The Steam Deck modified the way in which I purchase and play video games. Similar to how the Nintendo Change blew me away with the way it let me play the most recent and biggest Nintendo video games on the go and on a TV, the Steam Deck has drawn me in with the way it affords an enormous catalog of PC video games that I can play portably or on a giant display. And with the Steam Deck’s microSD card slot, I can add much more storage simply by tossing in a tiny reminiscence card, that means I can carry much more video games round with me on the gadget.
However with its new Steam Machine PC and Steam Body VR headset, Valve is about to make any microSD playing cards you employ with the Steam Deck much more helpful. Just like the Steam Deck, each of these units additionally run Valve’s Linux-based SteamOS working system, and each have microSD card slots, too. So if the microSD card you’ve plugged into your Steam Deck is formatted for SteamOS, any video games you’ve saved on it will likely be instantly seen by the Steam Machine and Steam Body as effectively.
When the Steam Machine and Steam Frame launch in early 2026, this microSD card assist means you’ll be capable to take the units out of the field, slot in your microSD card out of your Deck, and begin enjoying most of your video games with out having to obtain them once more. There could be variations in how effectively video games play throughout the three units due to their totally different specs. However many video games will most likely work effectively on all of them, that means you’ll be capable to drop your microSD card into whichever gadget you need to use and simply begin enjoying.
Principally, your microSD card will virtually operate like an old-school recreation cartridge, however as a substitute of it being restricted to 1 piece of {hardware} or one single recreation, you’ll be able to simply carry as many video games as can match on the cardboard to no matter SteamOS PC you’re utilizing on the time.
Nevertheless, Valve is barely constructing UHS-I card readers into these units. UHS-I is gradual in comparison with state-of-the-art microSD or inner SSDs. They may not be able to keep up with each recreation you need to play, even when most will load advantageous. In the meantime, Nintendo has already moved on to supporting the a lot sooner microSD Specific format with the Change 2 (although has arguably additionally taken a step again by introducing Change 2 cartridges which might be a “key” and don’t actually contain games).
“SD playing cards are infamous for having low efficiency, however from our testing and our expertise, they really work very well,” Valve {hardware} engineer Yazan Aldehayyat instructed The Verge whereas exhibiting us the Steam Machine at Valve’s headquarters. “For most individuals, the choice makes probably the most sense, in our opinion.
After we requested to make clear the spec of the microSD reader, Aldehayyat added, “What we’re making an attempt to emphasise right here once more is we actually need the Steam Machine to be a very easy, tremendous handy gadget” that you simply simply plug in, signal into, and begin enjoying video games on.
It’s a key a part of what makes Valve’s new {hardware} really feel like a part of a cohesive ecosystem, and it might be an essential benefit because it enters the console wars.
