Steam Deck dev kits are out in the wild as it enters the final stages of development

Steam Deck
(Image credit: Valve)

The Steam Deck is in the final stages of development, Valve has revealed.

The news comes from an official Steam Store post by Valve yesterday on September 14. Valve opens the post by explaining to those eagerly awaiting the device that a limited number of dev kits are now in the hands of developers, so they can test out their games before they launch on the Steam Deck later this year.

Next, Valve unveils that the Steam Deck is in the "final stages of development." Specifically, Valve says it's now looking for feedback from developers who receive dev kits, potentially incorporating said feedback into the final design of the product before it ships out to consumers.

Speaking of getting hands-on time with the Steam Deck prior to launch, we were suitably impressed with Valve's new hardware when we got to try it out for ourselves earlier this year. You can head over to our complete Steam Deck preview to see how some of your favorite games run on the new hardware.

However, there's still some debate as to whether the Steam Deck really will be able to run some of the more popular games out there. Earlier this year, it was alleged that the Steam Deck might not run games like Apex Legends and Destiny 2 due to their anti-cheat software, whereas Valve claimed that every game in Steam's expansive library could run on the device. More recently, a Valve developer stated that if the Steam Deck doesn't run every single game on the storefront, Valve considers this a bug that needs fixing.

You can head over to our Steam Deck comparisons guide on how the new system stacks up against the likes of the PS5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch.

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

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