Valve, a Video game, and hardware studio has been secretly working on a Switch-Esque portable gaming PC that can run a large number of games on the Steam PC platform via Linux and it is expected to launch, by the end of this year.
Highlights
- Valve has been secretly working on a Switch-Esque portable gaming PC
- Pavel, operator of SteamDB spotted the change in Steam’s code pointing to a new device which is named ‘SteamPal’.
- SteamPal prototype version is a little bit wide as compared to the Nintendo Switch
Many familiar sources have confirmed about the development of hardware ad it is revealed that it has been in development for some time, and this week, Valve itself pointed out the device that it will have slipping new hardware-related code into the latest version of Steam.
On Tuesday this week, Pavel, operator of SteamDB spotted the change in Steam’s code, which pointed to a new device which is named ‘SteamPal’.
The SteamPal whose name we’re putting in scare the name is still not final, is an all-in-one PC with gamepad controls and a touchscreen. In other words, it looks and functions the same as a Nintendo Switch
In recent years, the “Switch-like PC” category has exploded very much. In early 2020, Alienware disclosed its first Switch-like gaming PC, but the device hasn’t turned itself into a commercial product. If you like to buy a similar device today, you’re largely looking at products from Chinese OEMs like GPD, One-Netbook, and Aya, who have slapped ultramobile PC processors and parts into a Switch-like chassis.
The SteamPal will also go a similar route, with a system on a chip likely coming from either Intel or AMD, not Nvidia.
At least one SteamPal prototype version is a little bit wide as compared to the Nintendo Switch. This extra width will accommodate a slew of control options. Valve is not likely to slapp an entire QWERTY keyboard onto its system, but the company has packed in a standard array of gamepad buttons and triggers, it has also given a pair of joysticks, and at least one thumb-sized touchpad.
The SteamPal’s switch-like properties will also include the option to “dock” to larger monitors with the help of its USB Type-C port, but we don’t have accurate details about it as to how that connection will work or whether Valve has any plans for an eventual SteamPal dock.
