Valve's YouTube channel has been updated for the first time this year with a trailer for the Steam Deck. The minute-long advertisement calls it "the most powerful gaming handheld in the world" and emphasizes that it offers "portable gaming without compromise", highlighting features like "cloud saves, Steam chat, and more".
Seeing Ghostrunner, Prey, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Death Stranding, Control, Slay the Spire, and The Ascent running smoothly on Valve's device makes it look like a tempting proposition. Personally, the promise of being able to play my entire Steam library on a handheld makes me realize how much I prefer mouse-and-keyboard controls. Heck, I play Hades with mouse and keyboard, it's great for the Infernal Arms. Maybe the Steam Deck's touchscreen and trackpad would change my mind?
The ad finishes with a call to reserve a Steam Deck now. If you do, don't expect to receive one by the end of the year despite the declaration that it "Starts shipping December 2021". Depending which model you order, any Steam Deck reserved now is likely to arrive at some point in 2022.
