In a nutshell: Valve has published a Steam Deck FAQ consisting of questions asked by developers and publishers during its recent Steamworks Steam Deck virtual conference. Much of what was discussed won’t concern the average gamer, but there were a couple of interesting tidbits that surfaced during the one-day event.
When asked if Valve would be interested in creating games exclusively for the Steam Deck, the company said that path doesn’t make much sense to them. “It’s a PC and it should just play games like a PC,” Valve said matter-of-factly.
In response to a question about verified games, Valve said such titles will be more visible on the default store home page. Valve is aiming to get titles through the verification process within a week of submission, but admitted that this could vary depending on the size of the queue at any time.
Valve also commented on the possibility of additional color options for the handheld. Unfortunately, there’s nothing to announce right now, but the gaming company said it will take a look at other color options in the future, adding that it is pretty far down the road.
Developers may also be interested to know that there isn’t anything special about dev kits. That is, they contain no special hardware or software that makes them easier to develop for. The same tools and testing methods can be used on any retail unit, we’re told.
Valve announced the Steam Deck over the summer. The handheld gaming PC starts at $399, and unsurprisingly, pre-orders quickly sold out. Early adopters were expected to receive their consoles in time for the holidays, but Valve was forced to delay the launch by two months due to global supply chain issues.
The first retail units are now scheduled to ship in February 2022.