The Internet Is Losing It Over The Steam Deck's Size

Valve divided the internet with the announcement of its portable PC, the Steam Deck. Now, commentary about the handheld's size has spawned further debate.

Wes Fenlon, Senior Editor for PC Gamer, called the Steam Deck "gigantic" compared to the Nintendo Switch. In the publication's Hands-On Preview, viewers can clearly see the size difference between the Steam Deck and the standard Switch. Similarly, Jan Ochoa, video producer at Giant Bomb, shared a photo of the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation Vita, Game Boy Advance, Game Gear, and Steam Deck on Twitter to demonstrate how the latter measured up to other portables.

Many commenters honed in on the size of the on-the-go PC in response to Ochoa's tweet. One person joked that hand sizes had increased dramatically in the recent century. Another quipped, "Finally a handheld for Kawhi Leonard." A third wondered why anyone would carry around a system as sizable as the Steam Deck, while a fourth questioned why PC gamers would spend over $400 on a massive portable just to "avoid consoles."

Though Twitter cried foul, PC Gamer did not have an actual issue with the way the Steam Deck felt. Wes Fenlon claimed that the size and button arrangement didn't negatively affect gameplay. In fact, he stated that the layout felt intuitive to how you would "naturally grip the device."

To be fair, the Steam Deck's three models, which share the same dimensions, are slightly larger than the Nintendo Switch. According to the official tech specs, the portable measures 298mm x 117mm x 49mm, which roughly translates to 11.7 x 4.6 x 1.9 inches. In comparison, the standard Switch is only 9.4 x 4 x 0.55 inches. So, the Steam Deck is bigger, but not by much. Further, the Steam Deck sports a 7 inch display — the same measurement as the screen on the Nintendo Switch OLED, though the standard Nintendo Switch only has a 6.2 inch screen.

Size may not prove as big a detractor as the internet seems to fear. However, several unanswered questions remain about the Steam Deck. Gamers have also expressed concerns about the Steam Deck's ability to run some of Steam's most popular games, despite Valve's bold claim that the portable PC could handle even modern titles without issue.