On February 25, Steam Deck goes on sale, and three days later, shipment starts. Take a close look at the system specifications, anticipated battery life, and game compatibility to help you choose the model that's right for you.
The Steam Deck from Valve, which combines the mobility and accessibility of mobile gaming with the versatility of PC gaming, is expected to become the must-have gaming accessory of 2022. Who wouldn't want to play their favorite Steam games on the road, after all? You might be wondering how to get a Steam Deck because the first shipment of pre-orders will arrive at the end of the month. Or perhaps you've never heard of Steam Deck and are interested in the hype. We'll respond to your Steam Deck queries right here.
1. What Stores Sell Steam Decks?
Not from the usual sources. When the Steam Deck becomes more widely available, Valve plans to work with retailers, but for the time being, you can only purchase the handheld through Steam when it goes on sale on February 25. Your system should arrive on February 28 if you placed a pre-order and were given a Q1 ship date. Do not anticipate receiving a Steam Deck in the near future if your ship date was Q2 or later. Sure, with resellers you might be lucky, but don't hold your breath (and you may pay an arm and a leg).
2. What are the Features (and Costs) of the Steam Deck?
Three models of the Steam Deck are available, each with 16GB of RAM and the RDNA 2 and Zen 2 architectures. They vary, though, in terms of storage capacities and storage types.
The $399 entry-level Steam Deck has internal storage that is 64GB eMMC PCIe Gen 2. This model has rather limited storage when you consider the size of many contemporary games. It also includes a useful carrying case.
The mid-tier Steam deck, which costs $529, provides more and faster storage. A 256GB NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4), an exclusive Steam Community profile bundle, and the aforementioned carrying case are all included with the purchase.
With its 512GB, high-speed NVMe SSD, the most expensive Steam Deck option costs $649 USD, but it provides the fastest storage (PCIe Gen 3 x4). This version includes the Steam Community profile bundle, a premium, anti-glare, etched-glass screen, a special carrying case, an exclusive virtual keyboard theme, and more.
3. How Can I Increase the Storage on My Steam Deck?
After reading those storage sizes, if you're concerned about installing games, Valve has got you covered. The bottom of the Steam Deck has a UHS-1 bus slot that can accommodate SD, SDXC, and SDHC cards. On Amazon, 512GB cards cost less than $30.
With Steam Deck's auto-formatting features, selecting and utilizing an SD is a breeze. Additionally, you may use the card to boot an operating system, such as Windows.
4. How Does the Screen on the Steam Deck Look?
The 7-inch touch screen on the Steam Deck features 1280 by 800 resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate. An optically bonded IPS LCD embedded in this glass produces brightness levels of up to 400 nits. The premium, 512GB variant sports an anti-glare, etched screen, as was already reported.
5. What is the Control System of the Steam Deck?
A/B/X/Y buttons, a D-pad, L/R analog triggers, and L/R bumpers are some of the most common gamepad controllers seen in Steam Deck. Instead of the traditional Start and Select buttons, it has View and Menu buttons, as well as two analog thumb sticks with capacitive touch technology.
On the rear of the Steam Deck, there are four assignable grip buttons. These will resemble the Steam Controller or the 8BitDo Pro 2 controller in appearance and texture. For mapping extra functions, they are wonderful.
The Steam Deck comes with two trackpads if you want additional controller inputs. Two LRA motors are located under each of the twin, 32.5mm square trackpads, which use haptic feedback. These trackpads, according to Valve, offer a 55 percent lower latency than the conventional Steam Controller. Additionally, the pads have pressure-sensitive controls and adjustable click intensities. The Steam Controller's trackpads, which give haptic, mouse-like capabilities, are without a doubt its most inventive feature.
The Steam Deck also contains a 6-Axis IMU gyro sensor, which is the cherry on top. This may be useful for maneuvering automobiles in racing games or pointing firearms in shooters.
6. What Is the Battery Life of the Steam Deck?
According to Valve, the 40Whr battery in the Steam Deck provides 2–8 hours of gameplay. This estimate takes into account 30 frames per second, 50% brightness, and 50% loudness game. Your results may vary, of course.
A 45W USB-C PD3.0 power supply is included with the Steam Deck. The system comes with a 1.5-meter (4.9 ft) charging wire.
7. Can I have many accounts on Steam Deck?
Yup! Each user has their own local save data and preferences thanks to Steam Deck's support for multiple accounts. Similar to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X, you may easily switch between these profiles without logging in each time.
8. Can I Use the Steam Deck Offline?
After downloading a game to your Steam Deck, you may play it offline with a few important caveats. The Steam Deck must be linked to the internet in order to play online multiplayer games, which by definition can only be played online. Sorry, but without an online connection, you can't start Lost Ark.
Second, some publishers use DRM, which forces you to play your games online at all times. Do some research before buying an Activision game because many of them do have this restriction.
9. Can I Keep Playing a Steam Deck Session on My Computer?
A cloud-save function called Steam Cloud has been a mainstay of the Steam platform for a while. If you swap PCs or have to reinstall a game, the option makes it simple to start up where you left off. Valve increased this feature with the introduction of the Steam Deck. With the new Dynamic Cloud Sync, you may switch between your play sessions on the Steam Deck and other devices or PCs without having to quit the game. Dynamic Cloud Sync seems like a great feature for portable gamers who prefer to put their handhelds to sleep rather than switch them off, however, we'll need to see how it performs in practice.
10. What is the operating system for the Steam Deck?
SteamOS, a customized version of Arch Linux, is used by Steam Deck. On Steam Deck, this operating system makes use of an API to enhance how games function on the platform. In order to showcase the games that work well in SteamOS, Valve is searching the Steam library of games. This process is known as Steam Deck Verification. Verified games are those that work well with the Deck and don't require any further modifications.
11. Can I Use the Steam Deck to Play Windows Games?
Sure, using Proton. Proton is a special compatibility layer created by Valve that enables SteamOS and other Linux-based operating systems to run Windows games. This implies that despite not having a Windows basis, Steam Deck still supports a large number of Steam titles. ProtonDB, a sizable database that promotes PC games compatible with SteamOS, is a good resource in this regard.
Update: To determine whether your Windows games will function on Steam Deck, Valve has made an official compatibility tester available. A game is completely validated to function properly on Steam Deck when it has a green checkmark; a yellow checkmark means that the game is playable on Steam Deck, "but requires further steps or manual labor from the user." Keep in mind that a PC game may run smoothly on Steam Deck even if Valve hasn't yet given it a review (the library is deep, after all).
In addition to supporting Proton, Steam Deck enables the installation of other operating systems. You may load Windows or another operating system by accessing the Steam Deck's BIOS menu.
12. Can My Steam Deck Be Repaired?
The repair community and parts store iFixit has been recognized by Valve as a Steam Deck replacement component vendor. You should bookmark the iFixit website right now even if the specifics are still being worked out. You can never be too sure when your Steam Deck will need to be serviced.
13. Can I connect a TV or monitor to the Steam Deck?
Absolutely, but not right out of the gate. Even though the Steam Deck is a powerful device, when it is delivered to your door, it is designed to be portable. The approved dock is required to connect the Deck to TVs or monitors (sold separately, price TBD). The accessory has a DisplayPort 1.4 port, an HDMI 2.0 port, two USB-A 2.0 connections, a USB-A 3.1 port, and an Ethernet connector.
Since the Steam Deck features a USB-C connector, a typical USB-C hub should function with it. Thankfully, USB-C hubs are reasonably priced, usually costing between $20 and $60.
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