Steam Deck Hands On: Valve Successfully Frees PC Gaming From the Desktop
As someone who flew across the country to pick up a Steam Machine, only for Valve’s first attempt at merging gaming PCs and console concepts to go up in smoke, it’s telling that I’m still excited for the Steam Deck (starting at $399). After months of speculation and anticipation, we finally got our hands on Valve’s high-powered handheld gaming PC, a device that ships today to the first customers that preordered it. We’ll need more time for a full review, but here are our thorough first impressions of the Steam Deck, a handheld that delivers new joys to PC gamers who are willing to compromise on old standards.
The Steam Deck is big, but not that big. The 7-inch, 720p screen is roughly on par with what the Nintendo Switch offers, complete with a prominent bezel. The thicker main body (1.9 inches vs. 0.5 inches) is where you’ll find the volume buttons and microSD card slot and USB-C charging port. I wouldn’t want to drop the unit, but it feels sturdy enough that I wouldn’t immediately freak out if I did.
Let’s just get this out of the way: expect a lot of references to the Nintendo Switch in these impressions. Although the Steam Deck leverages your PC gaming library, it’s also very much in conversation with Nintendo’s beloved handheld gaming device. Our review unit (the mid-tier, $529 256GB model) came with a nice carrying case, but I’m already looking forward to cases from WaterField, the company behind my preferred Switch case.
The Steam Deck’s bulk comes from its the prominent grips. I’m glad I bought the Hori Split Pad Pro for my Switch because it prepared me for what it’s like to experience such huge handles on a handheld device. Like that peripheral, the Steam Deck’s wide grips help distribute the system’s weight,
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