steam Deck. 🙂

 

Author: Oculus Monitor,  Auto Oculus Touch,  Forum Dark Mode, Phantom Touch Remover,  X-Plane Fixer
Hardware: Threadripper 1950x, MSI Gaming Trio 2080TI, Asrock X399 Taich
Headsets: Wrap 1200VR, DK1, DK2, CV1, Rift-S, GearVR, Go, Quest, Quest 2, Reverb G2

Btw, just some numbers - because PS4s arent all the same etc:

 

SteamDeck: 1.6 teraflops.

PS4: 1.84 teraflops.

PS4 Pro: 4.2 teraflops.

Xbox One S: 1.4 teraflops.

Xbox One X: 6 teraflops.

PS5: 10.3 teraflops.

Xbox Series X: 12.1 teraflops.

 

- and for the fun:

GTX 1080 = 8.9 teraflops.

RTX 2080 Ti = 13.5 teraflops.

RTX 3080 = 29.8 teraflops. 

Oculus Rift CV1, Valve Index & PSVR2, Asus Strix OC RTX™ 3090, i9-10900K (5.3Ghz), 32GB 3200MHz, 16TB SSD
"Ask not what VR can do for you, but what you can do for VR"

That one does look like fun, lol

 

stream-deck-xl.png

elgato-stream-deck_u4yj_1920.jpg

  

Probably no winner when it comes to teraflops though 🤣

Oculus Rift CV1, Valve Index & PSVR2, Asus Strix OC RTX™ 3090, i9-10900K (5.3Ghz), 32GB 3200MHz, 16TB SSD
"Ask not what VR can do for you, but what you can do for VR"