Steam Deck hardware reviews are out – here’s what people are saying

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Valve is finally shipping the first Steam Deck handhelds on February 28. After an initial delay pushed back the December release window, the new gaming handheld is finally set to arrive later this month. And now we finally have a look at some of the early Steam Deck hardware reviews.

The Steam Deck has likely been in the hands of these reviewers for weeks now. So, they’ve had plenty of time to dig into the device and see everything that it has to offer.

Reviewers have only been given permission to talk about the hardware that makes up the device. Valve is likely still working hard on perfecting the original SteamOS software for the device. That means we’ll have to settle for hardware specs for now.

The Phawx runs benchmarks and comparisons

YouTuber The Phawx is pretty familiar with handheld gaming devices. They have reviewed several different handheld gaming consoles on their channel, such as the GPD Win 3 and the Ayaneo Next. The Phawx ran the Steam Deck through a series of benchmarks with comparisons to the competition. And the results are pretty impressive.

The Phawx’s overall findings show that the Steam Deck contains some pretty impressive hardware. It performs better than most of its competition in most settings. There’s even a 10-minute section with a side-by-side comparison showing the Steam Deck performing exponentially better than both the GPD Win 3 and the Ayaneo Next.

Gamer Nexus takes a look at the Steam Deck‘s components

Gamer Nexus has also come in with its own hardware review for the Steam Deck. This channel used a variety of tools and technology to take a look at what is going on inside of the device. The review looked at various performance aspects such as temperature and sound at full load. Again, the Steam Deck performed pretty well in these tests.

The review found that temperatures inside of the Steam Deck remained within an acceptable level during gameplay. Although, the fans sometimes tend to ramp up, causing the device to be a little loud.

READ MORE: What games are available to play on Valve’s Steam Deck?

Gamer Nexus also stress-tested the Steam Deck’s battery. The device mostly maintained its two to eight-hour battery life in most cases, but it did only last about an hour and a half while playing Devil May Cry 5 on high settings with uncapped framerates. You’ll definitely want to keep a charger close by if you plan on putting it through its paces.

Linus says the Steam Deck feels really good in your hands

Finally, we have an in-depth look at the Steam Deck‘s ergonomics from Linus Tech Tips. Linus also did his own stress-testing and benchmarks, but this review gives a better look at how the device will actually feel in users’ hands.

In this review, Linus raves about the various input options that are featured on the Steam Deck. He was a big fan of the controller, especially the joysticks and mappable paddle buttons on the back. Linus also had good things to say about the device’s speakers and touch-screen display.

READ MORE: Interested in buying a Steam Deck? Buy it now – new orders won’t ship until October

These are obviously only very early reviews that give a basic look at what we can expect from the Steam Deck. But things are certainly looking good for the device so far.

Although we haven’t had a great look at the device’s SteamOS software yet, it seems like the Steam Deck has the potential to make big waves in the handheld gaming world.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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