Valve working to make sure Steam Deck is Windows 11-ready

Valve’s Steam Deck portable gaming console is a mini-Windows 10 compatible PC. By default, it will run on Valve’s own Steam Deck UI, the Linux-based SteamOS 3.0.

Sometimes companies are reluctant to upgrade such specialist devices, but it seems Valve is more than ready to face the challenge.

“There’s nothing to indicate to us yet that there’ll be any issues with Windows 11,” says Valve’s Greg Coomer, designer of the Steam Deck.

The company has been working with AMD to make sure the device meets all Windows 11 criteria.

“There’s work looking at TPM just now,” Coomer said. “We’ve focused so much on Windows 10, so far, that we haven’t really gotten that far into it. Our expectation is that we can meet that.”

“It’s also a conversation that’s going on with AMD to make sure that, at the BIOS level, we can accommodate that,” he added.

Steam is touting the Steam Deck as “the most gaming power you’ve ever held”. The device features a 7” multi-touch display, trackpads similar to what we’ve seen on the Steam Controller, and gyroscopic controls for extra wiggly immersion and gameplay, the Steam Deck packs a lot into its £349 starting price tag.

Alongside a 2.4-3.5GHz AMD Zen 2 CPU and an AMD GPU, the Steam Deck will also have a 40 watt-hour battery for up to 8 hours maximum battery life when playing 2D games, or “several hours of play time” for most other games.

The handheld PC features a USB-C port similar to the Nintendo Switch, and the newly announced OLED model, which will allow you to dock the handheld and plug the portable PC into your TV.

Though it’s Bluetooth connectivity, as well as the USB-C port, the Steam Deck will support all manner of accessories from fighting sticks to Bluetooth mice and keyboards, so you can always play with the input you want to.

The Steam Deck is expected to start shipping in December 2021 starting at £349 for the 64 GB storage version. The handheld is also available at £459 with 256GB of NVMe storage, or at £569 for 512GB of NVMe storage as well as an “exclusive virtual keyboard theme.”

via GamingBolt