Steam Deck Reveal Leads to High Hopes and Questions from Steam Users

Valve announced the new Steam Deck gaming PC on Thursday, a handheld, portable option for making the most of your Steam library. Talks of such a device have been circulating for a while now, but instead of teasing the product and setting up for a big reveal, Valve simply dropped all the info at once about the PC’s specs, its pricing, and when people will be able to get their hands on one. The reveal has left Steam users hopeful for the success of the Steam Deck, but naturally, they’ve got some questions, too, about some parts of the design and its functionality.

The video below from Valve introduces Steam users to the Steam Deck if they haven’t seen it already. It comes in three different models with varying storage options and prices to match among other included features, but they all sport the same headlining appeal of letting people play Steam games on-the-go.

Introducing Steam Deck: powerful, portable PC gaming starting at $399. Designed by Valve, powered by Steam. Shipping December 2021.

Learn more at https://t.co/ZOTx3KUCVK and reserve yours tomorrow. #SteamDeck pic.twitter.com/jcgbaKfT9c

— Steam (@Steam) July 15, 2021

While that’s an enticing offer itself, the device is a PC first and foremost despite its portable nature. That means that, as Valve has confirmed, owners will be able to install third-party apps and more on the device. That’s naturally got those who seek out emulators excited at the prospect of playing more than just Steam games on the Steam Deck, a dream that probably won’t take long to realize once the device is available later this year.

The button layout and past attempts from other companies at handheld devices have left some skeptical about the product, however. Nintendo’s not the first to do handheld gaming, but it’s the most well-known when it comes to that field where many other handheld endeavors have faltered. Those failed handheld products are difficult to ignore when seeing a new one announced.

Still, the Steam Deck definitely has the attention of Steam users. It’ll be available to reserve starting on July 16th and will start shipping out in December, so we’ll see soon enough just how much interest in the device there really is. Until then, you can see some of those interests and reservations expressed already in some of the initial reactions to the device found below.