Ever heard about Steam coming out with its own portable handheld gaming console? Can we call it a Switch Killer, or is it a hoax? This is a reality, Steam is coming out with an awesome hand-held console called Steam Deck. This upcoming console is reserved for some regions only and the shipping will start in December 2021. I am going to share a lot of hardware details about Steam Deck. You can learn bout full Steam Deck specs here, as well as its comparison with Nintendo Switch PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Steam Deck Specs Comparison
Valve Steam Deck |
Nintendo Switch (Base & OLED model) |
|
| CPU | Zen 2, 4-core, 8-threads @ 2.4–3.5 GHz | 4-core ARM Cortex-A57 & 4-core ARM Cortex-A53 @1.02 GHz |
| Graphics (GPU) | RDNA 2 with 8 CUs @ 1.0-1.6 GHz, 1.6 TFLOPS | Nvidia GM20B Maxwell-based @307.2-768 MHz, 393 GFLOPS |
| Memory (RAM) | 16 GB LPDDR5 @ 5500 MT/s | 4 GB LPDDR4 SDRAM |
| Storage | 64GB eMMC / 256GB NVMe SDD / 512GB NVMe SSD | 32 GB eMMC NAND flash memory (64 GB in OLED model) |
| Removable Storage | microSD/SDXC/SDHC | microSD/HC/XC (up to 2 TB) |
| Disc Drive | N/A | Nintendo Switch game card |
| Display Connectivity | DisplayPort 1.4 | HDMI 1.4b |
| MSRP | $399 / $529 / $649 | $299.99 (Base Model) / $349.99 (OLED) |
Xbox Series X |
Xbox Series S |
|
| CPU | Custom AMD 8-core Zen 2 @3.8 GHz, 3.6 GHz with SMT | Custom AMD 8-core Zen 2 @3.6 GHz, 3.4 GHz with SMT |
| Graphics (GPU) | AMD Radeon RDNA 2, 52 CUs @ 1.825 GHz, 12.15 TFLOPS | AMD Radeon RDNA 2, 20 CUs @ 1.565 GHz, 4.006 TFLOPS |
| Memory (RAM) | 16GB GDDR6 SDRAM | 10GB GDDR6 SDRAM |
| Storage | 1TB WD SN530 NVMe SSD | 512GB WD SN530 NVMe SSD |
| Removable Storage | Seagate Storage Expansion Card up to 2 TB | Seagate Storage Expansion Card up to 2 TB |
| Disc Drive | 4K UHD Blu-ray | None |
| Display Connectivity | HDMI 2.1 | HDMI 2.1 |
| MSRP | $499 | $299 |
PlayStation 5 |
PS5 Digital Edition |
|
| CPU | Custom 8-core AMD Zen 2 @ 3.5 GHz | Custom 8-core AMD Zen 2 @ 3.5 GHz |
| Graphics (GPU) | Custom AMD RDNA 2, 36 CUs @ 2.23 GHz, 10.28 TFLOPS | Custom AMD RDNA 2, 36 CUs @ 2.23 GHz, 10.28 TFLOPS |
| Memory (RAM) | 16 GB GDDR6 SDRAM | 16 GB GDDR6 SDRAM |
| Storage | 825 GB NVMe M.2 SSD | 825 GB NVMe M.2 SSD |
| Removable Storage | External USB-based HDD or SSD | External USB-based HDD or SSD |
| Disc Drive | 4K UHD Blu-ray | None |
| Display Connectivity | HDMI 2.1 | HDMI 2.1 |
| MSRP | $499 | $399 |
You can see the full price comparison as well as the compare hardware difference between Steam Deck and other consoles. Nintendo Switch is quite a close competitor to Steam Deck, but the issue is you cannot just play Switch games. You’ll have to use an emulator that requires technical work. This handheld console comes in three size variations, otherwise, all will be powered by an AMD chip. They are 64 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB. Steam Deck lets you play games directly from Steam Library. What matters now is to find what operating system it will run on. Steam OS was introduced long back which was part of Steam machines dedicated only for gaming. That did not go well, I think gamers still love to go with Windows 10.
We are going to bring a lot of updates for Steam Deck in the future, do stay tune to TechNClub. And happy gaming.