Overview
The Steam Deck is a high-end horizontal retro handheld from Valve with a 7.0-inch 1280×800 LCD Touchscreen screen, WiFi and Bluetooth, and runs SteamOS. It is best suited for Wii U, 3DS, PS2, Wii, with support listed up to Switch. It typically sells for around $399.
- Screen
- 7.0 inch LCD
- Chipset
- AMD Aerith / Van Gogh
- RAM
- 16 GB LPDDR5
- Battery
- 40 Wh
- Weight
- 669 grams
- OS
- SteamOS
Emulation
- Classicexcellent
- NESExcellent
- Game BoyExcellent
- SNESExcellent
- GBAExcellent
- GenesisExcellent
- PS1Excellent
- Mid-genexcellent
- N64Excellent
- DSExcellent
- PSPExcellent
- DreamcastExcellent
- SaturnExcellent
- 6th genexcellent
- GameCubeExcellent
- WiiExcellent
- PS2Excellent
- Modernmixed
- 3DSExcellent
- Wii UExcellent
- PS3Playable
- SwitchGood
Notes on 18 systems
- DS: Nintendo DS: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- 3DS: Nintendo 3DS: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- GBA: Nintendo Game Boy Advance: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- N64: Nintendo 64: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- NES: Nintendo Entertainment System: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- PS1: Sony Playstation: All games playable at full speed without frameskip
- PS2: Sony Playstation 2: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- PS3: Sony Playstation 3: Most games playable but mostly with frameskip, struggles with harder to emulate games
- PSP: Sony Playstation Portable: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Wii: Nintendo Wii: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- SNES: Super Nintendo Entertainment System: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Wii U: Nintendo Wii U: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Saturn: Sega Saturn: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Switch: Nintendo Switch: Most games playable at full speed, a few games have lower frame rates but still mostly playable with frameskip
- Genesis: Sega Genesis / Mega Drive: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Game Boy: Game Boy / Game Boy Color: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- GameCube: Nintendo GameCube: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Dreamcast: Sega Dreamcast: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
Played on the Valve Steam Deck
Nobody's tracked play on the Valve Steam Deck yet.
Yours could be the first. Track yours
Track your play on the Valve Steam Deck
Install the plugin for SteamOS and every session syncs to retroshelf on its own: what you played, and for how long.
Setup guides
Specifications
General
- Released
- February 2022
- Type
- Handheld, Horizontal
- Operating system
- SteamOS
- Price range
- High-End
Display
- Screen
- 7.0 inch LCD Touchscreen
- Resolution
- 1280 x 800 (16:10)
- Pixel density
- 215.63 PPI
- Refresh rate
- 60 Hz
Performance
- Chipset
- AMD Aerith / Van Gogh
- CPU
- AMD Zen 2, 4 cores, 2.4 GHz - 3.5 GHz
- GPU
- AMD RDNA 2, 1.0 GHz - 1.6 GHz
- RAM
- 16 GB LPDDR5
- Storage
- Internal 64 GB eMMC or 256/512 GB NVMe SSD, External MicroSD
- Architecture
- x86-64
Battery and build
- Battery
- 40 Wh, 2 - 8 hours
- Weight
- 669 grams
- Dimensions
- 298 mm x 117 mm x 49 mm
- Material
- Plastic
- Cooling
- Active (fan)
- Rumble
- Yes
Controls
- D-pad
- Top
- Sticks
- Symmetrical
- Shoulders
- Stacked
- Inputs
- Analog sticks, L3/R3, Analog L2/R2, Touch screen, Gyroscope
- Extra buttons
- 4x assignable grip buttons (on back), View, Options, Steam, Quick Access, Volume +-, Power
Connectivity
- Wi-Fi
- WiFi 5
- Bluetooth
- 5.0
- Ports
- USB-C, HDMI out, 3.5mm jack
- Storage slot
- microSD
- Speakers
- Stereo
FAQ
What systems can the Valve Steam Deck emulate?
The Valve Steam Deck plays systems up to Switch well. It is at its best with Wii U, 3DS, PS2, Wii.
Can the Valve Steam Deck play Switch games?
Yes. Switch performance on the Valve Steam Deck is rated good in our catalog. Nintendo Switch: Most games playable at full speed, a few games have lower frame rates but still mostly playable with frameskip
How much does the Valve Steam Deck cost?
The Valve Steam Deck typically sells for around $399, which puts it in the high-end tier of retro handhelds.
What operating system does the Valve Steam Deck run?
The Valve Steam Deck ships with SteamOS.
Can I track my play time on the Valve Steam Deck?
Yes. Install the retroshelf plugin for SteamOS and every session syncs to retroshelf on its own, with the game and how long you played.
What screen does the Valve Steam Deck have?
It has a 7.0 inch LCD Touchscreen display with a 16:10 aspect ratio, running at 1280 x 800 at 215.63 PPI.
Price alert
We’re not tracking prices for this one yet.
Reviews
No reviews of the Valve Steam Deck yet. Own one? Say what you play on it, which firmware you run, and where it sits in your rotation.
