Using Windows 11 for this just seems like an awful idea. They're using an already shaky OS that Microsoft has a tendency to force updates to that cause problems on desktop PCs - who knows what it'll do on something like this? Windows is also a resource hog, not what I'd choose for a presumably light-weight machine.

Windows is also not particularly great about sleeping / hibernating and resuming while games are running... that's really the greatest feature of the Steam Deck, in my opinion - just like a handheld console, you can turn it off at any point and resume your game flawlessly, in almost all cases.

Hopefully they're at least building a custom front-end for it. If they're expecting users to navigate using the normal Windows interface (or Windows' tablet interface, maybe), that's another huge problem.

One of the Steam Deck's great benefits is that it offers an easy way to be free of Windows. Unless this thing does that as well as the Deck, I'm not interested.

Looks like another company that doesn't realize the bundled software is just as important as the hardware.

Windows as a portable gaming platform is dead in the water.

This better have track pads. Unlike the majority of comments here, I don't mind Windows, but using the Ally without a decent pointing device was pain. I don't know why they make a Windows machine without the track pads.

Shame they didn't go the way of Linux.

I really don't understand some company decisions. Are they unaware of how monolithic Steam is? Are they overambitious? Are they ignorant to years of news regarding failed gaming platforms?

Xbox was lucky to have broken into the gaming space all those years ago. Epic is still trying to break even. Stadia is dead in the water. I never heard anyone talk about Geforce NOW. Amico.. Lol. SouljaBoy is making another gaming console.

Can I be hired as a consultant, just so I can say "no, this is a bad idea" and be almost certainly right?

At the end of the day this is great news for Valve as they really only make their money on people buying PC games (through Steam). You were in a situation where mobile gaming was really only practical on the Switch or phones, both cases that would result in lost revenue for Valve. I can see the Steam Deck as being intended to kind of kickstart mobile gaming for PCs, in which case these other companies joining is a complete victory for Valve as is it provides more opportunities for consumers to spend on Steam.

Maybe they can partner with NEC to release a retro-styled handheld. The Pocket PC9800. PPC98. Something like that. Id probably buy one.

I wouldn't touch it simply because my main platform is choice is Linux, if this doesn't provide an easy OOBE for Linux it's a no from me.

@alessandro Yeah... we'll wait and see.

Steam Deck is doing just fine and does not need a Revival. Some journalist sure needs to expand their vocabulary.

Version? Clone? Own take on Steam Deck? Not Revival though.