Steam Deck Won’t Support External GPUs

You can stop dreaming of plugging a new Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics cards into a Steam Deck through an external hardware dock.

Steam Deck has been designed to be a portable PC in the form of a handheld console but despite sharing features with a traditional desktop system, developer Valve has enforced a few limitations to keep enthusiasts in check.

According to an updated FAQ earlier today, Steam Deck will not support external graphics cards. Hence, players can stop dreaming of plugging in their new Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics cards through an external hardware dock.

Steam Deck could have supported 4K resolution on its current display but which “would not have been worth the trade-off” in terms of frame rates and performance metrics. Valve hence intentionally scrapped 4K but with a goal to support 4K down the road when the Deck receives its next iteration model.

Within the same vein of external hardware upgrades, a PC virtual reality headset can however be connected with a Steam Deck through its USB-C slot but for an unoptimized virtual reality experience.

Furthermore, players can decide to use their newly bought Steam Deck as a cumbersome PC controller through the magic of remote play. That will be highly unlikely though since a traditional controller would fare cheaper but players still have the option to use handheld device on PC in an emergency case.

Steam Deck launches during the 2021 holiday season. It comes in several editions with the base and high-end editions retailing at $400 and $650 respectively. There is also a $550 edition which comes in-between and upgrades the NVMe solid-state drive, adds a premium glass, and includes some exclusive goodies like a unique carrying case and a virtual keyboard theme.

Saqib is a managing editor at segmentnext.com who has halted regime changes, curbed demonic invasions, and averted at least one cosmic omnicide from the confines of his gaming chair. When not whipping his writers into ...