Valve finally launched its portable console and is known as Steam Deck. And on the other hand, you must be thinking about how it’s different from PlayStation 5.
Well, one thing everyone knows is that Valve released the Steam Deck on 25th Feb 2022 whereas the PS5 is in the market since 12th November 2020.
But for some of you who haven’t bought a PS5 or are looking to replace it with a Steam Deck then we will be giving you a closer look at the differences they both have such as size, price, performance, availability, and much more.
| Steam Deck | PS5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $399, $529, $649 | $499 |
| Resolution | 7 in. IPS, 1,280 x 800, 400 nits, 60Hz | Up to 4K at 120Hz / 8K at 60Hz |
| Memory | 16GB soldered LPDDR5 | 16GB GDDR6 |
| Processor | AMD APU with quad-core Zen 2 CPU, 8 compute-unit RDNA 2 GPU (4-15w) | 8x Cores @ 3.5GHz Custom Zen 2 |
| Storage | 64GB eMMC or 256-512GB SSD, micro SD (UHS-1) expansion slot | 825GB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD (5.5GB/sec uncompressed, typical 8-9GB/sec compressed) |
| Expandable Storage | microSD slot | NVMe SSD Slot |
| Disc Drive | N/A | 4K UHD Blu-ray (N/A on Digital Edition) |
| Display Out | USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4 | HDMI 2.1 |
Price and Availability
There is a total of three versions available of Steam Deck and their prize varies according to the storage size.
PS5
$499 USD for the 825GB
version
Steam Deck
$399 USD for the 64GB
version
- Steam Deck specced with 256GB of NVMe storage for $529 USD / £459 GBP comes with more and faster storage as well as an exclusive Steam Community profile bundle and the aforementioned carrying case
- And $649 USD / £569 GBP for 512GB which offers the fastest storage with its high-speed NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4). This version comes with a premium, anti-glare, etched glass screen; a unique carrying case.
Whereas the PS5 comes in two versions. One comes with a Disc version, while the other comes with a digital version.
The Disc version costs $499 and while the PS5 digital edition can cost you $100 less with both of them having 825GB of internal.
Coming to the availability then Steam Deck is only available on the Steam Deck store and can be reserved for a $5 (£4) deposit. That $5 deposit will go toward the cost of the Steam Deck if you do decide to follow through and order one. It’ll be refunded if you change your mind and decide to cancel.
But the PS5 is still hard to find in the market and it has been almost 1.5 years since the launch of PS5 the reason it’s out of stock is due to an increase in demand but the Sony says that the chips needed to make the PS5 are getting short.
So, it’s hard to find a PS5 console rather than easily reserving for a Steam deck that will be delivered on time.
Steam Deck VS PS5: Specs and Performance
When it comes to specs and performance then the PS5 and Steam Deck are somewhat closer to each other as the SteamDeck with a Linux-based operating system based on SteamOS, Deck is less like a handheld gaming console and more like a fully-functional PC as the Steam Deck uses a custom-designed “APU”, a combination CPU-GPU architecture built by AMD.
The CPU is the equivalent of a Zen 2 laptop processor with a 4/8 core setup of primary and secondary cores maxing out at 3.5GHz. The GPU is an integrated 8-core RDNA 2 design.
Whereas the PS5 also has the same Zen 2 architecture with a custom AMD CPU but the only difference lies in that the PS5 has 8 cores/16 threads and operating frequency up to 3.5 GHz. So, games running on more cores will perform a lot better than ones that aren’t.
Design and Display
Both the consoles are way more different in these categories as on one hand there’s a handled console and chargeable whereas the PS5 is just connected with a power supply and play as long as you want.
However, the PS5 has Up to 4K at 120Hz / 8K at 60Hz resolution while the Steam Deck’s LCD screen supports a slightly higher 1280 x 800 resolution at 60Hz.
But the best part is that not everyone can afford or play at 4k or 8k as the PS5 gets overheated and many users faced this issue when they played games at 120fps in 4k. We don’t say that this feature is useless but most of the time users play on 2K which the Steam Deck can also support easily.
Supported Games
As there are tens of thousands of games on the Steam platform but the company can’t test them all the same time but there are some famous title games being tested right now that will run on Steam Deck.
Whereas the PS5 games are widely available on the PlayStation Store and on retail shops and the best part is you can even play PS4 games on PS5 such as Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Horizon Forbidden West, God of War Ragnarök, Gran Turismo 7, and much more.
But the best part is as the Steam Deck just acts like a PC so you can play these games on Steam Deck too with the same resolution as on PS5. Moreover, it won’t cost you as much as the PS5 game disc would be.
Steam Deck VS PS5: Outlook
For now, it’s impossible to tell which console is the best because both of them have their own differences such as the PS5 DualSense controllers for easy multiplayer, and these you won’t get in Steam Deck and you have to connect it directly to your monitor or TV.
Although we know that the PS5 has been already in the market and it’s getting short day by day but you never know as the Steam Deck is available on its own store as they are still testing some games for the users to play so, due to shortage of PS5 the Deck may have an upper hand on the sales.
On the other hand, Steam Deck is targeting PC gamers as it’s more like a gaming console and a fully-functional PC too which you can’t find in the PS5 as the games are limited to the PlayStation store only.
So, do let us know what do you think that which console is the best according to price, design, and availability?
You can leave your answer in the comments section below.
