Prototypes are often fascinating insights into how a product was developed. These rare devices are highly sought after by collectors as the rarity makes them both valuable and interesting. One such prototype Steam Deck landed in the hands of a YouTube content creator, who examined it in detail.
YouTuber Bringus Studios is well-known amongst his fanbase for his interest in devices produced by Valve. He has previously explored an early ‘Steam Machine’ as well as an unusual internal prototype Valve computer. This rare prototype Steam Deck is just the most recent Valve-related device he has been able to explore.
The Steam Deck prototype appeared on eBay, where it sold for an eye-watering $3,000. Bringus was not actually the buyer, but the new owner graciously allowed him to examine and test the device for his YouTube channel.
A careful look at the markings on the PCB revealed that the device was assembled in 2019, three years before the official launch of the Steam Deck. The system was intact and appeared in great condition, but unfortunately did not boot.
Hardware surprises in store
After first making a backup disk image of the SSD, Bringus set about installing an operating system. The initial attempt to use the official SteamOS image did not work, but fortunately popular third-party installer Bazzite was successful.
Having the OS available allowed Bringus to further explore the hardware configuration. He discovered that the prototype used the Ryzen 7 3700U, codenamed Picasso. This is an older 12nm APU that is considerably less efficient than the 6nm Zen 2 APU that powers the retail version of the Steam Deck.
After exploring the OS, Bringus tested some games. There, he found out that while the older APU could just about manage to play games such as Counter-Strike, the 2GB of shared VRAM hobbled the system.
This all shows that three years is a long time in tech, and gives an insight into what might have been.
