When unique engineering samples of popular consoles or accessories find their way to the marketplace, they often command impressive prices. This was exactly the case with a Steam Deck prototype that recently popped up on eBay, revealed by a keen-eyed member of the r/SteamDeck community.
A dedicated Reddit user posted about this intriguing prototype, which hit the auction block with an initial $3,000 price tag, yet ultimately exchanged hands for $2,000. This particular model shares a striking resemblance to images Valve has previously released and includes an AMD APU using older Picasso silicon dating back to 2019.
Internally named “Engineering Sample 34,” this Steam Deck prototype steps apart from the usual fare with distinctive blue accents, a sleek, curvier design, circular trackpads, and an unusual sensor perched on its right joystick.
Interestingly, there’s a bold “Not for resale” sticker emblazoned on the back cover, a detail the seller evidently overlooked or disregarded as they worked their way through the transaction.
These early-stage engineering prototypes are usually produced in significant quantities for internal evaluation at Valve, so nailing down the specific era of this model is tricky. However, its use of older hardware suggests it was an early mechanical prototype, likely from around 2019 or 2020, before retail specs were firmed up.
The seller highlighted that this prototype doesn’t come with an operating system like SteamOS. Information grabbed from the BIOS by Notebookcheck sheds light on key specs: the prototype might be running a preliminary AMD Picasso (Ryzen 3000 mobile) chip with up to four Zen+ cores and a GCN 5.0 (Vega 3/8/11) integrated GPU. This configuration leads to quite a notable performance disparity compared to the retail Steam Decks.
Additionally, the prototype’s 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage pale next to the contemporary models offering 16GB and 512GB, unless you’re looking at the base 64GB eMMC option. Future AMD APU designs like Aerith and Sephiroth promise substantially greater capabilities compared to this setup.
We’re now left to wonder who actually purchased this piece. If it’s a tech reviewer or hardware analyst, we might soon see a comprehensive breakdown of the custom Picasso chip and insight into how Valve’s design has evolved into the current Steam Deck. Otherwise, the buyer may just be a collector adding another rare piece to their collection, opting to keep it under wraps.
For those eagerly awaiting the next version of the Steam Deck, Valve has indicated it won’t appear until more advanced processors become available.
