Valve, the company that maintains the largest PC gaming platform in the world, announced that they would be releasing the Steam Deck, a device that is meant to revolutionise the handheld mobile gaming experience.
The Steam Deck is essentially a portable gaming computer, offering users the chance to play all of their favourite game no matter where they are. The device itself is small and portable but is packed with enough hardware to play even modern games at high definition quality.
Many feel that it’s a step forward in the world of gaming, especially considering that the Steam Deck will be making use of an entirely new operating system. Let’s break down all there is to know about the upcoming Steam Deck.
1. It’s Based On Linux
Valve has gone to great lengths to ensure that the software shipping with the new Steam Deck will be offer plenty of power for quality gaming. This is why they decided to go with GNU/Linux as the operating system, especially Arch Linux, which offers a robust and customisable OS that many believe will be perfect for the Steam Deck.
Because this device is technically a personal computer rather than a mobile console, it means that users will be able to install any operating system of their choice. SteamOS, the custom operating system that Steam has built for the Steam Deck, will be able to play every game in the library, and is being paired with a special layer of software called Proton, meaning that even Windows games will be able to work despite the operating system being based on Linux.
2. Storage Options
Another extremely appealing aspect of the Steam Deck is that it comes with the option of removing the original storage drive and install one of the user’s choice. There is a slot of m.2 SSD drives, meaning that a player has the chance to install high-speed and powerful drives to improve their gaming performance.
This is especially important for those gamers that like to play a large range of games at any one time, as they will be able to have large storage up and more than a terabyte at a time to store as many games and programs as they can, including chatting apps and browsers for https://australianslotsonline.net/.
3. Accessories
The Steam Deck will be shipping with Bluetooth as part of the package, and thanks to the wide range of drivers that are supported by the current mainline Linux kernel, most peripherals will be able to work. That means that even a PlayStation Duel Sense controller with Bluetooth support will be usable with the Steam Deck, along with most headsets and other popular gaming accessories.
4. The Release Date
Valve has not officially announced a release date for the Steam Deck, but it has confirmed it will be starting to ship units starting December of 2021. They will initially be sold within the UK, US, Canada, and some parts of the EU before being available across the world.
There might be something of a delay due to large numbers of pre-orders, but it’s believed that supply should become staple over coming months.
