So, how will Valve cope as a new Steam Deck rival arrives on the scene? Pretty well if you ask us. Yes, in light of the news that one of the oldest names in PC components, Antec, is now pursuing a rival device to the Steam Deck, we take a look at how this newly announced product could impact Valve, Steam Deck, and the larger handheld device gaming PC space.
Antec enter the Steam Deck business
Antec is beginning to launch a rebranded handheld gaming PC based on the Ayaneo Slide, produced and supplied by the Ayaneo themselves. Currently referred to as “Core HS”, the new model has no new design features from the original Slide model other than the obvious logo changes. In terms of specs, fans can expect a 6-inch, 1080p screen that will be able to tilt at a 30-degree angle, slowly revealing a keyboard – similar to an old-school Windows Mobile phone.
All of this will be powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 7840U chip, a departure from the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip used in products like the ASUS ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go. The CPU is paired with an 8-core and 16-thread AM4 GPU with 12 compute units. Furthermore, this new product may also include additional accessories like a storage bag, similar to what Ayaneo offers.
| Specs | Antec Core HS |
|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 7840U |
| Display | 6-inch 1080p high-brightness wide color gamut IPS floating screen |
| Storage | 16GB + 512GB, 32GB + 512GB, 32GB + 2TB, 64GB + 4TB |
| Battery | 12,000 mAh |
| Software | Windows 11 64-bit Home Edition |
Impact on Valve and the Steam Deck
This new Antec handheld gaming PC is unlikely to worry its major competitors like Valve, however. This is because the “Core HS” model is already plagued by potential drawbacks. For example, the TDP rating of the Slide is shown to be 15-28W. This compares to the more preferable 9-30W for the ROG Ally and 4-15W for the Steam Deck. Ultimately, demonstrating that this new chip isn’t as well optimized for low power consumption.
Additionally, the original pricing of the Ayaneo Slide was $899 at retail, with the highest-spec version at $1,599 USD. While dependent on configuration, the price of the Antec Core HS is most likely set at a similar standard according to a report on the Taiwanese site LTN. If true, fans will be looking at a price somewhere between $600 and $900 for this new model. This will ultimately end up being more expensive than Steam Deck is currently between $500 and $700. All of this, alongside a far more respectable and renowned reputation, makes us doubt that the new Antec Code HS will have Valve panicking.
The Antec Core HS has a planned release date between June and July for North America and Europe so we will just have to wait and see how this new handheld gaming PC is received.
