On Kinda Funny's Xcast podcast, Starfield leader Todd Howard opened up about Steam Deck compatibility. However, the raw numbers of Starfield's minimum system requirements do not paint a rosy picture.

In discussing the accessibility features of Starfield, Howard mentioned the Large Font mode and how it will be useful on handhelds, but he also made it clear that he has game streaming in mind here. While mentioning handhelds, Xcast co-host Mike Howard asked about Steam Deck support, to which the Bethesda veteran replied, "We'll talk about that later."

While hardly conclusive, the lack of a definitive "no" is probably the best piece of news we've gotten regarding Deckfield, with Starfield's minimum system requirements so stringent that even Deckfield's low-resolution requirements may not be met, This is a faint glimmer of hope.

These minimum specs presumably refer to 1080p resolution, low graphics, and 30 fps. With this in mind, Deck has some leeway in terms of graphics cards: it is aiming for a more forgiving 800p (possibly 720p) resolution, which is not as good as the 1070 Ti or 5700.

However, while Deck's 16GB of RAM may sound like a match on paper, it is an obvious shortfall because that pool is shared between the rest of the system and the GPU instead of having separate RAM and VRAM. Equally problematic are the 6-core, 12-thread CPUs: the 2600X and 6800K are a generation older than Deck's quad-core, 8-thread Zen 2, but they still may not be able to handle the lack of core count, and there is not much graphics tweaking to compensate.

Needless to say, the proposed 125GB of SSD space immediately takes the unmodified base model Deck off the table. Given these considerations, I think it is possible to run Starfield on the Steam Deck, but unless Bethesda has a Deck-specific plan "down the road," I don't think it will be the preferred platform for enjoying this upcoming space epic.