The rumors from last month regarding Valve releasing a handheld console turn out to be true – it has just announced the Stream Deck handheld. Valve describes the Steam Deck as “the most gaming power you have ever held.” It will cost $399 and start shipping by December 2021.

The official website bills it as an “all-in-one portable PC.” It features a 7-inch touchscreen, trackpads, and gyro controls. Here are the rest of the Steam Deck's specs:

  • Processor: AMD Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5GHz (up to 448 GFlops FP32)
  • GPU: 8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.0-1.6GHz (up to 1.6 TFlops FP32)
  • RAM:16 GB LPDDR5 RAM (5500 MT/s)
  • Storage: 64GB eMMC, 256GB NVMe SSD (faster), or 512GB NVMe SSD (fastest).
    • expandable with a micro-SD card
  • Audio: embedded DSP, on-board dual microphones
  • Screen: 1280 x 800px (16:10 aspect ratio), 60Hz refresh rate
  • Battery: 40 watt-hour battery, approximately 7-8 hours battery life with light use
  • Wireless: Dual-band Wi-Fi radio, 2.4GHz/5GHz, and Bluetooth 5.0
  • Other: USB-C jack
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Impressively, they also claim you can “use your deck as a PC – because it is one.” It will be compatible with your entire Steam library and can handle other PC software. You will even be able to install other game stores. The Steam Deck will also be compatible with other Bluetooth accessories and can be plugged into a TV. There will also be an official dock.

It will release in the United States, Canada, European Union, and the United Kingdom in December 2021. Valve plans to expand the Stream Deck to other regions by 2022. The specs certainly are impressive, and being able to play your entire Steam library on the go is very enticing. It looks like Nintendo will finally have some serious competition in the handheld space.