Valve announced yesterday in style the Steam Deck, a PC in the body of a portable console that runs the entire Steam library and, in addition, can be connected to a TV or monitor to play in the form of on the table, among other functions such as putting games to rest and others. Which has not gone unnoticed by Epic Games, its biggest competition in terms of digital store on PC.
Against all odds, the reaction of the company has been frankly good, at least that of Tim Sweeney, president of Epic Games. Through his personal Twitter account, Sweeney assures that it is an “impressive move by Steam.” Although beyond praising other types of technical or aesthetic details, the manager emphasizes the fact that it is a Linux-based open platform where users can install their own software, such as Windows or other stores.
Amazing move by Valve! A handheld PC / console hybrid running the SteamOS fork of Arch Linux, and it’s an open platform where users are free to install software or their choosing – including Windows and other stores. https://t.co/jf5TWUWGP5
– Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) July 15, 2021
That is, Sweeney takes advantage of the Steam Deck ad and takes it to his land. That it is an open platform indirectly benefits Epic Games, since any user who owns the Steam console could install their Epic Games Store in the same way as the Steam store and continue consuming content, without the enormous work and money that with leads the creation of such a device.
In either case, the Steam Deck will go on sale on next December a base price of 419 euros, with other versions of more and faster storage. This could see Microsoft also introduce a portable console in the coming years, suggests a well-known insider.