Valve has confirmed in an update that Steam Deck, its new portable gaming console on track to ship to its owners by the end of February.
Unlike the first Major of the new DPC 2021-22 season, Steam Deck - the launch of Valve's other project, will not be delayed or cancelled. Hooray!
The company published an official update stating that the first wave of the handheld device will be arriving at the owners' doorsteps by the end of February. The SteamOS-powered Steam Deck was originally planned for a December 2021 release.
“First and foremost, we’re on track to ship Steam Deck on time. Global pandemic, supply issues, and shipping issues notwithstanding, it looks like we'll be able to start getting these out the door by the end of February”, Valve assures that there will be no more delays in the post.
Steam Deck comes in three different tiers. The basic $399 version comes with 64GB of eMMC, the intermediate $529 version will carry 256GB of the NVMe SSD variety, while the advanced tier will cost $649 and quips with 512GB of NVMe storage plus a premium anti-glare etched glass.
Having said that, interested parties will have to get on a waitlist to place an order. It is expected of Valve to open up new orders after Q1 or Q2 2022.
Specifications: Dimension, screen, resolution
Dimension-wise, the Steam Deck stands at 298mm x 117mm x 49mm, or 11.7 inches long and 4.6 inches tall, and about 2 inches in width. Comparing it with the standard Nintendo Switch (173mm x 102mm x 14mm / 9.5' long, 4' tall, 0.55' thick), or heck, any version of the Switch, the Steam Deck is bigger than a Switch.
It is also heavier as it weighs at about 669 grams or 1.47lbs, roughly twice the weight of a Switch with the Joy-Con controllers on.
According to the blueprints of the device published on the official website, the Steam Deck fashions two thumbsticks, a D-pad, many buttons, a pair of trackpads, and a 7-inch IPS LCD Screen. The handheld console also comes with Right and Left analog triggers and bumpers, alongside 4 bindable buttons on the back (R4, R5, L4, L5).
The 7-inch touchscreen display is certainly larger than the original Switch, but the Switch OLED outshines it with better color reproduction and contrast. Steam Deck will run at a standard 60Hz refresh rate and a native resolution of 1280x800.
Similar to the Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck will have a dock that can pair the device with TVs or any smart displays. But Valve has also verified that the Steam Dock won't be available at launch. As of writing, there is no confirmation on the release date and pricing.
Additionally, the Steam Deck is running on the Linux-based SteamOS, and you can dual boot Windows with the device. The company also said that they are working with Microsoft to ensure the system can support Windows 11.
