Valve is secretly building a Switch-like portable console designed to run a large number of games on the Steam PC platform via Linux.
See also: Nintendo Switch eShop could get a big upgrade
On Tuesday, SteamDB maintainer Pavel Djundik spotted the change in Steam code, which points to a new device called “SteamPal.”
The “SteamPal,” whose name is still uncertain, is an all-in-one console with gamepad controls and a touchscreen. In other words, it looks and works like the Nintendo Switch.
The “ Switch-like PC ” category has seen a lot of growth in recent years . In early 2020, Alienware revealed its first Switch-like gaming console, but the device has yet to become a commercial product.
See also: Is Qualcomm preparing a Nintendo Switch clone?
The SteamPal will follow a similar path, with a chip likely coming from either Intel or AMD, but not Nvidia. It's unclear whether Valve will release multiple SKUs to give customers a choice of power levels, battery life, and other specs, like other Switch-style PCs have offered over the past year.
At least the original SteamPal is quite large compared to the Nintendo Switch. That extra width accommodates a lot of control options. The company has included a standard set of buttons and a gamepad, along with a pair of joysticks and at least one thumb-sized touchpad. The SteamPal's touchpad is probably smaller than the pair of touchpads that came standard on every Steam Controller.
See also: Nintendo: Switch may experience shortages later this year
SteamPal is still in the prototype stage and its features are subject to change, as we've seen with prototype hardware for other Valve devices like SteamVR and the Steam Controller.
SteamPal appears to have been built with Linux as a possible target. That doesn't mean that Valve's increasingly good relationship with Microsoft couldn't lead to a deal for Windows to join SteamPal.
The possible price of the console has not yet been announced.
