Tag: Valve

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Steam Deck on sale for 10 percent off right now

Valve’s Steam Deck portable gaming PC is on sale for 10 percent off just over a year after it first became available.

Unfortunately, the handheld is only being discounted by 10 percent, but for something that hasn’t gone on sale before, 10 percent is certainly better than nothing. In Canada, that works out to the following prices:

  • 64GB eMMC model – $449.10 (regular $499)
  • 256GB NVMe SSD – $593.10 (regular $659)
  • 512GB NVMe SSD – $737.10 (regular $819)

All three models have expected delivery dates of one to two weeks. You can buy your Steam Deck here.

The Steam Deck is quite the little handheld. It’s impressive to see a small device like that playing full-fledged PC games (it’s crazy that we now live in a world where you can play a once-exclusive PlayStation title on the portable PC in your hands). Despite some early issues, it’s come a long way. Plus, the handheld is a modder’s dream, with people connecting it to external GPUs and even getting macOS running on it.

You can check out the Steam Deck store page here.

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Mobile Syrup

Counter Strike: GO 2 may be in development, release as soon as this month

Publishing behemoth Valve is said to be developing a sequel to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO). It’s reported that the follow-up to the widely successful esports title could launch a beta as early as this month.

Richard Lewis, a reputable esports journalist, has reported that CS:GO 2 is “very real” and is “about ready to go.” Apparently, Valve has already been hosting secret playtests of the new competitive first-person shooter. The publisher is said to have flown a group of players to its HQ in Seattle to play the game.

The report goes on to state that CS:GO 2 may be ready for a beta testing program by April 1st at the latest. Lewis continues by saying sources state, “The big priority is getting this out and then polishing it, fixing any bugs and bringing it up to the level people expect from CS.”

Thanks to data mined info, the Counter-Strike sequel appears to be developed on Source 2. The in-house engine from Valve may enable the game to offer improved graphics, frame rates, and more. Furthermore, the game appears to support 128-tick servers. If true, latency could be reduced to that of Valorant. Plus, improvements to matchmaking are also on the table.

News of a reported sequel comes after a successful decade for CS:GO. The game is a blockbuster title within esports. Although Counter-Strike has built a sizeable community, it was the advent of CS:GO that propelled its popularity worldwide and built the franchise a name in esports.

What remains to be seen is how Valve aims to treat the current version of CS:GO. There’s a chance that the publisher may offer players the choice of which version to play. For a brief moment in time, Valve enabled players to access the original version of Dota 2 after it introduced Dota 2 Reborn. However, a merger eventually happened and Reborn became the main title.

However, CS:GO 2 may follow in the footsteps of Overwatch 2. Following the launch of Blizzard’s sequel, the studio shut down the servers for the original game. Rather than separate the player base, Valve may opt to transition all players over to the new version.

Image credit: Valve

Source: Richard Lewis Via: Engadget

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Mobile Syrup

Valve’s The Game Awards Steam Deck giveaway has been extended

During Geoff Keighley’s The Game Awards event, which took place on Thursday, December 8th, Steam was offering users free Steam Decks for just watching the event online.

During the event, Valve was giving away one Steam Deck a minute to a random user. The Steam Decks being given away were the 512GB ones, which normally cost $819 and sport a premium anti-glare etched glass.

Users needed to be in ‘good standing’ and be situated in Canada, the U.S., the UK or EU to be able to participate in the giveaway.

Now, according to the official SteamDeck page, Valve was reportedly “blown away” by the response it received to the event, and it has decided to extend the giveaway.

This time, however, you don’t need to do anything. “We just drew 171 more names from all the registrants who tuned in (over 980,000 of you!),” reads the Tweet.   “Check your email to see if you won!”

For reference, if you’ve been selected for the second round of giveaways, the email you receive should look a little something like:

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Steam Deck now available for outright purchase, no reservation required

Valve’s Steam Deck is now available for purchase without any reservation.

As spotted by Twitter user @Lbabinz, visiting the Steam Deck page gives you the option to ‘Buy now,’ with deliveries estimated to occur within one to two weeks.

It’s a significant move from Valve, which has been operating under a reservation system since last year. Previously, people would have to place a small deposit and then wait any number of months before receiving an email that gave them a small window in which they could complete their purchase and await shipping soon thereafter. For example, a friend and I pre-ordered our Steam Decks in June and just received them within the past week.

Now, though, the supply constraints seem to have improved enough for Valve to do away with this reservation system. That said, it’s unclear how long this might last — it’s always possible Steam could revert to reservations down the line — so you may want to purchase a Steam Deck sooner rather than later if interested.

The base Steam is priced at $499 CAD and comes with a 64GB Embedded MultiMediaCard (eMMC) and carrying case. However, you’ll likely want to go with one of the other two models, as they’re SSD-powered and, therefore, a lot faster. The middle Deck costs $659 and comes with a 256GB NVMe SSD, carrying case and exclusive Steam Community profile bundle, while the most expensive model is priced at $819 and comes with a 512GB NVMe SSD, premium anti-glare etched glass, exclusive carrying case, exclusive Steam Community profile bundle and exclusive virtual keyboard theme.

You can order the Steam Deck here.

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Valve temporarily pausing Steam Deck order emails in Canada due to backlog

If you’re in Canada and are still waiting on a Steam Deck, we have some disappointing news for you.

Via the official Steam Deck Twitter account, Valve confirmed that Canadian orders for the portable PC have hit a bit of a snag.

“Our distributor has hit a processing backlog for orders to Canada, so folks in this region will see a (very) temporary pause on order emails,” writes Valve. “We’re working on it, and are optimistic we can resume emails to Canada soon. This doesn’t impact emails or shipments to other regions.” That said, the company noted that it still anticipates being able to fulfill all reservations before the end of the year.

In a follow-up tweet, the company clarified that it’s made this temporary pause in Canada so its distributor can make it through the backlog of paid orders here. Once that’s done, it will resume sending emails to Canadian customers.

For the uninitiated, the Steam Deck purchasing process begins by making a reservation for the system with a small deposit via Steam. Later, you’ll get an email saying “your Steam Deck is now available,” at which time you pay the remaining balance and complete the purchase. While there’s no set time frame for when you’ll get the Steam Deck shipped, people online have said it’s generally been between 10 and 14 days from purchase to actually receiving the device.

However, it’s unclear what this backlog means for Canadians who have already completed their purchase. For example, MobileSyrup contributor Andrew Mohan and I both got our availability emails on Monday, September 19th and paid off the system that same day. We’re now awaiting a shipment email. Presumably, we and others in similar situations will be safe since we’re past the reservation stage, but that remains to be seen.

We’ve reached out to Valve for confirmation on who, exactly, is affected by these delays and will update this story once a response has been received.

Source: Valve

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Upgraded versions of Valve’s Steam Deck are coming

The Steam Deck is here to stay, at least for now.

As first reported by VGC, Weekly Famitsu magazine has published an interview with Valve where the publication asked about support for the console’s future.

“Unless something major changes, there will be a next generation of Steam Deck products in the future,” said designer Greg Coomer. “The theme, size and shape will change, and it might even become a streaming machine. Development of the Steam Deck will continue.”

Coomer goes on to elaborate on this statement.

“One reason is that it is an extension of our core Steam platform. The Steam Deck is another PC in another form, but Steam has many other uses besides this handheld device […] and we will continue to work to satisfy our customers as much as possible.”

Future Steam Deck improvements will include battery life and optimization, according to developer Pierre-Loup Griffais. “We have already made improvements [to battery life] between the time of launch and now,” Griffais said. “We’re also constantly optimizing the operating system to reduce battery consumption when playing games that are not too demanding. This will improve the battery life. In any case, battery issues are at the top of our list of future improvements.”

Additionally, Valve told Polygon that there will “definitely” be new generations of the Steam Deck. Further, the company might make streaming possible via the Steam Deck in the future. However, the company has no announcements currently.

For more on the Steam Deck, check out our in-depth look at the powerful portable.

Source: Weekly Famitsu Via: VGC, Polygon

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Valve ups Steam Deck production, says you’ll get it by year’s end

Valve says customers who reserved a Steam Deck should get it by the end of the year. Moreover, those who make a new reservation should also get it by the fourth quarter (between October and December).

In a blog post from the company behind popular PC game marketplace Steam, Steam Deck customers got excellent news. Valve explained that many of the supply chain issues that impacted manufacturing of its new handheld were “clearing up,” allowing it to produce more Steam Decks and do it faster:

“We’re excited to announce that we’re going to be able to fulfill demand sooner than we had estimated for everyone in the reservation queue. Many of the supply chain shortfalls that affect Steam Deck are gradually clearing up, and we’re continuing to ramp production, so we’re able to produce more Decks faster than ever before.”

Specifically, Valve says that everyone “currently in the reservation queue” will get their Steam Deck email this year. It also bumped several customers who were in the “Q4 or later” window got bumped up to the Q3 window.

With that in mind, you’ll want to check your reservation window (you can do that on the Steam Deck page here).

This marks the latest increase in Steam Deck production. The Verge notes that Valve has steadily increased production for the handheld since launch as it worked through supply chain issues.

So far, the Steam Deck has been a hit, offering access to PC games in a handheld console, tons of customizability, and more. MobileSyrup’s Patrick O’Rourke detailed his experience with the Steam Deck, which you can view here. And for those of you who may be on the verge of getting a Steam Deck, here’s a PSA: keep it out of the sun.

Source: Steam Via: The Verge

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If you want your Switch of Steam Deck to melt, take it outside in a heatwave

If you’ve ever looked at your Switch OLED model or Steam Deck and thought to yourself, “I wish I could make this gaming handheld device melt,” now is your chance.

Nintendo and Valve warned users not to take their respective portable consoles outside amid the ongoing heatwaves currently ravaging regions around the world, including Canada, the U.K., Japan and more.

Nintendo’s official Japanese Twitter account tweeted out a diagram to help prevent overheating that tells players they should only use the Switch in an environment between 5 and 35-degree Celsius and that they should avoid blocking the handheld’s rear intake and exhaust vents (via Nintendo Life).

Valve also recently tweeted a warning to Steam Deck users, stating that the console should be used in temperatures between 0 and 35 Celsius and that running the handheld in conditions warmer than this range above this will hinder the handheld’s performance. In fact, if the Steam Deck gets too hot, it will shut down altogether.

Given it sometimes feels like I could cook an egg on the Steam Deck’s back while playing resource-intensive games like Elden Ring, this isn’t surprising.

So what should your key takeaway be here? Don’t take your Switch or Steam Deck outside in the middle of a heatwave unless you want to watch it melt.

Source: @Nintendo_CS, @OnDeck Via: Nintendo Life

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Steam Deck dock delayed by Valve again due to supply shortages, work closures

Valve is once again delaying the launch of its Steam Deck dock. After pushing the release past the handheld’s official launch, Valve says that COVID-19 is affecting its release.

Much like the Nintendo Switch, the Valve Steam Deck is designed to be used as a handheld. However, also supports a docking station to be connected to a TV or monitor. Initially, Valve intended to launch the Steam Deck with its own docking station as a separate purchase. Upon its launch of the first orders of the Steam Deck in February, Valve pushed its launch.

Now, the company informs the community that COVID-19-related supply shortages and work stoppages have caused further delays. Unfortunately, with the latest delay, Valve isn’t providing a new release window. However, the company claims it is “working on improving the situation.”

The Steam Deck dock enables connectivity between the handheld and a display, streamlining the port access. However, outside of the official dock, there are third-party USB-C hubs and external displays. Valve itself is also open to users tapping into the power of other USB-C hubs. In fact, the company is “continuing to work on improving the docked experience.”

As far as what this means for current customers waiting for their Steam Deck order to ship, Valve claims this has no effect. Valve confirms that it’s leaning on different parts and different factories to produce the Steam Deck and its docking station. Therefore, “this has no effect on [the] production schedule and reservation windows for Steam Decks.”

Source: Valve Via: The Verge

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Valve’s latest Steam Deck update could make the handheld’s fans quieter

In a recent blog post, Valve outlined how SteamOS 3.2 beta improves the Steam Deck’s fan curve and increases its max volume.

Though it’s unclear when the final version of this beta update will be available, Valve making the Steam Deck’s fans quieter is definitely a good thing. I’ve been very impressed with the portable, but its fans are ridiculously noisy. For example, if I’m using the handheld beside my partner, she can hear the high-pitched whine.

I’ve yet to install the update on my Steam Deck, but hopefully, it mitigates this issue.

The complete list of updates can be found below:

  • Updated fan controller — now smarter, more stable, and quieter overall
  • Performance HUD now shows a more accurate reading of VRAM used (previously would cap out at 1G used)
  • Added more internal resolution options for games to choose from
  • Fixed gain staging, resulting in higher max volume and removing white noise coming through 3.5mm jack with some headphones.
  • Fixed PipeWire and Steam failing to elevate their thread priorities
  • Fixed the language dropdown in the Warframe launcher

The Steam Deck is far from perfect, but the near-weekly rate Valve is releasing updates for the portable is impressive. Check out my in-depth look at the handheld for more on the Steam Deck.

Source: Valve, @lawrenceyang