When is the Steam Deck arriving? Expected release date, price, specifications, and more

The official release of Valve’s Steam Deck is right around the corner, and enthusiasts are quite curious to know about its hardware specifications, price, and exact date of release.

While Valve is yet to provide fans with a proper release date, the Steam Deck is expected to drop next month in February.

The device was originally scheduled to ship in late 2021. However, ongoing hardware shortages caused Valve to push the release date back to February 2022.

Fortunately, there will not be any more delays with the launch, and fans will be able to get their hands on the upcoming handheld gaming device next month.

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Steam Deck price and hardware specifications

While the Steam Deck comes across as a handheld console, it’s actually a portable gaming PC that packs some serious hardware and power underneath that screen.

As it’s a PC, players will be able to plug the device into a TV or monitor, and also hook it up with peripherals like the keyboard and a mouse, and even install the latest Windows OS if need be.

The Steam Deck offers an incredibly streamlined gaming experience, and it’s one of its biggest selling points, making it feel more like a console than a computer.

Image via Valve

It will come with a Windows compatibility tool called “Proton” that will allow it to play any game that is available on the Steam library, and the system hardware specs that boast of AMD graphics will allow it to effortlessly suspend and resume games at will.

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Hardware Specification

• 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)
• RAM: 16 GB LPDDR5 on-board RAM (5500 MT/s quad 32-bit channels)
• Storage: 64GB eMMC base, 256GB and 512GB NVMe PCIe Gen 3 SSDs available
• Size: 11.7" long x 4.6" tall x 1.9" thick
• Weight: 1.47 pounds
• Screen: 7" 1280x800 (16:10) 60Hz LCD
• Audio: 3.5mm stereo jack
• Battery: 40WHr estimated 2 - 8 hours
• Video output (docked): up to 4K 120Hz / 8K 60Hz (game performance at these often resolutions remains to be seen)
• Ports (dock included): microSD card expansion, USB 2.0 and 3.1, HDMI, DisplayPort
• Connectivity: 2.4GHz / 5GHz Wifi, Bluetooth 5.0
• Gyro: 2.4GHz / 5GHz Wifi, Bluetooth 5.0

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Steam Deck price

How much the Steam Deck will go for will depend on the model and version that the user is opting for. There are primarily three price ranges for the three models that will be available during launch:

• $399 for the 64GB version
• $529 for the 256GB version
• $649 for the 512GB version

The most expensive version will have a significantly faster NVME SSD storage, however, all three versions will allow the user to increase storage space with a MicroSD card. Hence, the loading times for each version can be improved considerably based on the external card.

Owners will also be allowed to replace and upgrade the stock SSD with a larger and better model. However, Valve warns against it, as the original SSD prevents electromagnetic interference with other components along with speeding up performance.

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Will Steam deck have a touch screen display?

For the device, Valve chose to go for a 7-inch 1280 x 800 display with a 60Hz LCD panel and 400-nits brightness, which will have a fully functioning touchscreen set-up. This feature is likely to be one of the core selling points of the device, and an integral part of the version of the SteamOS that it will come equipped with.