Whether you think the Steam Deck is the Next Big Thing in PC gaming or just a small Steam machine waiting in the wings, chances are good that gamers have some opinion: the Steam machine that Valve announced today will make your entire Steam library It's a powerful (and expensive) machine that makes the entire Steam library portable.

But what's even more interesting is that it can be treated as a conventional PC if you prefer. Unlike the Nintendoswitch, for example, the Steam Deck can run almost anything the user wants: for example, unlike the Nintendoswitch, the Steam Deck can run almost anything the user wants. The new version of SteamOS is optimized for the Steam Deck hardware, so performance may not be as good, but so is Valve if that's okay.

But what will really get interesting is the ability to run other game storefronts like Epic and GOG, since it can run Windows and other game clients, and in case there are any doubts, the Steam Deck hardware page it states: "You can browse the web, watch streaming video, do your normal productivity stuff, install other game stores, whatever.

This approach made a big impression on Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, who spoke enthusiastically about the device on Twitter:

"Amazing move by Valve! Sweeney tweeted. Sweeney tweeted:" It's a handheld PC/console hybrid running SteamOS, a fork of ArchLinux, an open platform that allows users to install any software they want, including Windows and other stores.

Sweeney's praise of Valve may seem a bit odd, given that Epic has worked hard (and spent a lot of money) over the past few years trying to cut into Steam's near-absolute dominance of the PC gaming market. But the more pressing issue is Epic's ongoing lawsuit against Apple. Simply put, Epic wants Apple to allow iPhone users to install any app they want, including those not offered in the App Store, and to allow developers to use their own payment systems. That is exactly what Steam Deck is doing. We don't know how much weight Steam Deck will carry in future legal proceedings (we're still awaiting a ruling in the first instance), but being able to point to the PC gaming giant as an example of the kind of open competition that Sweeney envisions won't hurt Epic's cause It would not.

Pre-orders for Steam Decks, which start at $400, begin tomorrow; shipments are expected to begin in December, and unlike rival Tim, Gabe Newell has very high hopes.