Valve might be working on handheld gaming PC, enabling you to play Steam games on the go.
The company has been secretly building a Nintendo Switch-like gaming PC, according to Ars Technica, citing unnamed sources. The plan is to launch the product by year’s end, assuming Valve can secure enough manufacturing capacity.
The hardware reportedly includes a touch screen, gamepad controls, and a USB-C port to connect to a larger monitor, all packaged on a single device. On the software side, the product will likely run Linux, an open-source operating system, removing the need to pay licensing costs to Microsoft for Windows.
The report from Ars Technica arrives as the developer of Steam Database, a third-party tracking tool, also noticed some interesting computer code in a beta release for the Steam client. The software now mentions a controller device named “SteamPal,” along with “SteamPal games.”
“Is Valve making a handheld Steam console?” Pavel Djundik openly wondered on Twitter.
Valve didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But earlier this month, company co-founder Gabe Newell did tease that Steam games are coming to video game consoles in some mysterious capacity.
“You will get a better idea of that by the end of this year,” he said during an event after he was asked if Steam games would ever land on consoles. Newell was also quick to add: “It won’t be the answer you expect.”
A handheld gaming PC certainly would be a surprise. Other companies, including Alienware and Aya Neo, have either prototyped or developed their own portable gaming PCs. So perhaps Valve has the motivation and technical muscle to make the technology mainstream.
