Valve Steam Deck™

Handheld gaming typically only has a few major players in it but if the Valve Steam Deck^™ is anything to go by, you can certainly look to add a new name to that list. Most PC gamers will be familiar with the Steam platform and the brand behind it, Valve, are throwing their hat into the handheld gaming ring with the Steam Deck^™ and, from what we can see here at The Coolector, they look like they’ve hit a home run right off the bat. This ace looking handheld device will start shipping in December 2021 with prices starting at a thoroughly reasonable £349.

Billed as all-in-one, portable PC gaming, the Valve Steam Deck^™ brings the Steam games and features you love to a powerful and convenient form factor that you can take wherever you go. Ideally suited to travelling, commuting or just enjoying in your own backyard, this technologically superior bit of kit has definitely left us mighty impressed if early indications are anything to go by. This is an incredibly powerful handheld device capable of running the latest AAA games – and running them well. So, if you’re after highly quality gaming in the palm of your hands, you should get on the Wish List for the Steam Deck^™ ASAP.

Extraordinary Handheld Performance

There are to be three different storage options when choosing your Valve Steam Deck^™ – namely, 64GB at £349, 256GB at £459 and 512GB at £529 – so you’ll be able to pick the one that fits in best with the sort of gaming numbers you’re likely to be looking at when playing. Valve have partnered with AMD to create Steam Deck’s custom APU, which has been purpose-built for handheld gaming. It is a Zen 2 + RDNA 2 powerhouse, which is capable of delivering more than enough performance to run the latest AAA games in a very efficient power envelope.

The Valve Steam Deck^™ (from £349) was built for extended play sessions – whether you’re using thumbsticks or trackpads – with full-size controls positioned perfectly within your reach. The rear of the handheld device is sculpted to comfortably fit a wide range of hand sizes and it offers ergonomic excellence seldom seen in handheld gaming devices. The trackpads let you play PC games that were never designed to be handheld. With increased precision and customisability, trackpads also give you a competitive edge when playing fast-paced FPS games.

Steam Deck’s stereo speakers pack a punch and have an embedded DSP which provides clarity and a wide soundstage for an immersive listening experience. It comes with a 40 watt-hour battery that provides several hours of play time for most games. For lighter use cases like game streaming, smaller 2D games, or web browsing, you can expect to get a maximum battery life of around 7-8 hours. It can be plugged into your TV, monitor, or even your old CRT if you have the right cables. When docked, the its USB-C port can carry video, audio, input, etc. Just plug in your peripherals, or use the official dock, and you’re ready to go. We can’t wait for this one to hit the shelves here at Coolector HQ.