Rumors of Valve developing some sort of mysterious mobile device code named “SteamPal” began swirling this morning. According to a newer, exclusive report from Ars Technica, SteamPal is most definitely a portable, all-in-one handheld PC device with built-in controls that will look and function similarly to Nintendo’s popular family of Switch consoles—touchscreen and all. Ars Technica speculates that the SteamPal will likely leverage an SoC (system on a chip) from either Intel or AMD instead of NVIDIA based on similar devices that have been designed in the past (i.e., Alienware’s Switch-like gaming PC), while rumors from other parties suggest that Valve’s SteamPal will cost around $399 and allow users to access their entire Steam games library.
This update also added a "quick access menu" and a "power menu"
— Pavel Djundik (@thexpaw) May 25, 2021
I have a feeling all these strings related to "Neptune": https://t.co/Ih0K2y4E5A
Is Valve making a handheld Steam console?
I can confirm the device’s existence and development, and I can point to Newell’s very loud hints that something console-related will be announced later this year, but Valve is still in a position to change gears (pun intended) at a moment’s notice. The company could either delay or outright cancel this portable gaming PC project for any number of reasons. As we learned from a massive 2020 report on the development of Half-Life: Alyx, Valve loves to create, incubate, and then cancel things.
Source: Ars Technica, r/GamingLeaksAndRumors