Steam Reveals a New Switch-like PC Platform, the Steam Deck

Nintendo has a history of being a leader of innovation in the gaming world: oftentimes they lead the charge in terms of cutting-edge hardware, and other companies try to copy their success. They did it with the Game Boy, they did it with the Wii, and in theory, they’ve been doing it with the Switch, in so far that several companies have pitched concepts similar to the Switch, but so far none have really materialized into a product people can actually buy.

Well, that’s all changed now: say hello to the Steam Deck.
 

We partnered with AMD to create Steam Deck's custom APU, optimized for handheld gaming. It is a Zen 2 + RDNA 2 powerhouse, delivering more than enough performance to run the latest AAA games in a very efficient power envelope.

So basically, it’s a PC gaming console that looks like a Switch. Apparently it can link up to your Steam account, and in addition to playing PC games, as long as it's connected to the Steam Cloud, you can even port over your saved data and such. Otherwise, it’s pretty much exactly the Switch: it’s portable, there’s a dock so you can plug it into a TV, and there’s even a carrying case for maximum convenience. The only thing it doesn’t really steal from the Switch is the detachable controllers — it seems those are fastened on. But if there’s a dock, that means there has to be an external controller you could buy anyway.

Oh, and there’s one other thing that separates it from the Switch: the price. The cheapest edition of the console you can get, which comes with 64 gigabytes of internal memory, will set you back 420 euros — that’s a full 100 euros more expensive than the Switch. Conversely, the best package, which includes 512 gigabytes of memory and a host of extra features, including premium anti-glare etched glass, an exclusive carrying case, and more, will set you back a whopping 679 euros: a pretty hefty chunk of change.

And here’s the thing: those are just the prices to reserve a copy of the Steam Deck. Which means you’ll actually have to pay more in order to buy the actual device, although they do assure us that the price of the reservation will “count” towards your purchase of the full device: which means it’ll probably cost somewhere in the 700-euro range.

So yeah. One more thing to save up your pennies for, I guess.