PlatformsPC GamingSteam DeckWhen the Steam Deck was still just an idea, Valve says some staff were like, “I just want that for me” and “the point wasn’t even to make a product out of it"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
PlatformsPC GamingSteam DeckWhen the Steam Deck was still just an idea, Valve says some staff were like, “I just want that for me” and “the point wasn’t even to make a product out of it"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Valve)
Valve’sSteam Deckis made up of the best qualities – it’s portable, powerful, and lets you play Elden Ring in bed. Valve’s staff unsurprisingly agrees that the Steam Deck rules. In fact, the system apparently started partly as an experiment to create a platform with all the things they wished for.
“The pitch of the Steam Deck was basically: ‘How do I play my Steam games away from my PC?’ That is the problem we were trying to solve,” Steam Deck designers Lawrence Yang and Yazan Aldehayyat explained ina recent interviewwith Reviews.org. “And there are people [at Valve] who were like, ‘I just want that for me.’ The point wasn’t even to make a product out of it. It was just, let’s see if you can actually make something that I would want to use for that purpose.”
The designers also pushed back on the suggestion that the Steam Deck was intended to directly mirror the Nintendo Switch as something of a handheld alternative to PCs.
“Having been there during the early phases,” they say, “it was more like, ‘I’ve been playing this game on my PC, but I have to be in front of my PC to play it, and I would love to be able to play it on my commute. Or I would love to be able to play on a plane, or I would love to be able to play outside.'”
And now you can play outside with either the Steam Deck or this year’sSteam Deck OLED, the display on the latter being extra vibrant even under the sun. It’s nice when dreams come true.
Valve does not think the Steam Deck 2 will be possible “in the next couple of years.”
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
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Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
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Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
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3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
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Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
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4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
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5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”