Valve Steam Deck
Valve · Released Feb 2022 ·
The Valve Steam Deck is a 7.0" LCD handheld from Valve powered by the AMD Aerith. It launched at around $395.
Pros
- +Unmatched price for the features and performance of the device
- +Out of the box access to SteamOS and the Steam Library
- +Well-designed device with really good ergonomics
- +Powerful enough for high-end emulation
- +Good community support, multiple CFWs available
- +Access to modern PC games in a handheld format
- +Trackpads are a welcome addition for navigation and for some PC games
- +Can be connected to external displays
- +Big 5200 mAh battery
- +The touchscreen is useful for navigation and touch/stylus-based games
- +Very smooth navigation thanks to 16 GB of RAM
- +The ergonomic grips allow for more comfortable long play sessions
Cons
- −Black bars when playing older retro systems
- −Big device, portable but not pocketable
- −Device can feel bulky
What can it play?
Emulation performance by platform, based on real-world testing.
Full specifications
Hardware
- Chipset (SoC)
- AMD Aerith
- CPU
- AMD Zen 2, 4 cores, 2.4 GHz - 3.5 GHz
- GPU
- AMD RDNA 2, 1.0 GHz - 1.6 GHz
- RAM
- 16 GB LPDDR5
- Storage
- 64GB eMMC
- Weight
- 674 g
- Dimensions
- 298 x 117 x 49 mm
- Cooling
- Active (fan)
Display
- Size
- 7″
- Resolution
- 1280 x 800
- Panel
- LCD
- Refresh rate
- 60 Hz
- Touchscreen
- Yes
Battery & Connectivity
- Battery
- 5200 mAh
- Real-world life
- ~0 hours
- Wi-Fi
- Wi-Fi 5
- Bluetooth
- Bluetooth 5.0
- Ports
- USB-C, Video out, 3.5mm headphone, microSD
- Expandable storage
- Yes (microSD)
Controls
- Analog sticks
- 2
- D-pad
- Yes
- Face buttons
- Yes
- Analog triggers
- Yes
- Gyroscope
- Yes
- Hall effect sticks
- No
Software & custom firmware
Ships with: Windows 11
Also plays natively: Windows, Linux
Custom firmware
Our verdict
The Valve Steam Deck is a 7.0" LCD handheld from Valve powered by the AMD Aerith. It launched at around $395. It carries 16 GB of RAM and runs Windows 11. Highlights include: Unmatched price for the features and performance of the device; Out of the box access to SteamOS and the Steam Library; Well-designed device with really good ergonomics; Powerful enough for high-end emulation. Trade-offs to note: Black bars when playing older retro systems; Big device, portable but not pocketable; Device can feel bulky.