Valve has downgraded the SSD included with some Steam Deck models.
While allSteamDeck 256GB and 512GB models initially came with aPCI express 3.0 x4 SSD, some now ship with a PCI express 3.0 x2 SSD instead.
UsingWayback MachineconfirmsValvequietly tweaked the technical specificationslistedon the Steam Deck site to reflect these changes in late May, as first reported byHardware Luxx(viaPC Gamer).
While Valve claims its testing didn’t find any impact on gaming performance when using the x2 SSD, it didn’t mention any impact on load times or responsiveness.
The storage section of the Steam Deck technical specifications table currently reads:
64 GB eMMC (PCIe Gen 2 x1)256 GB NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4 or PCIe Gen 3 x2*)512 GB high-speed NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4 or PCIe Gen 3 x2*)
All models use socketed 2230 m.2 modules (not intended for end-user replacement)All models include high-speed microSD card slot*Some 256GB and 512GB models ship with a PCIe Gen 3 x2 SSD. In our testing, we did not see any impact to gaming performance between x2 and x4.
Steam Deck launched in Februaryfollowing atwo-month delay caused by material shortagesand Valve is currently working to fulfil a backlog of orders.
Related
It said on Monday that it’s planning tosignificantly ramp up Steam Deck shipmentsstarting this week.
“Production has picked up, and after today we’ll be shipping more than double the number of Steam Decks every week!”
