So far, Valve's Steam Deck has been positioned as a 'high-end' portable gaming device, with Valve boss Gabe Newell saying they're targeting a different kind of audience to prospective Nintendo Switch players. But with the base Steam Deck model starting at £349 / $399 and the option to connect it up to a monitor using a dock accessory, part of me wonders whether Valve also see the Deck as a potential first-time PC for people as well. It's a good price for a budget PC, and you'd be hard-pushed to find or build a similar system yourself from traditional PC builders.
So I put the question to Steam Deck designers Greg Coomer and Lawrence Yang when I spoke to them last week, and while they don't think people will buy it as their first PC, they do expect it will be a good upgrade option for existing PC players looking for a new rig.