Check out our Monthly Survey Page to see what our users are running.
We do often include affiliate links to earn us some pennies. See more here.

Well today is the big day. Valve has now formally revealed the Steam Deck, a portable handheld gaming console powered by a new version of their Linux-based SteamOS operating system.

"We think Steam Deck gives people another way to play the games they love on a high-performance device at a great price," says Valve founder Gabe Newell. "As a gamer, this is a product I've always wanted. And as a game developer, it's the mobile device I've always wanted for our partners."

Since it's based on Linux, we now know a big reason why Valve has been investing in Linux gaming with the likes of Steam Play Proton. It will play your Linux native titles, with support boosted by Proton. Not only that, Valve said "we're vastly improving Proton's game compatibility and support for anti-cheat solutions by working directly with the vendors". This is pretty amazing, as anti-cheat was the big missing piece. In their FAQ, they make it clear that they are working directly with BattlEye and EAC to get support for Proton.

Anti-cheat support is coming too! That's huge!

The new SteamOS has been optimized for handheld and touchscreen gaming, while it will also have a desktop mode for those who want it. SteamOS 3.0 is also being based upon Arch Linux, with the desktop mode being powered by KDE Plasma.

We also know why Valve has been heavily investing in AMD GPU drivers for Linux too now then. It's a custom APU they partnered with AMD on for Zen 2 + RDNA 2.

Quick specs:

  • Powerful, custom APU developed with AMD
  • Optimized for hand-held gaming
  • Full-sized controls
  • 7" touchscreen
  • WiFi and Bluetooth ready
  • USB-C port for accessories
  • microSD slot for storage expansion
  • 3 different storage options available

The Steam Deck will also have a dock, much like you see with the Nintendo Switch with more ports to play with like USB, wired networking and enabling external displays. More tech info can be seen here.

It's an open system too, since it's basically a PC in your hands. Valve said "you can install third party software and operating systems".

Valve also did a session with IGN where they answered some questions. IGN also has hands-on video to give a better look at the device.

Steam Deck starts at $399, with increased storage options available for $529 and $649. The two higher models have bigger storage space, plus the two higher models actually use an NVMe drive for faster loading time and the top end has an anti-glare screen too.

Reservations open July 16th at 10 AM PDT; shipping is slated to start in December 2021. Currently it's limited to United States, Canada, European Union, and the United Kingdom with more regions becoming available in 2022.

For developers, Valve put up a video overview:

YouTube Thumbnail
YouTube videos require cookies, you must accept their cookies to view. View cookie preferences.
Accept Cookies & Show   Direct Link

See more on the Steam Deck website and the Steam Deck store page.

Is this the holy grail of Linux gaming? Could be.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
96 Likes
About the author -
author picture
I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
See more from me
The comments on this article are closed.
218 comments
Page: «20/22»
  Go to:

Whitewolfe80 Jul 21, 2021
Quoting: Supay
Quoting: SpykerI also share this concern than most people will put Windows on it, even if Valve nailed Proton compatibility and performance, those who use the Microsoft Gamepass will want it on the device too and we can't do anything against that.

I think a lot of people will just play it as is, no different to any other handheld or console. If people want to install Windows, they can and probably will end up regretting it if it doesn't work exactly as hoped for. They probably will blame Valve too, but better that than it being a locked down device, and they can always go back to SteamOS setup as no warranty or secure feature tripped. As long as the majority are happy and it boosts the overall success, they can complain all they like in their reddit corners. Maybe we will even see some converted if they rage on a Windows install then realise SteamOS works well.


I agree to a point the second x game doesnt work they ll be on to support and demanding a refund, to previous comments no generally people do not want to install an os but mention linux and the response you ll get is if they know what linux is they go oh that thing for hackers and no lifers. If they dont know what it is the first thing they will say is "is it like windows". As this was the sort of thing i dealt with when my company rolled out linux back in 2008 when i was working in IT.
Appelsin Jul 21, 2021
Checking out the Steam Deck page from Norway gives the following, happy message:

QuoteThis item is not available for reservation in your country

Valve is somewhat repeating the commercial and marketing success of the Steam Link and Controller. "Let's not sell this to people with lots of money, eager to spend!" Seriously...
Eike Jul 21, 2021
View PC info
  • Supporter Plus
Quoting: AppelsinChecking out the Steam Deck page from Norway gives the following, happy message:

QuoteThis item is not available for reservation in your country

Valve is somewhat repeating the commercial and marketing success of the Steam Link and Controller. "Let's not sell this to people with lots of money, eager to spend!" Seriously...

I understand why they are reluctant to send it to (big) parts of the world and I understand the pain of the (many) people living there, but countries like Norway really come as a surprise. The only explanation I got is that it's kind of a blind spot. They should find it way up in the list of richest countries - if they'd just take a look...
flesk Jul 21, 2021
View PC info
  • Contributing Editor
Quoting: Eike
Quoting: AppelsinChecking out the Steam Deck page from Norway gives the following, happy message:

QuoteThis item is not available for reservation in your country

Valve is somewhat repeating the commercial and marketing success of the Steam Link and Controller. "Let's not sell this to people with lots of money, eager to spend!" Seriously...

I understand why they are reluctant to send it to (big) parts of the world and I understand the pain of the (many) people living there, but countries like Norway really come as a surprise. The only explanation I got is that it's kind of a blind spot. They should find it way up in the list of richest countries - if they'd just take a look...

It's probably because we're not in the EU, but neither is the UK, so I don't know why they couldn't make an exception for us too. Norway is subject to the same certifications and requirements on consumer electronics as the rest of the EU, so there's no additional red tape either.
Eike Jul 21, 2021
View PC info
  • Supporter Plus
Quoting: fleskIt's probably because we're not in the EU, but neither is the UK, so I don't know why they couldn't make an exception for us too. Norway is subject to the same certifications and requirements on consumer electronics as the rest of the EU, so there's no additional red tape either.

I could imagine UK is the first country (that doesn't count as enemy) a US citizen comes to mind when thinking of something outside the USA. (US citizens, please correct me if I'm wrong.)
slaapliedje Jul 21, 2021
Quoting: Supay
Quoting: Philadelphus
Quoting: Purple Library GuyShe's older, but as far as I can tell the younger supposedly all tech-savvy generation is pretty much the same--they're just really comfortable clicking those icons, but they mostly don't look beneath that.
A bit off-topic, but a friend of mine was talking this past week how she was teaching students in high school and had to show them how to do complicated computer things like…creating a folder to put their project photos in (it was an art class), or selecting more than one file at a time. Apparently "digital native generation" doesn't automatically equate to "knows anything about computers beyond surface level"!

I do IT support and I see a regular pattern that above a certain group (around 60) there is a dropoff in IT knowledge, but now also below 25 there is also a similar dropoff. Go close to 20 and below, and it is intense. I regularly have to talk people under 25 through IT basics, even on Windows. How to create and navigate folders, use Outlook, how to use the start menu, what a browser is and the difference between them, and so much more. The Pi Foundation has it right: education in IT is severely lacking these days and everyone should have to use a Pi and learn IT basics on it.
I think of it sort of like Hunting / Preparing / Cooking food. Like there are generations, maybe a few before mine, where mankind as a whole knew how to hunt, prepare and cook their own food, as occasionally it was required to survive. Same thing with computers, the generation right before mine grew up having to purchase a kit to build their own computers. I started my computing knowledge young, but it wasn't like I needed a soldering iron before inserting the floppy disk. But still had to deal with Atari DOS, knowing that I can load .com and .exe files, and figuring out on Strip Poker, that if you reverse the file names, they'll also be in reverse order as you play! (okay, I didn't figure that one out, at the time the copy we got of the game already had the pictures reversed, and I felt the need to figure out how to fix it! Felt weird to have to win for them to put their clothes back on!)

This brings up the 'people will just install Windows on it'. sure there'll be some people who do that, but I don't think many will (assuming SteamOS 3.0 works really well and doesn't have weird incompatibilities, or crashes.) Many simply won't realize 'it's a mini-PC' means they can just plug in a USB Stick, Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor and install Windows. They'll just think 'cool, I can play Steam games with it.'
CatKiller Jul 21, 2021
View PC info
  • Supporter Plus
Quoting: AppelsinChecking out the Steam Deck page from Norway gives the following, happy message:

QuoteThis item is not available for reservation in your country

Valve is somewhat repeating the commercial and marketing success of the Steam Link and Controller. "Let's not sell this to people with lots of money, eager to spend!" Seriously...
My understanding is that it's all because they fundamentally aren't a hardware retailer. Those would have distribution centres in most countries they do business in, and agreements with brick-and-mortar shops to cover things like returns and revenue sharing. And a bunch of people employed specifically to handle logistics.

Valve doesn't have any of that. They're a shop that sells software. They've got a couple of empty rooms in the countries that they have developers in where they can store boxes, and they get the postman to take them from there and deliver them to customers.

It's why they tried to get other people to make Steam Machines, why they're content to sell limited numbers of the premium Index, and why they're so relaxed about other companies making Steam Decks. If they want to sell as many units of the Steam Deck as they can they'll need to get all the trappings of a hardware retailer; otherwise they'll be limited to just selling a few units in a handful of countries.
Purple Library Guy Jul 21, 2021
Quoting: CatKillerIt's why they tried to get other people to make Steam Machines, why they're content to sell limited numbers of the premium Index, and why they're so relaxed about other companies making Steam Decks. If they want to sell as many units of the Steam Deck as they can they'll need to get all the trappings of a hardware retailer; otherwise they'll be limited to just selling a few units in a handful of countries.
Couldn't they just sell 'em on Amazon and let Amazon's warehouses handle the logistics?
Mohandevir Jul 21, 2021
Quoting: Purple Library Guy
Quoting: CatKillerIt's why they tried to get other people to make Steam Machines, why they're content to sell limited numbers of the premium Index, and why they're so relaxed about other companies making Steam Decks. If they want to sell as many units of the Steam Deck as they can they'll need to get all the trappings of a hardware retailer; otherwise they'll be limited to just selling a few units in a handful of countries.
Couldn't they just sell 'em on Amazon and let Amazon's warehouses handle the logistics?

Looking forward to see how they will handle the manufacturing process... Because selling millions of units is exactly what Gabe Newell is wishing for. At least, he said so.


Last edited by Mohandevir on 21 July 2021 at 8:44 pm UTC
vector Jul 22, 2021
The first generation Steam Deck looks to be a great device, and I think it will sell reasonably well, but if the publishers of Baldur's Gate 3, Control Ultimate Edition, Disco Elysium - The Final Cut, Doom Eternal, Hades, Ni no Kuni Wrath of the White Witch Remastered, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (amongst others) don't officially support Proton (not to be confused with Valve or the community supporting those games in the publishers' stead) or otherwise offer and support native Linux ports once the Steam Deck has been released, I won't feel like the needle has truly moved that much.
While you're here, please consider supporting GamingOnLinux on:

Reward Tiers: Patreon. Plain Donations: PayPal.

This ensures all of our main content remains totally free for everyone! Patreon supporters can also remove all adverts and sponsors! Supporting us helps bring good, fresh content. Without your continued support, we simply could not continue!

You can find even more ways to support us on this dedicated page any time. If you already are, thank you!
The comments on this article are closed.