FIRST TEST VALVE STEAM DECK

Valve’s handheld monster is the plus-size Nintendo Switch of PC gaming. But does the world need the Steam Deck, and should you buy one right now?

Words Matt Tate

from £349 / stuff.tv/SteamDeck

Handheld gaming became a very big deal when the Game Boy came along in the late ’80s and has been going strong since. But right now it’s really having a moment, with the Nintendo Switch on track to become one of the bestselling consoles ever made – and the smartphone in your pocket right now probably powerful enough to play console-style games natively or from the cloud.

So now PC gaming is getting in on the act. Valve’s new Steam Deck is by no means the first handheld gaming PC, but by marrying smart tech with the largest digital distribution platform in the space, it has the best chance to make it really take off. It’s perhaps a bit lazy to call this a Switch for those who do most of their gaming with a mouse, but that’s pretty much the pitch.

Imagine being able to take Steam’s vast library of games, including any you already own, and play them anywhere you like on a powerful portable PC. If you’d rather play on a bigger screen you can dock your Deck and instantly do so, just like you can with Mario and Zelda on the Switch. But the ability to install other launchers, game stores and operating systems means you’re not walled in here.

That’s the Steam Deck… or at least, it will be eventually. As we’re about to see, it doesn’t feel like a finished product just yet.

1 Monster hunter size

This thing is a foot wide and just under 2in thick, while at 669g it’s well over 200g heavier than the Switch OLED. All of which is to say that this is a big, chunky handheld that definitely pushes portability to its limits, especially once it’s inside a case.

2 Prod of war

The Steam Deck offers an abundance of control options including a D-pad, face buttons, touch-capacitive thumbsticks, triggers and bumpers. And to help the transition from mouse and keyboard feel less awkward, it also has two haptic trackpads.

3 Def loop

The 7in LCD touch display has a 60Hz refresh rate, a 16:10 aspect ratio and a native resolution of 1280x800, which is only slightly better than the Switch’s. Pity it isn’t 1080p… but Valve was probably right to focus on performance above pixels.

4 Play-flow infinite

The Steam Deck ships with a new version of SteamOS, Valve’s Linux-based operating system.

Once you’ve connected to Wi-Fi and logged into your Steam account, your entire library will appear. Games that play well on Deck will be flagged as such.

5 Assassin’s speed

The custom APU was built in collaboration with AMD and is optimised for handheld play. You’re getting a Zen 2 CPU and RDNA 2 graphics, with 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM. That’s all powering a handheld PC that really can play everything, including AAA stuff.

Tech specs

Display 7in 1280x800 60Hz IPS LCD touchscreen Processor AMD APU: Zen 2 CPU, RDNA 2 GPU RAM 16GB Storage 64/256/512GB SSD + microSD OS SteamOS 3.0 Connectivity Bluetooth 5.0, dual-band Wi-Fi, 3.5mm audio Battery 40Wh Dimensions 298x117x49mm, 669g

Play these first

With such a terrifyingly vast catalogue of games at your fingertips, where should you start?

■ Portal 2

Portal 2 might be over a decade old now but Valve’s masterpiece is still one of the very best games ever made and, as you’d expect, runs like a dream on the Steam Deck, easily maintaining 60fps.

■ Disco Elysium

As much a brilliant story as it is a groundbreaking role-playing game, Disco Elysium always felt like it would be well suited to handheld play. The Switch port was disappointing; this one fares better.

■ Elden Ring

As you’ll learn from our review on p78, we rather like Elden Ring. And while this open-world epic is best enjoyed on a massive telly, there’s no rush like downing one of its bosses while you’re sat on the loo.

■ Vampire Survivors

True, it’s the kind of game a budget phone could handle with ease, but this ingenious roguelike survival game is about quickfire thrills, making it the perfect game to enjoy on Valve’s handheld.

The Steam Deck isn’t the most portable handheld gaming device you can take on the road, but you’ll soon forget about those offputting dimensions when you’re playing Horizon Zero Dawn on the bus. And though it’ll be a while before all of Steam’s library is optimised, this is one of the most exciting gaming gadgets in years. @MattWTate

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