FIRST TEST VALVE STEAM DECK
Sprawl hands on 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.