Valve's new handheld PC, Steam Deck, will let you play CS: GO while mobile

Valve has officially announced Steam Deck - a powerful handheld gaming PC - launching in December 2021. Steam Deck is quite powerful, especially when compared to other handheld devices like Nintendo Switch.

HOLD THE PHONE, Valve have just announced the very Switch-like Steam Deck. The portable PC dream is real, folks! https://t.co/iBhp0Db1lp pic.twitter.com/sGeRXz4hQv

— Rock Paper Shotgun (@rockpapershot) July 15, 2021

The Steam Deck has a form factor which is a tad bit larger than Nintendo Switch, but packs all the capabilities of a full gaming PC. The device runs on a modified version of Valve’s SteamOS. It provides users with a console-like interface making the navigation through the Steam Store and Steam Library a breeze.

Besides games from Steam Library, Steam Deck provides all the bells and whistles of a gaming PC, letting users install any third-party applications, including non-Steam games and launchers.

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Steam Deck will run games like CS: GO, Witcher 3, Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order on the go

Valve is launching three versions of Steam Deck with the base model priced at $399. It will feature 64 GB of eMMC (read, slower) storage, while the $529 model will give 256 GB of NVMe SSD storage. The $649 model boasts 512 GB of faster NVMe SSD storage. A premium anti-glare etched glass is also exclusive to the $649 model.

However, other than storage capacity and storage speed, there is no semblance of difference among the three models. The tech specs of Steam Deck are as follows:

Compute

Processor: 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

RAM: 16 GB LPDDR5 RAM (5500 MT/s)

Storage:

• 64 GB eMMC (PCIe Gen 2 x1)
• 256 GB NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4)
• 512 GB high-speed NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4)

(All models include high-speed microSD card slot)

Display

Resolution: 1280 x 800px (16:10 aspect ratio)

Type: Optically bonded LCD for enhanced readability

Display size: 7" diagonal

Brightness: 400 nits typical

Refresh rate: 60Hz

Touch enabled: Yes

Sensors: Ambient light sensor

For more details on the tech specs of the device, interested readers can check on the official page of the Steam Deck.

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Community Reaction after Steam Deck announcement

With the official announcement of the Steam Deck, there’s been a lot of excitement in the gaming community. The fact that users can play their favorite PC games on the go on such a powerful system undoubtedly ushers in a new era in PC gaming.

CS: (on the) GO! https://t.co/rOkdqq3NYi

— CS:GO (@CSGO) July 15, 2021

Jedi Fallen Order from Respawn and EA being played on Valve Steam Deck. pic.twitter.com/9X7QfQBCeI

— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) July 15, 2021

Steam Deck starts shipping December 2021 to the United States, Canada, the European Union, and the United Kingdom. Valve has promised that it will be available in more regions in 2022.