When unique or limited-run gaming hardware hits the market, it’s almost a guarantee that enthusiasts and collectors will shell out big bucks to get their hands on these prized items. Recently, a prototype of the Steam Deck, spotted by a vigilant community member on r/SteamDeck, popped up on eBay, highlighting this trend.
This piece was an engineering sample and had initially hit the auction site with a hefty price tag of $3,000. Yet, someone managed to snag it for $2,000, a steal considering its rarity and potential value to collectors and gaming historians alike.
The prototype shares a striking resemblance to images previously shared by Valve, indicating it features an AMD APU utilizing Picasso technology from 2019. Known internally as “Engineering Sample 34,” it has a few noticeable tweaks that set it apart from the commercially available Steam Deck. The device showcases unique blue accents, an innovative curved design, circular trackpads, and intriguingly, what looks like a sensor on the right joystick.
Interestingly, despite a prominent “Not for resale” label slapped on the back, the directive didn’t deter the seller from finding a buyer. During its development, Valve crafted a series of prototypes for testing, making it tricky to pinpoint the exact timeline this specific model belongs to. However, the implementation of an older APU hints it was a part of the mechanical testing phases around 2019 or 2020, before finalizing the specs for retail units.
The seller noted this unit lacks an installed operating system—no SteamOS here. Photos of the BIOS, shared by Notebookcheck, reveal fascinating details about its specs. Valve had been experimenting with an AMD Picasso (Ryzen 3000 mobile) chip which consists of up to four Zen+ cores and a GCN 5.0 (Vega 3/8/11) integrated GPU, presenting a stark contrast to what powers the retail Steam Deck today.
Moreover, this early prototype boasts 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, contrasting with the beefier 16GB and 512GB variants available currently, unless you count the more modest 64GB eMMC version. Given this, modern AMD APUs like Aerith and Sephiroth would vastly outperform this earlier setup.
As we wait with bated breath to discover the identity of this mysterious buyer, there’s speculation aplenty. If it ends up in the hands of a tech reviewer or analyst, we could soon get a deep dive into the intricacies of this early device, shedding light on how far the Steam Deck has come since these early days. Otherwise, it might quietly reside in the collection of a private hobbyist or gaming enthusiast.
Meanwhile, fans of the Steam Deck anticipating its successor might have to practice some patience. Valve has made it clear that any future iterations hinge on the development of more advanced processors.
