Valve’s portable Steam Deck has been released, and if you place your pre-order early enough, you might have one of the devices in your hot little hands this very minute. For the rest of us, however, we’re stuck waiting for inventory to catch up with demand, and that might take a while. (Valve’s official Steam Deck order site currently shows that the execution of new purchases will likely take place during or following the second quarter of 2022, so it is potentially months away.)
Ars handheld gaming master Sam Machkovech had the chance to score a pre-release Steam Deck for testing and review, and you can read his full take – all 9,000 words and changing!-Right here. However, if you don’t have time to wade through an in-depth article, there’s a quicker way: instead of the article, you can watch the 10-minute review video at the top of this article!
Sam has some thoughts on performance, compatibility, battery life, control feel, screen brightness, and other important concerns Ars-y readers might have regarding a new portable (and expensive) gaming device. And if you’re in the mood for more Steam Deck news, Sam also weighed in on how the Steam Deck deals with Linux. (And not everything is necessarily kosher in Steam Deck Linux Land – some editors i really don’t want you to play their games this way.)
If you can’t have your Steam Deck in front of you, the next best thing is to enjoy Sam’s Video Tour vicariously!
List image by Sam Machkovech
