You know how rare engineering samples can become hot commodities when they pop up for sale, right? That’s exactly what happened with a prototype of the Steam Deck that briefly appeared on eBay, catching the keen eye of a Reddit user from the r/SteamDeck community.
The curious prototype strongly resembles the early images that Valve has shared in the past. It’s equipped with an AMD APU, specifically using the 2019 Picasso silicon. Although initially listed with a price tag of $3,000, it ultimately went for a cool $2,000 to an eager buyer.
Nicknamed “Engineering Sample 34,” this piece of tech strays a bit from the standard Steam Deck design with its blue highlights, an elegantly curved frame, circular trackpads, and what seems to be a sensor integrated into the right joystick.
Interestingly, a sticker on the back insists “Not for resale,” but that didn’t seem to stop this one from changing hands.
Valve had crafted multiple such prototypes during the design process for internal evaluations, making it challenging to pin down the exact age of this model. The inclusion of an older APU hints that this version was probably used to experiment with design mechanics before the specifications for the retail units were locked down, suggesting it might hail from 2019 or maybe 2020.
It’s worth noting that the seller mentioned that this prototype didn’t come with SteamOS. Images taken from the eBay listing’s BIOS by Notebookcheck divulge some pivotal specifications. Valve apparently tinkered with prototypes using an unidentified AMD Picasso chip from the Ryzen 3000 mobile series. This chip packs up to four Zen+ cores paired with a GCN 5.0-based integrated GPU, a combo that substantially differs from the performance levels of what you’d find in the retail Steam Decks.
Moreover, this early iteration features 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, a setup that’s considerably less robust than today’s 16GB and 512GB options, unless you’re eyeing the base 64GB eMMC version. The newer AMD Aerith and Sephiroth APUs are leagues ahead in performance compared to this prototype’s configuration.
Who exactly snagged this gem remains a mystery. If it landed in the hands of a reviewer or tech analyst, there’s potential for a detailed teardown of the unique Picasso chip and insights into the Steam Deck’s evolution. But, if it ended up with a private collector, we might not hear much more about it.
As for future Steam Deck models, Valve has hinted at a wait until superior processors hit the tech scene before considering any follow-ups.
