When it comes to rare gaming gadgets, prototypes of popular consoles or accessories can attract a hefty price tag on the open market. Recently, a Steam Deck prototype captured the attention of a savvy Reddit user from the r/SteamDeck community after it appeared on eBay.
This particular prototype, while looking similar to the official images previously shared by Valve, sports an AMD APU with Picasso silicon dating back to 2019. Though it was initially listed for $3,000, the prototype ended up selling for a cool $2,000.
Tagged as “Engineering Sample 34,” this version incorporates some unique features not found on the standard Steam Deck. With its blue accents, a more noticeably curved design, circular trackpads, and perhaps a mysterious sensor on the right joystick, it stands out from the crowd.
Even with a “Not for resale” sticker plastered on its back cover, the seller clearly found a way to bypass this warning. During the design process, Valve created a variety of prototypes for internal testing purposes, making it tricky to determine the exact age of this particular model. However, its older APU indicates the device might have been aimed at evaluating mechanical characteristics before the final specs were set, likely dating it around 2019 or 2020.
The seller noted that the prototype lacks an operating system, such as SteamOS. An analysis of its BIOS images, snapped by Notebookcheck from the eBay listing, unveils several intriguing specs. Valve’s earlier test units harnessed an unnamed AMD Picasso (Ryzen 3000 mobile) chip, showcasing up to four Zen+ cores alongside a GCN 5.0 (Vega 3/8/11) integrated GPU. These architectural variances mean that there’s a noticeable performance gap between this configuration and the consumer-grade Steam Decks.
Additionally, this device’s 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD are less robust compared to today’s 16GB and 512GB options, with the exception of the 64GB eMMC version. AMD’s more recent Aerith and Sephiroth APUs would easily outpace this setup.
As we wait to discover the identity of the buyer, there’s anticipation about what will come next. If the purchaser turns out to be a hardware expert or reviewer, we might gain valuable insights into this custom Picasso chip and the evolutionary journey of the Steam Deck’s design. However, it’s just as likely that a collector procured this gem only to admire it in silence.
On a related note, Valve has confirmed that fans eager for a new iteration of the Steam Deck will need to bide their time until processors that offer a significant leap in performance become available.
