Its battery life generally isn’t as long as the Switch’s based on our testing, likely because the Steam Deck draws more power and can run higher-end games. How it compares: Valve’s portable gaming rig is much larger and more powerful than the Nintendo Switch, packing a custom AMD processor that allows it to run graphically rich games at settings comparable to what you’d see on a PS4, Xbox One or cheap gaming rig. It delivers a pretty great portable PC gaming experience, though its battery life isn’t very good for demanding titles, and not all games on Steam are optimized or compatible. It’s also a full-on Linux computer, with a desktop mode that you can use to run apps and browse the web.

What you need to know: The Steam Deck is a handheld gaming PC designed to play the tens of thousands of games on the Steam marketplace at fairly respectable settings. Who it’s for: The Steam Deck is ideal for two groups of people: PC gamers who own lots of games on Steam and want a convenient way to play them on the go, and folks looking to get into PC gaming without shelling out $1,000 or more on a gaming PC.

Should you take the risk of being an early adopter or wait for Steam Deck’s kinks to be worked out? Here’s what I think after doing lots of gaming (and even a bit of working) on Valve’s innovative handheld. It also isn’t guaranteed to play every Steam game out there, with some notable titles that are fully incompatible.

It’s pretty bulky, it has some occasional performance hiccups and its battery life isn’t always great. Now, while the Steam Deck does a great job letting you play PC games on the go (and is a lot cheaper than a gaming laptop), it’s very much a first-generation product. It’s essentially a Nintendo Switch on steroids - and not just because it’s huge. Valve’s new handheld successfully makes PC gaming portable, packing enough power to play the tens of thousands of games on Steam at console-like quality while also doubling as a full-on computer. When I play visually rich PC games like God of War and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order on the Steam Deck’s small screen, I feel like I’m getting a taste of a very exciting future. Your CNN account Log in to your CNN account

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