The newly announced Steam Deck is a tempting offer, especially on a product that starts at $ 399. But there is one thing worth considering before pre-ordering your own and that is storage space. The $ 399 model comes with 64GB of flash storage, which is a bit cramped. Games featured in Valve’s promotional videos, such as control, with 42 GB and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (55 GB) would consume most of the drive. eternal downfall and Death stranding would not fit on the entry-level Steam Deck due to their size. Each one requires 80 GB of storage space, according to their Steam pages.
The $ 529 midrange model has 256GB of available storage and the $ 649 top-tier deck has 512GB to solve this problem. Everyone can handle even the meatiest Call of Duty title and comes with other tech upgrades. (The 256GB and 512GB models also have much faster internal NVMe SSD storage.)
Each tier of Steam Deck is equipped with a microSD card slot that users can use to expand their internal storage. Thankfully, they’re cheap: Amazon can get you a 256GB Samsung microSD card for $ 35.99 and a 512GB card for $ 69.99, which is another option there, some to accommodate more games.
Another workaround? The Steam Deck also instantly supports Steam Remote Play, allowing players to stream their game library from a separate home PC.
It’s unclear how much of the Steam Deck’s built-in memory is being used by its operating system, but regardless of that, customers who opt for the entry-level version of Valve’s handheld should expect to purchase some additional memory. Nintendo Switch owners already know this virtual requirement; Depending on the model, Nintendo’s system is delivered with only 32 GB or 64 GB of internal memory.
Overall, though, it seems like the cheapest version of the Steam Deck is best for indie titles or older games that take up less space. AAA titles are increasingly consuming tons of storage space; I could have three games the size of Cyberpunk 2077 … or an absolute buffet of indie titles like Over board!, Carrion, Stardew Valley, and dozens of other games of similar size and range. Even the standard $ 399 model could have tons of classics like that Half-life completed pack, the Portal package, and a copy of Ricochet.
While the Steam Deck looks like an appealing purchase, you will likely have to either set your expectations or pay for a larger model, especially if you’re the type of person who loves playing games in bed. However, the deck will likely be worth it for people who have large Steam libraries with a lot of variety – it seems like a great way to experience older classics and various new indies.