Following the release of Valve’s handheld gaming computer the “Steam Deck” back in February, the developer reiterated one of its main talking points since first revealing the device in July 2021 stating that Valve has no plans to develop any exclusive games for the device.
Speaking to Rock Paper Shotgun Steam Deck engineer Pierre-Loup Griffais and designer Jake Rodkin reminded gamers that the Steam Deck is just a handheld PC and as such has no exclusive features you’d find elsewhere.
With Griffais stating his hope that game developers keep the device in mind “I think we hope that developers keep Steam Deck in mind when thinking about what the startup experience will be when you load a game on Steam on the Deck versus on a PC.”
“But the best thing about the Steam Deck, I think, is that it can play your Steam library. And it’s like a new window through which you can see Steam, more so than it’s a unique platform.” Griffais further stated
It should be noted that Griffais and Rodkin’s interview went live ahead of Valve surprising everyone with Aperture Desk Job, a free “playable short” that is literally designed to show off the Steam Deck hardware. The game is playable on a regular PC with a controller – but it’s definitely meant to be played on Steam Deck.
“If we expect that people do any work, it’ll be work that just makes their game better on Steam as a whole,” Rodkin said. “And not just for Steam Deck: things like controller support or accessibility on smaller screens, or lower specced PCs. But it should be a thing that increases the depth adaptability of their game and let it be played in a lot more different spots as well.”
Valve’s Steam Deck was released on 25th February 2022 and is now available in three flavours: $399 (64GB), $529 (256GB), and $649 (512GB), over on the Steam store.