Current Events > BREAKING: Valve announces Steam Deck handheld device

(+) Yeah! (+)

i wonder if it can handle ps2 emulation
not cause id ever do that. but i need to know what it can do if im to stop others from doing it

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512gb is too little for $650.

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Flamer_Blue posted...

512gb is too little for $650.

This

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Im pretty excited about this, but Im not buying it on wave one. $400 is too expensive, especially the higher priced model. Ill grab a used one once theyve been out for a year or so.

On one hand, I'd like a model with more than 512 gb of memory, especially at this price point.

On the other hand, portable RimWorld......

Decisions to be made...

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Bishop9800 posted...

This

Add a card. People pay 1000+ on a fuckin phone. This is far more advanced than a phone.

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yusiko posted...

i wonder if it can handle ps2 emulation
not cause id ever do that. but i need to know what it can do if im to stop others from doing it

This thing is basically a modern gaming PC except relying on integrated graphics (albeit very very good ones compared to what most integrateds are like). You can certianly run a PS2 emulator on it.

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Trumble posted...

This thing is basically a modern gaming PC except relying on integrated graphics (albeit very very good ones compared to what most integrateds are like). You can certianly run a PS2 emulator on it.

well i never would of course
but others might and that would be wrong
like others might wonder if it could run the xenosaga trilogy which is difficult to emulate and my favorite video game trilogy

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Just buy the 64 gig then get a 250 gig sd card for like 50 bucks

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how can a handheld run Crysis 2?
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I dont like the placement of the d-pad or xyab buttons, hell even the right thumb stick being up there.

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yusiko posted...

well i never would of course
but others might and that would be wrong
like others might wonder if it could run the xenosaga trilogy which is difficult to emulate and my favorite video game trilogy

If a 4th- or 5th- gen Ryzen 5 or Ryzen 7, or 11th-gen i5 or i7, can run it on integrated graphics, this thing should be able to run it too. It's a bit hard to predict exactly where to draw the line on what this will match - RDNA2 graphics haven't shown up in an iGPU configuration before as far as I'm aware, and DDR5 is also a new twist thrown into the mix (I believe 11th gen Intel iGPUs have been noted to work much, much better with LPDDR4x RAM than regular DDR4, I'd expect DDR5 to show a similar pattern).

But yeah, this does look like a pretty capable device. It's not gonna run AAA titles at 4K Ultra (at least not without an eGPU - it should be capable enough on the CPU side), but it should be more than enough for emulators, indies, or probably even AAA titles at 720p (maybe even 1080p depending on the game).

Take this all with a grain of salt, obviously, as I'm trying to guess based on specs where there's a lot of unknowns in the mix. The best advice would be to wait for reviews. ;)

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iPhone_7 posted...

I dont like the placement of the d-pad or xyab buttons, hell even the right thumb stick being up there.

Then use any controller?

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Rain_Dust posted...

Then use any controller?

That seems to defeat the purpose of using it as a portable system?

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Rain_Dust posted...

Then use any controller?

Using an external controller completely defeats the purpose of this device.

But yeah... I like the sound of the specs and price, not so much of the layout. Give me the GPD Win3's layout (even without the sliding screen, just fix it in place with no keyboard) with this thing's specs, and I'll be real happy.

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How hot it gonna be after I play all night?

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???

Wtf is that d-pad and face buttons lmfao. Have they not tested this shit? That's a really uncomfortable angle for your thumbs to be in

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Actually damn this is really tempting...

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This form of gaming is the future IMO. Portable, powerful and you dont have to buy a nice TV to truly enjoy new games. Id like to be able to just play my favorite games while laying in bed.

If they can find a way to up the storage at an affordable price Im all in. Give it a few years and this shit is gonna take off.

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2-8 hours of battery life? Oof. The most random games will probably guzzle it too.

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Apparently the sticks and buttons layout is purposely designed that way. And apparently it's comfortable.

Crescente posted...

Apparently the sticks and buttons layout is purposely designed that way. And apparently it's comfortable.

I've been reading that the trackpads are great.

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Yeah. Gimme this and Game Pass and Im good.

Im not a hardcore gamer anymore. This is ideal.

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What_ posted...

Steam dick

Warning!!!!
Never steam your dick.

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gna647 posted...

Just buy the 64 gig then get a 250 gig sd card for like 50 bucks

except sd cards are crap for running heavy games. I would they give an option to put a M.2 on to the back of the board, so you can put real storage into the machine.

The IGN does a better job selling it than the Steam page.

As long as people don't expect it to be like the Switch and instead a literal portable PC I think they'll like it. I'm curious to see how smooth it is to use for games that aren't on Steam.

But considering this isn't even launching in Australia and I doubt Steam will manufacture a lot I think it's gonna be a long wait for it to even be an option for me.

I also think this sort of form factor would be perfect for Xbox considering they've already got that lower spec Xbox Series S profile. Maybe in a few years that'll be possible.

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RedWhiteBlue posted...

Can we just get a damn handheld that actually works by having double the buttons? So many developers struggle to get a good control scheme working when there are only a few buttons to work with. We need to move on from the same setups with every handheld.

What do you mean? It has all of the same buttons as a modern controller and two touch pads and rear buttons on top of that.

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So how will we play games that require a keyboard to play properly?

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RedWhiteBlue posted...

What I rarely ever see is a game that allows for keybind combinations, even on PC. Something like Shift+F for PC, or RB+A for controller. That would be a very strong solution. The only game in recent memory that has done this for consoles is Destiny 2, albeit fairly limited in some ways.

Steam Controller allowed almost anything and everything, and superseded whatever control layout a game had.

I assume they are going to put the same system in for customization on a per game basis.

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The Wheelman1 posted...

So how will we play games that require a keyboard to play properly?

......Don't? Its a handheld. No ones going to try and play ranked fucking starcraft on this.

_Marka_Ragnos_ posted...

......Don't? Its a handheld.

Or you know plug a keyboard. It has that.

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RedWhiteBlue posted...

I'm not sure how the touch pads will revolutionize anything, if that's even the intent. But lots of PC games have more unique control options than console games. For example, an MMO might have dozens of key bindings for a massive action bar + controls + chat + shortcuts + menus.

What I rarely ever see is a game that allows for keybind combinations, even on PC. Something like Shift+F for PC, or RB+A for controller. That would be a very strong solution. The only game in recent memory that has done this for consoles is Destiny 2, albeit fairly limited in some ways.

You can bind shotcuts like that on the Steam OS.

Although playing an MMO on a 7 inch screen sounds horrible. A lot of games aren't going to be ideal for this. That's unavoidable with a system like this.

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Big boy

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can we have vita 2

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Darmik posted...

Big boy

Yeah, whoever made that failed maths big-time. 18.2 * 2 = 36.4, not 29.8. (If those measurements are right in the first place, which I'm not sure either way about.)

Or in other words, it's much closer to one and a half Vitas than to two Vitas.

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Trumble posted...

Yeah, whoever made that failed maths big-time. 18.2 * 2 = 36.4, not 29.8. (If those measurements are right in the first place, which I'm not sure either way about.)

Or in other words, it's much closer to one and a half Vitas than to two Vitas.

Haha yes you're right. Teaches me for looking at the pretty picture instead of the numbers.

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gonna get it for sure

Trumble posted...

Yeah, whoever made that failed maths big-time. 18.2 * 2 = 36.4, not 29.8. (If those measurements are right in the first place, which I'm not sure either way about.)

Or in other words, it's much closer to one and a half Vitas than to two Vitas.

the picture doesn't say equal, since the top is centered, but yeah, still wrong.

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I think it's a great idea but I sure would like to know more about the mobile GPU's actual performance metrics, because it's easy to say "everything is playable at 720p" but the fact of the matter is that PC games aren't really optimized for resolutions like that anymore, and some games don't scale downward as significantly as their performance requirements scale upward.

The MX450, which is probably the most comparable mobile GPU in performance to what a handheld configuration could achieve, gets literally 5 frames per second at 1080p with Cyberpunk 2077. At 720p with low settings it gets 20fps.


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The rdna2 gpu has 8 CUs so it ends up at 40% of a series S in performance.

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TetsuoS2 posted...

The rdna2 gpu has 8 CUs so it ends up at 40% of a series S in performance.

That's assuming it receives the same power distribution.

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It won't, it's 15w total for the apu.

It's going to be alright at best.

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TetsuoS2 posted...

It won't, it's 15w total for the apu.

It's going to be alright at best.

Just looking at the statistics about how badly the pseudo-max Q RTX 3080 80W model is hamstrung by its power limit has me a bit concerned. It's like 30 to 40% less performance than the standard mobile 3080, which is kind of crazy.


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Yeah, we don't really have that much power in such a small envelop yet.

It's a fun device that attacks a different market that the Switch doesn't while outperforming competitors like the Aya Neo with price and a better chip, but I think some people have been setting themselves up for disappointment.

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There steam machines failed so lets try a handheld fucking valve and gabe

CADE FOSTER posted...

There steam machines failed so lets try a handheld fucking valve and gabe

Heaven forbid we make Half-Life 3 or Portal 3

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Is a linux OS going to cause compatibility problems?