I suspected to see some current handheld gaming PCs this yr at CES, however it appears like one thing much more thrilling is in retailer. AMD and Lenovo are internet hosting an occasion through the week of the present, and it’ll absorb two particular company in attendance: Valve’s Pierre-Loup Griffais and Microsoft’s Jason Ronald.
I’ll be attending the occasion on January 7, about which Sean Hollister over at The Verge initially shared out the small print. There are a few explanation why this occasion might be vital. First, Valve. Because the launch of the Asus ROG Ally, there absorb been a handful of some of these occasions that includes spokespeople from AMD, Microsoft, and the corporate making a handheld — Lenovo or Asus. Valve hasn’t ever been in attendance, and contemplating Valve makes the Linux-based Steam Deck, it will be odd for the corporate to absorb a presence.
Like most Valve staff, Pierre-Loup Griffais wears a whole lot of hats, however he’s been targeted on the Steam Deck for some time. In actual fact, he’s one among the individuals I spoke to in regards to the origins of Proton within the Steam Deck. The Lenovo Legion Recede is a Home windows-based handheld, so the incontrovertible fact that Griffais might be in attendance says fairly rather a lot.
Pick up your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming
That brings us to the second tantalizing element. A few weeks in the past, Valve up to date its branding pointers with a handful of logos that mumble “Powered by SteamOS.” Alongside this, Even Blass leaked varied pictures of a black Lenovo handheld with a button displaying the Steam brand. Valve has been clear that it’s working to deliver SteamOS to different handheld gadgets, and this convolution of totally different elements paints a fairly clear image of what’s coming.
Evan Blass / X
It’s not confirmed, however it’s nearly as near a affirmation as we’re going to bag earlier than January 7.
I’d end in need of calling this the Steam Deck 2, nonetheless. Valve says it’s engaged on a Steam Deck 2, and it’ll perform one every time there’s a titanic improve in efficiency obtainable. There are nonetheless causes to bag enthusiastic about this handheld, although. The Lenovo Legion Recede makes use of the AMD Ryzen Z1 Excessive, which is extra highly effective than the chip within each the Steam Deck and the Steam Deck OLED. As well as, AMD confirmed that its next-gen Ryzen Z2 Excessive will arrive early subsequent yr.
It’s not possible to mumble moral now what this thriller handheld might be packing, however both approach, it’ll be extra highly effective than the Steam Deck. Add on prime of that the light-weight efficiency of SteamOS, and the proper wizardry of Proton, and we may absorb a really compelling handheld.
Fortunately, it’s simply a couple of shorts weeks earlier than we all know of course. I’ll be on the occasion, and Lenovo is promising a possibility to “play with the newest Lenovo Legion Recede lineup.” You may guess I’ll be shouldering my approach by the group to see no matter gadget is there in particular person.