If you're buying a Steam Deck soon, you now have to at least make sure that it's not some sort of a newer version of the hardware - or else you might get slightly less than what you initially paid for.
A Steam Deck handheld gaming console, taken on August 26, 2021.
That's because according to a report by Kotaku, it looks like Valve secretly kneecapped the Steam Deck's specs. The change to the hardware was first sopped by German site HardwareLuxx, who said that the handheld console's internal 256GB or 512GB SSD are now just coming with two lanes instead of four. In the simplest terms, having merely two storage lanes instead of four could slash the drive's bandwidth in half.
What could be even more troublesome is that the newer Decks weren't announced via a public statement or news release. Aside from that, there seems to be no new model number differentiating the Decks with two storage lanes. As per the original Kotaku report, the only way you can discern which is which is by checking its official specs in the menu.
PC Gamer gave some directions on how to do just that. Go to the Deck's menu, find the tab "Hard Disk Drive," and look for these things:
In the right panel, it'll have a code. Our 512GB review model has a Phison ESMP512GKB4C3-E13TS drive. That seems to be a custom 2230 SSD using Phison's Gen3 x4 E13 controller. So, you want to check whether your code ends with -E13T too, or something else entirely. If it includes a code like -E08 (Phison's Gen3 x2 controller), then your Deck is one of those with a drive running on a Gen3 x2 interface.
For now, though, there seems to be no benchmarks indicating whether or not there's a clear performance downgrade from four storage lanes to two. Valve also hasn't commented on the apparent issue at hand so far, so we'll have to wait for official confirmation.
In the meantime, check your Deck's specs if you can help it and see whether the storage performance (i.e. load times and other things) looks and feels fine to you whenever you play games. The Steam Deck itself is a very capable piece of kit, so perhaps either way you'll still get a good gaming experience.
Read Also: You Could BREAK Your Steam Deck If You Do A Certain SSD Mod, Says Valve
Why Did This Happen?
Earlier, we at GameNGuide reported about Valve's announcement that Deck shipments are being doubled. This means that anybody who wishes to order their handheld console now will get them earlier than expected. Valve didn't exactly explain how they're able to double the shipments and ramp up manufacturing, causing one to wonder whether this apparent SSD downgrade is part of it.
Most of the time, going for lesser-performing hardware will cut costs. That's the nature of manufacturing game consoles, Steam Deck included. What follows next is pure speculation so DO NOT take our word for it, but there could be a tiny possibility that Valve may have cut corners a bit in order to start shipping units ahead of schedule.
steam deck dock
Again, this IS NOT a clear, unadulterated indication that Valve is cutting corners just to meet demand. That would be an irresponsible claim to make. So please keep that in mind and just wait for an official word from the company, who will likely address this issue and clear things out soon if it becomes problematic.
Related Article: Steam Deck Tips And Tricks: How To Get The Most Out Of Your Handheld
This article is posted on GameNGuide
Written by RJ Pierce