Steam Deck VS Xbox Series S: The Ultimate Comparison

Valve finally launched its portable console and is known as Steam Deck. And on the other hand, you must be curious about comparing it to the digital Xbox Series S as it’s cheaper and more powerful.

Well, one thing everyone knows is that Valve released the Steam Deck on 25th Feb 2022 whereas the Xbox Series S is in the market since 12th December 2019.

While both new generation consoles are serious gaming machines so, you will likely see a handful of key differences between the two.

Moreover, we don’t want you to have any last-minute buying or make any rushed decisions you’ll later regret. That’s why we’ve got all the details you need to know about both the Xbox Series S and Steam Deck below and will be giving you a closer look at the differences they both have such as size, price, performance, availability, and much more.

steam deck and xbox series s
Steam DeckXbox Series S
Price $399, $529, $649$299
Resolution7 in. IPS, 1,280 x 800, 400 nits, 60HzTarget 1440p @ 60 FPS. Up to 120 FPS
Memory 16GB soldered LPDDR510GB GDDR6
ProcessorAMD APU with quad-core Zen 2 CPU, 8 compute-unit RDNA 2 GPU (4-15w)AMD RDNA 2 GPU 20 CUs @ 1.565GHz
Storage64GB eMMC or 256-512GB SSD, micro SD (UHS-1) expansion slot512GB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD (2.4GB/sec uncompressed, 4.8GB/sec compressed)
Expandable Storage microSD slot1TB Expansion Card
Disc DriveN/AN/A
Display OutUSB-C with DisplayPort 1.4HDMI 2.1

Price

There are a total of three versions available of Steam Deck and their price varies according to the storage size.

Steam Deck

$399 USD for the 64GB
version

Xbox Series S

$299 USD for the 512GB
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.
steam deck all you need to know

Whereas, the Microsoft Xbox Series S comes with an Xbox Wireless controller and an Ultra High-Speed HDMI cable, and all of these you can get at a price of $299 and has a 512GB internal space.

Availability

Steam Deck is only available at 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 Xbox Series S was kinda hard to find when it was released.

But, now you will be able to get your hands on a console in the US, we’d recommend checking in at Microsoft and Amazon for new Xbox Series S restocks. Meanwhile, UK shoppers should keep a close eye on Amazon, Very, and Microsoft but it’s best you stick to the retailers that you know and trust.

So, in short, both the next-gen consoles are easily available and delivered on time.

Xbox Series X Stock is Available on Amazon

Steam Deck VS Xbox Series S : Specs and Performance

Xbox Series S outranks the Steam Deck. Steam Deck 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 Xbox Series S has an 8-core AMD Zen 2 CPU which is twice the Steam Deck. One more difference is that Xbox Series S has 8 cores/16 threads and an operating frequency of up to 3.6 GHz.

However, they both are different when it comes to RAM as the Steam Deck has a total of 16 GB of LPDDR5 memory whereas the Xbox Series S comes with 10GB GDDR6 RAM. Although the RAM is a bit less than the Steam Deck it’s more powerful as this variant allows the console for higher memory bandwidths which by extension, allows the GPU chips to reach their full potential.

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 Xbox Series S is just connected with a power supply and play as long as you want.

Coming to the design then the Xbox Series S is the smallest console Microsoft has ever made. It’s about 60% smaller than its cousin and that is, the Xbox Series X.

Xbox series s vs steam deck

However, the Xbox Series S displays up to 1440p at 120Hz but some titles can output at a full 4K resolution while the Steam Deck’s LCD screen supports 1280 x 800 resolution at 60Hz.

But one more important thing is that most users don’t play at 4K 120fps on Xbox Series S due to low performance, 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

The only similar thing you will find in both the consoles is that they both have ditched the classic disc drive. So, you will be seeing digital games in Xbox Series S and Steam Deck.

In Xbox Series S you get thousands of current favorites, new releases, and a lot more games in the library that are ready for adventure as soon as you open the box. Some of the famous games include Cyberpunk 2077, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, Fortnite, and much more.

Also, you can download and play over 300 games on Xbox Series X for one monthly fee by availing yourself of an Xbox game pass.

Get Your hands on over 100 high-quality games to play with friends

Screenshot 2022 03 08 at 4.17.12 PM

Whereas there are tens of thousands of games on the Steam platform but the company can’t test them all the same time and there are some famous title games being tested right now that will run on Steam Deck.

Also, note that Valve Steam Deck runs on SteamOS, which skips out major games like Valorant, World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Genshin Impact, Minecraft, Call of Duty Warzone, Black Ops Cold War, Overwatch, and a lot more.

Steam Deck VS Xbox Series X: Outlook

For now, it’s impossible to tell which console is the best because both of them have their own differences such as the Xbox Series S wireless 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 Xbox Series S has been already on the market and it’s getting sold day by day. 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, the Deck may have an upper hand on the sales.

So that’s everything you need to know about Steam Deck compared with Xbox Series S and it’s high time you get in love with the video games due to high quality and fun games so, it’s up to you which system you choose.

And 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.

Zul
Zul

Zul is an avid gamer with a passion for RPG and racing games. He enjoys playing games like Need for Speed and Grand Theft Auto 5 and is also skilled at fixing errors and crashes to enhance the gaming experience. Zul stays up-to-date with the latest gaming news and enjoys sharing his knowledge through writing gaming guides and articles.
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