Engineering samples for consoles and accessories with mainstream allure often draw hefty sums if they make it onto the marketplace. Just recently, a Steam Deck prototype showed up on eBay, much to the excitement of a user over at the r/SteamDeck community.
Would you believe it? This particular prototype, which looks strikingly similar to images Valve previously shared, originally had a $3,000 price tag. However, it ended up snagged by a buyer for a cool $2,000. The device is powered by an AMD APU featuring the 2019 Picasso silicon—a true collector’s item.
Internally labeled as “Engineering Sample 34,” this version of the Steam Deck stands out from the crowd with its distinctive blue accents, rounded curves, circular trackpads, and what seems to be an intriguing sensor on the right joystick. It’s a fascinating variation not found in the standard retail models.
Now, you might expect a label like “Not for resale” plastered on the back to deter any second-hand sales, but clearly, that wasn’t the case for this seller.
Valve produced numerous prototypes during development, and while it’s tricky to pin down the exact age of this unit, the older hardware inside suggests it might have been crafted to assess mechanical aspects way back in 2019 or 2020, long before retail features were locked down.
It turns out this prototype lacks an operating system, specifically SteamOS, which might pose a challenge for the casual user. Notebookcheck dug into the BIOS images from the auction, revealing intriguing specs. Apparently, Valve was experimenting with older AMD Picasso processors from the Ryzen 3000 mobile family. This chip features up to four Zen+ cores and a GCN 5.0 (Vega 3/8/11) integrated GPU—quite different from what’s in the Steam Decks you’ll find on store shelves today.
Moreover, the 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD are a far cry from the 16GB and 512GB configurations offered in today’s market, except for the more basic 64GB eMMC version. The newer AMD Aerith and Sephiroth APUs outperform this setup by leaps and bounds.
As we wait to discover who purchased this intriguing piece of hardware, one can’t help but speculate. If the buyer turns out to be a reviewer or hardware analyst, we might soon enjoy a deep dive into the unconventional Picasso chip and how Valve’s pioneering design evolved into today’s sleek Steam Deck. On the other hand, it might wind up as a quiet trophy piece in a collector’s vault.
Valve has tantalizingly teased fans that a follow-up to the Steam Deck will only emerge when more groundbreaking processors become available, so the excitement continues to build!
