Valve sent shockwaves through the video game industry last week when the developer announced the Steam Deck — a handheld gaming PC with a form factor similar to the Nintendo Switch. However, unlike the Switch, it's a great deal pricier with the cheapest model being $399.99, a whole $50 greater than the upcoming OLED model of the Switch.
As with any piece of gaming hardware, the Steam Deck is definitely an investment, but it's one that might be worth it especially for current PC players. It's hard to deny the value of having one's Steam library available on the go, and the system's support for third-party programs only further magnifies how absurdly great a deal the Steam Deck looks to be, even if it will be the most expensive handheld on the market come the holiday season.
Steam Deck: A Synced Up Steam Library
Unlike other consoles, players don't have to buy games exclusively for the Steam Deck. One could boot the handheld up, connect their Steam account, and depending on how many games they've previously purchased, immediately gain access to an expansive library of games — now playable darn-near anywhere — at no extra cost beyond the price of the system. Virtually any game can effectively become a handheld title, and that alone should be a huge draw for PC gamers, who generally are glued to desks while playing.
It's harder to think of a better use for this newfound portability than tackling one's backlog. During Steam's seasonal sales, it's all too easy to pick up a few games for some dirt-cheap prices, but it can be difficult to find the time to play them. As such, it's not uncommon for Steam users to amass quite an impressive collection of games that go untouched for long periods of time once purchased.
The Steam Deck won't magically grant folks more time in a day, but having a portable system does make it a lot easier to fit in some gaming during brief moments of downtime. This seems like it would especially come in handy for longer games, specifically RPGs. If one were to play Mass Effect, they could take care of the more repetitive gameplay sections like surveying planets and miscellaneous assignments while on the bus or at a coffee shop, so that once they get home to their primary machine, thanks to cloud saves, they can focus more on the main questline.
Loading Third-Party Programs on Steam Deck
Despite being the "Steam Deck," it's actually possible to install software other than Steam on the system; players can install Windows, potentially enabling them to access services like the Epic Games Store and Xbox Game Pass for PC. Provided one has an account for each of these digital platforms, that's even more games available to play on this handheld, and even more value added that, funnily enough, comes from Valve's competitors.
It's also worth noting that as the Steam Deck can run third-party software, it stands to reason it would be compatible with emulators, too. While it remains to be seen how well the handheld can emulate games, the prospect of having a powerful, portable emulation device is an exciting one, especially when it comes to the emulation of Game Boy, PSP, and DS games. Being able to play such games on a portable device rather than on a stationary desktop would not only allow players to emulate the actual games themselves, but also the way in which they were all meant to be played.
The Steam Deck will launch in December 2021.