Avery K. Tingle, The Gamer Author

Valve is releasing a handheld gaming that is a direct challenge to the Nintendo Switch. It’s on track to ship this December, just in time for Christmas.

On paper, this thing looks pretty impressive, and I’m not even a Steam user. This might change that. Reminiscent of the old Sega Nomad, the Steam Deck will allow you to take your entire Steam Library on the go. The system boasts an eight-hour playtime for light-impact, 2D games, so I imagine you’ll get about half that for more complex games like Control.

The Steam Deck features a seven-inch screen and a multitude of control options, including two thumbsticks and a four-point D-pad. The D-Pad design is a little disappointing. I’d love to see a return to the circular design that allows for quarter-circle motions a-la Street Fighter. These kinds of pads can be painful for fighting games.

Three versions of the console offer varying speeds: 64GB MMc is the slowest, but still playable. 256GB NVMe SSD will more than likely be the standard, and 512 NVMe SSD will be for those who hate waiting. You’ll also be able to add your own Micro SD for more space. All versions will connect to a dock that will allow you to connect to an external display. The dock will be sold separately, of course. Otherwise, it includes the standard fare such as bluetooth connectivity and HDMI output.

Unless you’re financially secure, I doubt you’ll be able to take your entire Steam Library on the go. I’m curious how/if it handles streaming and connectivity for cloud play.

If you’re eager, you can reserve your copy right now. I’m going to wait until it’s been put through it’s paces before I make up my mind. In the meantime, I’m going to delve back into my old Steam library.

Thanks for reading.

Avery K. Tingle is a scifi/fantasy author currently residing in the Las Vegas area. Owned by two cats, he is passionate about social justice, Star Wars, and mental health. Connect to his award-winning writing and social media here.