But does it allow you to do that without hacking it?
steam os doesnt it auto boot into steam and only install games you own on your account?

and probably its hardware uses special property drivers, so other os install will be hard or impossible to do, but we will see

You're going to give money to Valve so you can run things from GOG?

good news for me ;)

Not sure if I'd want one or not yet. Maybe. I like the specs though, it's more than adequate to run modern 800p (16:10 screen which i like for a handheld) games on the 4 core 8 thread CPU and RDNA2 graphics. It has about the GPU power of a PS4 in mobile form, that's actually pretty good- again baring in mind you only need to get to 800p. I'm sure it will also support AMD's AI upscaling...so even if in a few years if it cannot cope with 800p on new AAA game...that will help.

Price is expensive, but hell the base model is only slightly more expensive than a Switch which is just a clapped out detuned nVidia Shield TV with a cheap screen. If over 80M people are happy to pay the price for the Switch, then the much better tech in this thing should be worth it. I do think the US$120 jump in price for the 256GB NVMe drive is a bit steep...256GB gen 3 drives don't cost that much do they?
It's also powerful enough to emulate any console up to a WiiU, and old console games are particularly well suited to hand held play with their low resolutions that look crappy on large screens.

And to those asking earlier, yes you can side load your own software according to early hands on users. so you can load Windows as it stands now.

They really missed the bus by not calling it the GabeBoy

It will be very interesting to see what can be done with it. Do you need to buy the more expensive models just to get the better SSDs, or can you upgrade it yourself? How good the screen panel and controller is? As I understand the data that's available now, is based on the prototype version of it.

Honestly if I'm finally able to play Conker's Bad fur day and the two Banjo Kazooie games on a handheld, I'll be absolutely tempted to get it.

What I'm not sure about is that poor D-pad, it looks so poorly positioned. I'll definitely wait to see some reviews.

I think this will be very popular with casuals and people from developing countries, taking market share from mobile and console gamers.

However, I'm not convinced it'll do well with current PC gamers. Besides 800p 60Hz, plenty of AAA PC games require you to sit down in front of a monitor for hours to get through it. I can't see someone playing this during daily commutes or during lunch breaks with exception to quick casual, platformers, puzzle, fighting, racing, SRPG games. But I could be very wrong.

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Specs / Prices (USD)

- $399 for the 64GB version
- $529 for the 256GB version
- $649 for the 512GB version

- CPU: AMD Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5GHz (up to 448 GFlops FP32)
- GPU: 8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.0-1.6GHz (up to 1.6 TFlops FP32; Xbox One S = 1.4TF FP32, PS4 = 1.8TF FP32)
- RAM: 16 GB DDR5
- Storage: 64GB, 256GB, 512GB versions; expandable with MicroSD cards
- Display: 7" diagonal, 1280x800 (16:10), 60Hz LCD touchscreen
- Audio: Stereo speakers that "pack a punch," says Valve, 3.5mm stereo jack, dual mics, multichannel USB-C/Bluetooth output
- Controls: Two analog sticks with capacitive touch, D-pad, face buttons, analog triggers, bumpers, assignable grip buttons, "view" and "menu" buttons, gyro
- Trackpads: There's two of them, and Valve says that they have "55% better latency compared to Steam Controller."
- Wireless connectivity: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- Wired connectivity: USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4 Alt-mode support; up to 8K @60Hz or 4K @120Hz, USB 3.2 Gen 2
- Battery: 40Whr, "2-8 hours of gameplay"
- Size: 11.7" x 4.6" x 1.8" (298mm x 117mm x 49mm)
- Weight: Approximately 1.47 lbs (669 grams)

I would be interested in this sort of device, but I am not going to make a steam account or buy any games from that DRM-supporting service.

What I might do is:
* Get this, or some similar competing device, at some point. (Possibly second-hand, or if it's on clearance due to lack of demand.)
* Wipe the OS, and install some other flavor of Linux, one that doesn't use proprietary software in its userland. Would use some other launcher for games. (This is reportedly possible without hacking.)
* Install some DRM-free games I've purchased from sites like GOG (anyone heard of that site?) and itch.io , then play them on the device.

As dtgreene says, I'd be interesting in trying it, but not firsthand. I'd have to see how much of the userland is limited by the OS, but give that it appears to be running Arch, might be a heck of a thrill.

They mention that you can do exactly that, wipe steamOS and install windows 10.

EDIT: The more I think about it, I would have loved for it to also come with touchscreen. The 16:10 aspect ratio would have been perfect for running a 2ds/3ds emulator displaying both screens.

EDIT2: Guess what it does have a touchscreen. DAMN!

I actually wouldn't install Windows 10, as modern versions of Windows include DRM, plus I don't trust proprietary software with system-level stuff. (The only proprietary software I use on my computers on the primary CPU is games.)

Oh nice so they're selling through steam. That also means it'll be much more difficult to gouge by buying en masse. Hopefully they ship internationally.

It looks ok, would wipe all the whole thing in heartbeat and put a decent OS on it though, with nothing to do with steam. Have thought about getting a switch, but as mentioned above cost is huge, not just the machine but the games. I ended up getting a GPD win 2, which, whilst being an initial large payout, runs everything I have, emulation, pc stuff. So I don’t need to purchase anything else. Battery life is a bit low, but it fits in the pocket and does everything a laptop does with built in controller. There is a new gpd win coming out this year I believe.

hmm why isnt there anything with just box no controller or screen and you could just remote into it and use it on tablet monitor or phone
like a laptop, just you chose your controllers and screen :P

I think I've seen similar "handheld gaming PCs" like GDP Win2?

https://gpd.hk/gdpwin2

The more the merrier, I guess. Not sure I want one though, at least for PC games. I am already a laptop gamer, and I guess games requiring precise mouse + wasd controls are off-limit for such devices. Well, laptops are not used only for gaming. I didn't check if that comes with some kind of usable keyboard.